Cameron: Cameron and the other kids had all been filed into the Hale house along with a few of the elder pack members who opted to protect the kids instead of jumping in on the front lines. The kids had relaxed and knew they were mainly here out of a safety precaution in case anything went bad, they’d all be in an easily defensible home. Cameron was moving past the front door, she stopped their periodically to listen for any cars in hopes of their family’s coming back. This time she heard something else. She took in a sharp breath, the air mixed with scents she didn’t recognize. She turned around to call out “Guys!” But shortly after the sound left her mouth the door burst behind her and she flung across the small walk way the door and her crashing into the wall. The young wolf was momentarily stunned.
Lolana: ( okay leaving soon but i volunteer lolana to either pass out, faint, get hurt, taken, idc you guys have fun and let me know what's up when i'm back )
Jules: Jules was of course worried about the pack who were fighting on the front line. They were her family but staying with the other teens was okay with her. It was supposed to be safer in here, and maybe they were just being paranoid, but it was better safe then sorry. She was sitting on the floor, messing with one of the knives she'd gotten from Allison. Eyes wondering over the place before focusing back on what she'd been doing. Hearing Cameron call out, Jules stood up quickly. Throwing knives in her hand. She looked around only to see a figure that was shifted out, throwing one of the blades but missing before going to try and help Cameron up. There was more than one from what she could see.
Beckett: Beckett was easily contemplating travelling to the preserve with the rest of the pack, but ultimately decided to stay behind and keep everyone else back home, safe. It took a massed amount of time for him to decide this, and had he known where his siblings were prior to the altercation with the pack, he woud've fought on the front. After getting his last text from Cameron, the male knew he had only a limited time before things grew progressively ugly. Using the speed he possessed with his werewolf tendencies, he all but ran through the trail of woods and trees, panting as he configured a way to manuver through the path to the Hale household. With the hearing that was also an accompany to the werewolf abilites, he coud hear a faint yell grasp his attention. And it sounded like Cameron. Picking up a decent thrust of speed, it took the werewolf within two minutes to find himself at the Hale front door, also having the fact that other foreign bodies whom he'd never met before were also at the home. "Cam?" He called out, his adrenaline pumping through his coursed veins as he stood a small few feet away from the creatures, confusion and concern vacating his complexion.
Jeremy.: If it hadn’t been for Jules texting him, Jeremy probably wouldn’t have cared. As much as he’d like to think this was his battle; that was never the case. He was much like his father in that sense. He sat on the back lines and he observed because at the end of the day, if you learned how your opponent moved, you were more than likely to win. For this fight, part of him wanted to be on the front lines because that’s where Chris would have wanted him. He didn’t need the guns, but that certainly hadn’t stopped him from grabbing them. Crossbows had never been his thing, but you give him a gun and he was more than willing to shoot someone with it. With the pack involving humans, the extra protection was for them. He was able to follow his sister’s scent right to the house and when he noticed the door was already open, he was pretty sure this wasn’t going to be good. Jeremy’s main priority was to protect his sister and that’s exactly where he ended up. “Having a plan would have worked wonders.” He muttered to her, his eyebrow rising at the throwing knives. As far as he knew, she didn’t even know how to use them properly. “Take the gun. We’ve been told not to kill, but the bullets are laced with Wolfsbane. I can smell it. So shoot to thrill, not to kill.” It had been a collection in the basement. He looked towards the other, eyes dancing over Cameron for a moment before he swiftly moved across the room, putting himself in front of the creatures and the girl. "Get up." He muttered. He knew from experience being on the ground was going to be the one thing they took advantage of.
Cora: Cora was in the house watching and waiting for the latest update. She couldn't believe that history was repeating itself. But she wasn't going to let what happened last time happen again. That is most definitely for sure. She had her claws ready, and she was not going o let anyone get hurt. She will die before any of them get hurt.
Cameron: Cameron pushed the door off of her, a sharp pain shooting from her side. The world was in a blurry haze for a few moments before she heard Beckett's voice. "You're late." she muttered struggling to stand. She could feel her body already healing itself but it didn't make it hurt any less. "Did you see how many of them came in?" She questioned her eye's scanning the room noticing only a handful of figures. They must have been expecting only young teens not the handful of elders they had also there to help. She noticed none seemed to be attacking to kill, they were only trying to contain. They must have been hoping to use the kids as leverage.
Jules: Jules backed away as the door was pushed off, looking down at Cameron before looking at her brother. She knew that she could count on her brother, and actually felt better with him here. Jules knew that he was safe if he was here with her. She didn't like guns, not really. They made her uncomfortable but she knew that wouldn't change anything. She never wanted to take another life, but if it meant Jeremy and her friends were safe, then she might. She really didn't know. Jules swallowed hard, looking up at her brother and Cameron before standing behind Jeremy. "I don't know how to shoot." She admitted. Chris never got around to teaching her and she'd never been interested in knowing. "HOw many are there?"
