Jungkook's nerves started to get the best of him as Hoseok drove them to the location for tonight. Yoongi emphasized that the purpose of this mission was to gather information, so it was important not to engage with anyone. They finally had a potential lead and didn't want to give Ganghan any indication that they were onto them.

The last couple of weeks were just as hard for the members since they still didn't have any leads on Charlie's whereabouts. However, everyone tried their best to go back to normal, and Jungkook couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or bad thing.

"We're here," Hoseok said as he parked the van down an alley that was a couple blocks from their location.

Jungkook looked over at Jimin, who was getting his earpiece situated. He looked up and gave the youngest member a small smile.

"Ready Hotshot?" he asked, and Jungkook nodded in response.

Jimin opened the van door before he and Jungkook walked out, light steps carrying them towards the location that Taehyung had given them.

"I will take the northside, you take the south. If you see anything, remember, don't engage with anyone and make sure not to be seen," Jimin reminded Jungkook, who simply nodded as they separated and started to patrol the outer perimeter.

Jungkook was trying his best to stick to the shadows as he walked around the perimeter of the building. Taehyung had said it would be crawling with Ganghan, but he had yet to see a single person. As he rounded the corner, he heard a slight shuffle behind him and quickly turned around, grabbing his 9mm from his thigh as he aimed it towards the sound.

His heart almost stopped when he saw her in front of him, gun drawn on him.

"Charlie?" he called, lowering his weapon and instinctually walking towards her as a grin tugged at his lips, eager to hold her in his arms again. She's here.

"Don't move!" she shouted back, her gun still pointed at him.

"Whoa, what the hell Char?" Jungkook froze and put his hands up, along with his gun. The smile dropped as he stared at his best friend, many questions running through his head. Why is she pointing a gun at me? Why is she acting like this? It had been a month since he had seen her, and this was not the way he expected their reunion to happen.

"Gun on the ground," Charlie harshly said as she kept her feet planted firmly on the ground.

Jungkook complied right away and noticed the slight confusion on her face as he did. He then kicked it towards her. He would never hurt her, even if she had him at gunpoint. "Charlie it's me, Jungkook," he said, still keeping his hands in the air.

"I don't know anyone by that name. Why the hell are you here?" she asked. He noticed the lack of emotion in her voice and flinched a little when she said she didn't know him. He couldn't deny the way the words seared him, a small frown on his lips as he stared at her in shock, wondering what had happened to her.

"We're trying to stop this deal, you should know that. Why are you here? Where the hell have you been?" he asked as his hands slowly started to lower to his side. His mind was racing with the possibilities of what was happening right now. Why was she acting like she didn't know him? Was she with Ganghan now? What had they done to her?

"I'm preventing people like you from stopping it, so get on your knees," she replied, ignoring his other question as she continued to glare at him.

"People like me? You mean like us?" he said as he pointed back and forth between the two of them, his anger starting to rise within him

"I am nothing like you. Now, ON YOUR KNEES!" Charlie shouted and Jungkook once again raised his hands, slowly lowering himself to the floor. Charlie walked closer to him, keeping her gun pointed at him.

"I know you won't pull that trigger," he confidently said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" she questioned as she pressed the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

"Because we have been through too much together. I don't know what's gotten into you, but we're best friends Char." Jungkook's eyes were pleading for the woman in front of him to realize what she was doing, to stop her from pulling the trigger. What the hell is wrong with her?

"I told you that I don't know you, so there's no way you know me." Charlie took a couple steps back, still keeping her gun pointed at Jungkook before grabbing her radio from her waist. "Hey, Ryder," she said into the radio.

"You have a scar on your right hip," Jungkook quickly said, clenching his jaw as he waited for a reaction, which he definitely got.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "How the hell do you know that?" she asked him, the panic clear in her voice. He noticed the slight fear in her eyes and his worry grew at her anxious demeanor. Does she really not remember?

"Because I was there when it happened. I was the one who tried to stitch you up and did a really bad job," he explained, chuckling a little as he recalled the memory from their teenage days. He tried to subdue the next memory that crossed his mind, the one of her laying next to him as his fingers brushed against her bare skin, against the scar.

Jungkook watched as Charlie lowered her gun and grabbed her head, wincing in pain.

"Are you ok?" Jungkook frantically stood up and walked towards Charlie, worried about her well-being.

"Stop!" she shouted as she continued to hold her head, causing him to halt his steps as he gave her the space she asked for. He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her.

"Charlie, you good?" he heard over her radio. Charlie grabbed it and held it to her mouth, about to speak, but her eyes met his once more. He didn't know if his Charlie was still in there somewhere, but he needed more time with her. He shook his head, silently pleading with her to not give away their position.

"False alarm, I'm good," she said and clipped the radio back to her belt.

"Thank you." He breathed out a sigh of relief

"I didn't do it for you," she harshly replied. "Tell me, who're you working for?" she asked, keeping a hardened expression as she waited for him to speak.

"Bangtan," he replied. "It's who you work for as well."

