A/N: Another vignette for your reading pleasure.

A Job Offer

Ana stood in the shadow of the large elm tree, leaning against the rough bark and smiling at the scene in front of her. Some distance away, children shrieked with delight as they ran around in the park, jumping in and out of the fountain as their parents dutifully watched. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air and a warm breeze rushed past her, causing the leaves above to rustle and her skirt to brush against her bare legs.

It was a beautiful spring day. The sun was high above in the cloudless sky and she wanted to memorize the scene, a moment of anticipation.

"Ana?"

Ana felt her heart stutter at the low voice behind her and she drew in a deep breath to calm herself, feeling unexpectedly chilled with excitement.

Finally.

She turned around slowly, feeling her heels sink into the grass as she moved and she couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face.

A slender, handsome man stood a few feet away from her with his hands in his pockets. He was dressed in a dark blue suit with a light colored shirt underneath. No tie, but his belt and shoes matched perfectly and his cufflinks shone even in the shadow of the tree they stood beneath. His dark hair was cut shorter than she'd ever seen him wear it and he looked at her with a soft, patient expression on his face – one that was so familiar it almost hurt to see.

The faintest hint of a smile lingered on his lips and Ana could see the shadows of his dimples threatening to make an appearance.

In that moment, he was perfect. It was like looking at a photograph of the happiest memory she could recall. Everything about him was so crisp and clear and just… Perfect.

Arthur.

"Is it really you?" she asked. She wanted to touch him but suddenly, she was afraid he would disappear like a wisp of smoke if she reached out for him. "Are you really…"

Arthur laughed and the sound made her feel brave. Ana rushed forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders, unable to contain her happiness.

He's real. This is real!

"Yeah, it's me," he said into her ear. She pressed her face against the junction of his neck and shoulder, taking in a deep breath. He smelled like sandalwood and rum, soap and skin; wonderful and real. New yet so familiar. "It's really me."

Ana pressed a kiss against his cheek and she felt his grip on her waist tighten slightly. Arthur was stronger than he looked.

"You've changed but you look exactly the same. How is that possible? How can you be the same and not?"

"Paradox."

She laughed, leaning back to look at his face. His dark eyes were bright and mischievous, and he looked young and sweet and boyish despite the lines and fading scars on his face.

"Arthur, where've you been? I've missed you so much. You have to tell me everything, all of it!"

A few strands of her hair came loose from her bun and before she could reach up, Arthur's fingers were on her face, gentle and warm as he tucked them back behind her ear. She saw him swallow and she realized that he was nervous and trying not to show it. He had grown up since she last saw him; he'd toughened as an adult. She could see it in the way he held himself and for a moment her joy at seeing her old friend faded as she wondered–

What happened to you?

"You can't imagine how much I've missed you."

Arthur took a step back and pulled away but kept his hands wrapped around hers. He looked around, his face growing serious as he surveyed the scene around them. He looked as if he was searching for something and an odd expression flitted across his features.

He's on alert but why?

When he looked back at her he seemed satisfied, as if reassured by what he saw. Ana turned her head to look around but he tugged her forward.

"Let's take a walk," he said, tucking her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"We have a lot to talk about."

###

"What do you know about Project Somnacin?"

Ana sat back on the hard wooden bench and shook her head.

"You haven't seen me in ten years and that's the first question you ask?" she said, incredulous. Arthur smiled and shrugged, his dimples softening the hard lines of his face.

"It's been nine years," he said. He tapped the side of his head. "And I'm sure you've already figured out everything you need to know about me."

"Details, Arthur, I know the details," Ana said, frustrated. "Why is it everyone thinks I can read their mind when everything is so obvious? All anyone needs to do is–"

"Look," Arthur finished for her. He stretched out an arm behind her and looked out into the distance. "But not everyone can do what you do."

"Of course they can," Ana said. She leaned into his side and poked his ribs, raising an eyebrow when he flinched. "But that's not the point. Just because I can connect the dots doesn't mean I know the why. For example, I know you've just gotten back to the states after a few years overseas and you've been playing with guns and other weapons for a long time now. You were in Sardinia last and before that Morocco. But that doesn't mean I know why."

Arthur grinned, delighted, and shook his head. "Yeah? What gave it away?"

"Everything gave it away, Arthur! Your hands, your clothes… The way you move, your accent," she said. "Come on, Arthur, tell me. What have you been up to?"

"You're acting as if we didn't keep in touch."

"One-line emails and five minute phone calls don't count."

"No, I guess they don't," he said. He sighed, a deep heavy sound. "I'm sorry. I should have come to see you sooner but–"

He cut off and she could tell he wanted to say something but held back. She knew that Arthur had been in the army but throughout the years she'd come to the conclusion that he'd left… And perhaps done something bad in the process. The idea that Arthur, who hadn't ever misbehaved as a child and never even had a teenage rebellion, could be involved in something criminal was almost unthinkable.

