"Soooooo let me get this straight, I go under the covers and then take the… the money?"

Dean look exasperated as he stared at the young woman before him, shaking his head slightly. His lips parted and for a moment no sound formulated. With a grin, Felicity leaned across the desk and placed her hand on top of her Boss'.

"Okay, so maybe I don't understand. Can you explain it one more time, please?" she said, a slight giggle finishing out her sentence.

With a sigh the man took a deep breath, plastering a smile on his face. "You go undercover. Not under the covers. That's… something I don't really want to hear about if it does happen. You pose as some no name, say a Goomba, from some business around here. Under no circumstances do you name anyone, or any faction, or any place we do transactions, are we clear? You make up everything."

Felicity nods slowly, mulling this over for a moment. She never understood why everyone always had to act like everything was a life or death matter. Like, gee golly, it was only money. If people wanted it so badly they could always just go get a job at the bank or something.

"Oh… and then I take the money?"

"It's not that simple, Fel. Just listen for a moment. You pose as some low ranker, and you get in good with this 'Fight Club' or whatever they're calling themselves. Find out where they're staying. Find out as much as you can. They're working on the Godfather's turf, and he wants his cut. They're not giving it to him, so we're taking it. Once you find out what you can, you report back to me. Then, and only then, will the family come in and take care of things. Don't do anything stup… don't do anything rash, Felicity."

"..This is really important, isn't it?" Felicity said, chewing on her bottom lip as she crossed and uncrossed her legs several times. Pulling her hand back from on top of Dean's, she leaned back in her chair, the creaks and groans beneath it grating against her ears. Glancing out the side window, her green eyes narrowed upon the tiny dots of stars twinkle against the inky blue sky for a moment, thinking deeply. This was way too complicated. More than she could handle, she knew. Yet it was the determination she bottled up inside of her that would motivate her to see this job through to the end; she was tired of the snickers behind her back, tired of the comments about her age and intelligence… about her not 'belonging' there, in This Thing.

"Yes, Felicity, it is. Deimne himself asked me to take care of it. I in turn am asking you," Dean replied, folding his hands gravely behind his desk. It didn't take an idiot to see the look of worry on his face. Thankfully, Felicity was beyond 'idiot' and didn't notice. "So you're going to do a good job, right?"

"B-but why me?" the girl couldn't resist asking.

He sighed "Because in the past they have become increasingly suspicious of male associates who approach them. I figure we'll try a new angle, and you, a woman, may have better luck. And it has to be a woman I can trust."

"Trust? Why can't Eva do it? Don't you trust Eva?" the blond blurted out.

"She's too valuable to me," he replied impatiently.

"Ohhhh my gooooosh! I'm not valuable?!" she cried, sitting up straight with widened eyes.

"Jesus don't twist my words. You're important, and you'll be fine. Just, take this," Dean said with another shake of his head. Opening one of his desk drawers he roughly grabbed a manila envelope and passed it across the desk. Felicity took it with a blink of her eyes and started to open it.

"Don't open that here," the Don cautioned as he closed his desk drawer. "That's just some information for you, to help you out. It'll give you a few locations, as well as names and useful hints. As you know, I've hired a few men to help you along your way. Meet Francois, Jacques and Henry." He gestured to the three men standing silently against the back wall of the office.

Twisting around in her chair Felicity smiled and waved.

"You cats sound foreign. How exciting!" she cooed before turning back around to face her Boss. "So when do I start?"

"Now," he replied, beginning to straighten up his desk. "You know who to call in case of any emergencies, and they will be there to back you up. Only call IF you need back up, Fel."

"Fine, fine. I hear you! Now if you'll excuse me," she said, standing up. Stopping herself, she turned back toward her Don and cleared her throat. "I hope I can do really well and make you super proud of me, Deany. All I want is to make you proud of my work!"

Squaring her shoulders, and without waiting for a response, Felicity strutted out of the office, waving at the three bodyguards to follow.

~*~THE NEXT EVENING~*~

The black car slid through the darkened streets with ease, turning left at 42nd and 9th. To say Felicity wasn't excited and nervous and scared and thrilled was an understatement. She was all of those things, in fact, and much much more. The nighttime city lights of New York never failed to make an impression on the small town girl; eagerly she had pressed her face against the car window, watching as buildings passed by with a leap of her heart.

Bouncing in her seat, the girl couldn't believe how well things were going. They were heading toward the Italian restaurant where the 'Fight Club' usually staked their claim. She looked AM-AZING in the dress she had chosen for herself that evening. And she was going to do something totally awesome and important for her family- for the first time EVER.