She shook her head before speaking up. "I work for Ganghan, always have and always will."

"What are you talking about? What the fuck did they do to you? You were the be-"

"Charlie, need you on the west side," Charlie's partner said through the radio. Jungkook looked at the radio and then at her.

"Go," Charlie stated, motioning her head away from the building, but Jungkook didn't move. He hadn't seen her in so long, hadn't been able to touch her or talk to her, and now he finally found her. She was finally there in front of him, and she was yelling at him to go. His stomach clenched at the thought of leaving her behind yet again.

He looked at her gun, which rested at her side. The possibilities ran through his head of how he could disarm her and carry her back to the van. In the split second that it took him to go through everything, he heard Jimin through his earpiece.

"Time to go Hotshot!" His breath was heavy and it sounded like he was running.

Charlie huffed in frustration and brought her gun back up, pointing it at him. "Go!" she yelled again. Against his will, his body started to move away. His heart ached to leave her, but he knew something just wasn't right about her. He took a couple more steps away from her, but then froze and turned back.

"I won't abandon you Charlie." His eyes met her blank expression and let a small smile creep onto his lips. "Still you rise." He watched as her face turned to pure shock. He noticed a shadow rounding the corner of the building and quickly took off towards the van, leaving his best friend, the woman who had his heart, standing there frozen in her stupor.

Jungkook ran back to the van and saw Jimin climbing in as he quickly followed.

"Someone spotted me, had to abort," Jimin said as he closed the van door.

Jungkook gave him a sad smile. "Me too," he mumbled.

Jimin turned towards him and furrowed his brows in confusion. It wasn't the words that were unclear, but instead, how Jungkook had said them. Jungkook slowly met Jimin's eyes.

"I saw Charlie."

~☾~

Charlie had been eager to get out of the Ganghan house. Her mind couldn't stop replaying the events from earlier in the evening from when she ran into that guy, Jungkook. He seemed to know a lot about her, even knew about the tattoo on her thigh as well as the scar on her hip. She didn't know what to make of the whole situation, but she definitely needed answers. Why the fuck can't I remember him?

She had snuck out of the base, hopping onto her motorcycle before driving off into the night. She loved the exhilarating feeling as the engine roared to life, no set destination in mind. The road felt familiar, an odd sense of deja vu settling in the pit of her stomach as she found herself right under an old bridge that had been stained with various spray paint art.

Charlie parked the bike, hanging her helmet off the side handle before she trudged towards the bridge. She didn't know why she was there in the first place, but she knew that it just felt right. There wasn't a single person in sight, the only sound heard around her was the faint chirping of crickets and sounds of other night creatures who were out this late.

She stopped right under the bridge, inspecting the various shapes and shades that decorated the bleak structure. Her eyes were drawn to the bright green vine, eyebrows furrowing as she noticed a huge gap in the space between the stems. She winced slightly as a small pain settled in her head, her hand instinctively rubbing her temple as she tightly shut her eyes.

"I think it needs more greenery," Charlie finally said as she picked up the colors she needed.

"Greenery? Like plants?" Jungkook asked.

"Yeah! Make it a real concrete jungle." Both of them laughed as they went about adding their own art pieces.

She giggled to herself as she kept her finger on the trigger of the can and sprayed a bright green line over the back of Jungkook's shirt. He immediately turned around and glared at her.

"Did you really just ruin my shirt?"

She started to run, but Jungkook was quick to catch up to her as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, walking back towards their masterpieces.

"Pay back time," he said as he reached for a can of paint, pushing her against the wall while her hands came up to his chest, trying to push him away. Jungkook grabbed her hands and pressed them on either side of her head, pinning her between the concrete and himself.

"Not so fast," Jungkook said, smiling as he stared at her.

Charlie felt her stomach giddily flipping at the memory, trying to make sense of how this stranger's close proximity seemed to make her feel safe in that moment. She didn't bother pushing him away. If anything, she wanted him closer, anticipating what his next move would be.

The memory abruptly stopped when she heard shuffling behind her, pulling her out of that moment and leaving her with unanswered questions. She quickly turned around only to see the man she had just been thinking about standing a few feet away from her.

She was irritated as she glared at him, noticing the way he tensed up as his eyes locked onto hers. "What the hell are you doing here?" she grumbled. She didn't need him popping up right now, he'd clearly caused a lot of confusion and she really didn't want to see him.

"I usually come here to clear my head," he honestly admitted, his voice low as he spoke. He offered her a small smile, an action that only caused her to scowl at him.

"You do realize this is Ganghan territory, right?" she retorted, crossing her arms defensively over her chest as she glared at him.

"I know," he replied, lips tugging up into a grin as he took a step closer towards her. "This place is special though, I have fond memories of it, so I always come here when I need some time alone."

"We were here before," she stated, her words coming out as more of a question than a statement. Her eyes intently watched him as he stepped closer, that smile still gracing his lips as he nodded in response. She could see the hopeful glint in his brown doe eyes as he spoke.

