[color=007236]>LANGLEY, VIRGINIA >THE PROGRAM HEADQUARTERS, >CIA HEADQUARTERS >2019.13.JULY >0930...///[/color] The elevator doors slid open and Ava stepped off, an empty box in her arms and her laptop bag over her shoulder. She was dressed in her usual work attire, a pleated brown skirt, a peach colored cable sweater with a little shirt white collar peeking out and her mass of curly hair wrestled back into a braided bun. The past week had been a welcome break from the events of Blackriver. She talked to her grandparents at least once a day and spent time with Mrs. Grier, mostly getting her vegetable garden ready for the autumn planting. It had helped her settle down, finding relaxation in the normalcy of the routine. Even her sleep had improved a little, she still had a fitful rest or two but she at least got enough sleep to remain clear headed and sharp. So when she arrived back at Headquarters, she was fully ready to throw herself into her work. After she finished packing up her old office. Ava opened the door to her office and wasn't surprised to see that the computer equipment was already gone, as was her filing cabinet. Someone must have already moved both items to her new office, which she was grateful for. Everything else that was either personal or decorative remained. With a deep breath and a slightly heavy heart over the closing of this chapter of her life, she set down her box and started packing things up. A knock on the doorframe announced someone’s presence. Turning around revealed it to be SSA Stark, a soft smile in the doorway and two cups of coffee, “How are you?” Ava glanced back and smiled over at the familiar face of Agent Stark. “I’m alright, all things considered.” She answered, tucking a hedgehog shaped pot containing a fake succulent inside of the box. She walked over to him and accepted one of the cups of coffee. “Thank you.” She said before taking a sip of the warm brew. “Working Groups are...definitely different.” “You’re right about that. My old Working Group was both the most fulfilling and terrifying time of my life.” Stark chuckled. He looked Ava up and down, “I hope nothing was too exciting your first week.” “Uuh,” Ava cleared her throat and took another drink of her coffee as she turned around to go back to packing her desk. “Exciting is one way to put it.” She said, setting down the coffee mug to pack up some pictures. “I was actually hoping you might be able to help me with something relating to the case?” She asked to change the subject. “Sure,” Stark nodded, “Whatever you need.” “We came across a name or a title and I wanted to do a deep dive in the database for it, in case we have anything already on file.” She turned back around to face him with an inquisitive arch to her eyebrows. “Something called The Sleeper.” “You need me to put in a request? You and your team might have to travel, what’s your timeframe here?” Stark frowned, his face playing on curiosity. “We’ll be hitting the field again in about a week,” Ava answered with a thoughtful frown. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be there, it depends on a few variables.” She returned his curious look with one of her own. “Where would we need to travel too?” She asked. “The BLACKBOX.” Stark sipped his coffee and continued when he saw no sign of recognition from Ava, “Alaska.” Ava’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. “We’re going to need to go to [i]Alaska[/i]?” She shut her mouth and smiled sheepishly at her reaction. “Well, at least we’ll be going somewhere pretty.” She said with an awkward chuckle. Though the location sounded more than a little ominous. She flashed him a more natural and grateful smile. “Thank you Agent Stark, I really appreciate this.” Ava pretended to glance around to make sure they were alone. “If you ever need my help on something, let me know and I’ll try to find time between missions.” She said with a grin. “Of course,” Stark smiled, raising his cup to Ava, “I’ll let you get back to work, I’ve got things to do. Good luck out there, Ava.” She picked up her mug and raised it to him in return. “Thank you Agent Stark, for everything.” She said before taking a sip of the cooling coffee, watching as he left the room. [i]BLACKBOX, huh.[/i] She thought with a frown as she set the mug down and continued packing up her personal items and decorative knick knacks that brightened up the dull grey office. Once everything was packed up, she picked up the box and only felt the slightest twinge in her side from lifting it. She stopped in the doorway, looking back at the empty office for a few moments, before she flicked off the lights and shut the door. [hr] Ava set down the sleepy little ceramic hedgehog pot with the fake succulent on her new desk and folded up the now empty box she used to carry everything. Her new office wasn’t too dissimilar to her old one, though it seemed a little smaller, it was still a dreary gray cube with no window and harsh fluorescent lighting. She was already contemplating putting up a few more decorations to help brighten the room up, especially given the nature of her new work. But, that could wait until later. She sat herself down in front of the dual monitors and turned on her system before getting out her laptop from the bag slung over the back of her chair. She set up her laptop on the desk as well, hooking it up to the tower tucked under her desk and went about copying files over from her laptop to the computer’s harddrive. After going through a general system check up to make sure everything was still working after her absence and the move, she pulled her headphones out of her laptop bag. “Alright Mr. Mitterick.” She said, placing the headphones on her head and turning on the music on her phone sitting on a holder that looked like a happy stretching cat. She selected a slow and steady instrumental song that was a mixture of gentle electronic rhythms and acoustic instruments. As the low beats drifted into her ears, she cracked her knuckles and set her hands on the keyboard. “Where are you hiding?” [hr] [color=007236]>1934...