The enemy sniper quickly spun around. I fell to the floor in a shock and could see his rifle pointed at my face. But he didn't shoot. He just looked at me, possibly a little confused. I could see him eyeing me off, as if either trying to determine how I managed to get up here, or why the BLU Spy was no longer male. I watched his eyes as he travelled down my form. Blue blazer over a white button up shirt, the top couple buttons undone exposing a little more than is strictly work appropriate. Blue pencil skirt that finished just above my knees, bare legs and little black pumps – not necessarily the most discrete of footwear, but unfortunately, according to Ms Pauling, running shoes were not an option. I followed his eyes as he returned to my face. He grinned ever so slightly, lowered his weapon, and offered me a hand up. I was a little skeptical to be honest. Why should I trust him? Surely as soon as he had me on my feet I would instantly be sent back to re-spawn. But there was something about that little grin that propelled me to reach out and accept his grasp.

He pulled me to my feet and instantly covered my mouth with the hand I had just held. It was warm, and not uncomfortable.

"Shh, don't speak," my enemy whispered close to my face, "don't kill me either, ey? I got a Solly just down there ready to come up 'ere as soon as I'm sent back to re-spawn. Nod if you understand."

I moved my head up and down to signal my understanding, but I still wasn't sure why I wasn't in a re-spawn of my own.

"Mmm" I mumbled under his grip. He removed his hand and reminded me to whisper. "Why haven't you killed me?"

"I don' think I can." He looked at me concerned, and I'm not sure he really answered my question, so I tilted my head as if to ask for more. "Well, you're the first sheila I ever seen on the field before today. An' I don' know about the other men 'ere but I don' make a habit of hurtin' an innocent girl."

"I am not innocent!" I defied a little to loud. "And I am certainly not some little girl!" I crossed my arms in contempt but all this gained from the Sniper was a giggle at my expense.

"Okay, okay, you're not a little girl, but you 'aven't killed me yet, so I can't exactly rule out innocent. Now follow me."

I'm not sure what possessed me to trust this man as much as I did. For all purposes he was supposed to be my enemy, but since I walked into this place this is the longest conversation anyone has bothered to have with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to work and get paid. But that doesn't mean I'm not human. Everyone needs at least one person to be kind to them. I thought I'd possibly even gain some form of friendship with Ms Pauling, that she'd have my back, I dunno, some feminine bullshit or something. But, and credit to her professionalism, she treats me the same as everyone else. So, yeah, I suppose I was thankful for the first real conversation I've had in a month.

As I followed the Sniper through this worn down, bullet-clad building, it was my turn to take in his form. And I can tell you, it was one of the finest I've ever laid eyes on. Broad shouldered and lean, he was quite a sight to behold. I could only imagine what he had hiding under that shirt. His hair was a little rough around the edges, and you could tell he hadn't shaved in a few days, but it suited him, in an odd way. He had yellow tinted glasses, so I couldn't quite make out the colour of his eyes, but as far as guesses go, my bets are on blue.

"Where are we going?" I asked once I realised I didn't know.

"Just around the corner here.." he trailed off as I realised we had reached our destination. There was a make-shift bed set up, a lantern in one corner, and a small table in the other. I assumed this was where he spent most of his time, when he wasn't killing my team.

"Tea?" he asked, smiling up at me from his perch on the edge of the bed.

"Uhh.. is it safe?" You can never be too sure.

"I'm not tryin'a kill ya if that't what you're thinkin'." I nodded, still confused. "So why exactly has BLU hired a girl – ah, sorry – lady, to fill ol' Spook's shoes?"

"Spook?"

"Yeah, BLU Spy, I dunno where it came from, but the name stuck."

"Oh, well they needed someone to fill the position and I suppose I must've been the best candidate."

"You know what we do 'ere right?" The way he was looking at me was almost bordering between confusion and pity. I didn't follow. "It's a stalemate. We get paid to essentially humour our bosses. This war is pointless, none of us'll ever actually win." Still not following, I tilted my head slightly as if to ask for more information. "Basically, as much as we're trained to think of each other as enemies, we are co workers."

"I- I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm tryin'a say that it's okay to trust me. We can be, I dunno, friends even." The RED Sniper looked a little sheepish but it was too dark to tell if he was blushing or not. Either way, I was thankful for the offer of friendship.

"So.. tea?" He asked again, pulling a thermos out from under the bed. I nodded and he smiled back at me. It was warm and genuine and I soon realised that I had completely forgotten we were supposed to be fighting. The Sniper gestured for me to sit beside him on the bed, and I gingerly obliged, straightening out my skirt as I sat down.

"A little impractical for a battle dontcha think?" He laughed a little at my outfit.

"What would you have me wear?" I retorted, remembering Ms Pauling's advice for my attire. "Would you rather I cover up more?"

"Oh- uh no, I mean- you look- uhh.." It was funny watching him struggle for words as I giggled beside him. He looked up from his tea and matched my gaze, "you look- uhh, beautiful."

He was definitely blushing this time, and so was I. A wave of responses flooded my mind. Part of me wanted to kiss him right on the spot, my professional side tried to convince me that a sarcastic retort was the answer but all that came out of my mouth was "oh! Uhh, you too." You too? Come on, surely I was not that stupid. I could hear the man stifling a laugh at my expense. I was so embarrassed but thankfully the Administrator pulled me out of my schoolgirl-esque haze.

"One minute left in the mission! One minute left!"

We both stood up too quickly, realising we had wasted almost the entire battle. I pulled out my butterfly knife and watched the Sniper's expression change.

"Wait! Before you go." I felt a warmth at my side and glanced down to find his hand pulling me close. His face merely an inch from mine, I could feel his hot breath on my cheeks. "Same place tomorrow?" he smiled as he asked. I raised my head to meet the gaze of his piercing eyes. I was right. They were the deepest blue I had ever seen. I slowly nodded my head in agreement and suddenly felt his body pressed against me. His lips were soft, warm, as they pushed against mine. I relaxed into him, letting him take over this kiss. It was not unexpected, but it was still a shock and I could feel my knees growing weak. With one last breath he pulled himself away. It was all over too quickly, and my head hadn't had time to stop spinning.

"Back to re-spawn? Or should I let you go free?" he smirked at my dazed face, his arm still keeping me steady. "Re-spawn it is." He decided, and with one last kiss on my cheek, he backed up a few paces, pulled a hand-held from the table in the corner of the room, and gave me on quick, smooth shot to the forehead.