Beckett: Searching eyes passed the numbered people Beck made account of counting as an attempt to advocate for him trying to take one of them on if he so needed so. But the voice of Cameron conversed to him broke his focus for a few moments. Nodding feverishly to the direction of the opened house, he responded with his voice near to crack as he spoke. "I know, I'm sorry -- I needed to make sure everyone else was fine without me." Breathing in deeply, his chest began to heave as he clenched his fists into tight balls, the change of his werewolf form begging to come out. The male coud feel his teeth sharpening within seconds, shaking his head in disbelief. "There's only a few, maybe six." He replied, the hair gorwing on the back of his neck standing as the brisk wind sliced through. "Just stay inside, I'll see if I can't put myself to good use after leaving the Preserve." Beckett remarked, slowly moing backward to leave room for him to change, his normally caramel eyes switching to it's emerald green as the rest of him was tense and rigid. Howling up toward the horizon, Beck swiveled up to the unfamiliar bodies, his wolf shape now coming into view.
Jeremy.: Once he noticed Cameron was fine, Jeremy moved to stand next to Cora, a small chuckle sounding in his voice at the nails. “Typical Hale behavior,” he murmured, claws extending in the process. If he had to fight, he would. He doubted this group was just going to leave. He still had no idea what they wanted, but all in all – he was quite content with where he was. He could feel his fangs expanding, his face contorting into half human, half monster. Jeremy had control over his shift, but unlike some people, he didn’t get the ability to become an actual wolf. But he was also grateful he didn’t have some monstrous form like his father had. “You aim and shoot, Jules. It’s self-explanatory.” His main priority was to protect his sister. Since she was human, he hadn’t exactly been raised like Allison had been. Chris had never taught her and Peter couldn’t do much teaching when it came out that she had missed the wolf gene completely. “Beckett, we stand a better chance….” He didn’t even get to finish before he watched the other boy back out of the room. “Jules, stay behind me. If they get close, I want you to shoot.”
Nate: Nate was upstairs grabbing extra blankets when he heard everyone start to yell and loud crashes. He ran downstairs and looked around. "I was gone for five fucking minutes! What the hell is going on?" He half yelled looking around, hoping someone would give him an answer. Before he could get an answer he felt himself changing, still on the staircase.
Cameron: Cameron held her side still pressed in the doorway as she felt herself shit. Her eye's changed from their usual pale blue to a vibrant gold, her fangs elongated and her claws appeared. She was slightly incapacitated due to her injuries but she wasn't going to sit back and let other get hurt if she could do something else. Her head snapped toward the sound of Nate's voice she called out to him. "We are under attack!" She yelled out. She knew Beckett told her to stay inside but she couldn't. She moved toward the others slashing out at one of the wolves hoping to push them back. She knew they weren't killers and she herself was far from it, but she still had to make it look like they weren't going to back down. "Guy's push them back!" She shouted knowing what Scott would want, if the kids gave them an opening to escape. She hoped they'd fall back and leave them be before anyone else could get hurt.
Jules: Jules was so confused as to what was happening. She forgot to put up the mountain ash. The one job she had and Jules didn't do that. But she wasn't going to stand around and let everyone get hurt. Even though Jules was human, she wanted to help. She listened to Jeremy's instructions and nodded. Letting out a shake breath before backing up slowly.There was so much going on around her and Jules' head was spinning. She needed to get to a higher point, then she could use a bow better. Jules started running, attempting to go up the steps, but her leg was grabbed, sending her down and the gun going in front of her. Jules started kicking though, kicking at the wolf that had grabbed her. But she felt claws going into her leg, making the girl scream. "Jer!"
Beckett: Now being in the form of a definite creature, Beck had no control over where his legs took him. His first instinct was to pounce, but held the impulse as much as he possibly could as none of them seemed dangerous to begin with. A growl pervated his lips as he saw an incredulous wolf gunning for the Hale's household, and that was his green light to pass into a vengeful exterior. His growls sounded more muffled as he was simultaneously scattering his feet up to a random individual's body to compensate for him being the furthest from the house opening, that was until Onyx had left to go searching on her own. Beck met face-to-face with an obstinate wolf, making it hard to pass through the front lawn as he before he knew it he found himself laid across the ground, marks scaling up and down his arm as his eyes widened with surprise.
Jeremy.: It was times like this he wished his father was around. He had no idea where Peter was and really, as far as Jeremy knew, he could be plotting with this other pack. It wasn’t until he heard his sister yelling for him that his jaws snapped in the direction of the werewolf. If his father was somehow behind this, he’d like to think he wouldn’t have allowed his own children to get hurt. He lunged at the alpha, his nails sinking into skin as he clawed at skin. Jeremy had little to no control at this point. His family had been threatened. Still, he was only a beta. He officially could not over power the alpha and when the claws came across his face, Jeremy could only feel pain. Pain and anger; two things that did not mix no matter the circumstances. He was trying to do as Cameron suggested. Trying to push them back, but given their position it was a little harder. “You gotta pick up the gun, Jules.” He shouted loud enough for his sister to hear. It took Jeremy a long time to realize he had really come unprepared. If he shoved some extra knives in his jacket, Jules would have had multiple things to use to defend herself. “Shoot it. If they smell the Wolfsbane, they may leave.” Every werewolf that came to Beacon Hills should know who the Argent family was. Jeremy may not be blood related to them, but damn it, he had gained that last name and he was very proud of it. He blocked a second punch coming at his face, his claws digging into the alpha’s chest again. Jeremy snarled at him, golden eyes staring into red ones.