"We were, do you remember?" he inquired.

"Vaguely," she replied. "You sort of interrupted my thoughts, so the only thing I remember is spray painting your back and you chasing me. Who are you?" she inquired.

She noticed his dejected expression as she asked the question, the smile dropping from his lips as a small pout formed. He avoided her gaze as he stared down at the ground, the silence overbearing as she waited for him to say something.

"I already told you, I'm your best friend," he replied, voice strained as he spoke. Charlie tilted her head as she looked at him, narrowing her gaze while he still avoided her eyes.

She couldn't help but feel like he was holding something back, that he was being dishonest with her. She wasn't sure if she should believe him anyway, it was all just a strange coincidence that he was sparking all these memories... right?

"Is that how you knew about my tattoo?"

He finally looked up at her, nodding in response. "I was there when you got it," he answered. "You also managed to convince me to get feathers on my shoulder too, so that we could sort of match," he added, chuckling while she continued to stare at him with a blank expression. The mirthful smile faded from his features as he awkwardly shifted on his feet.

"If you're my best friend, then why are you with Bangtan?" she inquired.

She noticed the way his features scrunched up in irritation, shaking his head as he let out a small scoff. "You're with Bangtan too," he stated, trying to keep his voice calm but failing to hide his exasperation. "I don't know what the hell Ganghan did to you, but they're not who you think they are. We're your family, and we want you to come home," Jungkook said.

Charlie shook her head, taking a step back as he tried to approach her. He was lying, he had to be. Her mother's words rang through her mind, telling her how she was where she belonged whenever she doubted her role in Ganghan. She had been with them for years, had been with Ryder for years, so why was Jungkook telling her otherwise?

"Ganghan is my family," she tersely replied. Jungkook's jaw clenched, clearly not pleased with her words. She observed the way his chest moved, his breathing picking up as his fists tightened. Charlie's guard was on high alert as he approached her, stopping about a foot away from her.

"They're not your family!" he said, his voice raising with each word as he glared at her. "We're your family," he insisted. "We've been through so much together, why can't you remember?" he asked, his tone harsh as he spoke.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I think I know where I belong," she seethed. "Ganghan is my family, always has been and always will be." She didn't even wait for a response as she stomped past him, roughly bumping his shoulder only to feel a firm grip on her arm as he tugged her back towards him.

She was seeing red now, her defenses kicking in as she turned towards him and aimed her fist at his face. He recoiled back from the impact, hands immediately reaching for his nose.

"What the fuck?!" he shouted, removing his hands only to see the blood on his hands before his dark eyes met hers, bewildered at the fact that she just punched him.

"The next time I see you, I will kill you," she gritted out, quickly turning back around as she ran towards her motorcycle. She started the engine and sped down the road, wanting nothing more than for the night to end and to be back in the comforts of her bed.

~☾~

Jungkook walked into the kitchen from the garage and grabbed a towel, pressing it to his nose, which still hadn't stopped bleeding. He almost forgot how much of a kick Charlie's punches had.

"What happened to you?" Jin asked as he walked in, opening the fridge to grab a snack.

"Charlie punched me," he replied, his stoic voice mixed with pain and anger.

Jin slammed the fridge shut and moved right next to Jungkook. "What?!" he nearly yelled.

"After seeing her today, I went for a ride and she was at the same place I always go to. We talked, and when I tried to explain to her that she was Bangtan she...." He paused as her words rang in his head, the anger growing once more. "She said that Ganghan was her home," he spat out.

Jin knew that Charlie had been spotted at the mission earlier since Jimin had filled everyone in. Taehyung had immediately run to his cave to search any and all cameras in the area to confirm it while Yoongi posted himself up in his office. Namjoon also went out to call a couple of his contacts in order to get answers.

"Jungkook, you know we will get her back, right?" Jin tried to reassure him.

"She said they were her family!" He didn't quite understand why he was so mad, but he was. Charlie not only forgot about him, but she said that Ganghan was her home. He felt defeated and hurt.

"Kook, you kn-"

Jungkook shrugged Jin off and just walked away, not wanting to listen to this. He stormed up the stairs and headed straight for the room that he had been staying in for the past month. He closed the door and looked around...just as she had left it.

He walked into her bathroom and cleaned up the remaining blood that had dried under his nose. Thankfully it wasn't broken, but it still hurt. He stared at his reflection and watched as silent tears fell. Closing his eyes, he saw her again. The gun pointed to his head, her at the bridge, her face as she punched him. He missed her so much and just wanted her back home.

He left the bloody rag in the sink and walked back into her bedroom, crawling into her bed and curling up under the blankets. As his eyes closed, he could almost feel her next to him. He couldn't decide if that made him feel comforted or frustrated. The tears continued to fall from his eyes as he finally drifted to sleep.

A/N: I apologize sooo much!! Life has gotten away form both myself and GalxyDefendr

We are finally in the meat of the story! So...what happened to Charlie? Will they get her back? Will she remember? What Ganghan play?

Thoughts?? -------->