She watched Hallie look around the enormous airport lobby with understanding for the little one. It was the same way she felt when she first went to an airport when she was little. Hallie looked up at her and she nodded to enter the ticket line. They made their way up to the clerk and she checked their seats for validation. Once they were good to go and their luggage was taken, Kat took Hallie's hand and they walked to the food court.

When Hallie saw an ice cream shop, she asked "Can I get some ice cream?"

She nodded and said "As long as you have it down before we get to our gate."

They walked into the store and she ordered Hallie a small bowl of chocolate ice cream. They started making their way to their gate and Hallie ate her ice cream. When she saw their gate up ahead, she stopped walking and looked down at Hallie. The girl walked over to a trashcan and threw away her trash away. She couldn't help but smile and then they took two seats to wait.

Hallie spent the time looking around the lobby and asking questions that any two year old was expected to ask. When their seats were called, Kat took her hand and they walked to the boarding entrance. The clerk at the door smiled at Hallie and checked their passes. She handed the passes back to Kat and the two boarded the plane. She felt Hallie cling to her as they approached the captain and his assistant pilot at the door to the plane.

The instant they stepped onto the plane, she heard Hallie gasp in shock of all the people sitting around them and she smiled. She led Hallie to the middle of the plane and put her in the furthest in seat so she could look out the window. She put their travel bag up above their heads and sat down. When she buckled her seatbelt, she turned to Hallie to see if she had. The girl was ahead of her and looking out the window at another plane.

"Is this seat taken?"

She looked up at the voice and mumbled "No, it's open."

The man tossed his bag up above and then he sat next to her. When he looked at Hallie, she smiled and then returned to looking out the window.H e looked at the woman beside him and watched her fume at his luck. He chuckled lightly and got her to look at him with some flames. The flight attendant came onto the intercom and gave the instructions for departure and they took to the sky.

As the plane soared across warm thermals, an hour had passed and he looked at the girl at the window. She was fast asleep in a curled up position and her head rested on the pillow Kat had placed under her head against the window. His gaze drifted back to the woman next to him. He watched her rest and noticed how she seemed to be leaning away from him naturally. When he chuckled, he saw her take a deep breath and open her eyes.

She looked at him and asked "Have any clue how much longer?"

He smirked and said "Thought you'd never ask. We have another two hours before we land."

She nodded and said "Thank you."

She leaned back into her seat again and looked down at the sleeping child next to her. She brushed a lock of brown hair from the girl's face and watched her sleep. When she felt him watching her, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the seat. Eventually sleep reclaimed her and he got the chance to study her again. The plane tilted slightly to the right and he felt her head rest on his shoulder softly.

He couldn't help but smile and then he closed his eyes to finish enjoying the flight. When the plane began to descend, she slowly woke and froze when she found her head on his shoulder. She silently moaned and pulled herself away immediately before he woke. She looked at Hallie and when she found the girl still asleep, she gently shook her. The little one yawned and rubbed her eyes before she looked up at her. The pilot came over the intercom and announced that they were getting ready to taxi down.

Her eyes looked out the window and she watched the ground rush up to them as the plane landed. When the plane stopped rolling forward, the cabin lights came on and they were given permission to unbuckle. She unfastened her belt and then undid Hallie's. She looked to her right and found Daniels already up and holding his bag along with theirs. She silently growled and led Hallie down the aisle to the door.

As they walked off the plane, Daniels handed her their bag and she quickly seized it. When they stepped into lobby, Hallie yawned and Kat took her hand as she led her to the luggage pick-up. It took them five minutes to reach the luggage pick-up department and then they had to stand and watch for their bags. The instant she saw them, she grabbed the two bags off the machine and returned to Hallie. She was sitting in a chair with her eyes halfway closed and Kat shook her head amused.

"Come on Hallie. We only have fifteen minutes to catch our cab."

Hallie yawned and asked "Is he coming with us?"

She winced at the question and said "Yes."

The girl smiled brightly and said "Great!"

She rolled her eyes and picked up Hallie while she grabbed their two bags. Daniels took them and she sent him a cold look, which he just shrugged off. Someone shouted behind them and when they turned, a young man was running right at them. Kat turned to the side just as the man jerked Hallie out of her arms and took off. She heard Daniels yelling at the man and when she heard Hallie screaming, she took off.

