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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Hey guys! Happy Friday! This chapter's a little shorter but it's got a lot of interesting things in it. I got one vote on the three times a week updates? Do you guys want them or not let me know! So for everyone who's worried about the roller coaster, don't worry we're almost done. Just this chapter and then the next one you get what you want. I'd like to say it calms down but the next episode… also a wild one. But I can promise you, since season 5 is also quite wild, I have those fluffy little chapters in between season 4 and season 5 so that should even it out a bit. 9 more reviews until the 700th review! Don't forget to put your name on the review so I can announce you as the winner!

Chapter 119

The drive was, bumpy, hot and dusty, but the soldiers around her kept offering her water. She accepted each canteen offered to her out of nervous desire. And now she really, really needed to pee.

And there was nowhere acceptable to do that.

Instead she stood beside Rogers who would be going in with her listening to him go over the plan. Again. She was bouncing from foot to foot, trying not to wet herself. Which was how she blanked on every single thing he said until he asked: "Are we all on the same page?"

"Nope, we're not even in the same library."

Rogers turned to her, clearly not impressed, and she got it. It was her fault. She hadn't been listening. She had stopped listening after he told her that the little USA flag pin on her chest was a camera. Nothing else seemed important after that.

"Okay, we're going to go over, ask for water…"

"Does that usually work?" she asked.

"Well usually."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We fall back and think of a backup plan," he answered turning back to the team who would be covering them from the other side of the street. In an abandoned three-storey building. Coverage from all three floors. That was not a good plan. This sounded like a terrible plan.

Well. Rowan had a better one.

Adjusting the Sari on her head, she moved away from the men who were still cementing the plans and out of the building and across the street. She got all the way to the front door before she even heard Roger called her name.

The front door was locked. Alright, time to go around back. She heard Rogers following behind her, struggling to catch up to her before she could get to the back door.

He couldn't catch up to her.

Rowan rounded the corner to the back and ran almost face first into someone's chest. She took a step back and tried to smile at the man in front of her. The man with a rifle in Bedouin baggy, dirt colored clothes.

"Hello, I'm your new act, can you let me in please. I really need to pee."

The man stared at her, his gun raising as soon as Rogers rounded the corner. The poor man slid to a stop, took in the rifle bearing down on them and a hand went to her shoulder immediately.

Rowan let it rest there but she didn't let him tug her back. "Oh now, that's rude. Very rude to point a gun at a stranger," she said putting a hand to the barrel and pushing it away. "Look, I didn't travel all the way here to have a gun in my face. I'm the most desirable singer on the continent and I doubt Marik would be happy to know you turned me away. So, let's just move aside and let me use the washroom."

When he said nothing Rowan carefully stage whispered to Rogers: "Does he speak English?"

"I speak fine," the man snapped. "I no believe you."

"You don't… really?" she asked dryly. "You're going to make me prove that I'm a lounge act?"

He glared at her. He glared at Rogers behind her. Well, she chose this path, no turning back now.

Look me in the eyes, tell me what you see? Perfect paradise, tearin' at the seams. I wish I could escape, I don't wanna fake it, wish I could erase it, make your heart believe.

It was a simple chorus. The first song she had ever written for Sarah and the situation she had gotten herself into with her the baby daddy she never told was a baby daddy. But it was enough. It was all the man needed. He was staring at her wide eyes, mouth dropped.

Rowan merely smiled prettily, put her hands on her hips and said: "Do you believe me now?"

He did. And he even let her use the washroom.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Oh, hush, my dear, it's been a difficult year. And terrors don't prey on innocent victims. Trust me, darlin', trust me darlin', it's been a loveless year. I'm a girl of three fears: Integrity, faith and crocodile tears. Trust me, darlin', trust me, darlin'.

She was an angel. A red-headed angel with the voice of a…. well an angel. Every word that came from her lips, those beautiful pink lips, were dripping cash money. Like a siren song she would draw them all in. And she didn't even have music to back her up. If she was this good A cappella she was going to be deadly with music.

He'd make millions off of her.

This surprisingly mouthy little thing who had self-proclaimed herself as the best singer on the continent. He hadn't believed it when she came it. He believed it now.

Marik Gholam was officially in love.

Oh, I've been askin' for problems, problems, problems. I wage my war, on the world inside. I take my gun to the enemy's side. Oh, I've been askin' for… Oh, I've been askin' for… problems, problems, problems

Problematic lyrics, but judging by the rest of the men in the room none of them cared. All eyes were on that red head, mouths slightly opened, mesmerized by her and her voice. Except for his bodyguard. Sin Nombre, the man with no name. Or Conejo for the white rabbit mask he liked to wear as he killed people. He came at a heavy price, but Marik could afford it now that he was a very wanted man. Sin Nombre was very well connected and very good at his job. He never failed.

But his loyalty was based on who paid the most amount of money.

Marik made sure to make this job more than worth his while.

