John and Ylva had arrived at his safehouse which was in a rather nicer part of the city but not to far away from the Hole. It was the proverbial [i]"other side of the railroad tracks"[/i] in the sense that the crime demographics were lower than the rest of the city. Not much better, but enough that there wasn't much gang on gang violence there. More or less the angry couple across the street with domestic issues, the drunkard down the lane and a few others but overall was safer than most places. It was one of his safehouses but the one he spent the most time at besides the Hole. [color=black]"Annnnnnnd right here. Stop.."[/color] He looked over to the brick house. It was in realitively decent condition. Its shudders were slightly grey with a bit of pint chipping and fading away. The lawn seemed freshly cut and was accented by a nice patio in the front with a table, few chairs and an umbrella. He looked over to Ylva and smiled as he undid his seatbelt and exited the car. He walked up to the door and pulled out a small carabener that held a small ring of keys. John jumped the first two steps, nearly tripping on the thirf but caught himself before he could fall. Brushing his pantlegs off, he walked up to the door and inched his foot over until it was directly under the doorknob and pushed down slightly.

[center][i]Click-click[/i][/center]

	His foot stopped moving and held the pressure down once the clicks were heard. He pushed the key through the hole and turned it half way to the right and a quarter to the left. 

[center][i]Click click click[/i][/center]

	FInally he brought the key all the way around and pushed it in further before a final click was heard and he pushed the door open and stepped aside, gesturing for Ylva to enter first.

	Ylva shot John a look before stepping past the doorway, but stopped as she had a feeling that he may have even more traps within the safehouse. "Well... how many more traps do you have around here?" she asked, "I rather not die because I took a wrong step." She looked back at John and waited for his response, crossing her arms over her chest. She had absolutely no idea what to expect from the male either, considering they were now alone for the next couple days.

	John glanced over to her and smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. [color=black] "There are...Nowhere up here minus a closet or two. The rest aren't on this level."[/color] His smile softened as he closed the door behind him after entering, the sound of rapid clicks and a few pieces on the inside of the doorframe shot down and concealed whatever was behind it, making it appear as if there where no traps at all. John moved to place his hat on the the hat rack hanging on the wall and placed his coat gently on the coat rack. The inside was very cozy looking, giving the impression that a family used to live here. Beige covered the walls of the house and were accented by hardwood flooring and wooden moulding around the floor. A leather recliner sat facing the TV directly with a couch that rested nicely on the side of the entertainment center in view of the tube. A small glass coffee table went in between the couch and chair with a small ashtray and lamp. A nice throw rug complemented the room. The living room was seperated from the dining and kitchen area by a partition and gave it a very opened feeling. 

	[color=black]"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll go make us some food."[/color] He started off for the kitchen.

	[color=black]"Want anything to drink! I have everything from water to whiskey!"[/color] He shouted back to her from the kitchen as the sounds of pots and pans were being pulled out.

	[color=39e600]"Whiskey and Coke sound good,"[/color] she replied as she made her way over to the couch and sat down. It felt a little strange to be within someone else's... home? She wasn't even sure if he actually lived here or just took her here because he didn't want her to know where he actually lived. That thought alone made her grin rather devilishly, her eyes darting back to the he-wolf who was making her food. Then again, it was rather strange considering the way everything left off the first, and only, time they had gone out. [color=39e600]"So, care to share with me why you had to bale on me on our first date?"[/color]

	[color=black]"One whiskey coke coming up!"[/color] Opening up a cabinet above the sink, he pulled out a highball and a regular glass and walked over to the liquor cabinet and withdrew the whiskey from the cabinet and poured two ounces into the highball with ice and the rest with coke, carefully mixing it as he poured then made himself a glass of water. John walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, next to Ylva, placing the glass down on a coaster and started back into the kitchen but Ylva stopped him in his tracks with her question. [color=black]"Well-[/color] He paused for a moment to remember that night, as well as come up with an excuse to why he flaked out on the date and turned back to face Ylva. [color=black]"Sadly I had forgotten about a meeting with the Alpha and had been called at the most inconvenient time. He wanted to discuss something major that was happening at the time with a certain gang that happened to be encroaching in on our territory at the time, besides the one that I met you at."[/color] He chuckled at the memory of that meeting. Not a simple hello but rather a greeting that two assassins would make. Conversation made through the sound of rounds whizzing through the air and fist to cuffs. He started back to the kitchen as the sound of the fridge opened and bags were being pulled out. [color=black]"Do you like stir fry?"[/color] He yelled out to her again hoping she took the explanation. 

