Washington DC. The capital of the United States. The symbol for freedom and justice. It's where politicians gather to make laws affecting us all. It's where tourists go, hoping to spy the leader of our nation, the President of the United States. Unfortunately for a small group of tourists at the White House, that dream has been squished.

"What do you mean he isn't here!?"

"Please, sir. If you can let me finish-"

"I brought my kids here all the way from WYOMING, and your telling me that the President isn't even here!"

"Sir, if you can get back in line please, I'll finish explaining." The tour guide glared at the Wyoming man until he finally took a step away from her. "Now, as I was saying, the President is not here, but even if he was, I'm afraid you would not have seen him. This tour does not go through the first family's private rooms. If you would like, the help desk can contact your state representative. If you'll just follow me there are many sites of historical interest."

"So where is the President?"

"He's taking a short vacation in Wyoming, sir."

The woman in the back of the line grinned as she walked past security and inside with the tour group. This was almost too easy. Security was lax due to the president not being there, the only people in the building were tour groups, the house staff, and a few security guards. No one will expect what she was going to do. No one, not even herself.

"Sir, we've got a situation."

Nick Fury glared at his operations officer. "Just what kind of a situation do we have, Lieutenant?"

"The FBI is calling us in for backup. There's a hostage situation at the White House."

With a jump, Fury was standing behind the Lieutenants chair staring at the computer monitor. "The President?"

"No sir, the President and First Family are not in residence currently. It's a group of tourists."

"Get me a full report Lieutenant. I'll order operatives to move out. Keep me informed."

"I swear I'll blow her head off!" The fake Domino grinned as she waved her gun around the head of her hostage. The girl was only around 10 years old. Not even a sniper would risk hitting her, just to get a shot at the terrorist who had her arm snug against the girl's waist.

The FBI agent in charge regarded the situation and decided not to chance it. "What do you want...?"

Just the chance she'd been waiting for. "The name's Domino and I won't be talking to any negotiators right now. I want a news crew. I'll only talk to them."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Domino grinned over her shoulder as G.W. Bridge gave her another disapproving look.

"Of course! X-Force and I did this months ago to get into the M.L.F.. It worked like a charm!"

Another doubtful look was sent her way. "Weren't you and a couple of X-Force kids captured by O.Z.T.?"

"Geeze Bridge, you always look at the down side of things."

Domino walked up the steps of the White House and proceeded inside. Down the main foyer and to the left was a large group of FBI agents and a few Marines. They were standing outside of a door, glaring at it as if that would produce the criminal from behind.

"You the news crew?" A tall marine asked. He gave Domino a long perusal and then glared at Bridge. "Hey don't I know you?"

"I get that a lot," Bridge mumbled. He was wearing a baseball hat and had tinted his white beard. He didn't see any change in appearance but Domino had assured him that he was hardly recognizable. She also had assured him that the dye would wash out of his beard.

The Marine waved them forward and pointed at the door. "We can't go in or else she'll kill a hostage. This goes into the hallway. It's the third door down. I suggest you start talking from the minute you go in those doors. If you're lucky, maybe she won't kill you." He gave a crooked grin and then waved the other soldiers back as they opened the door.

Domino walked in first with Bridge walking stealthily behind. As soon as the door shut behind them, Bridge began to unhook the camera. He pulled out two pistols and threw one at Domino. "You're sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course not, but it's the only one that presented itself."

He rolled his eyes at her answer and tried to slow down his pulse. Slowly they crept along the hallway to the door the soldier had indicated. Bridge knocked loudly on it. "It's the news crew!" He shouted.

The door slowly opened and Bridge could see a few of the hostages. He could also see the light source and took quick aim letting off a shot before the door was even fully opened. He then rolled into the dark room with Domino right behind him. He lowered the sunglasses that had sat perched on his head. They were actually night vision goggles. Domino had hopefully put on her own pair.

"What the hell!" He could hear the other woman screaming and fumbling around in the dark. Then he heard the scariest sound of all. A bullet flew past his head as he rolled behind a chair.

"Everyone get down." He hoped the tourists weren't frightened enough to panic and try to run towards the door. They'd be dead before they got there.

"Oh how sweet of you Bridge to make the targets so much easier to hit. I'll just aim at the floor."

"Over my dead body, witch!" Bridge saw the figure of Domino jump towards her double. Domino had dropped her gun and was trying to wrestle her double's gun out of her hands.

She managed to knock the gun under a couch cushion, but that didn't mean she had won. The double had surprisingly a lot of upper body strength. She started punching any exposed area of Domino's body. Her stomach and face took the worst of the hits.

"Knock it off!" She shouted and laid a mean right hook into the doubles face.

"I at least thought you'd come all the way in the door in disguise, Domino! You must be getting a little more cautious in your old age." Somehow the double managed to kick Domino off of her and was rapidly reversing their positions.

Domino refused to be beaten yet and was able to get out from under her attacker. She kicked the other woman in the stomach and sent her rolling back into a chair. "Oh shut up! A girl gets over 30 and all of a sudden people think she's past her prime!" Another kick and the double wasn't moving anywhere right away. She was struggling for consciousness.