Sin Nombre had watched her for a while, a strange look crossing his features, almost like he recognized her. But it wasn't like him to stay quiet if he suspected foul play, actually it was. If he actually thought that this girl was a threat, she'd already be dead, no warning, no questions just a bullet in the brain. So Marik ignored his bodyguard's strange behaviour in favour of watching the girl.

When she finished the song there was an eruption of applause from the small contingency of men he had. Marik already knew he wanted to hire her, but he also wanted to low ball her. She was worth her weight in gold, of course, but that didn't mean he wanted to pay it.

"That was a very nice song," he said once the din died down. "But can you do a faster song? There is no point hiring a ballad singer for a night club."

The girl, whose name was given to him as Ro, simple and easy, nothing else, nodded and then thought it over. She moved over to the blonde companion she had with her, her own body guard she said, but he usually carried the equipment, equipment she didn't have because they had lost it in a fire-fight a few towns over.

Hence the need for a job sooner than anticipated.

She simply nodded to him, asked the drummer to count out a beat for her, which he did and Marik could see just how versatile she was. She was even better with fast songs.

This is my roaring, roaring 20's. I don't… even know me. Roll me like a blunt, 'cause I wanna go home, roll me like a blunt, 'cause I wanna go home. My roaring, roaring 20s. I don't… even know me. Roll me like a blunt, 'cause I wanna go home, roll me like a blunt, 'cause I want, I wanna go home.

Less problematic. More provocative. He'd take her home. He'd take her anywhere.

He cut her song short. Waving at her until she was silent. The microphone went back in the stand and she just stood there smiling happily at all of them.

"So how did I do?"

"Wonderful. Very versatile…"

"Kay, great, so like… I can start tonight. I'll need an internet connection to download my backing tracks though…"

"Now wait a second… we need to discuss your outfit…"

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

Goddamn she was lippy. He could fix that. He was going to have to fix that.

"For starters, you will need to cover your hair…"

"Uh… no."

Marik narrowed his eyes. Beside him Sin Nombre had given her his full attention, and he was smirking, seemingly enjoying the by play between them. Enjoying her willful stubbornness. "It is our customs, our religion…"

"Okay, we'll it's against my religion to wear one, so… no."

Beside him Sin Nombre let out a snort. He was trying to hide his laughter. He purposely looked away from Marik so he wouldn't see it but he did. And it made him angry. He would not be made a laughing stock by a woman, in his own club. Even if this woman was siren who could make him nothing but money.

"You will do as I say, you are a woman you are…"

"Well wouldn't a woman in a provocative dress, uncovered, so y'all Neanderthals can see everything, draw a larger crowd? I would have thought that you guys wouldn't care about illegal stuff like that when you're all Taliban… oh that's a lot of guns."

Everyone in the room had drawn them even Sin Nombre, but Marik held out a hand. A simple gesture which meant to let him ask questions before they shot her. He noted that while she looked scared it didn't feel like she was scared. She seemed to be treating the situation as if it were a game.

"Who said anything about the Taliban? Who do you work for?"

"Are we not in the middle of Taliban country?" she asked. "I mean… let's look at me, take a really good look at me, do I really look like a soldier? I swear I have no coordination what so ever, see this scar?" she asked pointing to a faint hairline scar running through her right eyebrow. "Yeah ran into a low hanging branch, and this one, on the other side, I tucked and rolled out of a moving vehicle and right into a tree."

"Why would you jump from a moving vehicle…"

"I was getting kidnapped at the time," she said with a wave of her hand. "It's a great party story but we don't need to go into it now. Look, you gonna hire me or what? I have three other auditions and I'm sure they'd love to have me…"

"You are hired… for now…" Marek whispered, looking her up and down again with that appreciative eye. "If you do well you will have… private showings… as well…"

She blinked her eyes. "Okay… uh… I guess we can discuss that when we get to it… but uh… I'm just gonna… I'm just gonna go find a place to download the rest of my tracks? You have wi-fi right?"

He let her wander off. Her own guard following after her. His men watched her leave and Marik had to shoo them out of the ballroom to get them back to their posts. When they were gone Marik glanced over to where Sin Nombre was standing, noting that the man had watched the siren leave and hadn't yet turned back from the door she had disappeared behind.

"You don't trust her."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because the man she came with is military. You can tell by the way he stands. Out here… if there's one soldier, there's others. They are never alone. They have a pack mentality."

"So she is a spy."

Sin Nombre turned back to him. "No. You've seen her. That girl, a girl like that, she has no business being out here. She's a hazard. Too flashy to be a spy. But that doesn't explain why she's here…"

"It could be a cover."

Sin Nombre shook his head. "No… she… she's something else. She seems… oddly familiar but I can't place where I would know her from."

Marik shook his head. He didn't have time for this. "Tell the others to be on the lookout, and someone keep tabs on our little siren. I want to know what she's really doing."

Marik let Sin Nombre leave him and he went to the bar to pour himself something to drink. He really hoped she didn't do anything too stupid.