"I'm super prepared," Felicity prattled off to Francois, leaning over the car seat to speak to him better. Not for the first time that night, Henry pulled the woman back into her seat, shaking his head at her.

"Well I AM," she retorted. Mentally going down a list, she held up her fingers to correspond with how many things she had memorized. "I know the address, I know the password, I know their names, I know where they'll be taking me, I know what to call them, and who is important and who isn't and-"

"We are here," Jacques said in his deep, gruff accented voice, cutting the girl off before she could bore them any further.

"Oooh, already? How super swell!" Felicity said over-confidently. As Francois navigated the car to the curb, she pushed the car door open and grabbed her purse. With a squeal she was forcefully pulled backward, her eyes rolling upward to look at Henry. "Yes?"

"We cannot go. Not in. You go alone. Later Jacques follow. Frank and I stay," the man related in his broken English.

Felicity blinked a few times. She was pretty sure she understood that.

"Okay sounds swell see you later guyyyys!" she stated as she jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Ugh. Finally. To be rid of those guys. They were totally cramping her style. Like, she was going to get the job done, but she looked great, and she was going to try and enjoy herself in the process. Duh.

The darkened street wasn't scary. Okay, a little, but the girl managed to navigate herself along it, heading toward the direction of Armenta's restaurant. All of the windows were illuminated, people chatting cheerfully inside the comfort of their booths. Felicity couldn't help but smile at the scene, pushing the door open and taking a deep breath as the various smells of pasta hit her nose.

She hesitated in the doorway, unsure of where she was supposed to go. There was supposedly a door toward the back, next to the kitchens. Unmarked. The sounds of silverware clattering against plates, of kitchen staff calling to one another, of the live musicians toward the right side of the restaurant were starting to distract her. Patrons began to look up from their respective meals, staring at her strangely. She looked suspicious; she needed to move. Maybe if she didn't clutch her purse weirdly it would attract less attention. Felicity needed to act natural. Letting her arms fall to her sides, she began to swagger toward the back, acting as if she knew where she was headed.

And thankfully, the door materialized. Her heart pounding as she reached it, she pushed the smooth, wooden surface and the blonde sighed as it gave way. Inside it swung closed behind her, trapping her in a narrow hallway. And she wasn't alone.

"Ma'am?" the gargantuan man mumbled toward her, standing in front of a blank wall with his arms crossed. He looked rather unfriendly.

"Sir," Felicity replied, gulping back her fear.

"Doing well?" he asked, narrowing his dark, beady eyes upon her.

This was it. It was time to sink or float. And oh, how she really wanted to float. With a deep breath the girl rattled off the information she had desperately studied all that morning and the night before.

"It's been a bitch of a ride but I'm glad I'm finally fucking here," she said, the swears feeling foreign in her mouth. She'd have to wash her mouth out with soap when she got home. If she got home.

The man hesitated for a moment, sizing her up, then with a nod bent over and lifted up a floor panel, which doubled as an invisible doorway. Noise from below wafted through the hole, loud jazz music and laughter. With a smile Felicity trotted over, looking down. Oh great, a ladder. Thank goodness she had worn panty hose. Placing her foot on the top rung, she held tightly to her purse as she began her descent.

Above her the floor panel slid back into place as she reached the bottom of the ladder. Turning around she began to fix her black dress, watching various couples dancing around a makeshift dance floor, as many more groups of people nursed glasses of various amber and golden liquids at small tables around the room. A bar stood toward her left, a few stools empty, a majority filled by chatting men and women dressed to the nines. At the far end, sipping something all by his lonesome, was a face she recognized.

The paperwork had called him Messina. David Messina. A dark haired, dark eyed man that wasn't bad on the eyes, really. Felicity knew that he was higher up in the Fight Club business, a Consigliere if you will. He possibly could be the key to getting the information she needed. Taking a deep breath, she approached him, sliding onto the stool next to him with a coy smile.

Within seconds the bartender swooped down on her. "What're you having?" he asked.

Smiling, she gestured toward Messina.

"I'll have what he's having," Felicity said, her voice caught in a flirtatious tone.

The bartender walked away, and Messina looked up at her with a quirked eyebrow. "S'nothing glamorous," he said, gesturing at his drink. "Lemon and water."

"…Oh," she replied, feeling deflated. Well that was a great start. "It looked delicious, I couldn't resist. What's that, a little lemon wedge there?"

He seemed amused. Turning his large frame toward her he grinned, half of his mouth edging upward. "Never seen you around here before."

"Funny. I've never seen you around here before," Felicity quipped back, nodding politely toward the bartender as he set her water (gosh darn it) in front of her.

