Sam regretted deciding to meet Skye at their destination the moment she showed up.

It had all gone smoothly since he'd left her office. Having something to focus on, his mind swirled and he even felt like eating an entire pizza, which he now sort of regretted. The assignment didn't prove difficult which explained why Herrison chanced sending an emotionally unstable agent and a psychiatrist to do it.

Eye Patch had been seen lurking around a particular section of the industrial and unsavory part of Southside. Incidentally, a few of the warehouses there belonged to Von Crooken so there was a big chance they were bringing something in. The Agency needed to know what because it might help them anticipate what to expect from the next attack.

So Sam had done his homework, put on light equipment and weaponry and made his way, completely inconspicuous and undetected, to the warehouse closest to the water. The river wound its way downstream and Eye Patch watched it, standing on the ledge of a small pier, waiting.

Sam took advantage to check that all his guns were properly placed and loaded. He didn't pack much for this mission; just two pistols, one of which was filled with rubber bullets, and an uzi, for emergencies. Except for that, he had two combat knives, his bullet proof vest, the magnet, a headset and a handy microphone Steve Turner had devised which looked like a pebble. It was enough to make sure that, if all went smoothly, he wouldn't need the guns.

The sound of footsteps had him wincing and he turned towards the corner of the nearest industrial tank. Skye made her way towards him and sunk his spirits faster than a U-boat sunk a merchant ship.

"Just what the hell are you wearing?" he said between his teeth, the moment she came close enough to hear him without shouting being involved.

"You said to wear something dark," she hissed back.

"Yes, but that?" She wore a tight black dress with short sleeves and freaking pumps. "Don't you have pants? And boots or sneakers?"

"Surprisingly enough, I didn't have any clean black stuff," she whispered, crossing her arms over her chest. "And the shoes are very comfortable."

"Climbing walls comfortable?" God, he couldn't deal with this right now. He had half a mind to toss her out there and have her prying information out of Eye Patch using the power of seduction.

Skye huffed. "Climbing walls? Seriously?"

Yes, seriously, because the best vintage point was the roof of the warehouse. But he was in no mood to fight her or make any type of noise, so he just shrugged and returned to watching his target. She stepped next to him, obviously trying to keep quiet, but her shoes were loud.

"What's he doing?" she whispered.

Her perfume smelled like lemongrass and honeysuckle which was a weird combination. He couldn't believe she was wearing perfume. She looked prim enough to be on a date. Maybe she thought they were because he believed her messed up enough to think this was some special snowflake method to pick up girls.

But he shook his head, decided to ignore this and focus on the assignment. If there was one thing Christine had taught him, it was to suppress all potential negative thoughts.

"Nothing yet," he whispered back.

Another figure moved from between two metal structures, but this one wasn't skulking or wearing pumps. A man dressed in black jeans, a shirt and overshined shoes approached the bank of the river, hands in his pockets. Sam frowned, because he recognized that entitled gait, even if he couldn't place the person.

"Finally," Eye Patch said, moving towards the door of the warehouse, but Sam barely caught the words. They were still too far to hear mumbled conversation.

The other man said something back, but he missed it completely.

"That snake," Skye hissed.

Sam turned to her in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"Unless he's doing some undercover work, you should shoot him in the head. Can you check?"

He obviously needed to check something, so he chanced a better peak around the corner of the building. And once the lonely light bulb hanging over the entrance of the warehouse caught the guy's brown hair and smug smile, Sam recognized him too. Lee Hannigan, supposed agent and one of the few people who had been in the Agency longer than Sam.

He really needed to know what they were saying. Sam dug into the pocket of his multi-slotted vest and pulled out the tiny microphone. Careful not to make a too loud sound, he rolled it on the ground and towards the two talking men. It stopped just far enough so they wouldn't find it fun to kick into the water and Sam turned on his headset.

The voices were still weak, but at least now he could make out the words.

"Sending them by ship?" Lee was asking.

"Stop asking so many questions," Eye Patch mumbled, obviously not pleased to have to work with someone he didn't fully trust. And for good reason.

Sam wondered if Lee was infiltrated or was just classically betraying the Agency.

"It's right over there," Lee said. "Don't act like you can keep things from me. You shouldn't. I can be trusted."

