The hills were dark and brooding, the rocks jagged and loose, dark red, like dried blood... imposing in their silence, a rising bank of darkness blotting out the sun. She wandered beneath their mass ... gazing upward searching for a glimpse of light - nothing. Still dark , but there as if pulling itself up the other side of the mountain struggled the first weak beams of sunlight. A smile crept over her weary face as the light in turn crept over the hillside ... warm rays bleeding across the edges, softening their sharp points with a golden glow, caressing the slopes with a warm red luminosity ...

The sunlight woke the birds from their slumbers and soon a dove flitted across the skyline - embracing the morning with its wings ... swooping down to alight on a water tower. Preening its feathers to be as beautiful as possible for the new day.

The woman walked around the base of the mountain.

She had been here before she felt it in her bones, but this time was different ... she thought the mission would be dull, but had been filled with unexpected glimpses of wonder. She was recuperating from injuries sustained at the hands of a particularly sadistic captor - the wounds penetrating beneath the skin and into her soul.

She was alone, apart from the guards at the gates - her mission, to analyse the site for weaknesses prior to a visit by the target of a known group of assassins. The palace sat in a valley deep in the Hajjar Mountains. She wasn't sure who had suggested her posting here - but it was inspired, time away from everything that troubled her mind and pestered her heart - no Section manipulations - a task, straightforward and simple. A chance to be alone, truly by herself, with her thoughts for company, given the time to express themselves fully. Time to step away from all that had happened and to put it all in perspective.

She took in a deep breath of warm mountain air - oddly clear and so refreshing although not cold in the way that most people expected mountain air to be. She swung back her sun-bleached blonde hair over her shoulders and leaned up, tilting her face up to catch the gentle caress of the early morning sun - by midday it would be harsh and painful - but now it was a soft as the touch of a cherub.

Smiling she walked on, kicking a stone across the courtyard and gazing across the valley to the other side - the minarets sparkling atop the nearest mosque. A falcon hovering overhead as it allowed the thermals to carry it up to spy for its breakfast.

Lifting her binoculars to her eyes she managed to spy her prey as well as the bird of prey did his - the approaching four wheel drive signified the end of her mission - she felt a stirring in her heart at the identity of the driver - surely not - for a basic retrieval task - no she shook her head - dismissing the thought and the unbidden feelings that seemed to warm her heart as the sun's rays had warmed her skin. She couldn't help it - adjusting the focus she could make out curls - his hair had grown longer since last she'd seen him, the dark glasses hid his eyes, not that she'd be able to see them clearly at this distance - and yes, despite the temperature, he was still wearing black leather gloves - it had to be him.

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