Playing with Fire

He has also noticed that his little sister's mood has been different since the night that they went out dancing. She left early and texted him that she was okay and he left with one of the prettier girls from the bachelorette party. Kris has been busy with her own assignments so they haven't gotten to talk much since. He invited her to come apartment hunting with them today but she made some excuse about seeing some other girl she met at one of her job sites.

"My income is nowhere near enough to have a place like yours." Ellie scoffs and looks over his shoulder out the window. The homeless man is peeing on the broken glass in the middle of the alley now.

Her brother shakes his head and avoids looking so judgmental but the place is not somewhere he would let his sister visit, let alone live in. The kitchen is tiny, the bathroom is too close to the entrance, and there is barely enough room for a full-size bed and a drawer. "Maybe you should get a roommate?"

"Living here beats having to share my personal space with someone else. Did it all four years of college, not going back. Besides I'll be spending more time at your place anyways. This is just to get me out of our parents place for now."

Liz takes out a pen and offers it to Ellie. She didn't think she would get this place sold in such a short amount of time but she wasn't going to say anything to ruin it. Her eyes fall on the young man who keeps eyeing her skirt and she blushes. He is very attractive.

"What if I can help you with rent for the first couple of months and we find something better?" Javier tries again. Liz tries not to show her panic. She has to sell this place. They are the first ones who have shown interest.

Ellie walks over to Liz. The wooden floors creak with every step. She signs the documents. "I'm a big girl, Javi. I got this."

~~~~

There are not that many boxes scattered all over the apartment. Ellie doesn't have a lot of things so the moving process only takes the first part of the day.

Javier and Kris bring her bed up last and place it on the far side of the room where Ellis has set up the base for it.

"I'm gonna take a leak. Can you grab me a beer?" He shuffles to the bathroom and leaves them alone in the room.

Ellie has been quiet all morning. She hasn't said one word to Kris and it has been killing her. She wished Kris wasn't here. But she knows if she tells her brother that he would guess something was wrong and then he would find out about their stupid kiss. The kiss that has been replaying in her head every night since. Another reason she needed to leave her parents' house. She hasn't been able to masturbate in peace in far too long.

She walks over to the bed and wraps her hand around one of the wooden posts at the foot of the bed.

Kris is at the head of the bed. She watches as Ellie's eyes roam all over the bed. If only Kris could throw her back and finish what they started at the club. All she's been able to think about is sliding her hand in between Ellie's legs.

More than that she has been thinking about Ellie in other ways. Like sitting down with her and watching her read like she sometimes did when she would be over their house in high school. If Ellie wasn't reading some text book she had a paper back in her hand. Those little moments when she would watch Ellie's eyebrows furrow at something in the book or bite her smile as she turned the page. Kris' favorite thing turned into was watching Ellie when she didn't notice. But she's never admitted it until now. It doesn't help anything or anyone. Damn sure doesn't help her.

She thinks of all the things she has learned about Ellie growing up and about how easy it would be to date her. She knows Ellie is funny, she is compassionate, and she doesn't yell when she's angry. She just holds it in and cries when she thinks no one is looking. She is competitive when it comes to playing dumb trivia games. She loves spicy food. She can sit in silence for hours. She even finds comfort in it when she is stressed. She loves foreign movies and she hates watching soccer. She thinks the color orange is tacky. She will never pass up an opportunity to make fun of Javier, but will always stick up for him when anyone tries to put him down. Falling for Ellie would be as easy as breathing.

Ellie looks up and sees Kris' heated stare. Her knees buckle and her heartbeat increases. She knows her cheeks are flaring up.

"I gotta go. Meeting up with an old friend." Kris rubs short hair. She looks down at her watch. The black tank top she is wearing hugs her flat stomach and toned shoulders. Ellie can't help but notice how strong and capable she looks. What would it be like to have her arms wrap around Ellie's small frame?

"Thanks for helping." Ellie tugs on her white t-shirt. She has been sweating all morning from walking up and down the steps. She thought she would get to freshen up and talk to Kris before she left. "I guess I'll see you around."

Javier comes out of the bathroom and catches Kris before she leaves. "Meet you back at our place?"

Kris nods. "See you at 8."