Nate: Nate took one last second to look around before running down the stairs. At this point Nate couldn't make a joke to calm the mood. He had told Julio he'd play Gandalf and keep anyone from getting in, even if it meant with his life, and he would keep the promise. He knew he couldn't over power an alpha, there was no way in hell he could. But he might not need to if he could outwit them. He ducked, avoiding a punch to the face and was quick to bring his hands up and claw at the larger wolf's face.
Cameron: Cameron let out a defensive growl as she saw what was transpiring before her eye's. She saw Jeremy and Jules and wanted to lend a hand but she knew getting in between Jeremy and the wolf that hurt Jules was not a brilliant plan. She pushed through tackling a wolf to the ground and started slashing at their chest The wolf quickly pushed her off though after letting out a muffled cry, it moved back and Cam stood back holding her side. She wasn't at her best and that's what frightened her. She hated feeling weak. "Guy's we need a plan!"
Jules: Jules looked around, people were getting hurt right in front of her. The girl's mind was racing as she hurried to sit up. Knives was something that she was more comfortable with, but guns. She wasn't familiar with them that much. But seeing her brother getting hurt, getting clawed and Cameron getting hurt drew the girl from her fears. Hearing Jeremy's words, Jules hurried to grab the gun, pointing it at the werewolf on her brother. She one eye before pulling the trigger, hitting it in it's shoulder. She got up, shooting in the air as a warning to the others. "Jer?"
Beckett: Picking himself off of the ground, Beckett's mind was soaring with irrelevant thought that was cluttering his process of registering everything in a clear view. Before he knew it, a shot had been fired, and the noise from the outside was simmering to a smooth silence for a matter of about ten seconds. Beck turned on his heel to fend off the other pack members lingering to stay. "Go upstairs, to an open door, and lock it. Have everyone in one place, or split up." He hoarsed, his eyes glimmering with anger as he hesitated before allowing his claws to slide through the leg of a wolf in his sight. As blurry as he began to see through his irises, he sloppily fought with his hands, his teeth tightening in anticipation. "Move fast!" He called out, in somewhat of an order to the teens still held captive in the house.
Nate: Nate gave the alpha one last slash to the chest before doing as his brother said and ran up stairs to an empty room. He locked it and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor after turning the lock.
Cameron: The wolf Cameron had cornered had bolted off and she made no effort to chase after it. It seemed as if most of them were retreating. "Guys! Is everyone okay!" She shouted moving her way back inside. (we can start wrapping it up)
((Here is the full Strike thread, starring the OC Aruya, KC Mephariz, and canon characters Sand, Daeghun, Duncan, Kana, and a mention of Elanee. Beware: death, depression, blood, gore, PTSD, and abuse. Excellent RP but read at your own risk!))
"Lin, what-" He stopped, comprehension dawning on his face. His eyes darkened, the hope he had felt at seeing her again fading as he realized what it meant. "They got you too."
“Sai-” She started. Then she closed her eyes, swallowing hard. “Yes. Yes, they did. They…I had to get the airbenders to safety. I couldn’t let Amon get them.”
She finally met his eyes, gaze firm, when she spoke, “I did what I had to do.”
Against her own will, her voice cracked.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping, and he moved to pull her into his arms. "I'm glad you're safe."He He murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
She deflated, leaning into him. She suddenly felt very tired. She buried her face in his shoulder. “I’m glad you are, too. I’m so glad.”
"I almost got away... Tenzin tried to save me, but..."He He scowled. ,"They used damned magnets, Lin. We didnt have a chance."
“There was nothing else you could have done. I…he pulled this all off…so fast. None of us stood a chance. I only hope Korra made it out safely.”
" Last I heard, she was still at large."He He sighed again , pulling back from her to step over towards the metal bars of their cell. "He made a show of it- waited until he had most of the city, and then... Took my mens bending. Saved me for last, as a... statement, i suppose. To the people." Saikhan pressed a hand against his forehead, his eyes flickering shut. "I couldn't save them."
Lin put a hand on his shoulder. She couldn’t think of any words that would be of any comfort to him now. She hated to think of him, of his men, sitting there, waiting for what would essentially cripple them. What…did cripple them.
She sighed, and settled with, “I’m sorry. Saikhan, I am so sorry.”
” I can’t imagine…” He turned towards her again, gathering her in her arms; in all of his wildest nightmares, he had never considered that it would be both of them who lost their bending, but now… “I’m so sorry, Lin.” He murmured against her hair, his voice muffled. “I…
“Shhh…” She wrapped her own arms around him, pulling him tighter to her. “Don’t. We’re alive, aren’t we? And we’re together. Let’s focus on that now.” Especially with her connection to the solid Earth just…gone…and she felt so…she needed him. Now. She buried her face in his shoulder again, just grateful he was there to keep her grounded right now.
