Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.
AN: Hello all! I hope you're having a good day, and I am really trying to get back on a regular posting schedule. I promise! Responses to guest reviews from the last chapter can be found at the end of this post.
Also, a little character/codename reminder: Riza/Loki...Roy/Tyr/Mr. Sexy Voice...Becca/Freya...Havoc/Dagr...Breda/Ymir...Ross/Hel...Fuery/Sig...Elicia/Little One...Olivier/Ice Queen
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
The Three Birds Job
It was far too few restful hours after bullets had flown past their heads and the base in Virginia had become a spectacular pile of embers that Roy stood with Hawkeye atop an apartment building in downtown Paris. With a deep breath he took a few steps and stretched, fighting off his lethargy and taking a look over the building's edge. His sleep at the Armstrong compound had been sound but short-lived and he, along with the rest of the team, had climbed wearily onto the jet early the next morning. At that point, it was merely force of habit and muscle memory that kept one foot moving in front of the other. It seemed they were always on the move, with hardly a moment's rest, and he decided that, whenever this mission ended, he would set aside an entire week just for sleep.
Immediately following their arrival, they had unloaded the equipment at the safe house and then spent the remainder of the day making the necessary preparations for a plan they had concocted during that flight. If it went well, they could kill three birds with one stone: 1. Help Director Armstrong help Interpol shut down a human trafficking ring for which Maurice laundered money, 2. Learn the location for the Mansouran Exchange, 3. Team Morale. This would be the combined team's first official operation and, after what felt like an avalanche of horrible luck and losses, they needed a good day.
He shot another look over the city of Paris at night, and the Eiffel Tower drew his attention, lit up like a beacon in the distance. Then, checking his watch, he crouched next to her to help check the lengths of rope for weaknesses and fraying. "The last time I was here, this pain-in-the-ass thief kinda ruined my night. Would you know anything about that?"
She smirked at him. "Who on Earth would do such a thing?"
"I'm not sure...but it really wasn't nice."
"Worse than the guy that tried to strangle you the next day?" She anchored the cables to a metal bar running along the exterior of the enclosed stairwell that accessed the roof, testing them with her weight.
"Somebody tried to strangle you...Tyr?" Elicia's concerned voice came over the comm, including his codename as an after thought since she was unaccustomed to the practice.
"Keyword is tried, Little One," he chuckled. "Lucky for me, a friend was nearby and intervened." He stepped behind Hawkeye, gripped the rope, and added his weight since, in an emergency, the equipment may have to support both of them.
"Was that friend a pain-in-the-ass thief, perhaps?" the blonde asked teasingly, letting the rope fall and checking her harness. Then she said, "Status, Freya?"
"Nearly there," Catalina replied with some amount of irritation as she and Havoc made their way to the security office of another building close to a location Maurice used for 'business.' "For some reason, dipshit here just had to drive, and let's just say he had no clue what he was doing."
"I've driven before, thank you," came Havoc's frustration-tinged answer. "It's not rocket science."
"Can we get back to the strangling thing? Cause that sounds like a big deal," Elicia interjected again.
"Don't worry, Little One. I'm fine," Roy quickly interrupted. "Hey, do you remember that rule we discussed?"
"I know, Tyr...I promise to maintain radio silence once the target is en route from location charlie to delta."
He shared a look with Hawkeye, brow furrowed, tempted to comment on his niece's oddly agent-like response. Then, from her position tailing Maurice with Breda, Maria said, "As if on cue, target is on the move."
"Okay, Freya, Dagr...you have two minutes."
"Copy, Loki."
"I've got the frequency for his security's comms...I've confirmed he's heading to location delta," Breda informed them.
"Thanks, Ymir," Roy replied.
"Sig, tell Ice Queen to give us twenty and she'll have everything she needs. You'll quarterback," Hawkeye said, attaching her harness to the ropes and positioning herself near the edge of the building.
"Copy that, Ice Queen is standing by," Fuery responded after a few seconds of silence.
"In position at location beta," came Catalina's voice. "I am really going to enjoy this...it feels great to be stealing something again. I'm all giddy."
"And we're on, kids," Fuery said, starting them off.
At that signal Roy carefully climbed out over the ledge, and promptly made the mistake of looking down. "Shit...that's far. No falling, Loki."
"Excellent advice, Tyr. I had forgotten about gravity," Hawkeye wryly rejoined.
