Disclaimer: I don't own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.

A/N: I took the liberty and copied part of minx227's review… she was very right on… in a way…

Ames had done the unthinkable and dug into Guerrero's personal tea stash.

Desperate times, desperate measures.

After yesterday's events she had felt the pressing need to somehow calm her nerves and clear her head. Considering how Guerrero had dealt with the truth about his father's death, he was the calmest person she knew when it came to facing personal tragedy.

Maybe it was the tea.

He owned some very special brands, directly imported from China, very hard to get. It was worth a try. In the light of recent developments he'd maybe put mercy before justice and refrain from peeling her fingernails off with a fishhook, should he find out.

The tea was gray like she imagined morning mist above the Thames to be and tasted bitter like gunpowder. But it indeed helped to clear her head. "Chance is probably the only one who really understands what Ash is going through", she mused, staring out the window. "He had to deal with Katherine's death and his part in it."

Winston, sitting behind his desk, made a soft scoffing sound. Ames had made him a cup of tea, too, and at first she was unsure if he was commenting on the tea or her statement.

"He has never dealt with Katherine's death." He took another sip of tea and grimaced.

"It took you naked in a natural pool on a deserted tropical island after a plane crash to finally make him cave in to his feelings for you, remember? And trust me, not a day goes by he doesn't worry about you. His greatest fear is endangering the people he loves."

Winston leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. For a moment the old emotions came up again, the despair he had felt back in the bank, after he had opened his eyes and found Chance gone. Bullet wound in the shoulder, by a hair's breadth defused bomb around his chest, two days of torture, none of that had hurt as much as the loss of his friend.

"There used to be a time he fled whenever he got too attached. By now he has learned that some ties can't be outrun. But that doesn't mean he has learned to deal with anything. He still feels responsible for Katherine's death and he probably will go to his grave carrying that guilt."

"Philippa caught the bullet meant for Ash…", Ames mumbled. "He'll think it's his fault…"

"Yeah, he'll think exactly that because he's his father's son. And Chance can't tell him her death wasn't his fault because he feels the same way about Katherine's death… Chance can't tell Ash not to blame himself because Chance still struggles with the conviction of having failed in a very similar situation. Ash would immediately know it's all BS."

Ames bit her lip. Outside thick mist was beginning to obscure the city from her view. The alert system announced a visitor.

… … …

"Hey…" Isamu hovered near the doorstep.

"Come in", Ash said without turning to look at his visitor. He was again sitting on the edge of his bed. Carmine had climbed up beside him and was resting his big head in his lap.

Isu cautiously stepped closer, hesitated, finally sat down next to his friend. Ash kept staring at the wall. Carmine looked at the visitor with furrowed eyebrows and sighed, as if to say "I've done my best, but he's been like that all day."

"Brought you something", Isamu mumbled, still unsure if his gift was appropriate. He remembered well how he had felt when his father had died… only back then he hadn't known Tsuru had been his father. When his mother finally let him in on the truth it had been as if he'd lost him twice.

Ash didn't show any reaction at all, neither positive nor negative, so Isu decided to go ahead and produced a small item made of paper from his bag. He handed it to him by holding it right in front of him, invading his field of view.

"What's that?" Ash cautiously took it from him and turned it in his hand. It was one of those origami thingies.

"That's a crane", Isu said. "In Japan the crane is a symbol of hope in dark times. It stands for good fortune, longevity, fidelity… after 9/11 thousands of cranes were folded in Japan and sent to New York, as a sign of sympathy and an attempt to console. After the earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011 people all over the world folded cranes and sent them to Japan."

"Thanks…", Ash muttered, balancing the paper bird on the palm of his hand. It was cream-white, except for a tiny kanji symbol on its left wing - 地震. "What's that?"

"The Japanese word for "earthquake" is "jishin", Isamu explained. "But jishin also means self-confidence. You write it differently, but it sounds the same… "ji" can mean "ground" or "oneself" and "shin" can either mean "shake" or "believe"… When my country was faced with the devastating results of the earthquake in 2011, everything seemed lost… but the people got back on their feet…"

"I get the idea…", Ash interrupted him, harsher than he had intended.

… … …

"So there is no way… really no way… to save your life?", Chance asked the new client, a woman in her forties, unnaturally thin, face haggard, eyes huge and deep in their sockets, hair untimely gray.

"I'm dying and no amount of money or wisdom in this world could save me. At least one thing my doctors and I agree upon."

Winston stifled a sigh. There was a reason he hadn't wanted to take this case – aside from the obvious fact that they were all still very, very shaken and it would maybe best to take a time out and regroup. He knew Chance wanted something to take his mind off things; as much as he loved his son and wanted to be there for him… truth to be told he had no idea how to do that. Chance had never dealt well with grief. Well, this case definitely wouldn't provide the distraction he was so desperately looking for.

"How can we help you then?", Chance asked, sounding a lot more professional then, Winston was sure about that, he felt.

"I need proof to bring my murders down", she said.