Her warmth, her body pressed against his - it was all that seemed to hold him down, his only tether to the Earth that he’d once heard and felt so intimately. His whole life, earthbending had been an integral part of him, what made him who he was, and now…
It was gone. He couldn’t feel the earth, hear it calling to him. He was surrounded by stone and metal, and everything was silent, save for the beating of Lin’s heart against his chest.
She was his stone and steel, and now…
She was all he had.
” I wasn’t sure I’d see you again.” He finally admitted, a hand pressing flat against her back as he held her. He’d thought himself finished and her long gone, off to make sure the airbenders were safe before swooping back in to save the day, as she was so good at doing.
But here they were, in a damp, dark cell in the heart of an Equalist base.
Trapped in the belly of the beast.
“I wasn’t sure, either,” she said. “I just didn’t know. When Tenzin told me what had happened to you, I just…” She knew he’d be hauled off to an Equalist prison. That he’d be stripped of his bending. She just didn’t know what else would happen to him.
“And there was a moment, just a moment…I thought I would actually die.” Her voice was thick with the fear she had never shown anyone else. Would never. “There were two airships tailing us, and I knew there was no other way. I would have to take them down, and…”
She turned her head to bury her face into the base of his neck. “And all I could think about is how you wouldn’t know. And I might never see you again.”
He let out a deep, slow breath, his chest shuddering unevenly, though he paid no mind to it, far too used to it for it to cause him panic. He had to be careful - an attack in a place like this could be dangerous, deadly, even, and he had to save up his strength. Bending or no bending, there was no way he was going to let Lin and he waste away here.
They would escape, somehow.
” Those mechtanks… They’re magnetized. The moment my men and I stepped out of the building, they had us. I just went flying - Tenzin tried to help, but… We were outnumbered. Tossed me in a truck, and next think I remember, they had me bound with platinum, and were shoving me onto a stage.”
He gave a snort, a grim smile tugging at his lips. “Bent the hell out of the stage and got most of the other captured folks a chance to escape, at least.” It was a small victory, but it was a victory, at least.
I thought I would die.
His heart twisted as she spoke, and he swallowed thickly, tightening his hold on her. He wished that he could say he couldn’t imagine it, her dying, but he could, and had, in a variet of horrifying and bloody ways over the years, simply because of the hazards that came with their job, but to not know? To hold on to hope because she still could be alive, even as months and years passed and there was no word?
Hope was a double-edged sword.
Denial was easier.
” You can’t die, remember?” He choked out, his attempt at humor coming out flat and cracking, his voice thick and low, and full of all sorts of emotions that he had never expressed, not to her, not to anyone. He felt his eyes sting against his will, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Beifong’s don’t die.”
We just get tired of living, Shortie.
She chuckled lightly. “No, you’re right.” That silly little thing her mom kept saying, insisting that Beifongs were invincible, immortal.
Right now, though, she didn’t feel invincible. She felt very small and lost and helpless, in this cold, damp cell that just a few hours ago she could have escaped so very easily. And now she was trapped, caged in while her city burned around her. She couldn’t feel the impurities in the metal bars or the tiny cracks in every inch of the floor beneath her. The connection she’d loved since she could move a pebble. That had been such a part of her, for so long.
It was the worst silence.
She moved back, just enough to place a gentle kiss on his lips. She touched her forehead to his, letting out a long, shaky breath.
” It…” He stopped, kissing her back softly before his gaze flickered to meet hers. ”It feels so… empty. Quiet.” He confessed, his words a mere whisper, reaching out a hand to twine with one of hers. Saikhan needed to feel her warmth, her sturdy presence, else he feared he’d drift away. He’d never felt this unbalanced before, and deep down, it scared him.
Everything felt wrong, but where he felt her skin against his, her heat pressed against him.
She kept him balanced now.
“Come on,”He murmured, tugging her towards one of the bunks on the side of the room. His body ached and he imagined that hers did too, after the day they’d both had.
She nodded, feeling exhausted herself, and let herself be led to the bed. She sat down on the edge of one of the bunks, then realized…
“Dammit.” She grumbled, fumbling with one of the straps on her armor. “Uniform.”
She couldn’t just metalbend it off. She always could, and did. She couldn’t actually remember a time when she’d ever taken it off just normally, not on her own. She fumbled with the clasps a bit longer before finally getting one of them undone.
“I really need to fix this stupid armor. This is just…argh.” She grumbled, not letting herself remember that she might not get the chance to.
He watched her for a moment in silence before a small, mournful smile tugged at his lips, ” Let me get that.” He murmured, before kneeling down and leaning forward to begin slowly locating and undoing all of the straps on her uniform, something which he knew in theory, but not having ever done it himself.