Amused, he looked over at her. "Does the amazing Loki not like heights?"
Her only response was to meet his gaze, and they simultaneously jumped over the side, both keeping pressure on the rig to make sure they did not descend too swiftly and lose control. His adrenaline started to flow and he stopped listening to the ongoing conversation briefly, focusing on his speed and the distance to the rapidly approaching terrace. The rope zipped through the carabiner and he periodically gauged her progress, keeping even with her.
They started to slow and she lowered herself next to a camera, affixing a device to it that would loop the footage so the terrace would continue to appear empty. Maurice's security system was actually quite sophisticated and could only be accessed from certain terminals within the building. Since they'd not had time to visit earlier to place a drive that would allow Fuery complete access, they had to make due with alternatives.
He glanced at the camera at the other end of the terrace and said, "Ten seconds." The reached the cement floor and hastily removed their harnesses, each giving their rope a powerful tug to activate the winches set up on the roof. He was silently counting down and pulled her toward him, hiding behind a large, ornate planter before the other surveillance camera caught them.
Hawkeye met his eye briefly and he dropped his arm when he realized it was still around her back. She peeked at the camera and, when she nodded, they raced toward the other end of the terrace. Roy placed another device on that camera's side while she connected another electronic to the keypad via two wires. She pressed a button on the small, phone-like gadget and the screen lit up, numbers scrolling across it as it determined the correct code. "The otter's hitched, Sig."
"Okay, I'm getting some basic system data, Loki," Fuery told them. "I'm not seeing any alarms...once you're inside, you should be clear."
"Copy," Roy replied, taking the otter when she handed to him. She picked the lock and he entered the code before she opened the door, letting them into the kitchen. He disconnected the device from the keypad and then his partner for the evening pointed him toward the office. Moving behind the desk, he inserted a USB into one of the computer's ports to duplicate it's contents. "Drive's in, Sig."
"Copy, Tyr."
"...no fucking way, it's not possible," Breda was in the middle of saying. "Target is entering delta."
"It's not just possible, crazy man, it's the truth," Catalina replied. "You asked about my craziest job and I'm telling you...I sold the mark Mount Rushmore. This guy was obsessed with US presidents, and he owned all kinds of random crap...like George Washington's left boot, and Thomas Jefferson's dental floss."
"You do know they didn't have dental floss back then, right?" Ross asked.
"Maybe they used horse hair, who knows?...Anyway, we needed him to make a large money transfer so we could find the funds he'd stolen. Long story short, he had this beautiful moment where he thought he owned a mountain, and then he went to prison," Catalina said. "...We're in, by the way. Pulling all security footage backlogs and clearing the hard-drives."
"Data download complete, Tyr," Fuery cut in.
"Copy." He left the office and strode down the hall, stepping into the bedroom and pausing a second later at Hawkeye's irked expression as she crouched next to the open floor safe. He let out a wry chuckle, wondering why nothing ever went to plan. "What is it?"
"It's empty." There was a note of astonishment in her voice.
"Excuse me, Loki?" Catalina instantly replied. "Come again?"
"It's empty...He got smart." She shut the safe firmly and secured it, moving to join him at the doorway. Her exhale was sharp, and she was clearly analyzing their options when she added, "And we don't have time for a thorough search."
Roy met her gaze, watching her thoughtfully, and then gave a satisfied smile when he remembered something he'd noticed when they first walked in. "We might not be in trouble yet." She followed him, and her raised eyebrows silently asked what he was talking about. "I smelled fresh paint in the kitchen, but it was faint...and I noticed he had several large deliveries to this address about a month ago." When they were back in that room he looked toward its far end, near the formal dining area, and tilted his head. His eyes moved from one wall to the other and, unless he was mistaken, the white paint on one looked just barely brighter than the others. He moved closer and found that the kitchen had been extended to include a wine cellar which, not surprisingly, appeared brand new. Taking a look at the small addition, he then walked through the dining room to the hallway and back again. "If I'm seeing this right, there are a few feet unaccounted for between the far side of the cellar and the hallway beyond. I'd say something's there."