~~~~

The morning is silent. The sun is rising and the fog is starting to settle. The birds aren't even chirping yet. The trail is barren. The only thing heard is a pair of running sneakers against the black pavement. Kris and Javier take turns trying to beat the other to the finish mark. In the end she wins. She always does. He has a good workout routine when it comes to core muscles but her endurance has always been her strong suit.

They slow down to a jog and eventually start to walk back. The sweat dripping down their bodies continues to fall as they catch their breath. There is steam forming around the two that catches light in the sun.

Kris looks down at the timer she set on her watch. "Not bad, dude. Almost beat me this time." Her smirk is antagonizing.

"Let me know when you want to race behind a computer and we'll see about that." It's true. Javi has the brains to hack into anything you put in front of him. Kris knows almost as much as he does but she prefers the physical part of the job. While he stays back to learn some new codes, she goes to the gym and tries to beat her personal record.

"So, what are you doing after this?" Kris unlocks her car when they get to the parking lot. She wants to ask him about his sister but can't. If she finds out Ellie is home right now, which she probably is, Kris will be tempted to drive by. More than once now she has found herself cruising by Ellie's apartment building to make sure everything looked okay from her window. She even jogged by her place last night. One of these days she might run into Javier and won't know how to explain herself. She knows he drops by sometimes to check up on Ellie too.

"I have to go into the office for a bit. We have a big assignment coming up and I need to brush up on all the facts. You can come too, you know." He doesn't hide his sarcasm. He knows Kris is more about the manpower not catching up on reading.

"Nah, you can catch me up tomorrow. I have an errand to run."

He cocks his head to the side but doesn't say anything. He can tell something is up with her. "Fine, whatever." He gives up when she doesn't elaborate. "Ellie might come by after her date tonight."

Date? Who the fuck is she going on a date with? She just moved into the city. Kris bites her tongue and pulls out the water bottle from her car. She hides behind the door for a second longer to control her features.

"You're letting her go on a date?"

Javier shrugs. "I can't protect her forever. And we know the guy, it's Dylan. She said they met up the night we took her to the club, so I feel better."

Kris' forefinger absentmindedly taps against her phone. Her jealousy feels foreign. She's never really experienced it before. Ellie seems to bring it out of her seamlessly.

Javi notices that look on her face and he holds his hand out before she makes a move to get in her car. "What are you going to do?"

"What?" Kris finally comes back to the present.

"I know that look. You're going to do something." He seems more amused than concerned.

"I don't think Dylan deserves someone like Ellie." She's too nice, too innocent. Not someone who should give Dylan a chance. That guy had a reputation in high school for taking a girl's virginity and dumping her the next day. Doesn't Javi remember that?

"I tried to warn her but she wouldn't listen. Plus, I did a background check on the guy and he came back clean. Some minor speeding tickets but nothing that jumped out."

"Do you mind if I do my own research?" She doesn't even know why she's asking. Whether he says yes or no she's going to do whatever she thinks is best for Ellie.

"Is this you talking as an overprotective friend or something else?" His eyes are unreadable.

"You said stay away from her and I have. You didn't say anything about letting her date other people." Some of the anger seeps into her words. This is the first time she is allowing him to see some of her frustration. She has avoided talking about Ellie because she knows he will never let them date but she doesn't want to sit back while he encourages his little sister to go out with someone who preys on girls like her. It's backwards.

"She needs to date. I can't control every aspect of her life. And she sure as Hell is not going to let you tell her who she can date."