Bullshit. But that wasn't the issue. Sam couldn't see from there. He needed the higher ground advantage. So he pulled the magnet out, unrolled the necessary amount of wire, set the intensity to low given that the building he was climbing was made out of metal, and tossed the puck-like device on the roof of the warehouse. It clanged loudly on the tin roof and the men stopped their conversation. Sam froze, too, waiting.

"Lovely weather for waiting," Lee said after a few moments of silence.

"Shut up, you idiot," Eye Patch said, most likely checking his surroundings.

"I'd expected you not to scare so easily. This is, after all, the questionable part of town."

"The only thing questionable around here is you."

Sam took advantage of their squabble, hooked the wire to the special slot on his belt, and hoisted himself up.

"Hey!"

Shit, Skye. She'd been so quiet, he'd forgotten she was there. He stopped his ascent halfway off the ground and looked down at her. He was already starting to feel queasy so in absolutely no mood for her.

"Let me guess, you have no equipment."

She stretched out her arms as if to ask where she would keep it. The dress didn't seem to have pockets and she wasn't carrying a purse, thank God.

"Wait down here."

"Not how it works, kid. Where you go, I go."

He cringed at her use of kid, but breezed past it and returned to the ground. She scurried towards him and stopped, taking in the wire as if expecting it to have a special seat just for her. He would've started calling her a snowflake, but the mission was more important and they needed to be quiet. So he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Her entire body stiffened and he felt her impulse to pull back, but once she accepted that there was no other way, she wrapped her arms around his neck, bit her lip, and let him pull her up to the roof.

It felt weird to have another body pressed against his. The last time he'd came this close to a girl, he wound up making out with her. The thought of kissing Skye turned his stomach over. Or maybe it was the height. Even if they weren't more than sixteen feet off the ground, it still made his head swim.

Once they reached the roof, he closed his eyes and crawled his way to the center of it, making as little noise as possible. He could hear Skye clunking behind him for a few seconds, then the noise stopped. Maybe he was hallucinating because of the nausea, so he cracked an eyelid open and looked back. She was still there, but had taken her shoes off to avoid making noise and was tiptoeing towards him, bent double. Smart.

He swallowed heavily and continued his way to the other end of the roof from where he could spot his targets. His hands shook and his breath was rattled, but he could do this, ease himself into a sense of security because he was too far from the edge to fall even by accident. And even if he did, he'd probably fall on Eye Patch.

Skye lowered to her stomach next to him, watching him. He didn't dare turn his head and lose focus. Throwing up was not an option. She leaned closer and her perfume became overwhelming.

"You okay?" she whispered so low, he barely heard her.

He just nodded, even if he wasn't. A sheen o cold sweat covered his forehead, but it was to be expected. She wrapped her fingers around the back of his belt and held on tightly. It strangely helped ease the pressure, knowing he was anchored to something, however frail.

"What are we waiting for again?" Lee asked, sinking his hands in his pockets.

Eye Patch didn't even turn his head, his gaze fixed on the other bank of the river. "A lie detector."

"That's a fair description."

Both men jumped and so did Sam. Skye tightened her hold on him and started shushing him for some reason, even if he hadn't let out a sound. Barely. Because Ron had decided to join the party and for once be the one screwing up Sam's stakeouts.

He walked into the circle of light, that confident grin on his face. Both Eye Patch and Lee pulled their guns out and pointed them at Ron. Sam tensed, taking out his own gun and aiming at Eye Patch, though he wasn't exactly sure who was more of a threat to his uncle. Skye's hold on him tightened again.

"What're you doing here?" Eye Patch asked.

"Same as you," Ron said with a nod. "Waiting for your boss."

Shit, Snitch Gravel himself was coming? Where from and why?

Lee's mouth dropped open and there was a slight tremble in his body which made Sam think he was actually undercover. He wouldn't have any other reason to be scared shitless by Snitch Gravel. Sam couldn't say he was fairing much better. The last time he'd seen Snitch Gravel, he'd been beaten into a coma.

"That's why we're here?" Lee asked, his voice exhibiting a tremor punishable by death.

"Boss said to kill you," Eye Patch said, though he didn't sound very sure about it.

Ron just grinned and spread out his hands. "Have at me, then."

Eye Patch hesitated, but Lee seemed to have taken this as his chance to prove his loyalty, because he took aim. Ron wasn't the Agency's sweetheart, so he was fair game.