"Nice catch, Tyr." She walked through the glass door, examining the walls, sizing up the wooden wine racks, lightly touching random bottles. "I recognize this style...there's usually a hidden switch or button that will reveal the safe." Before she even finished speaking she paused in her search and carefully grasped a bottle of Pétrus, twisting it to the right and pushing it further into the rack until they heard a small click. At his questioning glance she said, "Maurice's first girlfriend was from Serbia...her name was Petra. I hear she's the one that got away."
At the end of the room directly across from the door the wall split in two and opened almost like a curtain to reveal a four foot tall safe. "A little cheesy to hide it in the wine cellar, if you ask me."
She smiled in response as she ran her hands along the edges of the safe, over the front door. "It's not that bad." She positioned her ear near the safe-door, just left of center at the same height as the handle, and turned the dial with her right hand. Her eyes were mostly closed as she concentrated on isolating the correct notches within the lock.
"Yeah, kinda cheesy, but at the same time cool in a James Bond sorta way," Havoc commented.
"I think I'll call it clandestine-chic," Breda supplied.
"I refuse to acknowledge that name, cause I'm pretty sure you didn't invent this shit," Havoc retorted.
"Give us radio silence, guys," Roy told them, ending the banter before it could turn into full-blown bickering.
She remained quiet, displaying no reaction to the comments, and he thought her focus was impressive. Her hair was pulled back, her fingers almost danced over the dial, and then she was turning the handle. "Safe's popped." Hawkeye smiled again when she pulled open the door and started to remove money, ledgers, flash drives, jewelry, and other valuables. "I don't think he'll be needing these anymore." Roy took the bag from his shoulders and filled it with everything she handed to him. When they were done, she closed and locked the vault while he secured the bag and slung it over a shoulder. She then returned to the bottle of Petrus, reversing the previous process to once more hide the safe, and they strode toward the elevator in the center of the apartment.
While they waited for the car to arrive, Roy took a small signal jammer from his pocket and activated it as a precaution to interfere with any cameras that might be present. "We're heading down, Sig."
"Copy."
They stepped inside and immediately set their bags on the floor, beginning a rapid costume change in order to blend in at Maurice's club, which was their next stop. He stripped off his jacket, followed by his shirt, and then started to reach for the bag, stopping midway when she pulled her own top over her head. He watched the fabric slide up from her hips, over her waist, and off her shoulders as if in slow-motion. She freed her hair, tousling it with one hand before she saw him and froze, her lips falling open a touch and eyes starting to rove downward over his chest. The soft chime of the elevator passing another floor prompted them to break the eye contact and he opened the bag, handing her the clothes she'd packed. At the next chime they finished changing, quickly shoving their divested garments in the backpack.
Hawkeye slipped on a pair of heels and they each grabbed a bag just in time for the doors to slide open. They strode casually out and she softly said, "At the lobby, Hel."
"Copy...I'm pulling up out front now," Ross responded. Roy opened the front door of the building, they exited onto the sidewalk, and a few steps later they were in the back of a black sedan with tinted windows. Maria drove away from the curb and said, "On our way to location alpha."
"Freya and I are out...moving to the rendezvous," Havoc informed them. "And now that we have a little down time, it's Loki's turn for a craziest job story."
Hawkeye let out a slow, thoughtful breath and tossed her backpack to the floor. "It was intermission at the Brazilian opera...there was this amazing display of heirlooms dating back to colonial times. There were swords, paintings, antique tea sets, furniture...pretty much anything you could imagine." She paused briefly, glancing out the window. "One of the features that evening was the Duchess of Caxias' necklace, given to her by the Brazilian royal family."
"Mmm...it was totally gorgeous," Catalina commented.
"Diamonds, intricate metal work, surprisingly not gaudy..." Hawkeye's smirk appeared again. "I took it from the glass case in the center of the room and wore it out of the building."
"I'm borrowing Ymir's line...no fucking way," Ross said, shaking her head. "There's no way anyone could have pulled that off in an opera house full of people with no one seeing."
Roy continued to watch her, finding he rather enjoyed that smile of hers. "I have a feeling it's very possible."
"Just, how?" Maria asked, voice full of dubiety.
"Well, there was an electrical surge involved." She gave a little shrug and added, "And I wore it out because I had nowhere else to put it...I was wearing this great dress and it happened to cover the necklace completely."
"I can believe it," Breda announced. "We know she's got a light touch...Let's not forget she planted that bug on Tyr and he had no idea."
