Once Burris and I make it to the back entrance door of the Raven Sector, I pull a cigarette from my pack and place it into my mouth, flicking the wheel of my lighter to ignite the end.

"Want one?" I ask, glancing up to see Burris eyeing the pack of cigarettes like they're going to jump out and kill him on impact.

"You know how I feel about those things, Harper," he says quietly, as I blow out a tendril of smoke, facing away so it won't blow into his face.

"Ah, so now we're dropping formality? Am I allowed to call you Paul now?" I mock, as we walk down the sidewalk. Instead of walking toward the crosswalk, we walk towards the large park behind the sector complex.

The park is hazy, lit by a few tall street lights that arc above Burris and I. The grass takes on a deep emerald shade, almost imperceptible against the darkness of the Paris sky.

The air around us has a crisp touch to it, with a slight breeze as Burris and I walk down the empty sidewalk. I spot a rusty black bench ahead of us, a teal trashcan positioned to the side of it.

"You mean like how you and Agent Allard are already on a first-name basis after knowing each other for what... a week? Yeah, you're definitely one to talk," my superior drawls beside me after a few seconds, surprising me by drawing a cigarette from my pack and setting it in his mouth.

I quickly lean forward and light it for him, as we walk up to the black bench and sit on it.

"We're nothing more than acquaintances," I lie, causing Burris to roll his eyes. He attempts to take in a long drag, but ends up doubling over coughing, not used to the feeling of smoke in his lungs.

"I'm not blind Harper, I can recognize attraction when I see it," he says in between coughing, shaking his head as he attempts to take another drag. This time, he successfully inhales all of the smoke, before blowing it all out into a single puff. "Though, you do make it quite obvious when I walk into your open room to see you standing in his arms... not to mention the fact that he was half-naked."

I take my cigarette out of my mouth and shake it in my fingers, watching as Burris' grey cloud of smoke wafts through the crisp Paris air. "Well, you would know the true story if you would just let me explain."

Burris nods, taking the cigarette from his mouth and tapping it on the metal arm of the bench. "Ah, but I'm sure I already do." he fully turns to me and crosses one leg over the other. "If you two were engaging in any type of intimate moment, you would've closed the door. But instead, it was wide open, which means that you were panicked or frightened and didn't have time to think about closing it,"

I open my mouth to comment, but Burris shakes his head and lifts up a finger. "Let me finish, there's a reason I'm a superior for the International Surveillance and Intelligence Agency," he pauses to make sure I won't try to interrupt again, before continuing on.

"I'm sure the reason Mr. Allard didn't have a shirt on was because he hastily rushed into your room, and didn't have the time or care to put one on because he thought you were in danger..." Burris lifts his cigarette and twists it from side to side, watching the orange light on the end flicker.

"You triggered him to quickly respond, most likely because he heard some sort of unsettling noise in your room. So he rushed over to your room and banged on the door, because you never forget to lock it... most of the time anyways. So when you opened it, I'm sure he barged right in and assessed the situation, just as he was trained to do. When he found no threat, he ask you why you had been screaming... to which the idea of telling him the truth would've distressed you-"

Burris smiles slightly and turns to look at me as I raise an eyebrow impressively. "Am I right so far?"

When I merely nod, my superior laughs and continues on. "Because you were distressed, you would've sought the one thing that you believe gives you relief-" Burris gestures to the cigarette in my hand. "Smoking. My guess is that Agent Allard was leaning against your dresser, which held your pack of cigarettes in the first drawer, because you're predictable like that, and when you went to grab them you didn't communicate to Allard your intentions.

"I'm sure he was startled by your close proximity and even more startled when you probably tried to get him to move by force. He reacted by bumping into you, which knocked you off balance and you began to fall backward, and he caught you-" Burris then gestures to himself. "Which is when Rene, and then I, walked in."

I can't help but whistle appreciatively as Burris smirks and attempts to take another drag of his cigarette. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" he says softly after he blows a puff of smoke into the air.

I run a hand anxiously through my hair as Burris' sapphire eyes seem to stare into my soul. "How-"

Burris interrupts me with a chuckle and shakes his head. "You forget that not only did I train you to become a spy, but also that I raised you after you turned ten."

I close my eyes and suck in a breath of fresh air, my mind wandering to my dreary tenth birthday, which just so happened to be the day after my childhood home burned down, and my father along with it.

It hadn't wanted to celebrate my birthday after that, but Burris, being my parent's best friend, convinced me otherwise. He took me to Disneyland that day, and successfully helped take my mind off of my father's death, if not for a few hours.

I wouldn't have been able to get through my father's death without him. He was the one who took me to father-daughter dances in middle school, scared off all the boys I liked in high school, and when Greyson had proposed to me... I had thought would walk me down the aisle as well.

The idea caused more tears to well up in my eyes, which I quickly wiped away with the back of my hand.

"Damnit," I mutter, as I looked over to Burris with my attempt at a wry smile. "I didn't want to cry again."