Cursing under his breath, Sam stuck his magnet against the tin roof and swung down. Skye let him go the moment he moved, and he didn't even have time to freeze or think about what he was doing. He just released the wire from his belt and plummeted over Lee. Their bodies collided and they both fell over. By the time Sam managed to untangle himself from the agent/traitor, Eye Patch had switched targets from Ron to him and his uncle also had a gun out.

"Too many guns," Sam mumbled, staying on his back.

"Put it down, Patchy," Ron said in a sing-song voice.

Lee scrambled to his feet, pointing his gun at Sam. Sam kicked him in the gut. Like the amateur he was, Lee dropped the pistol. And like an even bigger idiot, decided it was a great idea to attack Sam head on.

Sam rolled into a crouch and dodged the first punch. He was still a little dizzy from jumping off the roof and wasn't exactly sure how much damage he should do to Lee. Tripping him was safe, as was turning him over and twisting his arm behind his back.

"Stay down, you moron," he hissed, then raised his eyes.

Eye Patch still had his gun, but he and Ron were canceling each other out. A shot rang through the night. Pain radiated up Sam's spine, making him wince and roll off Lee. Two more goons stepped out of the warehouse and decided to join the party.

The muscles in his back throbbing, Sam took out his rubber bullet gun and shot at one of them. The projectile hit him in the head and knocked him off his feet. The other charged forward, gun out and pointing but was stopped once Skye toppled over him. Sam's entire being seemed to jolt for the second it took him to realize she had probably used the magnet still stuck to the warehouse roof and din't just throw herself off the building.

It was enough to confuse the goon and give Sam the time to get into a crouch. Lee attacked again, jabbing him in the stomach with his knee. Cursing under his breath, Sam caught his second hit and punched his kneecap hard enough to actually cause some damage. Lee yelped and rolled over which earned Sam another kick in the gut from the other man.

"Stop!" Stereotypical goon rose his voice above the ruckus, holding Skye against him, a gun pointed to her head.

Because of course that would happen and Sam would have to rescue his damsel psychiatrist. Like a given, Skye started whimpering and shaking like a leaf. He almost wanted to groan and throw himself in the river, sick and tired of the endless drama. But then, something caught his attention.

Even if whimpering and shaking, there was a steel in Skye's eyes that didn't fit. She was scared, sure, but was thinking hard, plotting. And, as if to prove his point, the following moment she bit the forearm the goon had pressed against her collar bones.

The man yelled and let her go. She ducked under his arm and darted towards Sam, kicking Lee on the way. Ron moved towards them, and it was the three of them with their backs against the river while Eye Patch and his two mates held guns pointed at them and Lee groveled on the no man's land between them.

"Any ideas?" Ron asked.

"Except thumping you for being an idiot?" Sam asked between his teeth.

"His men don't usually shoot at me unless really provoked."

Sam wasn't sure this was the time to point out that Lee might not be Snitch Gravel's man, but if he really wasn't, he didn't want to blow his cover.

"The boss is going to like this," Eye Patch said, the glee in his voice creepier than the neighborhood.

"Don't get overjoyed, Eye Pooch," Skye said.

This drew the men's attention to her and Eye Patch finally seemed to see her. "Wait, you're not Blondie. You're not Kyle's girlfriend."

In their confusion, they lowered their guns for a second. And it was all Sam and Ron needed. Ron even waved and grinned before letting himself drop into the river. Sam grabbed Skye around the middle and followed. The moment they sank into the murky water, the muffled sound of gunshots filled the air.

He stayed under as much as possible, letting the current carry them to safety. When he finally popped his head out, Skye was squirming against him, obviously out of air. It took them a second to see Ron who'd dragged himself out of the river a little further out. Sam swam that way, Skye still hanging on, and pulled himself up on the concrete dyke, breathing heavily.

"Just what... the hell... was that?"

"I could ask you the same," Ron retorted. "What were you doing there?"

"Stalking them, of course!"

"You didn't have to jump in. I would've handled it."

"That other guy was CII, he would've shot you!"

"Just who the hell are you?" Skye asked, breaking up their fight. She stood with her legs spread wide, fists propped on her hips, shooting daggers at both of them.

Ron took in her fury in her eyes, the wet dress clinging to her body, and cocked and eyebrow. "Got a new girlfriend so soon, Sam?"

Sam groaned. "Ron, this is Skye, my therapist. Skye, Ron, my uncle."

"Oh." Skye's warrior stance shrunk and she hugged herself.