"I would just like to point out..." Havoc jumped in, apparently coming to his rescue. "...that my friend Tyr here was a little distracted. See, he'd recently been dumped by one of the hottest girlfriends he ever had. I mean, compared to my past girlfriends she was like a six, but for him she was a solid 8.5."
"Hey, Dagr...screw you," Roy chuckled.
"I'm just calling it like I saw it...If I'm not honest, how will you learn?"
"Learn what?"
"I'm helping you reach your full potential. It's what friends are for."
"Location alpha," Ross announced, drawing the vehicle up to the curb.
"Okay, all comms but Loki and Tyr will be dropped, and I'll make sure Ice Queen receives the intel and the backlogs," Fuery told them.
"Copy, Sig," Hawkeye replied as they exited the car, leaving the bags behind. "We'll exfil on our own later."
The bass track from the music sounded like a muffled thud and nearly all the space in front of the club was jammed with people waiting to get in the door, with two gigantic bouncers standing guard. This particular establishment was in a newly renovated building from the twenties, with elegant archways that sported a sign which said 'Le Frère.' Maurice was the owner, and preferred to operate from his second-floor office within the club, finalizing any number of shady deals per night. Ross drove away and several clicks were heard as their earpieces were disconnected from the rest of the team. She gave him an amused look. "I wasn't sure how much more of Dagr's lecture I could take."
"Tell me about it," he said, flashing a VIP card to the bouncer as they walked by, permitting them immediate entry into the building. He leaned closer to add, "The best part is he honestly thinks he's helping me." She led him through the crowd in the direction of the bar along the far wall. The club was dimly lit and spotlights swept over the dance floor in such a way that he would not be surprised if they caused seizures. He managed to find a sliver of standing room at the bar, raised a hand to get the bartender's attention and then said, "I'll wait for you here...keep an eye on the exits." She gave him a small nod, disappeared into the crush of people, and he had the thought that it would be nice to visit Paris without having to work.
He ordered a beer and watched the doors, catching sight of her in the mirror behind the bar as she ascended to the second floor. She showed the VIP card to another bouncer, stepped into that part of the club, and from that point on he could only listen to her progress. He glanced at the entrance again, the exit to his left, the door to the kitchen, and kept an eye on the movement within the building. He sipped his beer when it arrived, hearing her occasional, soft-spoken 'pardon' as she moved through the gathering of partiers.
Suddenly, the music and chatter died away from her end of the comms, from which he assumed she had entered the target's soundproofed office. She confirmed that a second later by saying, "It's time we talked, Maurice. You owe me, and I...Barry?"
Roy's spine automatically stiffened a fraction, and as his eyes again checked his surroundings he was on high alert. Lifting his beer to cover his mouth, he said, "Loki?" The pistol at his back was itching to be drawn. He did not trust the serial killer, despite his strange relationship with Hawkeye and his unexpected loyalty to her. Something about a person that enjoyed slicing people apart did not sit well with him, to say the least. Roy could not claim that many people unsettled him, but Barry the Chopper gave him the creeps.
"Hold, Tyr. Just a friend unexpectedly in town...What are you doing here, Bare?"
Tuning out the EDM blaring around him, he could hear the lunatic's response: "I know you said you didn't need my help, my darling, but I was around and thought I'd lend a hand. I just love Paris." As usual, Barry's voice was on the unsettling side of gleeful, and the way he addressed Hawkeye was disconcerting. Ragged breathing was audible in the background, and Roy supposed it belonged to the unfortunate Maurice, who was likely bloody and in a great deal of pain.
Rather than argue, which would have been fruitless, Hawkeye said, "I appreciate the thought." Based on the tone of her voice, it sounded like she wanted to add, 'I guess.'
"Now, please don't be angry. I know you dislike surprises, but you do have a tendency to hog all the fun. And I believe this little piece of shit ratted you out the last time you were in Paris." Roy raised his eyebrows at that, unaware their information had come from Maurice, and sipped the beer again, using the chance to survey the club once more.
"One of his employees," his partner replied. "Anything useful for me?"
His eyes searched the mirror behind the bar as he waited for the answer, and he may very well have been holding his breath. That information would give them everything they needed to attend the exchange and get a step closer to Kimblee. Without this bit of intel, they would have to completely reevaluate and find another way to locate the arms dealer and the weapon, as well as identify the potential buyers. He was still awaiting a response when abruptly, from his right came a confused, surprised, and alarmingly close voice saying, "Roy?"
