Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been really busy with family and school... plus there were the holidays... Anyway, I got a short one-shot for you! (sorry If there are any misspellings, I wrote this at 3 in the morning). This one-shot has Inej being a bad ass, hopefully, that's what I was trying anyway... Okay, to the Fic!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the great Leigh Bardugo!

Kaz pulled his coat tighter around him as he stood out front of the overly lavish mansion. He was waiting for Inej, who was inside laying out the building for a raid tomorrow. The man who sleeps in the house thought it was a good idea to attack the reputation of Dirtyhands and his gang, and he was going to pay for it...

Kaz huffed, his breath turning to fog in the crisp cold. Inej should be back by now, Kaz pondered. The house was relatively easy, minimum locks, minimum guards... And then it hit him, The man they were dealing with relishes in his own protection, and he has enough money and status to station a guard in every room of his mansion. Kaz realized then that they had foolishly underestimated him.

Fear struck Kaz, and almost as if in a play, an alarm sounded inside the house. One by one lights within the house flickered and shouts began to be heard.

Kaz began to form a new plan within his head, he had to help Inej, they didn't expect this. He looked at the almost smooth wall Inej had crawled up, he most certainly couldn't make that climb with his leg. Kaz began to move along the wall surrounding the mansion, looking for a spot he could climb.

Kaz chest began to hurt with worry, his head shuffling through all the horrible outcomes that could occur. He knows Inej isn't a damsel in distress, and that she is highly capable of keeping herself alive. But Kaz also knows that Inej isn't invincible, that one-day Inej is going to get struck down and he won't be able to pull her back.

No, he decided. It's not going to happen anytime soon. And even if Inej's life was in peril, Kaz would most definitely sacrifice himself for her, because a person with a future like her is worth so much more than a monster like him.

Kaz kept glancing at the house, he could see through the windows that the guards were chasing her up to the roof... they were trying to corner her. Every once and a while a scream could be heard within the building as The Wraith found a victim.

Kaz was becoming restless, he wasn't finding any good climbing spots on the wall. So instead Kaz desperately found the best spot he could and began to scale the wall. Slowly he made his way up, his bag leg screaming in pain as weight was forced on it. From his position on the wall, Kaz couldn't see with the house, but he could still hear the sounds of guards being taken out.

Finally, Kaz heaved himself over the top of the wall and dropped down on the other side, the sharp shock of pain that hit his leg as he landed was met with a loud groan. Kaz slowly limped his way closer to the mansion, unsure of what he could even do.

He then looked up to the roof of the building and saw two shadowed figures facing off. The smaller figure near the edge of the roof he could easily recognize as his knife-edge Wraith. The second, much larger figure seemed to be a guard, he also was pointing a gun at his Wraith.

Kaz knew there was no way Inej would be able to strike the guard with her knives before the gun could be fired straight to her heart. Kaz also knew he was too far away to get there in time, all he could do is helplessly watch it unfold.

Slowly Inej backed up even more to the edge of the roof, so much so that her heels were tipping over the edge. Kaz felt like his chest was being ripped apart by now, it seemed as though a simple gust of wind could push her off the roof to certain death.

The two figures continued to face off in the darkness, the guard jabbed his gun as he demanded that Inej surrender. Inej just seemed to glance down at the long drop below her. The guard seeming to loose patience and lifted his gun aimed right to Inej's chest.

Then the gun fired...

Kaz gasped, he watched as Inej dropped herself off the roof just before the gun. And almost fluid like, Inej grabbed onto the windowsill below the edge of the roof with the tip of her fingers. And then before the Guard even figured out what happened, Inej began to scramble down the side of the building until she hit the ground, where she promptly wiped her hands on her pants.

As she began to sneak her way back to Kaz using the shadows of the night as cover. Kaz collected himself. He manually slowed his breathing and nonchalantly glanced at Inej;

"Did you get the layout we need?"

"Yes, but we will have to lay low for a while. I might have misjudged a lock that looked more simple than it was."

"We should head back to The Slat, It's freezing out here."

As they walked back in the crisp night air with their coats bundled tight, Kaz hoped that Inej couldn't hear the thundering of his still racing heart.

Hopefully, you liked it, I don't know when the next Chapter will be, but it will happen... eventually... I will hopefully do the story request from guest reviewer "Fan", I didn't do it this chapter because I got a bit of writer's block. Anyway, thank you for reading and if you have any story ideas feel free to comment them!

FlyingCats signing off!