Messina thought about this for a moment. Pulling his stool closer, he gave an authentic smile. "The name's David. What's yours?"

"Fe- hahaha, oh, my name? It's Fe…Finch," she stuttered. Damn. Did she already almost blow her cover? What was it Dean had said? Under NO circumstances, name ANYTHING?

"Finch, eh? Like the bird?" David asked, leaning in. Felicity could feel the heat from his body. Smell his cologne. It was uncomfortable. This… this was a bad freaking idea.

"Like the bird. If you'll excuse me, I have a phone call I need to make. Do you know where…?" she asked, standing up from her stool quickly. With a raised eyebrow Messina pointed toward a lone phone stall on the other side of the room. Private. Good. With a smile and a small wave she strutted across the dance floor, trying to look confident but quaking on the inside.

Pulling open the door, she crammed herself inside and shut the door, sliding a little curtain in front of the glass window. She let out a deep breath of air. Fumbling with her purse she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. Putting a smoke in her mouth she rushed to light the match, failing the first four times before hitting it on the fifth. Inhaling she immediately coughed. Disgusting. Why did she even steal these from Gaius again? Either way, she kept it lit in her free hand as she lifted the telephone receiver, dialing a number she had memorized long ago.

The phone was answered after the third ring. "Beckett," the voice on the other end stated.

"Hello, it's Fel," Felicity whispered into the phone, covering up the receiver as best as she could. "Is Fal Fal there?"

"…No. He's not," the female voice responded.

"Oh nibblets. Erm… Kate? I know you and I don't spend much time together… but I'm in a bit of a pickle. I could really use your help. You know Armetta's? Downtown? Could you meet me here? The secret bar. The password is 'it's been a bitch of a ride but I'm glad I'm finally fucking here'. Ooooh, and wear those cute little strappy shoes you have. You know the ones with the silver buckles?!"

The silence at the other end of the line was deafening.

Kate took a deep breath, staring at the messy lump of paperwork Falcon had shoved on her desk before leaving for the night.  It wasn't getting done tonight anyway, she supposed.  And Felicity, while dumber than a post, was still the sort of person she would never regret helping.  In fact, being dumber than a post, she would probably need all the help she could get.

"Yeah.  Yeah, I'll come Miss Rourke.  When you say to wear those strappy shoes...are you trying to say that the dress code is a bit...well, dressy?"  There was a pause on the other end, accompanied by a bit of rustling.  Kate blinked as the silence continued.  "Felicity, you still there?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay...should I dress up a bit?"

"Yes! Don't you pay attention? I just nodded...gaw."

Kate sighed and put her palm on her forehead.  Yeah, Felicity would need her help tonight.  "Okay.  I'll be there in about fifteen. See you then." She hung up the phone on the blonde's high-pitched "thaaaaank yoooouuuu" and rose from her desk, making her way quickly to the closet she kept in the HQ for this sort of thing.  In a few minutes she had spruced up her business suit with the requested heels, a new shirt, and a few pricey necklaces.  She glanced into the murky mirror in the bathroom to smooth her hair down before snatching up her purse and hurrying to Armetta's as fast as her heels would take her.

By the time she arrived at the restaurant, she remembered why she never wore heels, much less these heels.  They had been bought for a "Spring Fling" last month made miserable by her aching feet.  As she slipped casually into the back room, Kate stared calmly into the eyes of the guard and repeated the password without hesitation.  He nodded and she was soon staggering down the ladder, cursing the heels even more than before.  With a final leap, she landed with a clatter on the concrete floor of the speakeasy.  Kate immediately scouted the room for the blonde.  As soon as her eyes snapped onto the woman, Kate made her way quickly across the room, flashing a fakely warm smile to her. Approaching her, she sucked in her pride and flung her arms out weakly for a hug.

"Hey...girly!" Her voice had never felt so fake. She grimaced as her arms clutched the woman quickly in a superficial hug. She took advantage of the moment and whispered into the woman's ear. "What name are you going by?"

Never, in all her life, was the girl happier to see Miss Beckett than in this moment. The two had only met months before, but Felicity had immediately felt a connection between them. And she was totally sure that if Kate weren't always so busy, they could be closer than sisters. Too bad she always had work to do whenever she cornered her in her office. Oh well!

"Finch, I guess that's a bird," Felicity replied in the same hushed voice, hugging Kate a little longer than she should have, she supposed. "Here's the deal, you're going to have a fake name. It's super fun! We're being like spies!"

Breaking out of the hug she grinned toward the woman and clapped her hands together in glee.

"Oh I'm so super happy you're here. So here's the deal," she said, grabbing Kate by the arm and slowly... very, very slowly, leading her across the room, back toward the bar. "I'm doing some super secret business to help out our..."