Brows drawn together he looked in that direction, eyes widening for a split-second when he recognized the speaker, and his jaw clenched at his own stupidity. He had been so focused on listening in on the conversation and observing the club that he'd overlooked his immediate surroundings. A rookie mistake. Recovering quickly, he plastered a grin on his face and said, "Katie...Hey, how are you?" As he spoke, he hoped Hawkeye would return soon, and his mind considered various ideas in case she did not. He was no slouch at thinking on his feet, but another person was often useful when explaining one's presence somewhere.
As usual, Katie's brown hair was immaculate and her hands manicured, with every piece of clothing arranged just so. It was one thing that had always bothered him about her: she was always so concerned about her appearance, was never just herself. Her large, hazel eyes were watching him like he was a crazy person and she took a step closer, lowering her voice. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Adopting an air of relaxed apathy, he shrugged and decided to modify the truth. "I'm on vacation...I took some time off work and decided to take a trip."
"And you just had to come here, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about? Paris?" He shrugged again, slightly perplexed, looking around and trying to figure out why he was not supposed to be there. "Why not?"
Her eyes grew wide and her mouth mouth dropped open, one hand going to her hip. "Oh my god...did you come here to find me?"
He had to fight the impulse to roll his eyes. "Seriously...what the hell are you talking about?" He thought back to their time together, beginning to vaguely remember mention of a trip to Paris that she had planned with some friends from college. Through the earpiece Hawkeye softly told him, "On my way."
"Holy shit, you did." She shook her head, demeanor somewhat haughty. "You knew about this trip...I've had it planned for months. And you never take time off work, but I'm supposed to believe this is just a coincidence?"
He nodded, letting out a completely real chuckle. "It is, actually."
"Then why are you here?" Her head cocked to the side, evidently thinking she'd already figured it out.
He sipped his beer. "I'm traveling with a friend. We decided to stop in Paris on the way to Venice."
"Right, and I'm here with my new boyfriend Antonio Banderas." Her laugh was skeptical as she crossed her arms. "So where is this friend?"
"The ladies' room." He knew she would interpret it as an excuse, and with Katie there was not much he could do about that. He just needed to get the hell out of the club and make sure to avoid her while they were in Paris.
The brunette laughed again. "The ladies' room? Really? God, you're pathetic, Roy. The least you could do is admit why you're really here." She shrugged a shoulder, becoming more self-satisfied by the moment. She was enjoying humiliating him, and he wondered how he'd missed that facet of her personality. "I'm there, and you're not invested...I was basically invisible to you. Then I break up with you, and you stalk me to France? It's over, Roy." Conveniently, she seemed to have forgotten telling him that the sex with him was great and that she thought he was a decent guy. Interesting.
While his unexpected visitor spoke, Hawkeye commented, "Your ex-girlfriend sounds kind of bitchy, Tyr," and he had keep from laughing. Then she added, "I have an idea. When I get there, be thrilled to see me."
"Believe me, that's fine," he replied to Katie, gesturing between them with his bottle of beer. "This is a giant misunderstanding."
"Okay, whatever you say, Roy. Just lea..."
Katie was mid-sentence when he saw Hawkeye moving toward him along the bar, and he did not hear the rest of his ex-girlfriend's speech. Her brown eyes were warm, her hair practically shimmered, and the curve of her lips was half-smirk, half-smile. It suited her perfectly. He grinned as he watched her, gaze moving along her lithe frame to her slender legs. She noticed and looked away briefly, smile widening as she ran a hand through her hair, and it occurred to him that she was momentarily self-conscious. Once closer she said, "Hey," in the same way a woman might greet the boyfriend she'd just found in a packed bar.
He still grinned. "Hey."
Then her warm lips were on his own and heat seemed to radiate from every part of him that touched her. He could smell the lavender in her hair, and felt her fingers lightly graze his side. She smiled against his mouth, already starting to move away and, just for a second, he decided to ignore the mission and his ex-girlfriend and everything else. Placing a hand behind her neck he gently closed the distance between them and kissed her again. Her left hand tightened its grip on his right arm, which he wound around her while the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Then, as the kiss deepened and her right hand clutched his hip, pulling him closer, he recognized that Hawkeye was responding in kind.
