A/N: Holy Christmas, it's been a long time since I've come back to this site or story... oh my damn. I apologize for the long gaps: healthcare worker during the p-word, and a lot more going on. I do have this story way more completed than where it's been left at, I just haven't had time to post, write, or do much of anything.

Please see the first chapter of the story for the disclaimer. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

Chapter 3: The Shadows

Dark had long since fallen over the park as he made his way through the path, searching for his target. He found her sitting near a playground, on the grass, staring off into space with a cooler bag next to her. Shrugging to himself, he walked over, curiosity getting the best of him.

"So, how's Annabelle?" she asked as he approached.

Mac tilted his head slightly. "Are you stalking me?" he replied.

Kayla chuckled. "Don't flatter yourself. This was personal for you. Not hard to figure out you'd go visit his family." She took a drink from the water bottle in her hand, one that was definitely not holding water. "Well?"

"She's good," he said as he sat down near her, but not quite next to her.

Kayla nodded, reaching into the cooler bag and handing him another water bottle.

Mac took a drink, then furrowed his brow. "Isn't it illegal to drink alcohol in a public park?" he asked.

She half-shrugged. "Only if you get caught," she replied. "Besides, this is weak, so it barely qualifies as alcohol."

He snorted a half-laugh. "Okay."

She took a drink.

"Why'd you wanna meet?" he asked.

"See how you were doing," she said simply.

"You could've just stopped by the house, you know."

She tilted her head to the side and back dismissively. "Everyone else was there. Doesn't exactly lend itself to real openness if you feel you have something to protect or hide."

"And you think I do? Or do you?"

Kayla shrugged. "Maybe both."

Mac nodded, pondering on that for a moment before saying, "have you ever lost a mentor?"

She shook her head. "Never really had a mentor, to be honest," she told him.

"Anyone you looked up to?"

"Not really." She took a drink, turning her gaze to one of the slides on the playground. "I've had people I've trusted that I've lost. That's probably the closest I can come to empathizing with you. But realistically speaking, Mac, I'm not you. I'm never gonna know exactly what you and Pena went through over there. The training… the bond you had… it's something that I will never fully understand because I'm not either one of you."

Mac closed his eyes.

"But, I can say that I'm sorry about what happened over there," Kayla continued. "And that I'm with you in your commitment to take this son of a bitch down. Not just for what he did to you, Pena, and all his other victims. But for the ones caught in the ripples- the friends, the families. The little girl that never got the chance to ever meet her father."

A tear slid down Mac's cheek.

"I hate mother fuckers like that. You have no idea how much I hate them," she said, her voice cracking a bit. She took a drink before continuing. "I got into this to stop them. I learned languages so I'd be able to communicate to everyone that I was one of the good guys, and that I wasn't there to hurt them. I know how hard it can be to trust people, and when you don't know if a translator is going to say the right words, or convey the right meaning, or turn on you…"

"You have trust issues," Mac remarked softly.

Kayla scoffed lightly. "We literally live in the spy world. Shouldn't we all?"

He tilted his head side to side. "True. But you're talking about not even being able to trust people you work with."

"And you've never had a translator turn on you."

He shrugged.

She took another drink. "Does Annabelle have a swing set?" Kayla asked, changing the subject.

"She does," Mac replied, a combination of confused and amused. "Her uncle built it for her a few months ago."

"Nice. Did you make your own?"

He laughed. "It's not that hard to do…"

"I know. It's about balancing weight, physics… I know."

Mac arched his eyebrows, impressed by her response. "Did you build one?"

"Not recently, but yeah, a while ago."

"For yourself?"

She scoffed slightly. "No."

He tilted his head slightly. "For who then?"

She shook her head. "That's classified."

He chuckled, taking a drink from his bottle.

"You know The Ghost can't hide forever, right?" Kayla said.

"Yeah," Mac breathed.

"He will get caught."

He half-shook his head in doubt. "I don't know about that."

"We got close this time. And there will be a next time. You and I both know he can't help himself."

"I know."

"We will get him."

Mac shrugged.

"I thought you were supposed to be the confident one here," Kayla said.

"That's Jack," he replied.

"Well, that's not what you were showing off to Thorton the other day."

"That was before…"

"He almost got Jack?" she supplied.

He nodded slowly.

"That's because Jack is the do first, think later type," Kayla said. "He reacts on instinct, and doesn't think about much other than getting his target when it's chase time. Whereas you, you're the thinker. That's what's always made you and Jack a good team. You get him to slow down and think, he gets you to speed up a bit and go with your gut. Match set."

"But it's my fault," Mac said.

"No, it's not. I know you're the hero/martyr type, but trust me, not everything lands on your shoulders." She took a drink from her bottle. "This ain't Pokémon, dude. Ya can't always catch them all on the first shot."

He furrowed his brow. "Pokémon?"

She snorted softly. "Oh, don't act like you never played."

He arched his eyebrows with a smirk. "I'm just surprised you did."

She shrugged one shoulder. "Eh, more like Pokémon Go. The original wasn't something I was fond of."

He chuckled, taking a drink. "Why meet at the playground?" he asked.

"I told you, too many people at your house," she replied.

"No. I mean, there are half a dozen other locations we could have met. Hell, I'm sure your house is quieter. So, why here?"

She looked at him briefly before looking back at the playground. "Because there's something about this place. You come here, and you think about innocence. Pure, childhood innocence. Playing on the swings, swinging on the monkey bars, sliding down the slide… the only problems you have are learning to share and how not to fall off. Reminds you of times when things were just so much… simpler. And I find that in these places, in these moments, where you can shut off adulthood for five minutes and just think of being a kid, it brings such clarity. Helps you process more of what's going on.

"Like you going to see Annabelle," Kayla continued. "I'm sure that gave you some insight, perspective, and closure that you needed, but may not have even known that you needed. Because as adults, we get so caught up in all the little details and the larger problems that we forget about the simple things."

"You don't go dancing in the rain, do you?" Mac teased lightly.

"Only if I'm naked, it's the middle of the night, and I've sacrificed a virgin to Satan," she shot back.

He laughed before taking a drink.

"Can't do what we do without some level of perspective and humanity," she reasoned.

"But you're the one who just mentioned a little while ago that you have trouble with trusting people you work with," he reminded her.

"I've been burned a few times."

"A few?"

"…hundred."

Mac snorted in bewildered amusement. "You need some better friends," he said, taking a drink.

"That's also why I don't have many," Kayla countered.

"What are we?"

She shrugged. "To be determined."