"Tasha! Hurry up!"

Silence followed the call. A sigh came then.

"Tasha!"

"I'm coming! Geesh."

The young girl sighed as she stood from the ground, stuffing her notebook into her backpack. Her arm covered the sun from her eyes as she turned towards her friends, a smile on her face. "You know, it's not very nice to rush a woman when she's thinking."

"Yeah, well, we have no idea how well this stone will hold, so hurry it up!" Nate replied across the deep crevice, shaking his head.

Tasha stepped towards the ledge, looking uncertainly at the large gap. A smug laugh came from behind Nate. "What? Are you scared, princess?"

Tasha glared pointedly at Sam as she tied her hair back tightly. "You should know by now not to test me, Sammy boy."

"Awe, c'mon! Last time I checked we're celebrating your birthday tomorrow, princess. We won't get back in time unless you hurry it up."

"Can the both of you cut the flirting?" Nate groaned, holding his hand out to Tasha. "C'mon, Tash. I'll catch you."

"You better!" Tasha laughed as she stepped back a few paces, taking a deep breath before leaping towards the ledge opposite her. She grabbed the stone easily, smirking up at Nate who still had his hand outstretched. "See? I told you —"

A scream fell from her lips as the stone gave way. Nate grabbed her wrist, the only thing keeping the girl from falling to her death. She reached her other hand up as Nate pulled her onto the ledge, holding her arms uncertainly.

"Hey! I got you!" Nathan assured her, a small smile on his face as he rubbed her arms. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think so." She laughed uncomfortably before smiling at him. "Thanks for catching me, Nate."

"Don't mention it." He let her go before standing, holding his hand out to her. "C'mon, let's get going."

Tasha grabbed onto his hand, thanking him silently once he had pulled her to her feet. Sam chuckled as he watched the two, shaking his head. "C'mon, kids."

"I'm not a kid, old man." Tasha hissed as she walked past Sam, smiling as she saw their car in the distance. Sam always teased Tasha about her age, since she was much younger than him, and Tasha would always tease Sam about how old he was.

"Last time I checked you're only twenty—"

"I'll be twenty one tomorrow!" Tasha interrupted as she put her hands on her hips.

"You're so easy to rule up, darling." Sam chuckled as he ruffled her hair.

"I'm not your darling." Tasha replied as she jumped into the back seat of the car.

•••

Tasha's birthday was quickly turned into a job affair when Sam got word of a business man they needed intel from staying at the same hotel, and so happened to be attending the same ball.

She sighed as she stood at the bar, shaking her head as she watched her friends hit on the countless women at the place. This wasn't how she would've chosen to spend her birthday, but it could've been worse, right? She knew they had a job to do, but still, she wished it could've been on any other occasion than this.

She kept to herself as she twirled the straw in her drink, the heels she had on digging into his ankles uncomfortably. She felt a shiver run down her spine when a man brushed past her, leaning over the bar beside her.

"I'll have a —"

That voice. Suave, calculated.

Tasha glanced sideways, raising her eyebrows in surprise when she saw none other than Rafe Adler standing next to her.

•••

A/N: Hey! Please comment ideas for chapters like how you imagine Rafe acting, stuff like that? :) anything helps!