///[/color] Ava scrolled through her contacts as she leant back into her cushioned desk chair, a moment of well earned satisfaction washing through her. Half of the fluorescent lights above her were turned off, allowing the orange tinted light of her computer screens to bathe her in it’s warm glow. She glanced at the time on her phone before selecting ‘Agent Donnelley’ in her contacts. She had not intended to stay as late as she did, but one promising lead had turned into a veritable treasure trove of information. At least she had plenty of food to reheat when she got home, thanks to Mrs. Grier and Thor had his automatic feeder to put food in his bowl. As soon as she made this last call, she would go home and celebrate. She tapped the call function and held the phone to her ear as it rang, peeking up over her monitors to make sure that her office door was closed. [i]“J. Donnelley.”[/i] Came from the receiver, professional, but a kindness under the words for his friend and teammate. Ava perked up hearing him answer and sat back down. “Donnelley! It’s Ava! I have good news about my research into Jay.” [i]“That’s great!”[/i] Donnelley’s voice perked up from the other end, [i]“Are you able to discuss it over the phone? I can be in town sometime soon. Been a bit busy, but I should be free.”[/i] “I think you might want to go over this in person.” Ava said with a wide grin. “I might have found a residence and I’ve definitely hacked into Jay’s ‘work’ email, so there’s a lot of information to go over. I’ve already let Foster know too, but he can’t make it to town so I have to make him cliff notes.” [i]“Well, uh,”[/i] Donnelley’s smile was in his words as he spoke, [i]“Just give me some time to doll myself up and I’ll be over. Where we meetin’?”[/i] “Uuh,” She frowned and glanced around her office. “My office at Langley? Unless you need me to pick you up from the airport or something?” [i]“I need to be there anyway. Meet in the parkin’ lot?”[/i] Donnelley asked. Ava nodded, then realized a moment later he couldn’t see it. “Sure, how soon will you be able to make it to town?” She asked. [i]“Few hours. See ya then.”[/i] Donnelley said, ending the call. “Wait, to-” She frowned as the call ended and she set down her phone. “Guess I’m working even later than I thought.” [hr] [color=007236]>CIA HEADQUARTERS >LANGLEY, VIRGINIA >JUL.14.2019 >0100...///[/color] Donnelley had not been here for a long time. His dual citizenship with the Agency and the Program making that an oddity. He walked the nearly empty halls of Langley until he got to an office that had not seen him in a long, long time. It was like returning home, even moreso than when he visited his old house in Seattle. He placed his hand on the door and looked down both ends of the dimly lit hallway, whatever night owls that were staying overtime in the Agency’s Directorate of Operations didn’t bother lighting hallways they wouldn’t walk down for a few hours yet. He twisted the knob and pushed the door aside to reveal a little office that seemed like a memory torn from his head. It had not been touched for years. The same D.R.I poster on the wall, old computer and monitor, a coffee cup still dirty sitting precariously on a corner of his desk. He breathed in the air, smelling of dust. Pursing his lips, he made his way to his desk to make the call. The dial tone on the other end going for a bit until, “Smitty Larsson, Operations.” “How’s Viktor?” Donnelley asked, “He talk?” “Oh, shit, Donnelley. What’s up?” Smitty perked up, “Honestly? Not much. Shits been south for a bit since those HUMINT assets were purged. Fuckin’ DIA, man. Anyways, we managed to squeeze some names and places out of him. You know how it is though, we can talk about it when you get here.” “Sure thing. See ya, partner.” Donnelley smiled. “Yup.” Smitty hung up, and Donnelley set his phone back on its station. He looked at the time on his phone and sighed, about time he met up with Ava. He kept up a good pace as he walked back out towards the parking lot and got to his rental, a red Ford Focus ST that he picked out for shits and giggles, racing stripes and all. He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and waited for the familiar puff of fiery red hair to grace his eyes once more. Ava glanced nervously around the dark parking lot, her phone in hand just in case she needed to make an emergency call. She didn’t particularly like walking out alone at night, even if the area was as closely monitored as the parking lot of Langley. While it was dark, it was mostly empty, so it was easy to watch her surroundings and even easier to find Donnelley. The strong smell of cigarette smoke drifting on the wind also helped lead her in his direction. She hurried her walking a little when she saw him standing beside a red Ford Focus. “Hey,” She greeted with a relieved smile and a wave as she approached. She nodded her