He stopped begrudgingly, aware there was still a situation that needed resolved. Tracing his thumb over her neck, he caught her somewhat stunned gaze, her lips still parted slightly. Then the look was gone and she was waving a hand, grabbing his beer, and taking a sip. "I'm sorry it took so long...there was a line in the bathroom." She handed his beverage back to him, smirked, and added, "You forgot to order another drink for me, didn't you?"
He shrugged a shoulder, returning the smile and trying to calm his brisk heart rate. "Guilty...but I'll find a way to make it up to you." He gestured with the bottle. "I actually ran into an old friend...Len, this is Katie. Katie...Len."
Hawkeye spun, a friendly grin on her face. "And I just interrupted...how nice of me." She offered her hand to shake. "It's great to meet you, Katie."
The other woman's eyebrows were still raised, and she watched them with a mixture of uncertainty and shock. Slowly holding out her hand, she replied, "Hi...it's, ah, nice to meet you, Len." The last word was said with the hint of a verbal question mark, as though she thought the name odd.
The blonde chuckled. "It's Leanna, actually, but he likes to call me Len."
He leaned on the bar. "Well, I did come up with the nickname...there are just way too many syllables in Leanna."
She elbowed him playfully. "There are only three, lazy, and you're weirdly proud of yourself for this."
"What can I say? When I'm good, I'm good."
Hawkeye glanced over at him, reaching for her phone. "I already called to have the plane prepped...I'll just call the pilot and let him know we'll be a little later."
She started to move away, as if to go make the call, and he placed a hand on her arm to stop her. "That's okay, babe, I'm sure Katie wants to get back to her friends." He drained his beer and set it down, giving the brunette a polite smile. "It was really nice seeing you. Let me know when you're back in the states...we can grab a coffee or something."
"Yeah, sure." The brunette's voice was quiet, still caught off guard.
They navigated in the direction of the door and he placed a hand at Hawkeye's back, letting a couple fingers graze her lower back when her top moved. Her skin was warm and his fingertip ran over what felt suspiciously like a scar. The contact sent a jolt winding up his arm, and he liked to think she tensed, but he could not be sure.
Once they were finally outside he took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air, which contrasted starkly with the somewhat stuffy air of the club. Removing his earpiece, he placed it in a pocket and saw her do the same to his left. They walked in silence for a couple blocks, and he was still more than a little amped from the whole experience. The familiarity they had fallen into had seemed oddly natural for two people that were more like adversaries all too recently. And it was so easy.
Then there was the obvious issue of the kiss that he had enjoyed more than he likely should have. He knew that, at least initially, it was intended to throw Katie off balance and avoid any further tirades. After that he simply reacted, for once not thinking about the repercussions, or the fact that they were on a mission. And now his head was swimming with the image of her changing in the elevator, how her body felt flush with his.
They walked on for a while, and then her quiet voice broke the silence. "The things she was saying...she's wrong, you know. You are in no way pathetic."
He gave a small nod, his ruminations having progressed to her returning his kiss, and then her miniscule hesitation when it ended. It was one of those situations in which, with the intensity of the moment gone, he began to question what he saw. "Thanks, but she wasn't completely off. I wasn't really present in the relationship, and she deserved better than that. She has the right to be a little salty." It was discouraging that she thought any distraction on his part stemmed specifically from running into Katie, and not some other portion of the interaction. It implied that the exchange had not affected her, which could be the truth, or an intentional misrepresentation on her part.
"That may be, but she wanted you to have followed her. That's why she reacted with indignation...to hide that she still wants you." She paused. "The way she watched us after...well, that wasn't the face of a woman that didn't care." Hawkeye stopped in her tracks, pulling out her phone to send a message before linking her arm with his and leading him down an alley to the left. "Come on...I want you to try something."
He smiled curiously, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see." They continued several blocks until she took them down another winding alleyway which led to a quiet street. Though it was late, there was still some foot traffic and, as they strolled, he took in all the old buildings and stone-paved walkways. Though the busy row of clubs and bars they had left was not extremely far, it seemed like they had entered another world. Small cafes and restaurants were serving late-night customers, the tables arranged out on the sidewalk.
She led them to a hole-in-the-wall business with a man sitting out front smoking a cigarette and simply said, "Deux, s'il vous plaît." Wordlessly he nodded and then stood, returning several minutes later with two small bundles which he exchanged for the money Hawkeye handed him. When Roy looked at her quizzically, she started to unwrap hers as they walked. "The best crêpes in Paris. Hands down."