After a few moments, his hand slipped under armor and he gently pulled the heavy piece of metal and leather from her frame, and pressed another gentle kiss to her lips. “We’ll get the hang of it.” He said, words meant to be comforting but coming out sour instead. Saikhan paused for a moment and then moved to lean back, hands going for his own straps.
Hopefully we don’t have to.
“I guess…here.” She carefully worked at the straps on his uniform now, before she carefully lifted it off of him, and set it down on the floor next to hers.
When they were both stripped of all metal armbands and boots, she laid down on the bed, and gently pulled him down beside her. They both barely fit on the little bunk, but she didn’t want to be without him tonight. Even just the next bed over seemed too far for her.
She needed to feel him. His warmth beside her, his arms wrapped around her. She needed to feel his breath on her hair, and his heart beating against her.
He was the only sure thing left in her life tonight. She wanted to keep him close.
He managed to move over her, settling in between her and the cold stone of the prison cell wall. Even if he couldn’t hear the hum of the earth or feel its pulse through his skin anymore , the sturdiness, the simplicity of cold hard stone at his back was comforting, because stone, stone and steel he understood, perhaps better than he had anything else, besides…
Besides the woman pressed snug against his chest, her body fitting perfectly into the contours of his. The bed was small, but there was no other choice that he felt was possible for either of them, not…
Not now.
He wouldn’t have her on the other bed, or even the bunk above him, any distance seemed like too far, if he couldn’t feel her warmth seeping into his skin, if he couldn’t hear her heartbeat as they both drifted to sleep in the silence.
But sleep wouldn’t come to him, not for a while. He felt too… Unsettled, unstable, to fall asleep, like his heart was racing too fast and his thoughts too jumbled to even consider falling asleep. He felt wrong, unbalanced, and she was all he had. He didn’t want to let her go, to fall asleep because deep down he feared that when he woke, she’d be gone, and he’d be alone, in the silence and the dark.
And he… He wasn’t sure he could handle that. Not yet and not now.
The silence was almost deafening, something which had never bothered him before now, and he pressed his face against the crook of her neck, his eyes flickering shut at the steadiness of her pulse against his cheek.
So he spoke, his words coming out a quiet whisper against her skin. “I’m worried, Lin, I-” Saikhan stopped, and then a quiet, dry and humorless chuckle tore from his throat.
“I’m scared.” He corrected, swallowing thickly as his arms curled around her waist, a hand entwining with hers. “That we’ve failed. That this attack was our final stand for the city and we lost it. Thats hundreds of people are going to be stripped of their bending and that its our fault, for not forseeing this. That…” His voice cracked slightly, “That this is the end of the line.”
That the world as they knew it would end in fire and blood, and they’d be powerless to stop it.
She closed her eyes, letting out a long, shaky breath. “I’m scared, too,” she finally admitted. She squeezed his hand. “Scared that we’ve failed…yes. That our people are being captured and…and dying. While we’re here. And…” She swallowed hard, getting a handle on her emotions before she continued.
“And I’m afraid…afraid for Korra. For the kids that have been left behind to fight this war. I know…I know Korra’s the Avatar. I know. But she’s still a teenager. One who…who just isn’t ready for a fight like this. And now she has no choice. And…and we’re to blame. Because we…couldn’t stop this.”
She swallowed hard, biting her lip. She focused on him, on his heart beating against her back. It was the same heartbeat as it always had been. She knew its rhythm perfectly, almost better than that of her own. She may not be able to feel the rhythm of the earth any longer, but she could feel this. It was familiar. Soothing. It always would be.
A new fear suddenly bubbled up in her. She spoke, almost too quietly to hear, “Sai…what if this really is permanent?”
He rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand, running slow, smoothing circles over her knuckles as she spoke. The motion was rhythmic, in time to the pulse of her heart, the only rhythm and beat either of them could hear and feel now.
The only thing they could rely on.
“She’s a tough kid.” He murmured softly, his breath a bare whisper against the nape of her neck. “She’s older than your mother was, when she helped take down the Fire Lord. She seems like she’s cut from the same cloth - She can do this.” He finished, but his words felt hollow on his tongue; he could speak as much as he wanted about how he hoped the girl would be able to win the war in their favor, about how they both hoped that the United Republic General was on his way to help, but in the end it was hope, just hope.
And hope was fickle, it couldn’t be trusted, they couldn’t afford to hope. They had to simply do, and scrape by with what they had at their disposal.
Saikhan swallowed again, and pressed a kiss to her shoulder; he didn’t want to think like that, but it was impossible not to. They’d both heard testimony of those who had lost their bending, and no attempts so far had been successful at restoring it.
What chance did they have in figuring it out?
When he finally spoke, his words were hard and clear, but it was his tone that betrayed his fear, cracking at the last moment.
Because he was scared.
Terrified that it would always be like this, that he would feel alone and disconnected floating for the rest of his life, and that he’d never again be able to feel the heartbeat of the very foundations of the earth beneath his feet.
“Don’t… We will. We have to.”
“I know.” She squeezed his hand again. “It’s just…I know.” She knew they needed to. She still wasn’t sure if they could.