head to the car, brushing one of the curls that had escaped her tightly braided bun away from her face. “Fine taste in cars I see.” Donnelley smirked, his cigarette still smoldering from the end between his lips as he rapped his knuckles on the door of his Focus, “The finest.” He blew out a puff of smoke, “Where we headed?” “My office,” She said, pointing over her shoulder back to the building. “When you finish your cigarette.” She added, looking around the parking lot. “So, how has your time off been?” She asked, looking back up at him. Donnelley rolled his eyes good-naturedly, “Just came back out.” He groaned, “My time off? Hasn’t been much of one, honestly. Anyway, come on, let’s go discuss important shit.” He took a few quick puffs of his cigarette before flicking it away and pushing himself off of his car, siding up with Ava as they began the arduous journey back to her office in the Program Headquarters. “How ‘bout you?” He asked, “What you been keepin’ yourself busy with?” “I took a few days to, um, heal.” She said, glancing away evasively and waving her hand at her right side. “Today was actually my first day back and it certainly made up for that time off.” She looked out of the corner of her eye at his leg. “How’s your leg feeling?” “Better,” He chuckled and made a show of walking not-so-lame, “Don’t feel like a lame horse anymore, don’t have to take me out back and put me out my misery.” “That’s good.” She said, her face brightening as they entered back inside the half lit hallways of the building and lead him down one. “I’ll try to make this quick so we don’t have to stay here until the sun rises.” She promised. Donnelley nodded, smirking, “If there’s one thing I want to do with my life is spend more of it at work and not gettin’ paid.” She just grinned at the comment and continued leading him down the half lit halls until they reached her office. She pushed open the door and flicked on the other half of the lights, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the new brightness. “Okay!” She said, making her way over to her desk and sitting down in her chair. “So I did a general search for Jay on the regular web and only turned up your basic information. Arrest records, a possible residential address and some activity on Stormfront.” She said while turning her computer back on and waiting for it to boot up. “Then I ran a search through the Deep Web and found some activity from him on another forum where he linked an email.” She looked up at Donnelley with an excited grin. “And I cracked it and found out that this is how he’s been communicating with his contacts. They’re all using this one email account to communicate with each other without sending or receiving anything.” She motioned to her screen as it turned on. “It’s all here.” “Holy shit...” Donnelley looked up from his crinkling bag of chips he’d gotten from one of the vending machines, “That’s… pretty fuckin’ genius. Can’t track emails if they ain’t goin’ anywhere. Where’s the residence?” “It’s in Benwood West Virginia.” Ava pulled open a desk drawer and took out a manilla folder. “Here you go.” She slid the folder over to thim. “Those are the coordinates as well as the inventory for a number of dead drop sites he has scattered around Blackriver. Lot of unmarked weapons and ordinances.” She said, turning back to her computer, but paused as she eyed his bag of chips hungrily. “May I have a few, please?” “Hot damn, some slick new CommBloc weapons with no serial numbers?” He offered the opened bag to Ava at her request, a smirk on his lips, “You earned it, girl. ‘Sides, got two. We’re both hungry, I’ll take us to dinner. My treat.” Her eyes lit up at the prospect of food as she took a few chips from the bag. “That’d be great, I could eat a horse.” She popped one in her mouth and crunched down on it before continuing, covering her mouth with her free hand. “I think I also got the coordinates for that shed you learned about. It seems like their main meeting place so I assume it’s the shed.” She ate the rest of the chips and waved him over to her computer screen. “Here, I mapped out everything.” She said as she pulled up a map of Blackriver county with a number of different colored dots on it. “The red dots are the dead drop sites. The blues are areas of interest. The mines, the area Maria’s body was found, the O’Dhoule estate and the old mental hospital.” She pointed to the lone white dot on the map. “And that’s the hot spot for their meetups.” Donnelley had a mischievous grin on his face, that old bearing of fangs as he nodded slow and offered his hand for a high-five, “Good. Damn. [i]Work[/i].” Donnelley chuckled, “We’ll smoke these boys out and chop ‘em up. Buddy of mine got info on that Russian that’s leadin’ ‘em out in the hills, Nikolai Gorochev.” Ava beamed as she clapped her hand against his, eyes brightening at the mention of new information. “That’s great! Do you want me to run a search on him?” She felt her stomach growl and added, “Tomorrow, maybe?” She chuckled and waved her hand at her computer. “There are a couple more things I learned from the emails that might be helpful and then we can leave and get food.” “Mm-mm, no. My guy already has Nikolai covered, but I’ll ask you if there’s somethin’ else I need on Nikolai.” Donnelley said, smiling, “You always think about givin’ yourself extra work?” He stood and stretched, put his hands on his hips and gestured to the computer and the maps, “What else do you need to tell me