Pre story AN: Um its good to have read at least The Things that make her Cry, and should read Not Like That. Its in the same verse between the two.

They had been living together for several weeks. Even sharing a bed and nothing had happened. Cards wasn't really surprised. Spot was worried about her, and in his mind rightly so. They were partners first. They weren't friends first. They had met and been partners. They were equal, until Cards broke the deal by falling for Spot. He hadn't needed to see her as a girl until he learned she saw him as a boy.

And now that was encased in stone, the fact that somehow they were going to force this partnership into something more. Spot was out, working on forging the connections that he needed. They were falling into place so easily it scared him. The fact that everyone would bend over backwards to help him, that no one even thought about it.

Cards was working hard at writing things down, her logical mind coming into play as she was able to connect information given. Spot's first order of business was to figure out who roughed her up and teach them a lesson. That way, Race's boss would know exactly what had happened and what would happen to those who crossed Spot Conlon.

She'd figured out, from information Spot had gathered who it had to be. The next order of business was to figure where they were, what they did. Spot didn't want show downs, or last stands. He wanted quick, dirty, and effective. The pieces of the puzzle creating the last person had only just been put down.

Cards looked up from the table as Spot walked in. "Hey" He whispered, looking down at her, his hand tentatively stroking away pieces of hair that had fallen out.

"I figured out who it was" She said in response, neither was sure what to do with their newfound places in their respective lives.

They sat around the table, Cards having made a meager stew, reminiscent of their child hood days in the middle of winter. Only now its summer, and if they both hadn't quit to finish this for once and all they'd be eating better. They talk about business, neither can deal with the idea of going to bed together. They have avoided it, Cards being to tired from house work to even stay up for dinner, or Spot coming in so late it doesn't matter either way.

Spot sat at the table, reading over the notes, the ones he will start to flesh out tomorrow. Detailing every instance of the boys movements. And then in a few more weeks, they'd strike, and it would all be over.

Or so Spot hoped to god. He didn't want this to become his life. Dealing in death or politics. All he wanted was to find a girl he loved, the he fell head over heels for, and marry her, have children with her. That they would be happy. He didn't want to forever be worrying with Cards over people wanting to hurt him or his loved ones. He doesn't like the politics of New York, and he hates the mobs even more.

He gets too angry to keep on and moves across the hall into the room him and Cards share. Cards looks up at him, curled in upon herself on the bed, her shoes carefully taken off, and then its as if she was afraid to take any more off. Her hair, which she'd started trying to keep up all carefully was fallen down around her face, covering the still red cut.

Spot gulps, this isn't his Cards, the girl who could deal with being cut, who could deal with her parents deaths, and then her aunts. Who dealt with starving on the streets. So why did she look so scared and vulnerable.

All of a sudden both of them felt younger. Spot sank onto the bed next to her, his hand back in her hair, stroking it. His thumb along the scar as Cards gulped looking over at him.

"You okay with this?" He asked softly, meaning so much more then he realized as he said it.

Cards didn't even have to nod as she kissed him gently, his hands lightly undoing the buttons of her shirt as she stroked his chest, her eyes closing lightly.

It wasn't passionate, but it was pleasurable, Cards nuzzled Spot's neck as he drifted off to sleep.

She is always afraid these days. Not that she got roughed up, or that Spot will leave her, that fear comes later. But that this will be her life, and that even though she wanted it so bad, it isn't what she needed. She doesn't have delusions like Spot, she knows this is for keeps. That they will never be able to return to normal. That this partnership, will always be there, no matter what happens.

And that no matter what, no one will let Spot rest until he fulfills the destiny that is so obviously his. Her destiny on the other hand, would always remain entwined with his.

Disclaimer: Me no own Well we all know I own Cards.

Author's notes: As always, I feel so amazingly grateful that you all want to read this. I have found personal characters to sometimes be annoyingly perfect, and this mini-set (probably 2 or 3) is about trying to even out the playing field. Because everyone seemed to think Spot was an ass in Not Like That, and he really isn't. He's just a flawed character and at the very least loves his family with enough conviction to know that he would kill for them without thought. Cards is just harder to show the negative because to a large extent I am Cards. (This shouldn't be a shocker, I mean The things that make her cry was essentially me getting out my feelings over a guy) and its hard not to sympathize with myself.

But before this gets too long: Thank you for reading this series!