Alfred looked up from the floor, his gaze lost and infuriated at the same time. My heart just about died at the sight.

We were trained to never show emotion when it wasn't necessary, I had never seen Alfred shed a tear, but here, now, they were streaming down his face as it twisted in a mask of pain and horrible sadness.

"No." He croaked out and tossed the folder down. "No!" He screeched and flew to his feat. His cheeks were flushed and his appearance was no longer composed. Snot dribbled from beneath his nose and his whole body shook, he glared at me with such passion I was sure he would throw a punch, but instead he just stood there, glaring at me.

"I will not let you do this." He rasped and clenched his hands into fists, only to let them loose again repeat the action again.

"Fuck this!" He snarled and stomped forward, holding me in a grip so strong it took everything I had not to either yell out or break his hand to release the bruising pressure.

He started dragging me towards the door and I grabbed his hand, stopping us.

I looked him in the eye and he howled in outrage at the gaze I fixed with curiosity and defiance, scolding him without words as he lost any composure he had.

"You aren't! No you can't!" He yelled and pulled me harder at the door, the grip was becoming excruciating and I was losing control. My arm from his fingers lower was already numb and I was itching to remove his hand. I tried pulling free as easily as I could but he made an animalistic grunt and clamped down harder.

Alfred was exceptionally strong, stronger than anyone else in our section and stronger than me, we both knew that if he tried hard enough he could break my arm easily, and any more pressure and I was sure that is exactly what would happen.

He was sputtering excuses and incoherent words his gaze fixed mainly on the door and sometimes at the open folder on the floor. This was so much more horrible than I expected. In every scenario I had imagined him leaving before I could see him. Alfred didn't usually want people to see his emotional outbursts. Nothing I had imagined my assignment being could have affected him this much. It must be truly horrible.

Finally as I felt Alfred's nails sink into my arm I couldn't bare it any longer, this pain was unnecessary and had gone on long enough. Alfred would be horrified by what he left behind.

"Alfred!" I yelled, a sharp snap of his name and he blinked in shock at me. It was more than he had ever really heard from me I was sure, but I had in turn never seen him act this way.

He let go of my arm quickly and I almost sighed in relief, I hid the pain I felt in every way I could. I fixed my arm to an angle that would not look to be held in an injured way or cradled and masked my eyes to hide the pain I was sure was raging within them. I forced my face into a mask of careful indifference, one that I usually never dropped and shifted away from Alfred while he looked at his hands in agony.

"I am sorry Mattie." He whispered. "Oh god I am so sorry!" He said a bit louder and he looked at me with tears in his eyes.

I didn't say anything, just turned away from him and picked up the discarded folder, ignoring the way he stiffened.

"Mattie." He said in warning, yet I opened the folder without hesitation, looking down into the eyes of Gilbert Beilschmidt.

I couldn't stop my eyes from widening, and my legs from becoming very weak.

Alfred caught me as I crumpled to the ground; he wrapped his arms around my shoulder and wept. I just stared ahead in utter shock.

I had never expected this, never.

Alfred was crying and whispering my name over and over; rocking us back and forth and I tried to come to terms with my assignment, only to fall back into the shock and now despair that gripped my heart.

Gilbert Beilschmidt had murdered more of our members than we could keep track of, yet he always sent for more. The only agents sent back were either half alive and horribly mangled, or psychologically scarred.

Though most of them died; either at his hand or trying to protect him.

In this agency we train to protect the lives of those who got to live. We were the ones who were saved, we were taken from orphanages, hospitals, prisons, and jails. We were trained in every known way to be able to protect and guard the life of those we were assigned to, if we failed this and our contractor died we were marked as a killer and thrown in prison, that or death.

Most chose death. The mark was horrendous, a dark burn singed into your cheek that never heals, a mark of death, destruction and ultimate failure. This mark is a death sentence in life, one of complete pain till the day you can finally take in your last breath.

It haunts you.

Gilbert rejected our members if they did not suit him; he was cruel and snide. He was considered one of the most dangerous men alive and also one of the most hunted.

By everyone.

He was a part of every group known, every list he was on, his name was printed in our textbooks as one to avoid at all costs, and those who were unlucky enough to meet him were usually granted a one way ticket to hell. That or god took pity on the poor bastard and decided to send him to heaven. But most likely hell.

If you were assigned to Gilbert you were on constant duty, you did not eat until he has eaten, and only after testing his food for poison. You did not sleep till he was asleep and still you had to wake up periodically to be sure he was still alive, yet you had to be on your toes and ready for anything to happen at any time.

The police were your enemies, the criminals were your enemies, and the civilians on the streets were as good as killers out to murder your charge. That was the life I was about to live.

Alfred shook, and I tried not to succumb to the instinct to do the same.

"You have to get re-assigned Mattie." Alfred whispered. "They usually send the ones with more experience, the older ones. Why didn't they send one of the others?"

"You know why," I said, and I was a little surprised by how calm my voice sounded. Alfred jerked and he looked at me in fear.

"Mattie! You aren't old enough! You haven't even been on the job before, they always send the adults. You aren't ready!"

"Not true and you know it." I said, and Alfred flinched, gazing at my eyes and not even trying to stop his tears.

"I am the only one they can send now. I am the best and they send the best." Did I normally sound this cold? Alfred's body language said not.

"He will kill you Mattie!" He whispered vehemently and clenched his hands.

"You are probably right." I said and he closed his eyes tightly, bringing his hands up now to clench in his blond hair.

"Read your assignment Alfred, I will be…" I didn't know where to go, I didn't know what to do.

"I am going to go to the gym." I said quietly before pulling away from him and moving out the door.

I walked on the pads of my feet and not another sound was heard.

Woohoo (I never think of anything but Sims sex whenever I hear that but whatever) Im listening to Paramour right now and i am super hyper and I hate my parents. I am angry right now so I decided to give up another chapter. Sorry for the long wait I suck and I hate myself so hopefully this will right the universe for you guys a little. none of the people I am following are updating much and I got sick of the silence.

I really like DracoxHarry, and I am now of PotterMore Slytherin muahaha my name is SpellSeer1726 so add me as a friend, i'm lonely. Check out He Paints The Color Red, and About These Scars if you get the chance. I haven't updated ATS in a while and I feel horrible about it, but hopefully I will be able to get my shit together with that story and update, but in my opinion it's pretty good. So read it.

Goodbye, have fun with your lives. (Who am I kidding? None of us have lives, we live on tumblr and fanfiction duh)

-Serenity Ma Sogni