about the email? After that, we can get the hell outta here and stuff our faces.” Ava shrugged her slender shoulders awkwardly with a slight smile. “What can I say? I like my work.” The smile slipped from her face, replaced with a thoughtful frown as she took a moment to organize her thoughts. “The National Park Service in Blackriver is definitely in the pocket of the Russians and Aryan Brotherhood. Interestingly enough there was no mention of the Sheriff. They talked about something to do with London quite a bit. They mention us a lot, they really don’t like us and they also mention someone named Renko. They seem to hate him as much as us so he could be a potential asset or ally? And they really want that man Carlisle dead.” She leant back into her desk chair, gently nudging the ground with her foot to idly twist it back and forth. “The Cartels aren’t involved, the Russians seem to have a tight grip on the human trafficking in West Virginia and all along the East Coast. Likely because of the use of someone...or [i]something[/i] they call ‘The Hound’ that they sicc on their enemies.” She met his eyes with a concerned crease between her brows. “Logically, I want to believe that’s just the name of some kind of hitman.” Donnelley had a look about him then, the one that Holly always said made him look like he knew something, and awful guilty of it to boot. “Yeah, well,” Donnelley quivered with the memory of the smell, that night in New York… “You been with the Program long enough that logic sometimes ain’t a good place to reach for an answer.” Donnelley swallowed, “Tell you what.” “I’ll tell my guy about Renko, you can search around for him if you’d like.” An angry growl from his stomach made him place a hand over it as if to calm it, “I know what I’d like right about now. A big ass steak. Rare.” He smiled over at Ava, “What ‘bout you, eh? My treat, anythin’. We’ll celebrate a big break in the case.” Her brow furrowed in both surprise and worry noticing how shaken Donnelley appeared at the mention of ‘The Hound’. For someone as seasoned as he was, that was a concerning sign. “I won’t say no to a steak, I know a place that’s good.” She glanced at the map she had made. She wanted to ask for the coordinates for the attacks, likely by this ‘Hound’, that took place in the woods, but closed the program instead. It could wait another time. She started shutting everything down and packing up her things in her laptop bag. “Do you want to follow me or I can drive us in my car?” She looked at him with a small grin. “It’s a Ford Focus too, though it doesn’t have any fancy stripes on it.” “Nah, I’ll drive myself. I kinda like that thing, gonna get my money’s worth. That thing is fast as all hell, tell you what.” He chuckled, “What’s the place, I’ll meet y’there.” “Roadside Steakhouse.” She answered, pulling the strap of her laptop bag over her chest. “Look for a place with a giant wooden grizzly bear statue outfront, can’t miss it.” [hr] It was well past the usual dinner rush hour at the Roadside Steakhouse. While it was by no means crowded there were still a fair amount of people despite the late hour, either eating dinner at the tables or lingering at the bar off to the side with drinks in hand. The interior was warm and welcoming as people stepped inside, a casual rustic dive bar appearance with a few modern accents. The walls of warm red brick complimenting the hard wood floors, with bare lightbulbs hanging low from the exposed rafters of the ceiling and casting a subdued yellow light throughout the room. There was no hostess waiting at the entrance, instead just a wooden sign hanging by the door inviting customers to seat themselves. Ava stood up on the tips of her toes to survey the room before spying an open booth by the bar. “There’s a seat.” She said to Donnelley, nodding her head in the direction before making her way towards it. Donnelley took his seat opposite Ava, eyes instinctually scanning the crowds and searching for exits, drafting up contingencies and escape plans. He shook his head with a smile as he sat down with Ava, an attentive but hurried waitress setting down menus and going off on her way with a smile. “Never took you for a steak kinda gal.” Donnelley smiled, “Question is now, how d’you take it? Well done?” Ava wrinkled her straight, button nose at the mere suggestion. “It’s medium rare or nothing.” She answered with a small grin, not looking down at her menu as she folded her hands on top of it. She squinted her eyes at him for a moment. “It’s taking me longer than it should to get used to seeing you with red hair instead of black.” She admitted. “Yeah,” he began, running his fingers through his shorter hair, “It’s taken a bit of getting used to it.” “Acceptable answer, by the way, gotta have some red and blood in it. Reminds you you’re eatin’ somethin’ used to be livin’.” He frowned appreciatively, nodding, “Knew I liked you. You born here in Virginia?” “No, I just moved here for work two years back.” She answered, very aware of the possibility of people eavesdropping. She frowned and unfolded her hands to lightly pat her fingers against the table. “Technically I was probably born in West Virginia, but when I was two I was adopted by my mom and dad in Rhode Island so I grew up there.” She gave him a curious look. “You sound like you’re from...Texas? Is that right?” “And proud,” He sat back with a self-assured smile and his arms crossed, nodding, “Yeah, I was born in Dallard County, lil’ bit south