You were just about to take your first shot when there came another tap in your ear and then Nate was whispering to you. "Y/N, do not shoot! There's more guys coming. Get under cover now, I can climb round. I'll meet you at the ballroom."

You hesitated for a second, but then you heard the sounds of more guards, just as Nathan had said, so you growled and turned, ducking away again.

It didn't feel right to be running away, but at the same time, if you didn't, the two of you could end up dead. Besides, Nate wasn't a kid anymore. He didn't need you to watch his back. He'd survived plenty on his own, so you should concentrate on your own problems. Which was exactly what you did. Jumping back to the roof you'd came from, you risked a quick look around and saw Nate dart into the shadow of a building to avoid being seen. Clearly he'd attracted some attention though as guards were heading his way, muttering in Italian.

Knowing you could move faster, you grabbed the M&Ms from your pocket and got a handful out before launching one at the three men advancing on Nate's position. It hit the middle guy in the back of the head and he spun around, his gun raised. The other two turned with him, questioning him. He looked like he might shrug it off when you threw the rest of them at them before ducking down.

There was an angry shout and the sound of multiple footsteps coming your way, so you figured it was time to leave and stayed low as you sprinted across the roof and threw yourself onto the next one. Only after you'd jumped did you realise it was too far, and you started to drop.

Before you could scream, your hands grabbed a window sill a floor beneath and your body slammed into the building with enough force for you to lose your grip and fall again, managing to catch another window sill. From there you just dropped to the ground, deciding it'd probably be quicker as most the guards seemed to be higher up.

After a couple of seconds though, you realised why being on the ground was an issue as all the doors and gates were locked. Growling quietly, you started climbing up the walls again, muttering quietly to yourself for wasting time. Sam and Nate had been talking in your ear, but it had all gone quiet until Sully was suddenly speaking, telling you to hurry the hell up. You were just about to shoot back that maybe he should try climbing around in the dark and see how fast he moved, but then Nate was talking about Nadine, and your blood froze.

"You ok? Did she hurt you? Where is she?" You asked, getting angry at the thought of her hurting your friends. If you bumped into her on the way out, she was gonna be sorry.

"There's no time for that now! Get to the ballroom. I'm pinned down in here!" Sam urged, and you sped up, loving the burn in your muscles from climbing. It was a good thing you'd kept in shape all the years you hadn't been adventuring, or you'd have been screwed that night.

When you eventually made it back to a high vantage point, you caught sight of Nate a few roofs over, hiding from three guards, none of which had spotted him yet. Even as you watched, you saw Nate sneak up behind one of them and knock them out, leaving two.

You started running over roofs, jumping to clear the gaps and then finally there was only one jump between you and Nate. The guard above him hadn't seen either of you yet, so you didn't slow down and jumped, tackling him off the roof and into the grass below, taking out the other guard in the same move.

"Shit, Y/N!" Nate exclaimed as he stood up, dusting his suit off before giving you a hand up. You just grinned at him before seeing the bruises developing on his face and your laughter left. Nate saw the change and waved off your hand as you reached out to touch one.

"You know I'm not 12 any more right? You don't have to fight for me anymore," he chuckled and you gave him a look before shaking your head.

"I know, but you'll always be my responsibility to protect, no matter how old or big you get," You smirked, though there was truth in your words. He may be a full grown adult, but there was always part of you that still thought of him as a younger brother getting picked on by the bigger kids.

Another round of gunfire from the ballroom had the two of you sprinting up the stairs and onto the roof again, seeing a wire that led directly to the ball room. It was a long way, and a big drop, but you didn't have a choice as Sam yelled that he needed back up again.

You and Nate shared a look before he held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Nodding, you stepped closer and wrapped your arms tight around him. "Do not drop me!"

Nate laughed and jumped for the wire. Then you were moving, fast enough that you worried about stopping before you splattered against the stone walls waiting on the other end, but just before you could yell at Nate that you'd need to jump, the wire snapped and suddenly the two of you were hurtling for the ground.

You both screamed as the ground rushed up to meet you, but then Nate had the wire again and you were swinging around the corner, still screaming as you suddenly smashed through a window and went flying, landing hard on the marble floor.

Gunfire sounded all around, but you were slightly dazed and didn't figure out what was happening until fingers were digging into the top of your arm and pulling you across the floor. You looked up to see Sam, a gun in his hands as he pulled you behind the table with him, taking cover from the guards who were shooting at you.

He yelled something at you, but your ears were ringing from the gunfire, so you just nodded and grabbed the gun, popping up to loose a few rounds, each hitting their target before you ducked back under cover and looked around for Nathan.

He was slightly behind you, returning fire and still breathing, though he was bleeding from multiple cuts from the glass you'd smashed through. Still, he was fine, and you needed to get out of there.

Grabbing Sam's arm, you yelled for him to cover you before diving out of cover and rolling behind a pillar, shooting around it before running to the next one, almost getting shot in the face by a guard you hadn't seen hiding behind it. Shoving his gun aside, you heard it fire and silently thanked your reactions for getting it out of your face fast enough. Then you drove the heel of your hand into his face, feeling his nose break before slamming your knee into his groin and then hitting him across the face with the gun as he doubled over.

He collapsed to the ground, unconscious, and you moved on, returning fire as you moved to get the angle on the guards.

You jumped into an office looking room and shot some more before jumping out and running towards the door, calling for the other two to hurry up and get out.

You had just reached the door when you saw more guards waiting outside, their guns trained on the door.

"Shit, get down!" You yelled as you dove for cover, covering your head as you hit the ground and the wall above you started crumbling with gunfire.

Nate and Sam were already taking guards down by the time you were back on your feet.