Burris' eyes also grow watery as he wraps an arm around my shoulder to gently pull me into a hug. I clutch my cigarette in my hands, awkwardly trying to keep it from pressing against Burris' T-shirt as he holds me there.

"I'm so sorry you felt you had to go through it alone," he whispers, and anyone who heard the vague words would be confused by what he was referring to. I understood clearly, though. We were the only two in the world who felt the weight of his loss.

I sob and press deeper into Burris' chest, his arms trembling slightly as he holds me against him. "It's been so hard," I cry, my body shaking as snot dribbles down from my nose. "So, so hard. I just-I miss him so much," I whisper, as Burris squeezes me tighter, as if he's holding onto me for dear life.

"I know, I know," he breathes, pulling me back slightly to look into my eyes. He brushes a strand of hair back from my face as I sob again, tears rolling down from his eyes. "I miss him too."

I suck in a deep breath and nod, before gritting my teeth and throwing my cigarette to the ground, furiously stomping on it until the amber coloring on the tip goes out.

"Greyson would hate to see me now," I say angrily, staring down at the cigarette with pure disgust as I run my fingers through my hair. "God, he always hated cigarettes."

Burris sighs and jams his own cigarette into the top of the metal trashcan next to the bench, before flicking it into the hole. "He did, but I don't think he would hate to see you now."

"Really?" I laugh deliriously, leaning back against the rusted black bench behind me. "You seem to think that Beau and I are 'romantically involved,' don't you think that he would be disappointed and hurt if he saw us now... even though we aren't even dating?"

"Well first of all, my nephew would certainly not be disappointed or hurt if you did ever decide to move onto another... I actually think he would be happy that you decided to move forward with your life, with that fact that you're happy." Burris says, wiping a few tears from his cheeks.

"You-you really think so?" I sniff, thinking about how angry his voice has been in my head for the past eight months.

"Of course, the only thing Greyson ever wanted was for you to be happy, for you to live a fulfilling life... that's why he saved you, after all."

I wince at the memory... the gunshots. Before the memory can fully overtake me, Burris places his hand on my arm and gives me a sincere look. "You need to seek whatever makes you happy, Harper. I know how his death has affected you, it's affected me too... but he wouldn't want us to go on living in pain and sorrow because of him, he would want us to live our lives to the fullest-"

Burris sadly shakes his head, as I place my hand over his. Suddenly, his bright eyes snap up to mine. "And if that means you entering into a new relationship, then so be it... as long as he had my approval of course."

I can't help but roll my eyes as Burris gives me a raw smile. "Beau and I are not in a relationship, so get that through your thick head."

"Mhm," Burris chuckles, taking his hand from my shoulder and rising to his feet. "Only time will tell, but if it does come down to that stubborn blockhead... I'm going to need to whip him into shape."

I reach down and pick up my abandoned cigarette from the floor, placing it into the trash as I step up next to my superior. "I wouldn't stop you, but just saying... I've only ever seen him that stubborn when it comes to you- well and me too I guess."

Burris frowns, glancing over at me. "What about Harks?"

I shake my head with a small grin on my lips. "No, Harks scares the shit out of him."

Burris shrugs as we walk up to the Raven Sector's back entrance doors, Burris pulling them open for me. "What about you, does Harks scare you?"

I can't help but snort and shake my head. "No. He can be pretty intimidating, but he doesn't scare me... if anything he seems to somewhat respect me."

Burris rolls his eyes, but I catch the slight smirk on his lips, as he stops to look at me with an amused expression. "Oh really?"

I cross my arms and give him an arrogant grin. "Yup."

Burris rolls his eyes as we walk up to my door. I pull out my key just as Burris steps away. "Wait, did they give you a room here?"

Burris nods. "How else would I have heard you and your suitor making all that racket?"

I press my lips into a fine line as I cross my arms and give my superior a seething glare. "We're. Not. Dating."

"Sure," Burris grins, as he turns to walk towards his door again.

Suddenly, an odd feeling washes over me, and I find myself darting toward my superior. He twists around when he hears my footsteps, his eyes widening slightly when I wrap my arms around him in a large embrace.

"Thank you, Paul," I whisper, as I feel his arms wrap around me and squeeze back. "For everything."

"No problem kiddo," he whispers back, using the nickname he used to call me back when I was a child.

We stand there hugging each other for a few seconds, before Burris gently pries me away and gives me a feigned-serious look. "Now go to bed, Agent Medley."

I grin and press one of my arms behind my back as I give him a firm salute, just like I used to do when I was a kid pretending to be a soldier. "Yes sir."

He laughs and gives me a mock salute back before we both turn back to our doors. When I turn back to mine, a familiar figure leans against the door beside my room, giving me an inquisitive look.

"How long have you been there?" I sigh, too emotionally and physically tired to come up with a witty quip or a targeted insult.

"Not long," Beau says before he pushes off the door behind him and steps toward me. I notice that he's put on a grey band T-shirt, and changed from his black jeans into black sweatpants. "Though now I have a lot of questions."