Kris finally drops the subject and gets in her car. There won't be a date if she can help it.

~~~~

Kris puts down her phone when she sees Dylan walking up to his car.

She gets out of her own and looks both ways before crossing the street. The tips of her fingers are tingling the way they do before she gets her gun ready. Except there will be no killing this time. Well, maybe obliterating some hopes and dreams but nothing physical. Eh, she'll have to see about that too.

"Hey Dylan!" She catches up to him and he looks surprised to see her.

"Killer Kris, what's up?" He unlocks his car and tries to open the door but she closes it.

She smiles despite her mood. "Not much, was just in the neighborhood and wanted to come say hi." She gives him a look that doesn't match her smile.

It finally dawns on him that she knows where he lives but he's never told her. He recently moved back into the city so he knows there is no way she could have known where he lived. His smile wavers but he doesn't try to get in the car again. "Yeah, well I got a date tonight. Can't really stay and chat."

Her hand is still holding the door closed. "About that, Ellie won't be able to make it. I'm sorry I had to be the one to break it to you."

He's no longer smiling and his eyebrows pull in. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Kris finally feels better that his smirk is no longer taunting her. "I'm letting you know that there won't be a date tonight. You're going to stay away from Ellie." Her tone is threatening. She knows her eyes are hard and her smile is empty.

His hand comes up to push her arm away and she twists it in an unnatural way and pushes him against his car. "Try to touch me again and I'll break your arm." She looks around, grateful that there are no prying eyes. No matter how hard he pushes she doesn't budge. She can take down a guy twice as big as him, Dylan has nothing she can't deal with.

"You fucking bitch! I knew you wanted that virgin pussy for yourself. Ever since high school you've had this weird obsession with her. If she really wanted you, you would have had her by now."

Kris pulls his head back by his hair and pushes his face against the glass window. Blood splatters all over it.

He moans in pain and tries a different approach, cowering down. "I just want her for tonight. You can have her after I'm done, man."

She twists his arms until it snaps and lets him double over and fall on the floor. "She's not a piece of meat, you lowlife pervert."

He groans and wraps his hand around his elbow. "You crazy bitch! I'm going to sue you for all that you have."

Kris leans down and pulls him up by his collar. He looks terrified. "If you mention this to anyone, I will ruin your life. Stay away from Ellie." She pushes him against the ground and walks away.

~~~~

The lights are on when Kris walks into the apartment.

"In here." Javier yells from the living room.

"I need a drink." She announces. She walks straight to the kitchen and opens the fridge. She grabs two glasses and sets them on the counter. As she is washing some blood from her hands in the sink, she looks up into the living room. She stops when she sees Javier hugging a crying Ellie.

She turns off the water and grabs one more glass before heading to the couch.

"Oh, sorry." Ellie sniffles and wipes her tears away. "I didn't think you would be home so early." She's wearing a deep green dress that makes her shining eyes stand out. She doesn't have any shoes on. Javier pulls away from their hug and sits on the other side of the couch.

"What happened?" Kris pours three drinks and gives them each one before taking her own. She fights the urge to pull Ellie onto her lap.

"Dylan stood her up." Javier gives her a knowing look. Kris is busted. "Where have you been?"

"Had some business to take care of." She gulps her drink and pours another one. "I will be out of your hair soon."

"I just don't get it. Why doesn't anyone want me?" Ellie wrinkles her nose as the drink burns down her throat. She knows she sounds pathetic but it doesn't matter anymore. Kris doesn't want her. Her brother knows she is a loser. She might as well die alone.

Kris opens her mouth to correct her but Javier shoots her a look. She knows admitting anything right now won't do anyone any good. She wishes she could kiss Ellie until her tears stop.

"I'm sorry guys, I ruined your night. I'm leaving soon." Ellie stands and Javier does too.

"Don't go Ellie, we can stay in and watch a movie."