Glancing at the nearby dancers she affixed a new smile on her face and muttered: "Godfather. I need to infiltrate that one 'Fight Club' crew, and here, right over here at the bar, is one of their Consigs. I'm going to get close to him and pump him for information on their next crime. Then everyone can swoop in and stop them and it'll be so totally awesome!"

She couldn't help but feel elated, but then quickly saw Messina's eyes rove over toward her. He sat up straight and waved his hand. With dread dripping into her stomach, she quickly waved back and turned towards Kate.

"Deany told me to call Fal-Fal if I needed back up. My bodyguards are useless, I think they went somewhere else, at least they said something weird in French and that's what I think they said. But anyway... I need backup. Can you just stay with me and help me get through the evening so I can get the info we need? Pretty pleaaaase?"

Felicity didn't need a response. She knew Kate would help her. Kate was such a good friend. Grabbing the woman's arm she forcefully guided her back towards where Messina was sitting.

"David, this is my friend Ka... Camera. Oh, did I say Camera? I meant Carmen! I'm sooooo silly!" she chirped, laughing and nudging the brunette in the ribs.

"Eh heh heh...yes...Finch is a very silly girl.  We've known each other so long, though, I barely notice anymore.  Seem to think it's fairly normal...well, at least for her.  That's why we call her by her last name--she always flits about like a little bird." With a smirk, she motioned toward the seats next to the man. "You, uh...don't mind, do you?"  He shook his head, his eyes flicking over the new woman with a strange light in them.  She chuckled nervously and ensconsed herself on the stool.  Before the bartender could open her mouth, she rattled out her drink order and turned back to Messina.

"So, do you come here often?"

The man nodded, a self-assured smile covering his face. "Yeah.  Usually meet here with a few buddies every night, or else talk shop with the guys from the office." He leaned forward toward the ladies, his eyes flicking between the two.  "Now...what about you girls? I've never seen either of you in here."

Kate nodded and butted in before Felicity could speak. "Yeah...a friend of ours told us about the place..." She twisted her face into a sour look. "Well...he might not be a friend for much longer."  She sighed, shaking her head, and patted Felicity sympathetically on the back.  "Not since that ordeal anyway...Ah, well, we'll just have to find other work..." Her eyes suddenly snapped up apologetically to his. "Oh, but don't let me bore you with our problem, sir.  I'm sure you just came here to have fun..."

She was interrupted by the arrival of the bartender, sliding a glass toward her and muttering "Tom Collins with lime. Enjoy lady."  Kate smiled briefly to him before sipping her drink. "God, they do make fantastic drinks here.  I'm glad Thomas recommended it. Too bad he turned out to be a thief and a bastard."

"Thomas, eh?" Messina couldn't help but asking, his eyes darting back and forth between the two ladies, his head tilted at an awkward angle. What was with him? He acted as if he didn't talk to ladies regularly. That's probably why, Felicity realized, he had been sitting all alone at the bar when she had first approached.

"Yes, Thomas," Felicity said, swirling her lemon and water around in her glass. She glanced at the far end of the bar, hoping she had a far-away, distant look in her eye. "He was my lover," she continued as she slowly took a sip of her drink.

A sharp pain in her ankle from where Kate had kicked her caused the girl to spit her water back into her cup. Coughing slightly she grabbed a loose napkin several inches away on the bar, dabbing at her lips and smiling toward David. Glancing toward Kate she made eye contact with the woman. How nice of her, really, to remind her why they were really there. Always like Kate, being such a team player!

"H-he was more than my lover," Felicity said, pulling the story a bit closer back to reality. The girl didn't know much about men, and relations involving them, but she had always thought it would be awesome to say 'my lover'. Now, however, appeared not to be the time and the place. Now was the time to get this mission back on track. She needed to do it for Deimne, Dean, Eva, and now, for Kate. Sitting up straight she placed her hand on Messina's knee and fluttered her eyelashes.

"Can I confide in you, Davie? May I call you Davie?"

The man nodded his head in amusement, taking a sip of his drink as he watched the young girl.

"Thomas was a mean, lousy associate. And he was a total... a total jerk! He screwed us over on this bank heist... let's just say that Carmen and I have decided it's in our best interest to probably... well... to..."

Leaning in close she whispered: "To find work elsewhere."

She paused, allowing for this revelation to sink in. Taking a deep break she sat up straight and chanced a glance at Kate. Felicity felt smug with how well she was pulling this entire thing together. With a smile, she continued on with her story.