He still wanted to have fun with her.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

They had put her in a room with an ancient computer they used for ordering supplies for the club. It had terrible dial up internet and this wasn't the room she needed to be. What she wanted to do was leave the room, but the bodyguard who was rocking a leather jacket in this kind of heat was still outside in the hallway.

Why the hell wouldn't he leave?

Rowan looked around, she needed something to distract them. Something loud. Something destructive. Rowan looked to the computer on the desk. Yeah… that would do.

"What are you doing?" Rogers asked as she started plucking wired out of the computer.

"We need a distraction, and I doubt you're going to give me a grenade," she said as she grunted.

She needed out of this place. She needed to be gone before they asked her to perform again. Private showings. Well didn't that just sound terrifying? Oh like hell she was going to do that. She knew what that implied and that asshole had other things coming if he thought she'd do that. The only person who got private showing was Steve and it was going to stay that way. Not that it mattered, once she got into his office and stole back the info she had been sent for she would be leaving. Hopeful she didn't get stuck there because she didn't put it past this Norrell get to make her stay if she hadn't found the USB yet.

So it was with that on her mind that she hurled the computer out of the second floor window as hard as she could.

It ricocheted off of the building next to them and then fell to the ground smashing into a million pieces.

"Check the hall," she whispered as she hid behind the bottom of the frame just enough to see if people were responding, and they were.

"He's gone," Rogers hissed and that's all Rowan needed. She moved through the building and down the stairs to the office Norrell told her the info would be stashed.

Except when they got there the door was locked.

Rowan pulled out the hair pin she had stashed in her hair for moments like this before she left home. No one had noticed it by that point which meant none of them had known she could use it to pick the locks they kept putting her in or behind.

Roger's chuckled. "So that's how you kept getting out at base."

"I've got a lot a hair to hide it in too, and it doesn't pop in a metal detector… too small," Rowan whispered as she worked. "My brother taught me that."

Oh good old Wo. He was probably so worried at that moment, but she didn't know what she was going to do about it when she finally got her phone back and managed to call him. Other than apologize profusely.

After a couple seconds of jiggling that felt like an hour Rogers hissed: "We've waited too long we should get you out of here before they come back."

Like Rowan hadn't just whipped a crusty ass box monitor out of a window as a distraction. How would they go back from that? The door clicked and she half laughed, yes, it had worked! She was starting to worry that she was too nervous to get the door open.

Ignoring Rogers, she opened the door only to have him grab her.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" he asked as he glanced up the stairs they had just came down.

"Just shut up and keep watch," Rowan told him and then quickly shut the door behind her.

Rowan rushed into the office, running straight to the desk. She upended drawers, took out file after file and then dumped them on the desk. She had a feeling this would help with her alibi when that inevitably happened. Or at least to distract them on her true intentions.

She hadn't found anything and was starting to get quite panicked when the sounds of disaster hit her ears.

It started with the screams. Shouts of orders. First in English and then in a different language she didn't recognize.

Then came the gun shots, and her mouth ran dry. Where had those come from? She froze, completely unsure what she was hearing. Then the pounding on the steps, getting away from her. Where was Rogers going? Was he leaving her behind? But his running was followed by more shouting. The sounds of a rather violent fight, followed by a single gun shot. That gunshot kicked off a barrage of bullets and the volley of shots returning until there was one big explosion and then silence.

Except for one demand that was shouted so loud everyone in all four corners of the building could hear it.

Find the girl!

Oh god.

She was the girl.

She knew it. She was the girl. She stopped going through everything and dropped to her knees, disappearing under the desk and staying there very quietly. Maybe if she was lucky they wouldn't notice her in the first sweep of their search and she could jump out a window or something. Or maybe Steve would come get her.

She was under there for two seconds before she spotted it taped to the under-desk above her. A goddamn USB. What an amateur place to hide something, seriously. She quickly ripped it free and then shoved it in the only hiding place she could think of before going back to being very… very quiet.

The door flew open and she held her breath. She sat there in the shadows, hoping no one came around the desk. She heard the person walk into the room and she was certain that the pounding of her heart would give her away. But after an agonizing five minutes of shuffling and searching the door slammed.

Rowan waited. Waited for any kind of sound that would indicate that someone was in the room and when she heard nothing, she carefully pulled herself out from under the desk. She stood up wondering how exactly she would escape this building now that it was on high alert, and what happened to Rogers… and whether or not she could save him when someone cleared their throat.

Freezing like a deer caught in the headlights, Rowan slowly turned to the sound.

She was staring at the body guard, the man who had hovered over Marik like a shadow. He was in rough looking black jeans and still wearing that leather jacket, looking something out of biker gang. Seriously wasn't he hot? His dark black hair was slicked back, his oaky brown eyes crinkled in her direction, a smirk of victory on his face.

Well, fuck. That was her captured.

Rowan just stood there. Watching the gun in his hands as it stayed perfectly leveled with her chest. She quickly spit out the only lie she could think of.

"Uh… Whoa… this isn't the washroom!"

He didn't buy it.