of Dalhart. Moved to Seattle for a bit and, uh, I’ve taken every chance at a business trip my company offers for the past near-decade.” “What can I get y’all to drink!” The waitress asked with a smile upon her return. “I’ll have one of these, uh, [i]Hardywood Parks[/i].” He gave a charming smirk to the blonde, wide-hipped waitress. “Oh, that’s a local favorite. How ‘bout you, sweetness?” She turned to Ava. Ava gave her a polite smile. “Can I have a Shirley Temple please?” She asked. “Of course, dear! I’ll be right back you two.” Her eyes lingered on Donnelley and her smile twitched up a notch before she turned and left. Goddamn, he loved young waitresses looking for tips. “So, you n’ Laine get along well on your lil’ trip home?” He asked, “Dave’s a good guy, ain’t like his kin at all.” “We did.” Ava smiled, thinking back to her drive with the FBI psychologist. “We stopped at the deceptively named Waffle House along the way.” She rolled her eyes. “Just four types of waffles and they didn’t even taste that good. I’m still miffed about it.” She said with a mock frown on her face. “Laine thought it was funny though when I called it a House of Lies. Which it is.” The mention of Dave made a warm smile split across her face. “Dave is a good man, I hope he’s doing alright. Next time I see him hopefully he’s not so bruised up, the poor guy.” She waved her hand slightly toward him. “So I take that to mean he caught a ride with you instead of the GreyHound?” Donnelley chuckled, nodding and smiling at reminiscing with the man. He’d grown to like him the past few days and he found himself excited thinking about seeing him again, “Yep. Gas, grass, or ass,” he counted the options on his fingers, then shrugged, “I settled for some of his beers. He lives in a pretty nice place.” His smile turned something mischievous as he teased in a sly little tone, “That was a pretty wistful smile when I brought up Dave.” Ava blinked and gave him a genuinely confused look. “How do you mean?” She asked, reaching up to touch one of her freckle covered cheeks. “I-...” his joking tone dropped as he shrugged, “Ah, never mind. You two get along well, I’m glad. Team needs to be able to bond.” Their drinks clacked down on their tablecloth and Donnelley smiled up at the waitress, “Thank ya kindly, Miss.” He watched her go, quite intently, and turned back to Ava, “She’s cool though, ain’t she?” He said, “Laine.” He caught himself smiling mighty wistful himself into his beer before he caught himself, “Good agent all around. Y’all’re good at what y’all do.” Ava smiled at that, picking one of the cherries out of her drink. “Thanks, I think I’m getting the hang of things now.” She said, plucking the candied cherry off the stem and popping it in her mouth. “Laine and I had a talk about the nature of the job during our drive so I think that helped too.” She picked out the other cherry and offered it to him. “Want one?” “Thank you,” He nodded, taking the cherry and plopping it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, “So, how’d you find work,” Donnelley cleared his throat, “With the company? You’re pretty darn young for this, usually it’s dudes in their thirties.” “Well,” She frowned, idly stirring her straw in her drink to mix in the grenadine a little better. “I was 18 and fresh out of college when Booz-Allen approached me with a job. They basically offered me a lot of money to do what I loved so I accepted. I worked in their offices for a few years then got hired out on a contract for our, uh, parent company.” She shrugged, hoping it was clear she meant the CIA and very studiously stared at her drink as she continued, “Then two years ago I was recruited following an...incident.” She picked up her glass and drank a good bit of it. “Yeah,” Donnelley frowned and looked off to the side, “Those darn [i]incidents.[/i] We all got ‘em. Well, we’ll take care of this here incident in no damn time at all. Have a big ol’ party ‘bout it and be on our merry way.” Until next incident, he thought, a bit bitterly, but he smiled through it, “Any ideas? Group vacation to the Caribbean?” She grinned at the suggestion, the joke helping to chase away the tightening in her chest from thinking back to that day. “We’re both Gingers and Laine is the most goth woman I’ve ever met, why would you want to go to our version of Hell?” She asked him with a faux disappointed shaking of her head. “I’d be as red as my hair the moment I set foot off the plane.” She took another sip of her drink, the mirth slowly draining from her face. “Foster mentioned to me that you and Laine had incidents. Up until then I had no idea anyone else had something like [i]that[/i] happen to them.” She glanced down as she fiddled with the cuff of her peach colored sweater. “It’s...really nice to know I wasn’t the only one.” Donnelley frowned slightly, before his lips turned up in that old smile he’d give little Tilly when she was sad. “Hey,” He said, “You might be one of a kind in what you can do with that computer of yours. But in having incidents? You’ll never face it down alone long as we’re ‘round.” “Promise.” He nodded, “And when I make a promise, be damn sure it’s kept.” Ava looked back up at him, a small but warm smile finding its way back to her lips and her eyes brightening. “I believe you.” She said with a little nod of her own. “Thank you.” She thought back to his shaken expression back in her office and added, “The same goes for you too.” She noticed their waitress coming back with order pad in hand and fell quiet so she didn't overhear them. He smirked and nodded, “Got each other’s backs.” “Alright!” The waitress sauntered up to their table and clicked her pen open, smiling between the two of them at the table, “Y’all hungry?” [hr] [color=007236]>VIENNA, VIRGINIA >AVALINE MOORE RESIDENCE >0300...