But she also knew that they would try, anything and everything. If there was a way, they’d find it. They were stubborn like that.
She laid in silence for several minutes. She was tired, so very tired. Everything was beginning to ache. But sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind was still racing, racing with today’s events, and how she hoped Tenzin had actually made it to safety, that Korra and her friends had made it to safety, and how she wasn’t sure what would happen to her and Saikhan now. Would they just keep them here? To waste away, until…she didn’t know what?
No. That was not what would happen. They’d find a way out. They would. Somehow.
But not tonight. Tonight, she was so tired. And she was sure he was, too. So tonight, she just laid in his arms, listening to his heartbeat.
” We’ve…” Saikhan stopped, his sentence catching in his throat painfully and his breath hitching, just the slightest.
He’d been ready to say that they had faced worse, but they hadn’t. Nothing in their years as officers could have prepared them for this, for this feeling of complete and utter separation from who they had used to be. Everything was new and strange and wrong, and Saikhan wasn’t sure they could fix it.
Not everything had a solution.
“When we get out of here, we’ll find a way.” He said instead, his words a low murmur against her skin as he pressed another kiss to her shoulder. “It… What the bastard does to… it looks familiar. I’ve seen it before, its just… I can’t remember.”
Please, just talk to me, Lin.
He was certain that he’d never before wanted so desperately to hear her voice, to have her just talk - but he needed to hear her, even though he was exhausted and sore and needed sleep, he needed her more.
” Lin… We’ll get out of here.”
We have to.
“I know we will.” She was honestly drained of the energy to even speak. But she knew he needed to hear her voice as much as she needed to hear his.
He was right, too. They would get out. They couldn’t just sit here and let the city burn. That was something she never doubted.
The only question was how. How could they get out? She promised herself that she’d leave this for the morning, and try to rest now, but now the gears were turning.
They could both fight without their bending. She’d been trained by Sokka, and Saikhan had been trained in hand-to-hand and even Chi-blocking on Kyoshi. They had that to rely on. They could fight, even if the Equalists assumed otherwise.
The Equalists assume otherwise.
It was a spark of what could be a very good plan.
“Saikhan.” She said, suddenly a bit more awake. “I think I have an idea.”
-/-/-/-/-
He woke to the sound of leather boots clapping against metal and stone, and he managed to slip himself off the edge of the bed and over to where his clothes lay before whoever it was came in and saw…
What?
Saikhan heaved a sigh, bending down to pick up his gauntlets and begin the long, ardurous task of lacing them up. He wasn’t sure if the noise was coming towards their cell, but there was no such as being too careful, not in a situation like this.
“You up, Chief?” Saikhan would recognize that thick, husky tone anywhere, and his eyelids flickered towards the bar of the cells, upon which leaned The Lieutenant, an almost cruel smile tugging at his lips, which was all he could see of the man beneath that mask and goggles.
It was almost poetic - the man both he and Lin had been besting, again and again, would be the one who was tasked to ‘take care of him’.
“Get your ass dressed, we’re throwing a party and you’re the guest of honor.” He added, pointing one of his kali sticks threateningly at Saikhan through the bars. Desperately, Saikhan wish to knock it out of the man’s hands, to jump at him an fight his way out, but…
He just nodded, teeth digging into his bottom lip to keep himself from speaking as he merely continued to lace up his uniform, and didn’t allow himself to glance towards the bed.
Towards her.
“Hurry up, Chief, don’t want to keep the party waiting.” A jangling of keys, and Saikhn felt his stance shift automatically, into a common defense one. He shifted back immediately, green eyes barely flickering to the opening of the cell door when-
He let out a strangled cry, biting down on his tongue as he felt a stinging and searing in his back, the shock of the electrified kali stick spreading over skin and he stumbled forward, eyes flashing with anger and a strong, almost blinding desire to fight back.
Remember.
And the light dimmed and he choked instead, letting out a low pitiful groan as he struggled to his feet, to pull the armor over his head and shakily fasten the straps.
“What about-” He started, raising a hand to point towards Lin, before it was snatched out the air and twisted it viciously; Saikhan bit down on his bottom lip harder and eyes flickered to meet those of the Equalist in front of him.
“No questions.” The man growled, and Saikhan could see his teeth bared from here, sharp and pointy and almost unhuman, and he could feel the hot sourness of the man’s breath puffing against his face as he leaned in, eyes narrowed beneath goggles.
“You may still carry the title of Chief, Saikhan, but make no mistake of who runs the show around here.” And with that, a surprisingly strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him around, tossing him out the open cell door. Saikhan stumbled forward, and the Lieutenant chuckled.
“Pathetic.”
She woke when she realized she could no longer feel him beside her.
“Saihkan…whas goin’ on…” She heard footsteps and shouting in the distance, and pulled herself upright. She didn’t know what was going on, but she wanted to be prepared anyway. She leaned down to grab her uniform.
“You up, Chief?” Lin started at the sound of that all too familiar voice. She didn’t know what he could possibly want from Saikhan. They already took his bending, What more could they want?