"We're highly capable. We're resourceful, and if I do say so we're extremely smart. I guess you could say all we're waiting for is the right... offer."

Winking at Messina, Felicity leaned over the bar and called for the bartender. She didn't care if Eva said she was too young to drink. By golly, she deserved one.

The bartender's name was Walter C. Graves. A former lawyer who was down on his luck, and tended bar to make ends meet, at least for the moment. On his days off, Walter did some light paperwork for a a local group of businessmen.

Mr. Durden was a mysterious man he had met only once, and even then all he had seen was a gloved hand sticking out of a shiny new Cadillac. Messina handled his pay and such, and was coincidentally seated at the bar and engaged in conversation with two women, both of the new.He had been watching the blonde out of the corner of her eye for some time now. Something seemed...off about her. Maybe he was just being paranoid, he mused as he plucked a bit of lint off the top of an upside down glass.

Looking up, he saw the blonde woman glancing over at him. He hurried over to Messina's group.

"What can I get for you, miss?"

Falcon sat alone at the bar, sipping on some expensive whishey and knawing at a rather large steak. There wasn't much steak left, mainly bone, with bits and pieces of beef left. Falcon wasn't one to waste anything, clearly evident by his ever growing waist line. The small bar had been a gift to himself, to celebrate all his hardwork and recent success. He had sent everyone home nearly two hours ago. The steak had been prephared and cooked by Falcon himself, something he hated doing with a passion.

The clock hands continued to move forward, slowly like the ever creeping ice caps. His patience being tested with head tick of the clock. Felicity was due to call by now. Why Dean had chosen hef for this assignment was far beyond his comprehension. Sure, she was a pretty face, someone you noticed before everyone else, but that wasn't the best way to infiltrate a well known gang. Falcon knew that whatever Dean had planned was thought out to the T. He trusted his judgement, but he just wasnt sold on Felicity being the key to breaking this thing down.

Fifteen minutes after she was due to call, a bit of doubt entered Falcons mind. Timing was the key to success, every minute that a plan ran late further increased the chances of failing. Failure wasn't something that was accepted or allowed in The New York Jungle. He picked up the phone and dialed the HQ. His stick in the mud right hand woman Kate had stayed behind to handle all his paperwork. She was a ok in that respect, always dotting the Is and crossing the Ts. Falcon had tried more than once to get her out of the office, but she declined with a look of suspicion in her eyes. Prehaps she thought it was more than what it really was.

The phone rang multiple times, this was concerning. Kate always picked up on the first ring. Even when she was neck deep in pointless reports, she answered promptly. A quick glance of the clock caused more concern to creep into his brain. There was no way that Kate had left this early. Something was happening and Falcon was left out of the loop.

He sat down at the desk to gather his thoughts before springing into action. Felicity was out there alone, attempting to weezle her way into a deadly and vicious gang. Should she slip up, everything New York worked so hard for could be in danger. On the other hand, his trusted right hand woman wasnt answering the phone. He needed her, she was his support system. As he pondered his choices, he reached into the desk and pulled out his twin revolvers. Before the night was over, these would most likely see some action.

As the blonde leaned in to give the bartender her order, Kate took the opportunity to scrutinize Durden's Consigliere more closely.  She could swear she'd seen him before...names floated around in her mind as she sipped her Tom Collins.  David was his name...suddenly it hit her and she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.  He had been in a month or two ago for questioning in a robbery case.  She had been his interrogator.  Kate put her glass down harder than she intended to, praying that he didn't remember her while still knowing the long memory he had for cops' names and histories.  She nervously reached into her purse for a silver cigarette case, flicking it open swiftly and pulling out a long, thin cigarette.  She put it to her lips and smiled into the man's eyes.

"Got a light by any chance?"

The man smirked and nodded, pulling a zippo out of his pocket and flicking it open for her.  She leaned in and lit her cig on the flame, her eyes never leaving Messina's.  He knew.  Or maybe he didn't.  She couldn't be sure.

"Th-thanks, David."

"Not a problem...Carmen, was it?"

"Yes.  Carmen."

"Mmhm...funny thing...I could swear I've seen you before...do you dine in the restaurant out front often?"

"Well...I...I've been here with a few friends sometimes.  But not terribly often, no."

The man nodded, still smirking sinisterly.  Her gaze dropped slowly away from his, turning instead to her drink. She tried to drink it nonchalantly, belying her fast-beating heart.

"I don't know...I seem to remember you with...heh, with a pair of handcuffs, wasn't it, Miss Beckett?"

She froze, her head turning slowly back to him as her hand clutched the gun in her purse. She nudged Felicity hard in the ribs to catch her attention.

"B-Beckett? I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about...sir."