"How did I let you beat me again," she cried out.

"Simple, I'm better than you." She looked at the other woman with pity and hatred. "Gryaznova," she sighed. "When will you let it lie. You carry this grudge thing a little to far."

"GRUDGE!" The other woman shrieked. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE! THIS ISN'T A GRUDGE! Now I've ruined yours! Your no longer just a petty mercenary, you're a world terrorist!"

Domino realized her mistake in hitting Gryaznova towards that particular couch. The other woman grabbed the gun from underneath it, aimed and fired before anyone could stop her.

Domino prepared herself for the bullet to hit, but at the last minute it was intercepted. By G. W. Bridge.

"DOMINO!" He yelled as he threw himself in front of the bullet. He felt it pierce through his shoulder and he grinned as he fell to the ground, for Domino had been able to grab the smaller pistol she had put in her shoe. She knocked off a shot, cleanly piercing through Gryaznova's chest.

In the next instant she was on her knees standing over Bridge. "G.W.? Are you all right?" There was definite concern in her eyes and he played up his injury a little bit more.

"Ohh... The pain!" He clutched the wound and rolled onto his back. He didn't have to fake the groans he emitted. It was truly a painful wound but he had survived worse, much worse.

"I think I've seen you with worse," she whispered, but bent to kiss him. She was mere inches away from his lips when the door burst open and 15 black-clad figures rushed into the room, carrying flashlights.

Bridge struggled to his feet. "It's all right. It's all right. Everything is taken care of."

"I knew I'd seen you before!" The marine shouted out. "G. W. Bridge! Hey Directory Fury! You better get in here!"

Bridge groaned under his breath as Fury was led in along with and electrician to fix the lights.

"Well? What are you waiting for!" Fury bellowed. "She's standing right there! Arrest her! If she resists, shoot her!"

"Actually sir, ya shouldn't be arresting the little lady, she actually saved us." The Wyoming man stepped forward, hat in hand and pointed at Bridge and Domino. "Both of them saved us. It was that one there," he motioned in the direction of Gryaznova's still form, "that kidnapped us. These two saved our lives."

Fury looked at the Wyoming man, the still form of Gryaznova and back at Domino. "Arrest her anyway, she's still a criminal."

Bridge, still holding his injured arm stepped around Domino and right in front of his commanding officer. "Sir, if you do that, I will personally file a report to Washington informing them of some alleged illegal activity from the S.H.I.E.L.D. office."

Fury grinned. "There isn't any illegal activity. What are you talking about?"

"I'll give them enough false proof to keep them digging through your business for a few years, trying to confirm it. Long enough to postpone all of your missions. Including that one to Latveria you're arranging."

Fury glared down at him. "Fine."

He turned to Domino. "I'm giving you an hour before I send my agents to track you down. Understand?"

"Perfectly Fury. It wouldn't be an exciting month if I didn't have one of your snot-nosed lieutenants trying to track me down."

Two weeks later, G.W. Bridge was sitting alone on a park bench in Central Park. He had been taken directly to the hospital with the hostages and it had only taken a few hours to fix up his shoulder. He was still wearing an arm sling, but he believed he was on the mend.

After he had checked out, he had looked for Domino. None of the soldiers remembered seeing her after the hostages had filed out of the White House. She had simply up and disappeared. He had called all of her contact numbers trying to locate her.

Finally, yesterday, he had received a message to be in Central Park at 2 p.m. He had been given specific instructions on what to wear and where exactly he was supposed to be.

So here he was, sitting. Just sitting and waiting. Unaware of what to expect.

"Hey Bridge." He turned around and saw that she was right behind him. How had she managed to sneak up on him?

She was dressed in jeans and an "Austin 3:16" T-shirt on. Her hair was pulled back from her face, proudly displaying her facial tattoo.

"I was actually worried you wouldn't come," she grinned at him and walked around to sit on the bench with him. "How's the arm?"

"It's fine. The doctors said that I'll get full range of motion back in a few more weeks."

"Good, good." She trailed off and stared across the park at a small pond.

"What are you going to do now, Dom?"

"Do? I don't know. Maybe I'll head for the Rockies. I've got some unfinished business up there." She shrugged and then laughed. "Why do you ask?"

"You could stay here you know."

She looked at him seriously for a minute. "I know Bridge, I know." Then she shook her head and stood up. "It would never work. It will never work. There's Cable-"

"There will always be Cable," he finished for her.

"I'm sorry Bridge. It's just the way it is. Maybe in another life-"

"Or maybe in a few more years." He stood up and grinned down at her grabbing a hand and squeezing it. "Until then, I'll always be your best government ally."

"Thanks Bridge." She gave him a quick kiss on the check and started to walk away. "I'll let you know how I'm doing from time to time to keep you from getting any more gray hairs worrying about me!"

He laughed and watched her walk away. Well it wasn't the deep meaningful relationship he wanted, but it would work. Friendship was always the best kind of relationship to have with Domino.