Kris stands and takes one more sip. "Well, have fun. I am going out. Ellie you look beautiful. If I was Dylan, not even a broken arm would keep me away from you. Or a broken nose for the matter." She shrugs as Javier's eyes narrow and ignores Ellie's confused stare. She will let him know later that it would have been a mistake to let Dylan get close to his sister.

~~~~

They both are looking down through the glass ceiling. The night is on the colder side but they came prepared for that. There are no stars in the sky. There are only distant sounds of traffic.

"She's going to have to date someone eventually." Javier removes one of the window panes, carefully.

Kris scoffs. Not if she has anything to say about it.

"Seriously, you can't sabotage every date she goes on."

Kris hops through the window and slowly lowers herself onto the top floor with the black rope. Javier follows behind her with the same technique. They walk silently through the building looking for the guy from their portfolio.

"Now, I get why you stopped Dylan but it can't happen again."

Kris grinds her teeth and turns to look at him. He almost runs into her. "I'm telling you now I respect your wishes to stay away from her because you think I am some good for nothing lesbian that will just break her heart-" She puts her hand up when he tries to interrupt her, "but I will be damned if I pave the way for someone else to take her away. No one is ever going to be good enough for her."

He walks past her and leads them to the next room. He probably should have waited to broach the subject. But he knew she had been avoiding him. After he found out she harassed Dylan into standing Ellie up, Javi knew he had to say something. Even if Dylan did deserve everything he got and then some. "I didn't say you were good for nothing. I just know your taste in women, multiple women, and I think Ellie needs someone who is serious about taking things slow and being exclusive."

"You don't think I can give her that?" The hurt is evident. This is the first time Kris is showing her true feelings. She is showing her cards and Javier doesn't know what to do with them.

On one hand he wants to believe Kris will be good enough for Ellie but on the other hand he knows she literally just hooked up with some other girl just last week. If she really liked Ellie wouldn't she try harder to prove she deserves her?

"Seriously, Reed. What if you guys do go out? And what if she falls for you and you leave her stranded?"

"I would never do that to her."

"Are you pussies done talking about your feelings?" Some fat guy in the corner calls attention to himself.

Kris and Javier change to their combat stance. Three more guys walk out from the dark, guns pointed at them.

Javier doesn't look away from the men wearing black but leans into Kris. "This conversation isn't over."

~~~~

It has been almost three weeks since Ellie moved into her new place and she loves it.

The studio is small and already feels like home to her. She decorated the walls with posters, paintings, and pictures of her family. She hung up some lights and has bought some more furniture to make it feel more homey. She started her new job last week and everyone has been so nice. Her onboarding training has kept her busy and she knows she is doing exactly what she wanted to do after graduating.

Her phone rings, it's Perla. "What's up?"

It is hard to hear here from the chatter in the back. "Come get some drinks with us!"

"No, girl. I am so tired." She looks at herself in the mirror. She's already in her pink pajamas. Even though it is a Friday night she would rather be in bed watching some old romcom. Javier is out of town so she can't go to his place. She didn't ask if Kris would be there and that is for the best.

They haven't seen or talked to each other in so long. Kris is never home when Ellie goes to their apartment. So Ellie has decided to stay away because she knows that she is the reason Kris makes herself scarce when she is around. It seems like she is avoiding her more now than ever. Javier doesn't think anything of it. If Ellie had any self-respect, she wouldn't care either. But she does. She is hurt that Kris is doing everything in her power to forget about her. The only thing she is glad about is that they only shared one kiss. Her cheeks turn pink as she thinks about how she basically begged Kris to sleep with her. She's glad Kris didn't take her up on her offer. She can't imagine having to deal with someone who is so hot and cold.

"Well, we're coming to pick you up so be ready!" Perla hangs up.

Shit. Well, if Ellie was going to wallow in her pity, she may as well do it drunk.

~~~~

Kris is staring up at her ceiling, listening to some old recorded conversation of their new target and his old business partner. From the sounds of it the guy is a narcissistic asshole, who is willing to do just about anything to keep his business afloat. Sometimes Kris wonders where they get most of their clients from, then the moment passes and she moves on to her next mission. The guy says something in a different language and her ears perk up.

The knock on the door disrupts her concentration and she gets off the bed. Shit, this is not a good time. She needs to get through all these audios before tomorrow morning. There is a debriefing first thing.

No one besides Javier's parents, Ellie, and Kris' dad have access to come here unannounced. The main desk knows that anyone else has to be on their list for the day. Kris and Javier keep this place off limits when it comes to work stuff. No one really knows where they live, much less what they do. The less they know the better. She knows not to be too worried since no real threat would ever be dumb enough to announce their arrival by knocking on her door.

She looks through the peephole and curses. Ellie is standing there, her gold heels in her hand, looking slightly drunk.