He opened his own packet, somewhat skeptically. "That's quite a claim." Then he tasted it, and his eyebrows rose as he caught her gaze. "Wow." It was incredibly light, airy, and treated simply with butter and sugar.
"Right?"
"This is delicious." They continued along the sidewalk and after a short time entered a park, following a couple paths in silence before taking a seat on a bench next to a moderately sized pond. A relaxed look had appeared on her face, and he leaned back in his seat, feeling contemplative. "Not many people know this, but my parents met in France."
She shifted in her seat, sitting sideways to face him, her leg ending up next to his. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Dad was twenty-four and in Paris for a summer semester...Mom was twenty and working in a restaurant to make enough money to move on to Venice."
"The story you told Katie."
"Every lie has a kernel of truth, right?" He rotated toward her, crossing one ankle over the other knee. "Dad always said that he first saw her one night while she walked home from work...the moonlight glinted off her hair and it caught his eye. He went right over and asked her out." They again fell quiet, and for him it was a mildly uncomfortable one since he had shared such a personal story on impulse. He was just about to say something else when she spoke.
"My parents met in New Orleans, and my Dad liked to play guitar, as I'm sure you know. He was having a jam session with a couple friends in a park and my Mom walked by on her way to my grandma's place." She toyed with the wax paper around her crêpe. "He played at that park every day for three weeks until he saw her again."
He gave a quiet chuckle. "It's hard to imagine Berthold being a romantic."
"He only ever was with her." She took a breath, as if unsure of what she was about to say. "I know you're curious about him. You were close to him, and then found out about his whole other life he had. So...you can ask about him, if you want."
"Thanks." Roy thought about that for a second, amazed and also pleased that she would be so open with him about her father. "He was my mentor and a close friend...it made me question whether I ever really knew him."
She nodded. "You did."
"How do you know?"
"Because of the way he talked about you."
He paused, considering that answer and not entirely sure how Berthold would have spoken about him. Deciding to take a calculated risk, he said, "When did you last see him before he died?"
She was quiet for nearly a full minute, and he got the sense she was debating on whether or not to answer the question. Then, she checked her phone again and tossed the waxed paper in the trash, standing and offering a hand to pull him up. "It's time for the victory part. Fuery's got a backdoor into Interpol's system, so we can watch the raids and see that human trafficking ring crumble." With a chuckle she added, "Becca's making popcorn." He nodded and joined her, figuring that the question must have pushed past the boundaries of their developing friendship. He understood, aware that the question was extremely personal and that she liked to play things close to the vest. They started the trek back to the safe house and she said, "I saw him three weeks before he died...at his vacation home in Portugal. We were meeting there again for his birthday but, obviously, he never showed."
"I always wondered where he disappeared to for his birthdays. He'd leave his phone in his desk at work...It really pissed off the higher-ups." He paused and then added, "I have to ask...how did you know so much about Maurice's safe?"
"My Dad used a similar design for his safe at our place in Valencia."
"Valencia, Paris, Virginia, Portugal...How many 'places' do you have?"
She chuckled. "Not as many as it sounds...we just moved around a lot." After a beat she said, "We're going to Munich, by the way. And now that we have the city, we can decode the date and time, and pull up any events in the area matching those criteria."
"Do I have time to sleep before we leave?" Though the day had been extremely productive and successful, he was certain he could fall asleep on the sidewalk if he wanted.
Hawkeye gave him an amused smile. "Haven't you every heard the saying, 'you can sleep when you're dead?'"
"I prefer to sleep when I'm alive, that way I can truly appreciate it." He heard her laugh, and he wanted to delay their arrival at the house, enjoying how relaxed they could be in each other's company. It was difficult to notice at times but, when they were with the team, there was always a part of her that closed itself off. He could not fault her for it, seeing as he did the same, but it generally made it difficult to become better acquainted with others. They were beginning to drop their guard around each other and, while it was gratifying, it was also unnerving.
AN: Thank you for reading, I hope you liked the chapter, and have a great day! :)
Responses to guest reviews (in order of posting):
hermit crab: Thank you! I'm glad to hear you liked those interactions, they were so fun to write. I hope this chapter was a little happier :)
Guest (Sep 17): Thank you! It's great to hear you're enjoying it :)