We’re throwing a party, and you’re the guest of honor.
“No. Saikhan, no, what could they- NO!” She cried out involuntarily as Saikhan was shocked, and stood to help him, but she found herself being roughly shoved back onto the bed. She wanted to stand, to fight them off, but…
She couldn’t, not yet. Even as Saikhan stood, choking, as he was roughly dragged from the cell, she couldn’t do anything. To fight back now could blow everything.
“Hey!” She called after them, “What are you doing with him?!” But her demands were ignored. As the sound of footsteps slowly died away, she leaned her head against the metal bars.
“Sai…” She whispered. He’d be fine. They’d bring him back. He’d be fine.
There was something painful about stepping out onto the stage this time, and it had nothing to do with the fact that The Lieutenant had his arm twisted behind his back to keep him from running, even though there was absolutely nowhere that he could go, not unless he felt like taking a plunge in the icy cold water beneath what had used to be where some of Republic City’s finest benders would showcase their skills, and now…
He could see the banners hanging from the edge, flapping in the breeze from the hole in the roof that no one had ever had the chance to repair, and it made him feel sick, to think that the very place that the Equalists had terrorized weeks before was being used as the stage for one of their rally’s.
The pro-bending arena was crowded, with people of all the different nations, pressing in to see their ‘victorious’ leader speak, and he only managed to hear the tail end of what the masked man had to say, and even that made his stomach flip uneasily.
“And now, to help us demonstrate… Former Police Chief Saikhan.” The crowd jeered, and Saikhan couldn’t help but stumble as the Lieutenant shoved him forward, from the platform onto the arena floor.
He wanted to catch himself, but he remembered his conversation with Lin the night before, their plan, and he knew… What ever the bastards decided to do to him up here, he’d have to let them. The hard stone jarred his knees as he slammed into it, and he looked up immediately, towards where he could see The Lieutenant advancing on him. He rose, a few seconds slower thane he would have normally, just in time for a gloved fist to catch him on the chin and send him stumbling back.
They think we’re weak, Sai. Powerless. Let them think that.
The next punched landed in his gut and he doubled over, to hide the sudden blaze of rage in his green eyes – this was just like when he was a kid on Kyoshi, and the other kids would chi-block him to torment him, to beat him up even more, and even then… He’d fought. Tooth and nail and everything he’d had, because fighting kept him on his feet, it kept him going, it kept the pulse of the earth a steady hum in his ears.
They don’t know we can fight.
Now there was no heartbeat of the stone beneath his feet and he couldn’t fight back, no matter how much he wanted to. He felt weak, just letting the Lieutenant do this to him, with that cruel, vicious grin the only thing showing beneath the mask, but he knew he had to, else they’d be trapped in that damned cell forever, putting on shows for the Equalists and their damned rallies for as long as they held interest, until…
Until what?
He neared the edge of the arena and then ducked out of the way, almost instinctively, remembering only belatedly that he was supposed to be slow to react, and weak -even though the splashing of the water against the base of the arena sent an old fear coursing through him. The Lieutenant veered after him and he twisted around as he saw the man raise his kali sticks.
A blast to the chest with one of those could kill him, with the way his lungs were acting up, so he deliberately through his left foot back too far as he stumbled, bringing himself hard to knees, just by the edge of the arena.
“ How a weak man like you ever got to be chief is beyond me,” The Lieutenant snarled out, grabbing his chin roughly, and though he wanted so badly to turn his head and sink his teeth into the flesh of the man’s hand, he held back, restrained by the roar of the crowd and the almost inaudible murmur of Amon, talking about the ‘weakness of benders – unsuited for any sort of combat because they’ve never needed it, even the esteemed chief of police is helpless in a fair fight.’
Helpless. Weak. Pathetic.
Saikhan’s jaw tightened, but he remained still, shoulders slumped, and said nothing. The Lieutenant’s features contorted from a smile into an irritated grimace, as though he’d expected some sort of retort from the man that had caused him all sorts of grief over the past few weeks.
After a moment, he snarled again, wordlessly, and jerked Saikhan up by his collar, before twisting him around and pushing him against the roped off side of the arena. “Hope you can swim, chief.” He whispered in his ear, before reaching back and then slapping one of his Kali sticks hard against the base of his spine and shoving him forward, over the edge and tumbling, head on into cold and wet, and he had been gasping as the stale water choked his throat and his vision spun, and then-
–/-/-/-/-
It was some nameless Equalist who had dragged him from the pool – he could hear the screams and cries of whoever else was up on the platform with The Lieutenant, helping demonstrate Amon’s ‘point’ further- and the long journey back through the tunnels towards the prison was hazy, and felt like it was over in a flash, as a rough hand slammed against his back and tossed him back into the cell.
This time, his stumble was as real as the bitten back groan torn from his throat as his bruised and abused body slammed hard against the cold stone floor. His eyelids flickered and then squeezed shut as he fell forward, palms flat against the ground as his lungs hi-cupped and he coughed violently, water dripping from his hair and the joints of his uniform.