///[/color] The restaurant was good, the night held important developments for the case, and his team in Iraq was making good progress, even without him there. All in all, it was a good night. He knew he’d probably have to get a motel room somewhere, preferably close by in case Ava’s probing into the Russians’ online presence brought a damper on the night. He depressed the brakes as Ava turned into her driveway and he parked alongside the sidewalk in front of her house. He looked around, the stillness of the night adding that bit more of a quaintness to the neighborhood that Ava lived in. Definitely a step up from the place Donnelley lived in Washington. He looked at Ava as she knocked on his driver window and waved. He rolled it down, offering her a smile, “I had a good night.” He said, “Good work, again.” Ava smiled, adjusting the strap of her laptop bag on her shoulder. “Thanks, I had a fun time too.” She said while pulling out her phone from a pouch in her bag. “Where are you going now?” She asked, taping at her phone and then a moment later the lights came on through the windows of her house. It was a single story craftsman style home with a small covered front porch, painted a deep thunder blue gray with white trims. A pair of flower boxes hung below the two front windows, one a bay window that overlooked the well kept lawn, surrounded by a perimeter of small flowering plants and one thin young tree. He quirked a brow as he glanced at the lights coming on in her home without warning, “I, uh…” he looked back at her and regained his small smile, “I was gonna get a motel close by. Just a place to crash for the night. You gonna be alright?” She frowned as she tucked her phone away and started digging out her house keys. “I think so, but if you want you can crash here.” She offered, pulling out her keychain with a jingle. She knitted her eyebrows together. “I dragged you out here in the middle of the night, the least I can do is offer you my couch. Uh, it pulls out, so it's a lot more comfortable than it sounds.” She shrugged with an awkward smile. “Up to you of course.” He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, his brow quirking, “You got booze?” Ava blinked before grinning and laughing. “I do, I have some beer and liquor stashed away. And I won't even charge you a minibar fee.” She said with a chuckle. Donnelley nodded again, clucking his tongue, “You have won me over.” He produced a cigarette and tucked it in his lips, “I’ll finish this and get inside.” Ava nodded, still smiling. “Alright.” She took a step and then stopped. “Oh, are you allergic to cat fur?” She asked with a mildly concerned frown. “Nah, he’ll love me.” Donnelley grinned. [hr] “What can I say except you’re welcome?” Donnelley hummed the rest of what he assumed were the lyrics to the one song he knew from the movie Ava said she was putting on. He only knew the infamous title lyrics as the song they’d use to torture Maui when THUNDER would get together before or after a mission. He was busy mixing the perfect whiskey and Dr. Pepper just before he returned to Ava’s living room. She had gone to her room to change into pajamas or somesuch and he was left alone with nothing to do except look at pictures of Ava and her family, or with Thor, or with both. He smiled at the picturesque scenes of a happy family stilled in time by the camera. His eyes scrolled along the picture wall until they snagged on one. Again, that feeling of recognition took hold as he looked at a photo of a smiling teenage Ava. He got the same feeling as if he had caught sight of an old friend in a crowd before they could see him looking. He figured the nice and approachable Ava had that effect on people and he chuckled. She had always looked like someone who would make a good friend, the wild red curls, freckles, and large doe eyes airing innocence to all the world to gaze on. It didn’t take a lot of figuring out to see why Dave had taken such a liking to her. He smiled, plopping himself down in the couch and waiting for Ava to come back from her room. Ava came walking out of the hallway with a pillow and a knitted grey and white afghan in her arms. She had changed into a pair of blue plaid pajama pants and a large grey t shirt with a picture of a stylized and tired looking owl above the words ‘not a morning person’ on the front. “Here you go.” She said setting down the bedding on the back of the couch. She took two steps away before Thor jumped up on the bedding and promptly laid himself down on them. Ava rolled her eyes at the cat and shook her head, making her loose curls bounce around. “You sure you want to watch Moana?” She asked Donnelley with a slightly self conscious frown as she sat down on the love seat. “We don't have to.” “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t wanna,” he said, thoughts of annoying Maui next time he saw the huge Polynesian SEAL making him smirk mischievously, “Let’s do it.” Ava gave him a curious look, but nodded. “Alright.” She pressed play on the remote and settled into her chair, pulling her legs up and tucking them under her. As the credits began to roll she looked back over to him. “I have to