"What can I get for you, miss?" the bartender had asked her.

With a smile she looked at the various bottles, different colors, shapes and sizes. How amazing! Drinking looked so super fun! Pointing to one big, brown jug, her eyes lit up in delight and she couldn't contain her excitement.

"I'll have some of *that*, if you don't mind?" she said, almost bouncing in her chair in excitement. No, she didn't know what it was called, and yes, she was pretty sure it was going to taste like something really icky, but it was going to be her first drink. Her FIRST drink!

A large pain in her ribs brought her back to reality and out of her daydream. With a tiny scowl she turned her head slightly to listen in to the conversation happening around her. Waving her hand to bat away the cigarette smoke, she felt her stomach squeeze in dread as she heard Messina lower his voice dangerously.

"...Detective Beckett, wasn't it? Gotta say, I never forget a face and yours is... especially striking," Messina was saying.

Felicity froze, her heart catching in her chest. Beside her she could feel Kate's body freezing in unison with her own. Oh boy, they were in a sticky situation. She had to be calm, she had to stay reasonable and level-headed and she had to get them out of this situation.

...They were screwed.

"I really just... I don't think..." Kate was stammering.

"Didn't think? That's a good one," the man's voice responded, and with that Felicity took a deep breath and turned to face Messina.

His hand was inching toward his waistband, clamping on something tucked behind his jacket. A glimpse of metal caught the gleam of the light off the bar. This situation was about to get bad; and the blonde girl knew, without a doubt, now was the time to pull herself together and act to save not only her life, but the life of her dear friend Kate.

"Oh whoa, what are you doing?!" Fel asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Instinctively she reached over and placed her hand in a delicate grip on Messina's arm.

"What're you doing?" he asked roughly, pausing his progress.

"Stopping you from whatever you're about to do," she said, lowering her voice. "I don't know what your problem is, Sir, but my friend Carmen and I are merely looking for a fun evening. This wasn't on the menu, I assure you."

"Your friend 'Carmen' is a fucking cop," David said, moving his head to look beyond her. Felicity slightly turned her head to follow his line of vision. In the distance she saw a group of four very large, very scary looking men.

"Friends of yours?" she asked, turning back. "Trying to send a signal? Don't do this, Davie."

"Don't 'Davie' me. Here I was thinking you were just fucking stupid, but you're in on this too, aren't you?"

Frustrated, Felicity increased her grip on the man's arm. She knew that she would not be able to stop him; in sheer size alone he had her beat. And she and Kate were definitely no match if he were to call the group of men across the room over.

"Look here," she tried saying in the most intimidating voice she could muster. "You leave your friends out of this. You calm down. You're going to sit here and have a drink with us. In twenty minutes you're going to walk out of here with us, and we're going somewhere private to have a chat. Understand?"

From the corner of her eye she saw Kate staring at her like she was insane. She'd show her. She'd show everyone. Felicity Rourke could handle anything thrown her way.

"And if I don't want to play this game, eh?" Messina had the balls to ask.

Fishing in her purse, she pulled out the gun she had inherited from her mother. Laying it on top of her purse, barely visible to the rest of the bar, but directly within David's eyesight, the young girl smiled and shrugged with a giggle.

"Then things look really bad for you. Oh, and trust me, I'm 'fucking stupid' enough to aim where it counts."

Prophet was sent to infiltrate the Durdens gang's top members and get inside their inner circle, well that didn't work out quite well, considering he was in a large group of guards that was about to shoot at two girls he swear he had seen before. Nervously Prophet turned his head and said to the man at the front of the pack, "Joey what are we doing with them two are gals'?" "You're new I'll let you off with that question, but what ever the boss says we gotta do it, or we could be on the wrong side of a pack like those ladies over there," "Well, doesn't seem fair with five of you boys and two of Dem' girls," "Life ain't fair buddy," Prophet was going through his brain practically going crazy going over different scenarios in his head.

Prophet had to act quick or dem' ladies we're chopped liver for the lazy bastard guards out front dining. Prophet then pulled out his gun and shoved it into Joey's back. "Look I know this is your gang, now order them to move back from the bar or I shoot. Your life isn't worth that low life's protection, now come with me buddy." "What are you doing Tommy you little shit!" "Life ain't fair buddy get used to it."

So Prophet gun in hand maneuvered Joey so the group would follow his lead up and out the bar and in the alley way where the back door to the kitchen was, he then released his gun and leaned over and whispered in Joey's ears, "Now you and your boys skip town get outta' here before the Durdens find ya,"
"And why would we leave it's five on one now," "You think I'm some dumb punk that walked in? I brought some friends with me," Prophet then waved and a few men came out of the neighbouring building and from the shadows of the next alleyway, Joey nervously looked at all of them keeping a mental count in his head. "Alright have it your way, but one of these days you'll get whats coming to ya! Come on boys I here New Orleans has a good Beignet shop."