	Ylva made a face, clearly not pleased with what he had told her, but not about to push the fact as she figured he had a reason. [color=39e600]"Stir fry is good,"[/color] she replied as she sipped at her drink and simply relaxed where she was, watching the wolf. It felt a little strange being in the home with him, but she wasn't about to say anything as she simply took to walking around and peering at the photos he had. [color=39e600]"This is who you two see once a year..."[/color] she murmured to herself as she carefully picked up one of the photos, a rather sad smile crossing her face as she looked at how happy the young boy seemed to be. [color=39e600]"Feel free to tell me to fuck off but... how old was he?"[/color]

	John had started on the stir fry as the sound of the veggies and beef sizzled in the pan. [color=black]"Well I haven't had stir fry in awhile and I make a damn good stir fry. Used to cook alot."[/color] He responded. He held the pan and flipped it a few times until he heard her question with he immediately stopped and shot his sight in her direction, eyes narrowed. [color=black]"Put that down now."[/color] The tone in his voice was cold and held a steely edge to it. Once it was back in its place he continued on in an eerie silence for a few minutes as his eyes had glassed over. He bit his bottom lip and let out a trembling sigh. [color=black]Eleven...Soon to be twelve. I had gotten him a model plane and an RC car for his birthday. Wasn't a very techy kind of kid but liked more hands on hobbies like his old man. Prefered simpler things like puzzles, models RC cars, simple robotics. A tinkerer."[/color] 

[center][hider=snip-it into John's memories]

[color=black]"Nate dinner's ready!"[/color] John yelled out to the boy who was in his room. He was currently working on a 3rd stage model. A half buit Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk already with painted parts. Nate liked to be meticulous about how he built everything. The boy always tried to get every part just right, even down to the little seatbelts for the pilots. Speaking of which, he was figuring out how to paint the bird and his fox copilot. [i]"Crow black for the bird or should it be a hawk? White or red fox? Hmmmm...."[/i] 

[color=black]"Nathanal Johnathan Wolf get out here and eat your dinner before it gets cold! Your mother didn't make this for it to sit!"[/color]

Just as he was about to place the sliding door onto its minature rails until his father yelled his full name, causing him to flinch and jerk his hand upward, knocking over the copter onto its side, in the process breaking one of the rudders. [i]"Dammit...[/i] 

"Alright alright! Coming!" He yelled a reply as he hopped off the chair and walked out, closing the door to his room behind him. He walked out to see his mother and father at the table already. Looking at him with what was basically a "really?" face. 

"Sorry, just working on that Blackhawk dad got me a few months ago."

John smirked and shook his head.

[color=black]"The Blackhawk isn't going anywhere but the food will be if you don't eat it."[/color] He pointed to the plate infront of Nate who simply stuck his tongue out at him.

"Well...I was wondering if I could go over to Davey's house tonight." John squinted his eyes slightly. 

[color=black]"Davey? From down the street? I thought you to don't get along."[/color] He asked with slight concern. Nate looked up and shook his head.

"We did but we settled it. Now we're friends." He smiled as his father pinched the bridge of his nose. 

[color=black]" You told me he was bullying you and wanted to fight you but now your telling me that-"[/color] His wife, Sarah, interviened.

"Wait. He was bullying you? Did the school do anything? What about his parents? I know Mrs. Kearny and I'll speak to her abou-" 

"Yessss... We're fine now mooom." Nate whined. His father pointed to his food and instinctly started to chow down.

His father looked over to Sarah and smiled. [color=black]"If he says they're fine then they're fine. I don't see a problem with it."[/color] Sarah sighed. "Fine"

Nathan's eyes lit up and he smiled. "SO is that a yes?" His ears perking up. John looked at him sternly.