Sam turned back to Ron. "Answers. What were you even doing there?"

"Same as them." Ron huffed. "Waiting for Snitch Gravel."

"Why?"

An uncharacteristic darkness settled over his uncle's features. "Because your father disappeared and I need answers. I need to know why I believed my mother was dead for over twenty years. I need to know why she thought I was dead, not just a runaway. Do you have any idea what it was like? Waking up in the middle of the night and being told your parents were dead? Of course I believed him. He had no reason to lie. But my mother... apparently she wasn't dead. Just committed to to looney bin until she came to terms with my father's death.

"We never talked about it. It was a sore subject. I never thought he would lie, I..." Ron's voice faded and he looked away.

And uncomfortable knot settled inside Sam's stomach and for once in a very long time, his problems were not center focus. Because Skye was right. His problems were nothing. Nothing to Ron's and apparently nothing to his father's. His family seemed cursed.

Ron turned back to him. "I appreciate you looking out after me, Sam. But I don't need it. I'm used to looking after myself."

Sam couldn't argue with that, so all he had was a "Be careful," right before Ron scurried up an iron ladder and disappeared into the night. He could totally understand. He'd want answers, too. And not getting them from his father was an experience he shared with his uncle.

So he just sat on the bank of the river, trying to even out his breathing, wondering if this counted as a failed mission or not. He technically had important information, but Lee and the way it all ended...

"How old are you again?" Skye suddenly asked.

Oh, she was still there. And asking obvious things she already knew, but he was in no mood to fight anyone, not even her, so he humored her.

"Twenty-one."

"And I'm thinking this is the norm for you."

"I guess. Sometimes it's better, sometimes it's much worse."

"Worse? You got shot!"

He'd completely forgotten about that. The water had served to ease his aching muscles. "Yeah, but at least there were no explosions this time."

She sat next to him and  straightened her legs, admiring the dark blue nail polish on her toes. "I'm twenty-nine. And I've never been through anything even close to this."

"A bit of a late start, but I'm sure you'll catch up. Biting that guy was kinda badass."

She glanced at him and for once, it wasn't a glare. "Did you just compliment me?"

"Yes, because I'm fair like that. Also because I think you're building up for a giant apology and I'm feeling generous enough not to yell I told you so." He wasn't lying either. The adrenaline and facing the truth of what Ron had been through sobered him up more than all the therapy so far. The anger had finally subsided, at least for the night.

"Apology." She huffed and looked at the raging river. "I didn't expect you to be like this, I'll give you that."

"Like what?"

She paused, deep in thought. "Brave."

"Um, okay?" He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but he felt too at peace for some reason to let that get to him.

"You've been doing this since you were eighteen," she mumbled to herself.

Even if he didn't think she was talking to him, he had to interject. "Not really. It was worse when I was eighteen because I was far away from home, didn't know who to trust, had zero experience, zero training and most of the time zero equipment. It got much easier after... we stopped chasing jewels."

"You hesitated."

Of course she'd notice, but he wasn't sure if he knew about his coma, so maybe it was better to come clean about everything. "I was about to say after I came out of the coma, but I wasn't sure you knew and I didn't want to shock you."

He had effectively shocked her. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped and for the first time since they'd met, she stared at him without an ounce of malevolence or calculation. She had beautiful eyes.

When she finaly had enough and closed her mouth, there was muted anger in her eyes so Sam was prepared for yelling. What he wasn't prepared for was her mumbling, "Herrison has a lot of explaining to do."

Then she stood and reached out her hand. Sam took it out of reflex and found himself being yanked up with impressive force.

"Come on," Skye said. "I admit, I didn't take you seriously for the most part of our meetings because your file at the Agency sucks. We have a lot of work to do."

"Really? I actually thought you'd just see I'm fit to handle myself and leave... um, finish our sessions."

"Finish?" She shook her head, a grin on her face. "We're just starting. Because I think I've finally figured out what to do with you."

♠️♠️♠️

Finally! It took me forever to get this down but I hope it was satisfactory. Some action, some mystery, and Skye finally appearing to be a human? 😱 Will she actually start helping Sam now?

Also, yeah, decided to throw Ron in there. And Snitch Gravel is back in town which must mean something.

Any theories about what happened with Ron and Freider's parents?

I will be having a new update prepared soon enough since it was a bonus for RIFOY and I just have to tweak it.

Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to vote and comment.