Prophet then went back into the kitchen and repeated the password to get in, he went to the other end of the bar from the two girls and a man named Walter C. Graves approached him, "Hey Walter C. Graves I'm the bartender what can I get for ya?" "I don't know get me a scotch maybe add some ice, nothing special." Prophet then sipped at his drink making sure not to look over to see how the girls are doing, so he wouldn't cause any trouble, well more then he already did, hey if anything went south he always had a gun the mental state that he was bullet proof to get out.

Kate, too, slipped her gun out of her purse as Felicity spoke to Messina.  She leveled it at his stomach, her gaze trained closely on him, watching for any kind of a signal he might be sending to the men across the room.  Her finger trembled on the trigger as he glared furiously between the two women.  Finally, he snorted in frustration and turned back around to the bar, glaring into his lemon water.  Felicity slipped the gun off the counter and her face almost immediately transformed back into its usual exuberantly pink shade.

"Okey dokey, then! Ooh, look, the bartender has my drink!"

As the blonde sipped tentatively at the drink, Kate glanced quickly around the room.  Her gun was still pointed right at Messina's stomach, although he didn't seem to have noticed yet.  The four burly men were lounging about, chatting amongst one another, and flirting with the waitresses.  He hadn't alerted them yet.  Her eyes continued scanning the room.  Her eyes caught for a moment on a face she vaguely recognized.  It was a man named Prophet, and he was muttering in his deep sleep on the bartop.  Something about guns and four men and girls and a beignet shop.  Didn't really seem to fit too much in with what was going on around them, but she supposed he must be enjoying his little dream.  He was kind of cute like that.  She finally fixed her gaze back on Messina with a wide, forced grin.

"You know, I think you're right, Mr. Messina.  You have met me at the police station--I work there as a secretary a few days a week--not much, but it pays the bills.  How funny that I didn't recognize you before...you have rather distinctive features."

The man nodded in reluctant affirmation, his gaze burning with so much rage Kate was slightly amazed he wasn't evaporating the drink in front of him.  She leaned toward him, bringing her half-burnt cigarette to her lips and taking a drag.  She slowly blew the smoke into his face before muttering softly to him.

"David, shouldn't you be enjoying yourself? You have two beautiful ladies fawning over you, with all the liquor in the world available.  You should be chatting them up, no?"

Messina turned his glare to her, tempering it with a small smirk similar to the one that had painted his face when he called her out for being a cop.  She felt a drop of fear quiver inside her.  Then she saw his hand.  He had it close to his side, but was subtly making a beckoning gesture with his hand toward the four men at the back.  She glanced quickly back to the men, who had stopped their festivities and were now making their ways quickly over to the bar.  She pulled the trigger before she knew what she was doing.

The call was never going to come, Falcon had become well aware of that. In the minutes that had stretched on like days, he had come to terms with the situation. Felicity was in over her head, she would need back up. Alot was riding on her tiny shoulders, prehaps too much. The decision was made, he was going to find her. As he placed his revolvers into their holsters, he phoned the HQ once more.

Ring, Ring, Ring... Obviously Kate wasnt there. On the fifth ring, his associate Zeus answered. There was a sense of unsureness in his voice. He quickly apologized for answering a phone he wasnt supposed to touch, then explained that Kate had given the orders for him to handle the phone while she stepped out on buisness. After appologizing again, he told Falcon there was a single note left on the desk. The word Durden was written on the paper, circled in bright red. Without responding, Falcon hung up and headed for the door. Felicity must have called Kate into this, now two of his trusted friends where into something pretty deep and dark. He had to react, and he had to react now.

His car was parked directly infront of the bar, the local police had learned along time ago to ignore his illegal parking. The car started quickly and loudly, it wasnt built to haul a massive man like Falcon, but it held its own. He drove the streets quickly, searching for the Durdens hang out. After passing it twice, he spotted it. Parking on a side street, he sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Storm the place and leave no one alive, or attempt to be suttle about it. Removing each revolver from the hostler, he checked the bullets, ensuring that he was ready. These revolvers had been a gift from his dying father, they came with a promise that they had never missed. This promise had held true for years. A sense of calm settled across Falcon as he opened the car door and stepped into the streets.