@#$%

When he saw them get off the plane, his eyes narrowed and he silently followed. He took his time going to pick up his luggage and when he had it, he watched her talk with the child. She picked her up and the man took their two bags. His eyes became cold and he saw a man running straight for the three. The instant the girl was snatched, he saw her take after the two while the man just yelled for help.

He threw his bag over his shoulder and made his way to the airport exit. When he saw the man approaching, he stepped into his way and the man stopped in front of him.

He growled and yelled "Out of the way!"

"Give the child back."

The man seemed taken back and he said "I ain't giving her up! Not until she is mine again!"

Then he struck and the child was in his arms while the man lay on the ground holding his noise. The police arrived a few seconds later and took the man away. When he saw her watching him, he could have smiled but her expression wasn't what he expected. She seemed frozen to her place and he knew that would happen the instant he took it upon himself to get the child back.

He walked up to her and said "I believe she's yours."

Hallie looked at him and she asked "Who are you?"

He handed the child over to her and heard "It doesn't matter who he is. Let's get going."

Daniels appeared and he heard "Hey man, thanks for getting her back for us."

Those two words made him burn and he said "It was nothing."

Hallie went over to Daniels and Kat said "Take her to the cab. I'll be out in a few."

Daniels met her gaze and asked "You sure? You know this guy?"

She just looked at him and Daniels said "All right. Come on Hallie."

They walked away and he heard "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

He looked at her and said "Just helping a friend out."

Her eyes became cold and she said "That isn't what I'm talking about."

He shrugged and said "Well, that is what I'm talking about."

She looked straight at him and asked "Are you that cruel? Won't you just leave me alone?"

His eyes turned cold finally and he demanded "Is she his?"

She laughed coldy and said "No she isn't, and it isn't your problem."

He snatched her wrist and said "Tell me who she is then."

Her eyes flashed and she said "I don't know."

His entire body froze and he asked "Were you drunk and this happened?"

She sighed and said "You are too dense. I've never been drunk in my entire life."

He let out a restrained breath and asked "Then, who is she?"

Her eyes looked a little amused and she said "Just a job assignment."

His eyes softened and he said "You should have told me. You don't need to do this on your own."

She rolled her eyes and she said "You messed your chance up a long time ago. Now, I have somewhere I need to be."

Her wrist became free and he watched her turn to leave.H e snatched her wrist again and found a startled look on her face. She watched him like a predator and he couldn't help but smirk. He had missed that look so much and now that he had it, he wasn't giving it up. When she was obviously impatient, he lifted her chin up until their eyes met.

Before he could kiss her they heard "Mom! Let's go!"

He growled and saw a smile actually appear on her face at that name. She looked over her shoulder and saw Hallie watching her. She looked for Daniels and saw him sternly watching them. He looked like he was going to kill this man and she wanted to laugh, but she wouldn't. When she felt his eyes on her still, she looked at him and found him watching her every action with those eyes.

She took a deep breath and sai, "I have to go. She's waiting for me."

He raised one eyebrow and asked "What about the man?"

Her eyes rolled instantly and she said "He's just tagging along for Hallie's sake."

Again, he was relieved and he asked, "So if we happened to get in a fight over you, you wouldn't care?"

A chuckle escaped her and she looked away while saying "That wouldn't happen, and no. I wouldn't care."

He smirked and said "Look at me."

Slowly she looked at him and he said "We need to talk. I don't care if you don't want to. We need to talk and it will be over dinner. I will let you know when and where.

He brushed her cheek softly with his lips and she felt every inch of her burn as he walked away. Her eyes burned with joyful tears and she took a deep breath to regain control. No doubt Daniels had seen that and she would be in for a lecture later, but right now she wanted to just savor the feeling of his kiss on her cheek. Stef was going to need to know about it and she knew the woman would go crazy. When she heard Hallie yelling again, she sighed and made her way over to the girl.

She jumped into her arms and asked "Who was that guy, Mom?"

Kat shook her head and said "It doesn't matter Angel. Let's just get going. I want you to meet someone."

Hallie nodded and they joined Daniels at the door. They walked out to the waiting cab and Hallie He got in next to her and the driver took them to their destination. During the trip, she watched Hallie stare out the window in shock and she looked out the window with her.

So many memories were still in this city and with her being here, she knew she would have to deal with everything. Then his words came back to her and she silently felt two emotions sink in. She was terrified of what was going to happen during their conversation, but she was also relieved to be able to actually talk to him again in privacy. When the cab stopped, she came back to reality and looked out the window. They were in the driveway and she saw her mom standing on the steps with her two friends.

PGS