No excuse for my abandoning you will suffice so I won't insult you all by trying to give one. Please forgive my dropping of the face of the earth when I had promised you an explanation. Better late than never, so here it is.

A normal girl would have walked through her boyfriend's front door. But Kat wasn't a normal girl, she was a thief. Though, that was not the reason she snuck in through the window on that chilled fall night.

Hale's mansion didn't feel like home. It hadn't for several months. Somehow, when she wasn't looking, time had passed and she grown further and further away from Hale.

When they were younger, Hale was always there with a firm grip on Kat, lest she fall or try and run away again. He was as close as a person could get to Katarina Bishop. He was Hale. There were no words to describe him other than his name. No definition for the emotions and gratitude Kat felt towards him.

Over time, Hale's firm grip on Kat had lessened. It became harder and harder to speak like they used to. Emotions changed. Time passed. Hearts broke.

It was almost painful for Kat to speak to him now, because every time she did she was reminded of what it used to be like, compared to what it was now. Their relationship seemed like a hollow, sickly version of it's former self.

This was why, on that night Kat snuck into her boyfriend's house. She knew full well that she could have used the front door. But the front door was for guests, family. Kat was a stranger.

A surge of melancholy rushed through her as Kat crossed the threshold of the house through the same window she had used on the night she first met Hale. Sadly the warm memory only worsened her craving for the old days. Kat felt homesick for a time long passed. One she could never get back. As all thieves know, time is the one thing you can't steal.

Kat stood in the open door way to Hale's bedroom. His sleeping form lay tucked under the sheets. Hale's broad chest rose and fell at a steady rate.

Kat's thoughts traveled back through the last few months. Everything had changed. She hadn't even been aware of the shift until it had happened. What had once felt like warm sunlight was now cold and unnatural.

Hale shifted and seemed to rise to consciousness.

"Kat?" He called. She wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming. But she knew one thing. Kat wanted to be near him again. Touching Hale wouldn't bring him back to her, not really, but Kat needed to be close to him once more. If only physically.

Katarina moved silently across the room and slipped in beside him. Her cold fingertips on his chest woke Hale.

"You're here." Hale said with a sleepy smile. His hair was a mess in that sexy sort of way. Hale looked gorgeous, even when half asleep, but something was missing from his smile. It's absence felt like a punch in Kat's gut.

"I'm here." Kat assured him in a whisper.

Hale shifted to wrap his arms around her. Coddled in his embrace, Kat relaxed slightly and rested her head on his bare chest.

"How was the Dubai job?" Hale yawned.

"The usual." Kat admitted. "Did the partners agree to sign the contract?"

"It took some persuasion, but they caved eventually."

If felt as though their lives were separate. In truth, they were. Hale had more and more responsibilities within the company and now came on less and less heists. They couldn't be seen together; lest one of Hale's business competitors find out he was dating a criminal mastermind and use it against him. Kat and the crew were constantly flying around the world looking for new heists, which left little time for simply being together.

It was as though they lived in two different universes that only connected when Kat and Hale were alone. Now a days, Kat wasn't sure they were connected at all.

The same thought must have been on Hale's mind as well because after a moment of silence he whispered. "I miss you."

"What do you mean? I'm right here." She tired to smile.

"You know what I mean, Kat."

Another moment of silence passed before Kat said. "I miss you too."

He sighed. "This isn't going to work, is it?" Hale soundly utterly defeated.

"No. It's not." There was no fighting what was happening. No way to fix it.

"Will you hate me if I say I just want to be friends?" Hale teased. He was trying to make light of the situation.

Kat punched him in the side, but couldn't help but smile slightly at the cliché.

"Really though, Kat. We'll still be friends right? I don't think I could stand to loose you entirely."

"Yes, Hale. We'll still be friends." Kat couldn't loose him either.

"Good."

They had shifted so that Kat no longer laid her head on his chest. Instead they lay facing each other, holding hands.

As they drifted together closer to sleep, Hale's firm grip on Kat had lessened to the point where only their fingertips touched. Hale was close, yet so far away. It wasn't a lover that lay beside Kat now, but a friend she couldn't live without. Kat couldn't help but feel like this is how it should be.

"You know I'll always love you, Kat." Hale whispered.

"And I'll always love you…. Wyatt?"

Hale chuckled softly. "Guess again."

And that was how they slipped from consciousness, playing the guessing game they had for years. Kat and Hale's fingertips stayed laced together, even as they slept.

It was the last time they would lay down and dream together. The last time Kat would wake up to see the rays of golden sun shinning through the window to illuminate Hale's face.

She rose that morning before Hale woke. Kat studied his sleeping face for a few moments before forcing herself to get out of bed. She took one last look at the sleeping man and whispered "Goodbye, Hale." Then she did what thieves do best, what she had been doing her entire life. Katarina Bishop disappeared into the shadows of the world.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts so please feel free to review. -A very sorry Niephora