But Ana knew that people changed and with the evidence presented before her, there was no other conclusion to make.

"Don't worry about it," Ana said. "You had a thrilling life to lead, after all."

Arthur snorted softly and shook his head. "That's one way to put it, sure. But I did want to see you, believe me. I guess I was just waiting for the right time."

"And this is it? Now's the right time?" Ana's curiosity spiked. "You have something you want to tell me."

She paused and then narrowed her eyes, taking in his expression. "Or maybe it's more that there's something you want me to do."

Arthur nodded. He looked around them again and she noted the way his gaze lingered on the people off in the distance. Oddly enough, he seemed to act as if they were possible threats, his body tightening and coiling without actually moving.

A bit overly suspicious but not jumpy or nervous.

Odd that.

Ana glanced at the direction of his gaze and sat up a little, frowning.

There's something off about those people.

The structure of their faces...

"But before we get into that, tell me something." Arthur's voice made her turn back towards him. "Project Somnacin. What do you know?"

"I know it existed," she said with a shrug. "It was a military project that involved sharing and manipulating lucid dreams. Fodder for a bunch of conspiracy nuts, really. The things I've heard don't paint a very flattering picture of the venture as a whole. People were hurt during the early stages of development and it's since gone dark. The private sector keeps the research alive – mostly memory specialists, and for uses in therapy but the military has disavowed any hand in the attempt."

"That's the gist of it," Arthur said. He looked amused. "They don't tell you G-men much at the Bureau, do they?"

Ana had to laugh.

"Arthur, I'm just a glorified consultant," she said. "I don't go out into the field anymore. I'm just a supervisory agent. No one special."

"Is that how they tell you to describe it?" Arthur said. He was smiling but his tone was serious. " I know you're well-regarded, Ana. You pretty much have your pick of high-profile posts, don't you? You have one of the fastest close rates of the decade and you're brought in on cases under TS clearance. Is that what you consider no one special?"

Ana tilted her head to the side and studied him with narrowed eyes. Suddenly Arthur's visit was no longer simply personal. Knowledge was a commodity in her world and she didn't like having her work bleed into other areas of her life.

He's military intelligence – not just a grunt on the bottom rung.

He's kept closer tabs on me than he let on.

Ana had made sure to stay out of the limelight and most of her cases were under strict security clearances.

So how do you know what you do, Arthur? How do you know what the FBI assigns me?

"I have a feeling that whatever it is you're about to tell me could get me into trouble."

Arthur laughed then and rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly, looking for all the world like the little boy he'd once been.

"Yeah, it could," he said honestly. His expression was open and almost vulnerable. "But you've got to trust me on this one, Ana. I won't let you get in trouble."

For a moment, she remembered how he looked the last time she saw him: the quiet, thoughtful young man who said goodbye one late summer day on her front porch before he left for West Point.

You hugged me until I couldn't breathe, got into your car and drove away without looking back.

He'd broken her heart the day he left. It was the first time Ana let anyone she loved go and her brother had tried his best to soothe the hurt Arthur had left behind. It wasn't the pain of a lost love; it was like losing a limb, an essential part of her. Arthur had been her constant shadow and she'd been his. Matt was her twin brother but she hadn't had to share Arthur because he was all hers.

And then he was just… Gone.

Ana tried to keep in touch with him over the following years but it felt as if he'd turned his back on her the minute he graduated with his degree. Oh sure, Arthur had tried as well, mostly through short emails and the occasional phone call, but he grew more distant as the years passed. The numbers he used were always different and the emails had to be encrypted. She never asked why though she'd had her suspicions about his reasons.

And I never used my resources to find you because you clearly wanted to keep me away.

Ana eventually came to regard Arthur simply as someone she used to know, someone whose voice was more familiar to her than his face. And then a few days ago, he'd reached out to her saying he wanted to meet. Ana had agreed but she hadn't really had faith that Arthur would show up.

But he made it. We're here now.

"Let's say a position in my field has opened up." Arthur leaned forward so that his face was only a few inches away from hers. "And you have skills that are directly applicable to this position. In fact, I'd say you'd be perfect."

"I already have a job."

"This one is better," he said confidently.

"I can't just walk away from my day job," Ana said, shaking her head. "I have cases. Obligations that are important–"

"I asked you about Project Somnacin because I was a part of it."

Ana drew back in surprise at the admission. "You were one of the seven Miller subjects?"

Arthur grinned. "You know far more than you're letting on, don't you?"

"I can't–"

"Before you say anything else, let me ask you a question," he said. He looked at her intently, all traces of amusement fading from his face. She suddenly knew, all the way down to her bones, that whatever it was Arthur was about to say would change her life.

Finally. Something truly interesting.

"Tell me, Ana – how did we get here?"

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