[color=black]"Did you finish your homework"[/color] He answered with a quick nod. He waited a moment or to before leaning back in the chair, staying in silence for a moment, watching the ears of his son slightly lower in his perifrials before he nodded.

[color=black]"Sure...Be back by 10:00."[/color] Nate whispered a loud "Yess before quickly woofing down his meal and went to grab his stuff for the time over his new friends house.

The wolf s iled as he watched his son run off to his room. Sarah on the other hand was a bit nervous.

"You sure he will be fine?" He rolled his head and eyes as he looked over to her, gaining a glare for the action.

[color=black]"He'll be fine. I'll probably stop by anyway to check up on him...But for now-"[/color] John's face gained an, interesting look. A bit mischevious with a bit of playfulness all rolled into one. Sarah looked at him and nearly choked on her drink, earning a laugh from John and a punch in the arm from her. Soon enough they moved their increasing fun to the bedroom after saying goodbye to their son for the next couple hours.
[/hider][/center]

	Ylva nodded her head as she had carefully set the photo back down, unphased by how he had sounded when he told her to put the photo down. [color=39e600]"Sounds like my Nina,"[/color] she muttered as she retreated back to the couch, [color=39e600]"She hated the way tech was going, didn't even want to own a phone but I made her so she could get a hold of me if something bad happened... she forgot the phone though..."[/color] Frowning, Ylva fell silent and pulled out a rather old looking flip phone with a green case and simply stared at the thing
 as she listened to John move around in the kitchen. It was something she always had on her person, mainly because she used it to remind herself of what would happen if she failed. [color=39e600]"Sorry to inquire on a painful memory, that wasn't really fair of me."[/color]

	[color=black]"No its-its fine. You weren't aware."[/color] He replied quickly as he flipped the stir fry a bit more before turning off the stove. John moved the pan over to one of the unused stove tops and quickly moved to get plates out and set up. [color=black]"Besides, I got the bastard anyway."[/color] He said aloud to himself, not caring whether or not she heard.

	[color=39e600]"Makes one of us,"[/color] she muttered under her breath before placing the phone back in her pocket and leaning back, closing her eyes as she simply listened to what the wolf was doing. She wasn't exactly inclined to talk about her own story with a man she didn't know all that well, but then again, she didn't really share it with anyone to begin with. The only reason that Aeron was made aware of the situation was because she had hired Ylva after the inciden and made sure the She-Wolf was able to function properly considering everything that had happened.

	He had placed the plates out on the table accompanied by a fork and knife set atop of a napkin with the stir fry placed nicely on each plate. The wolf had also placed next to each plate a glass of water. [color=black]"It's ready when you are."[/color] He called out, thankful that that conversation had ended. John had pulled out her chair and gestured for her to sit down. Once seated, he helped her in closer, making sure she was all set before sitting down himself. 

	Once seated, she nodded her head and offered him a small smile of appreciation, [color39e600]"Thank you for dinner,"[/color] she said before she began to eat. She felt a little bad for bringing up a sore subject, but figured it would be best if she just kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the meal. She wasn't exactly sure what was safe to talk about with the male other than work, and she [i]really[/i] didn't want to talk about work.

	He watched as she ate and gained a bit of a nostalgia. A smile crept on his face. [color=black]"Brings back memories."[/color] He looked at hHe er with a soft smile. Looking down at his food he was playing with via fork. [color=black]"You would have liked Little Nate. He was a great kid. Had Twombly's interest in things mechanical and a bit of Aeron's stuborness. Actually, no, that stuborness came from me. He had his mother's anger though when he really wanted to show it. Hehehehhe."[/color] He looked down at his food once again. [color=black]"I was scared..."[/color] He simply said as he took a bite.

	[color=39e600]"I would be surprised if you hadn't been... It tends to be the first thing that hits you, then you spend some time blaming yourself for not being there when they need you before you finally realize that there really wasn't anything you could do when it all happened. Its a shitty realization, but in the end it sorta helps us cope a bit right?"[/color] Ylva offered him a small grin, before her eyes narrowed on her food, almost as if she were glaring at it for a moment before her gaze seemed to soften a bit.