say, I didn’t peg you for a Disney kind of guy.” She said, pulling one of the throw pillows on the sofa to her lap. “Yeah, what can I say,” Donnelley smirked over at Ava and took a long sip of his drink, “I’m full of surprises.” She smiled back at him and settled further into her spot to watch the movie as the opening narration started. Half way through the movie, Ava felt her eyes start to grow heavy. Occasionally they'd fall shut only for her to snap herself back awake with a jerk of her head. Towards the end of the film, she lost her fight with sleep and nodded off, her head resting against the cushion of the small couch. “You think-“ Donnelley looked over to Ava and cut himself short when he saw Ava softly snoring on the couch. He took his moment to take her in and a fatherly smile crossed his lips as he watched her in the shifting light of the screen. He silently rose from his chair and grabbed up the blanket she’d gotten for him, carefully shaking it loose and draping it over her and gingerly removing her glasses before taking his seat again. One last look in her direction and he smiled again. Ava was a good person. Perhaps one of the only ones he’d known in a long time. A touch of innocence set upon like a leaf in the wind of a world so steeped in quiet chaos and creeping darkness. He laid back and stretched, finishing his drink and continuing the movie until his eyes closed on their own. [hr] [color=007236]>1012...///[/color] Ava stirred and blinked open her eyes as the gentle sound of scraping pans and sizzling bacon reached her ears. Next came the scent of that bacon mingled with the familiar roast of coffee. It took her a moment to realize she was curled up on her loveseat in the den rather than in her bedroom. She frowned in groggy confusion as she registered the soft blanket on top of her and pushed herself up; peaking over the top of the couch to the kitchen. Her glasses were MIA but even through her blurry vision she recognized the short red hair and the distinct build of Donnelley in her kitchen. Her mind quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together as it sluggishly remembered the events of last night. Or early morning rather. She yawned and sat up fully, taking a moment to stretch her arms after being curled up on the small couch all night. Despite the cramped sleeping arrangements, she realized she had actually gotten a decent night's sleep. For the first time since Blackriver she didn't recall any bad dreams or waking up from tossing and turning. She just slept. Peacefully. Smiling with the realization she looked around until she found her glasses. Fixing them on her face she hauled herself up to her feet, fought another yawn and headed for the kitchen. “Good morning.” She greeted with a bright if still slightly sleepy smile. “How did you sleep?” “Mornin’.” Donnelley smiled at Ava, placing his hands contentedly on his hips and surveying the cooking breakfast items like a king and his kingdom. Doing this reminded him of all those times he’d wake before Holly and Tilly when he was on leave. If it was the little things that you had to enjoy, then he was ecstatic. The hardness of his eyes had receded and there was some semblance of the father he used to be. “I made coffee.” He said, offering out a cat mug to Ava, “I slept fine. How ‘bout you?” “I slept great.” She answered, eyes brightening as she accepted the mug shaped like a content orange tabby. She was surprised to notice a change in Donnelley's demeanor. The usual edge that she had started to become accustomed to seeing, the tension he carried himself with and readiness for things to go wrong at a moments notice, wasn't present. He looked genuinely happy and relaxed, a warmth radiating from him she hadn't seen before. After seeing him so shaken the night before, clearly haunted by something she didn't yet know, it made her happy as well. She smiled a little brighter before shuffling over to the fridge to get some creamer. “Thanks for making breakfast, you didn't have to though; you are the guest.” She opened the fridge and poked her head out from behind the door. “Unless this is some form of Texan hospitality I'm unaware of, then far be it from me to mess with tradition.” She said with a grin. “Nah, I just felt like returnin’ the favor. Lettin’ me stay over and all.” Donnelley smiled at her before flipping the bacon and sliding an egg off of the pan to a plate to accompany the bacon already there, “Order up.” He chuckled, “And it ain’t no trouble at all, really. I like doin’ this. Makes me feel, uh,” he let go a sheepish grin, “I don’t know, normal. I like pretendin’ for a bit.” Ava shut the refrigerator door with the creamer in hand, mulling over his words with a thoughtful expression. Her mind went to last night, how he mentioned working away from home for a full decade. Had he been working for the Program that entire time? Even regular CIA work was gruesome, especially since Donnelley seemed like he’d always been a man on the frontlines. Spending all that time in darkness and blood, it had to take a toll on a person. She had only been on one UMBRA mission and she already treasured that little return to normalcy she had during her short break. No wonder Donnelley seemed like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Realizing it had been a few seconds of her staring into space, she offered him another smile. “Everyone deserves a break and you’re welcome to use my kitchen anytime.” She said, adding the