It was quiet, too quiet even. With every step he took closer to the building, a sense of anger was boliing within him. It would turn really ugly, really fast if something had happened to Kate and Felicity. A sound rang out that stopped him dead in his tracks. A single shot had been fired, it was muffled, clearly coming from the building. Ladies, I'm coming to get you, no matter what...he said to himself as he quicked his pace towards the entrance.

Zeus had answered a phone he was never supposed to touch as it had kept on ringing and it was infuriating him.Even all the time he had spent in the army had not helped in reducing that impatient streak he had.He always hated it when the phone kept on ringing,as if he did not have enough to contend with to be disturbed by the 'ring-ring' of the phone.He had been extremely relieved when he saw Kate coming into the office that day.That meant that the phone would not go beyond one ring.It, also meant,quite unfortunately that he could not under any circumstance touch the phone or the beer cupboard in the room.So,he had done what he did best.He did nothing.However,he heard the phone ring again.He expected it to be picked up in the first ringand it was.He heard the crisp 'Beckett' start the call and then he could not hear much, he assumed it was something non-important.However,when he heard Kate's voice again it was filled with seriousness.He heard something like "Miss Rourke" and that could mean only one person,Felicity Rourke,who while being an indespensible cog in the working of the New York Jungle had about the same deal of street-smarts as said cog.

He could only assume she had trapped herself in some kind of trouble and she needed help from Kate.He sat himself upright on the couch rather than in the sleeping position he was in.Kate rushed past him and then came out wearing clothes Zeus never thought she had in her wardrobe.She walked straight past him to the door and after she did,she turned back and said "You,Take care of the phone" to which the only reply Zeus had was

Aye,Aye Cap'n

Kate seemed on the verge of launching herself into another tirade about what a worthless human being Zeus was but she seemed to think better of it and she turned around and headed into the night.So,Zeus was now stuck with two choices.One,Do nothing and Two,Take a beer out of the beer cupboard in the room and do nothing.He chose the latter and he went off in the direction of the cupboard and soon emerged with two beers.He carried said beers over to the couch he was seated on and placed them near him, opening one and taking a sip.

As he took a sip, the phone rang again,he stood up and dragged himself towards the phone and then he thought better of it, he had been told 'Never touch this phone' by the Boss but now Kate had told him to attend to phone calls.He seated himself on the chair nearby and tried to figure this out, mean while the phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing.He lost his temper finally and with a few choice swear words he took it and all it took was a simple gruff "Hello" from the man on the other end of the line to make Zeus regret his choice to take this call.It was the Boss,the same Boss who had told him never to touch this phone.He decided to wing it and he told Falcon all about what Kate had did and as he was doing so, he spotted a slip of paper on the table with the single word "Durden" writen on it.He reported to the Don what he had seen and he did not get any reply from his.All he heard was the click of a telephone reciever being placed in it's cradle.That was when he realized that Miss Rourke should be in some deep shit if even the Boss was getting into action.He leaped out of the HQ and raced for his car.Remembering half way his beer and he ran back for it and then raced back to his car.He got behind the wheel of his black Buick and he started it.This car was the funnel for all his income, he had spent more money on this car than on himself and now it may not be a moving fortress like the one Falcon had but this little baby could out run an air plane if need be.The car started and he then moved it into gear and headed for the bar where Don Falcon was supposed to be.He saw the car turn around a corner and he started to follow it at a care ful distance.He knew that the Boss would get mad if he knew he was following him around but something in the pit of Zeus' stomach told him that Don Falcon and Felicity could use some help.

He saw Falcon park the car in front of a bar called Ameta's.Said bar was supposed to be a hot spot for the 'Fight Club' and he could not help but exclaim into the darkness

So, this is against the Fight Club,eh?

He watched his Boss get out of the car and head into the club.He then decided to wait and go back in if there was a sign that the others were in distress.He light a cigarette and settled down to wait in his car.

Fulmineo walked out of a Bar and saw Zeus park his car behind his bosses car and wait....."I wonder whats going on he said aloud"...Maybe I should follow Falcon inside and be a little nosy.......Then a single Gun shot rang out. Oh Crap!! I'm missing all the fun!.... Fulmineo grabs his Gun and heads on inside.......The scene in the secret barroom is a mess Falcone is shooting (without missing a shot) and it seems he;s trying to help  two lovely ladies out of a tight spot.."Who should I help? Falcon....or the Guy Bleeding out on the Floor?" The Burly man swinging his Gun towards Fulmineo decides the issue.....He lift his gun up and shoots him in the Family jewels..... "O crap!, I've drawn attention to myself" He  has no reloads so this is his one and only clip....."Oh Well guess I'm just gonna have to make due...." Fulmineo swings his gun around sets his sights on a target and shoots.