"Sully where are you?" You yelled into your ear piece, but were greeted by only silence until suddenly a white car came crashing through the wall.

"Anyone call for a limo?"

You almost laughed, but there was too many guards and you had to run, so the three of you did, and you dove into the car first, Nate next and then finally Sam before Sully pulled off and shot out of there, slowing down for nothing until you'd put a few miles between you and the mess you left behind.

It was like you'd been holding your breath, but once the gunfire had faded into the distance and you found out you weren't being followed, you couldn't help it. You started to laugh.

It started as just a little giggle, and you felt everyone in the car turn to look at you, but the more you tried to stop it, the funnier it seemed, and before long you were full on laughing, tears streaming down your face. Sam was always on the same wave length, and he'd started too. Poor Nate looked at the two of you like you were crazy before climbing over the seats and settling into the passenger seat, sharing a look with Sully.

"What's their issue?" Sully asked, nodding back at the two of you, but Nate just shook his head and sighed, smiling despite himself.

"They've been like this since they met. It's best to just let them get it out."

He wasn't wrong, and it only took another 3 miles before the two of you calmed down, and you sat back with a sigh, the smile still on your face even though your sides hurt now, in addition to every other part of my body.

You were just closing your eyes when Sam suddenly swore and you opened your eyes when you felt his warm hand in your own, lifting your arm up gently. You were just about to ask him what he was doing when he met your eyes. "How can you not feel that?"

You looked down and saw the massive piece of glass sticking out of your forearm. How you'd missed it when fighting, you'd never know.

"That's just uncalled for!" You whined, turning your arm to get a better look. It looked pretty deep, but wasn't that painful, so you looked up at Sully.

"You got a first aid kit in here?" You asked, touching the glass lightly.

Sully shook his head. "There's one back at the–JESUS Y/N!" He yelled as he saw you in the mirror as you yanked the piece of glass out of your arm and suddenly blood was dripping everywhere.

"Whoops," You shrugged as Sam quickly grabbed Sully's jacket that he'd thrown in the back and pushed it against the cut, applying pressure.

"Ow!" You complained, trying to pull back, but he gave you a look and didn't let go.

"That's what you get for ripping the glass out of your arm before we had a first aid kit. Now stop moving!"

Narrowing your eyes at him, you were tempted to move again just to wind him up, but then you were pulling up at Sully's apartment and climbing out. You'd already been there that morning to get ready for the job, but Sam and Nate never had and you could see the awe in their eyes as they went in.

"Nice place, Sully!" Nate whistled as he looked around and Sam nodded his agreement as he led you over to the table, trying not to let any blood drip on the floor. Sully had gone ahead of you to get the first aid kit and set it up on the table before wandering into the kitchen to get drinks, leaving Sam to help you.

The bleeding had almost stopped at that point, so when Sam pulled the jacket back, he only had to clean away the blood and make sure there was no glass in the wound before bandaging it up.

"Doesn't look like you'll need stitches," he reported, and you nodded and thanked him, letting him finish your arm before you shifted the first aid kit and sat down on the table. Sam looked like he was going to get up and go find Sully in the kitchen, but you stopped him with a foot and pointed to his head.

"You've got a few cuts of your own. Let me clean you up," You ordered, and Sam relaxed, letting you clean the blood from his face and then start dabbing gently at the wound above his temple.

His winced and caught your hand to pull it away from the cut. "Still got that gentle touch, I see," he teased and you pulled a face before putting the cotton wool down and standing up.

"And you're still a baby," you shot back, but he just winked at you and held onto your hand.

"Hey, once upon a time I'd have got a kiss for the pain," he hinted, and you couldn't help the small smile as you remembered. He was right. It had started when Nate broke a couple of his fingers when he was 13, and you'd kissed him better. Sam had then started complaining about pain so you'd kissed him too. It had been custom from then on. If one of them got hurt, once you patched them up, they got a kiss for the pain.

It'd been a long time since you last kissed any of them, except for Sam at the auction, but you were in a good mood after getting the cross, so you leaned forward and gently kissed Sam on the forehead, careful to avoid the cut on the side.

"Feel better, Sam," You whispered, your lips barely grazing his skin as you spoke.

Someone cleared their throat behind you, so you straightened and turned, Sam's hand dropping from yours. Sully and Nate stood in the doorway, looking both awkward and amused.

"Are we interrupting something?" Sully asked with his eyebrows raised. You shook your head and started clearing away the med kit.

"Just patching him up. You got a hammer?"

Sully nodded and passed it to Sam, who pulled the cross from his pocket and turned it over in his hands.

He lifted the hammer to remove the top of the cross but then hesitated, looking up at the rest of you. "Hope I don't go to hell for this," he chuckled before slamming the hammer down.

Eagerly he picked up the cross and looked inside, but almost immediately his face fell. "It's empty," he breathed, and for a second you flashed back to the last argument Rafe and you had had before you left. He'd hit another dead end, and he'd lost it, smashing up his office and scaring off the mercs until it was just him and you in the room. Even Nadine had vacated the vicinity. It had not been a good time, but eventually you'd calmed Rafe down and sat with him through that awful silence he sank into when he failed. You hated to see him so broken, which was why you suggested he give up and search for another treasure. That woke him, but not in the way you'd hoped, and the following argument was when you knew that you were leaving. He was obsessed by the treasure and you knew that if he didn't stop, one day it would get him killed.

You came back to yourself as Sam smirked and tipped the cross so the scroll inside tumbled out onto the table.

"You asshole!" You yelled as you shoved him in the arm, restarting your heart. He just laughed and popped the seal on the scroll.

"So Avery, where did you hide your treasure?"