creamer to her coffee while opening a drawer to grab a couple of forks. “And I’m not just saying that because I don’t like cooking.” She grinned, setting a fork on the waiting plate of food before taking it in hand and carrying it over to the breakfast nook. “Well, if you didn’t, you’re in luck. I do.” He winked, tossing a morsel of bacon Thor’s way, his chirp punctuating his purring, “I think he likes me.” Ava watched the large, fluffy cat brush up against Donnelley’s legs, hearing him purr even from the other end of the kitchen. “I think you’re right, can’t imagine why though.” She chuckled with a small grin as she sat down on the padded bench of the little dining nook, but waited for Donnelley to join her before eating. She cradled the warm mug in her hands and took a sip of her coffee, glancing idly through the large bay windows that curved along the nook to her street outside. The sky was a pure blue with not a hint of clouds in sight, promising another warm summer day. A car drove sedately down her sleepy little street and while she watched it go by, she wasn’t struck with the sense of tension and worry she had grown accustomed to feeling the past few days. A good night's sleep really did wonders. Peeling her bright blue eyes from the window, she looked back over to her guest. “So, how long are you going to be staying in Virginia?” She asked curiously. “Just a bit longer,” Donnelley set down his plate and sat beside Ava, giving her a smile before forking some eggs into his mouth. He chewed a bit and swallowed, plucking a strip of bacon from his plate as Thor jumped onto his lap, meowing at him pleadingly, “Just curious?” “Thor, bad kitty.” Ava frowned at the cat and waved at him to get him to jump down. “You have better manners than that, get down.” She nudged the cat and he reluctantly hopped down with a rumbling ‘mrow’ and settled for laying down by the table; staring up with his tail flicking back and forth. She looked back up at Donnelley with a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that, he’s a brat sometimes.” She said with an awkward chuckle, picking up her fork. “And yeah, just wondering in case I find anything that’s important between now and when we meet back up in West Virginia.” She said before eating a little bit of her breakfast. Recollection clicked behind her eyes as she quickly swallowed her food. “Oh! Or we have to go to Alaska!” She said, setting down her fork. “I asked my old Program supervising Agent to help with a deep dive in the Program Database for anything on the Sleeper and he said he’d put in a request for us to visit someplace called the BLACKBOX.” She frowned up at him curiously. “Do you know what that is?” “That’s…” Donnelley frowned, quirking an eyebrow, “That’s a pretty damn tight place. And a bit out of our Area of Operations. I’m good to go, some nice landscapes, at least.” He shook his head, “Never been, only heard about it once or twice.” “Funny, that’s what I said, at least we’ll be going somewhere pretty.” She said with a small smile. “I hope the request is accepted, we can learn more about what we’re up against.” She looked down at her food and nudged her eggs with her fork. “Hey, so, can I get your thoughts on something?” She asked slowly, glancing back up at him. “Yeah.” He smiled, “What’s up?” “Its small.” She frowned. “Just, when I first heard the term ‘the Sleeper’ I felt...weird. Like, I had heard it before or like I should know it. The best I can describe it is like Deja Vu, but...it didn’t feel right.” She rolled her slender shoulders in a small, awkward shrug. “I don’t know, it could be nothing, but you know how strange things can be.” She met his eyes with crease in her brow. “Have you heard about anything like that before? Or felt that way yourself?” His brows furrowed and he rested the prongs of his fork gently on the plate, chewing thoughtfully before he swallowed and shook his head. “Not like that,” he said, releasing some of the tension in his brows as he looked back to her, “I get memories, sometimes. I can’t sleep some nights, but I never got any sorta deja vu at anything I [i]don’t[/i] remember.” “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you, but I can say that you’re doin’ pretty alright.” He smiled, hoping to take some of the weight of the conversation off. He nodded outside, pointing with his fork, smiling, “‘Nother sunrise out there.” Ava glanced outside with his pointing and her lips curled up into her own small smile. “Yeah,” She agreed, looking back to him. “Thanks anyway.” She picked up her coffee while saying, “It’s probably nothing. Just my brain processing information weird, like Laine said.” She took a sip and set the mug down, quickly changing the topic, “So, did you like the movie?” She smiled sheepishly as she scooped up another forkful of egg, using a piece of bacon to keep the eggs from spilling off. “I’m sorry about falling asleep and swiping your blanket.” He chuckled, shrugging, “Yeah, well, I let you have it.” He smiled, “Movie was alright, last thing I remember, that big dude, Maui? They were fightin’ some huge singin’ crab. Songs are damn catchy, tell you what.” Ava smiled at his description as she chewed. “They really are.” She said after swallowing. “Shame you don’t remember the end fight with Teka, it’s great. We could finish it sometime, if you want?” She asked, eyes bright and eager though they held a hint of questioning uncertainty. He met Ava’s trepid expression with a warm smile, “Anytime.”