	[color=black]"Ye-No...No not about that...About why I flaked out on the date..."[/color] His ears lowered slightly before returning to normal. He looked up to her. [color=black]"I wasn't ready yet. It was too soon to start going out with someone else. It felt like a betrayal to Sarah."[/color] He looked down at his food and reluctantly bit into another piece. [color=black]"I wanted to wait before I got back into that game so-to-speak."[/color] The truth had finally came out. He glanced to Ylva and awiated her response.

	Ylva was staring at her food rather hard while she listened to what he had to say, [color=39e600]"You could have told me this, I would not have been angry with you if you were honest with me from the beginning,"[/color] she finally said after a moment, [color=39e600]"I can understand why you would have a hard time."[/color] She nodded her head slightly before she finally started to eat again, going back to focusing on her food as she wasn't sure if she should say much else. She didn't know what it was like to lose someone you love in the same compacity that he did, but she did understand loss all too well.

	He ate quietly for a bit more before looking up to her, tired now of the awkwardness. [color=black]"Ask me anything...Anything you want."[/color] He said as he put his fork down and looked at her now with a smile. They were together for two days so he might as well break the ice by answering questions. 

	[color=39e600]"Dangerous thing to tell me,"[/color] she said flashing him a small smile, [color=39e600]"I am notorious for not recognizing boundries... Did you lose Sarah with your son or was that a result of? Well... you know..."[/color] She motioned a bit to imply that Sarah may have left because the strain of loosing their child had been too much for her to handle. [color=39e600]"You are also welcome to ask me anything you wish as it is only fair."[/color]

	He sighed as he took the rather personal question head on. [color=black]"Sarah had died in a car accident a few months prior to my son being murdered. After I heard her about it and we buried her. Home life kinda spiraled out of control. Nate's grades dropped and he started to hang out with a bad crowd."[/color] He smirked lightly. [color=black] How did you come across Aeron?"[/color] John's smirk growing slightly. 

	[color=39e600]"She actually came across me after I lost my baby sister,"[/color] came the reply, [color=39e600]"I was in a rather bad place at the time and she helped me find a purpose for myself. I've been working for her for about a year now... so not too long before I met you honestly."[/color] She flashed John a small smirk in return. If he was willing to share the dirty parts of his life, she may as well do the same. [color=39e600]"So... do you think you are ready to try now or are you still scared?"[/color]

	John nodded as he listened to her little glimpse into her past and found himself smirking at her mention to their first meeting. [color=black]"I still say I had the upper hand."[/color] His childish voice returning, accompanied by a playful pout. His eyes slightly widened at her next question before sitting back and pondered it for a moment. [color=black]"I'm not sure. Part of me says yes and a part of me says no. But I hear Sarah saying "Go for it."[/color] An internal chuckle only given away by the raising and lowering of his shoulders. He remained silent a bit longer before giving a light nod. [color=black]"I suppose I could see how it goes. You diffently caught my attention that first day. Might as well see where it takes me."[/color]

	[color=39e600]"You can say you had the upper hand all you want, we both know it's not true. I kicked your ass fair and square,"[/color] the She-Wolf countered before letting out a small yawn. She was pleased with his response, but ras rather tired seeing as he had to chase down Aeron and her date. The Wastelands always left her drained as she wasn't a huge fan of the sun, or how much of a pain in the ass it was to drive in the sand. [color=39e600]"So where will I be sleeping for the night?"[/color]

	[color=black]"You kicked me in the dick...Then stomped down on it...THEN put the gun to my face!"[/color] He chirped up with a bit of annoyance, folding his arms in protest to her actions that day. He sighed and brought his hand underneath his chin and scratched it. [color=black]"Well...I'm not scummy enough to bring you into my room on the first night and the other room is off limits...The guest bedroom should be fine. I'll go start preparing it now."[/color] He ran the napkin across his face as he started t clean up. Once done, he moved off to the guest bedroom, readying it for Ylva.

	Yvla watched him for a moment before following, leaning against the door frame as he set up the guestroom for her. Once he was done, she stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm and pressed an innocent enough kiss to his cheek. [color=39e600]"Good night John,"[/color] she said before allowing him to leave and closing the door behind her so she could get some sleep of her own.