Everything hurt.
But he’d done it.
“Saikhan!” She breathed, moving forward to catch him as he fell. He was covered in bruises and, and coughing and sputtering, not to mention soaking wet. She looked him over before moving to lay a trail of very enthusiastic kisses, from his forehead, down the side of his face to his lips, back up to his forehead, before pulling him into her arms again. “Spirits, am I glad to see you.” She really was.
The past several hours had been unbearable.
Or maybe it was a few hours. It felt like longer. She had sat there, or paced, more often, restless. She didn’t know where he was. She didn’t know what they were doing to him. She didn’t know if he was coming back. And she couldn’t do anything.
She could only pace. The silence stretched, terrible silence, and her worry intensified with every passing minute. She wanted to rescue him and get out of here. She even came up with a decently good, actually, no, it was terrible plan. Her mind kept reverting to ways she could use her bending to - no. She couldn’t do that anymore. And it hurt.
Besides, they already had a plan and she needed to stick to it. Even if she had to do it alone.
She wouldn’t have to do it alone. He’d be back. He was fine. He’d be back.
So when he finally, finally returned, she felt as if an enormous weight was lifted off of her. She was just so relieved to see him back. Were she any other person, she might have even cried.
He was shivering violently now. “Here, let’s get that off of you.” His uniform stuck to him a bit, as it truly was soaked through, but she got it off with some effort. She led him back onto the bed, this time wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly in an attempt to fight off the cold with sheer will.
And once again, she was just glad they were both alive.
He was so cold, the damp chill of the cell seeping into his already frigid bones, and the heat of her lips pressing against his skin had him gasping from the searing contrast, but he wouldn’t have asked her to stop, even if he could, and all he could do was nod when she started undoing the straps and buckles of his uniform, and place the pieces to the side as the slid from his bruised and beaten body.
He was covered in burns, from where metal had seared skin when he’d been electrocuted, and the bruises and cuts layered over older, mostly healed ones from weeks prior, and he looked a mess, but…
By the spirits he was alive and so was she.
Saikhan let her hold him, let her curl around him in an attempt to keep him warm, because he was just so cold and he had missed her so much, and everything ached and his head throbbed and he just needed her. His arms moved to wind around her neck, his face burying in her chest as his whole body shuddered, from cold and the heaving in his lungs, and the sheer and utter joy and shock that she was still here.
She felt him pull her tighter, and reached a hand up to cup the back of his neck. She placed a kiss on the top of his head.
I’m here. It’s okay. We’re both here.
But he was still shivering. Not as violently as when he had first come in, but still badly. And he wouldn’t seem to stop.
The silence stretched. She wanted to know what had happened, what had caused him this pain. But she didn’t know if he could answer.
So instead, she asked, “How are you feeling?”
” Better.” He murmured into her shirt, one of his hands moving up to twine gently through her hair.
” I think I swallowed the whole damn pool, though.” He added as afterthought, and turned his head slightly, so that when he coughed, it was away from her, before burying his face once more.
He hated water, and he hated that it actually scared him - that the worst part of what he’d just been through hadn’t been the ‘fight’, or being electrocuted or being used as a show dog, but the drop, and the plunge into the icy cold water. It had filled his lungs and his metal uniform had dragged him down into the depths, and he’d barely been able to keep himself afloat long enough to reach the side.
He didn’t tell her that, though.
Pool.
She knew how he felt about water. How much he feared it, even now, decades after he’d left Kyoshi. How he’d spent his entire time on the force avoiding River Rescue duty, how tightly he clenched the railing every time he had to ride the ferry, and how much he hated how much this fear controlled him.
But she also knew how he hated her coddling him for it. So she just ducked down and pressed a firm kiss to the top of his head, knowing he’d get her meaning.
She began rubbing small, soothing circles along his back. She still wasn’t sure if she should ask about exactly what happened, but… “And…your breathing?”
Lin was the only one who knew - even Saikhan’s family had no idea that the ‘irrational and childish’ fear that he’d had as a young boy had clung to him all of these years. He’d hid it well, in his own opinion, and only she knew why even the mention of any sort of water sent his pulse racing faster, and why he’d always done whatever he could to avoid having to be anywhere near the water. Why he wouldn’t even go to the Pro-bending Arena unless it was absolutely necessary.
Lin knew everything there was to know about him - of course she would know this. And she knew enough not to speak of it, and he was grateful for that. Denial was how he dealt with it most of the time, and she wasn’t one to coddle him.
A firm kiss against his still chilled skin seemed to calm his racing heart, and he smiled softly against her skin, in spite of himself.
” It’s…”
He stopped, and one of his hands moved down to gently tug hers up, and in between their bodies, before pressing it flat against his own chest, palm against skin that seemed to shudder and wheeze as his lungs still did. The sudden dive hadn’t been good for his breathing, not at all, but he couldn’t voice his concern.
It was his own damn body, and he’d force it out on the escape if he had to.
She sucked in a sharp breath when she felt the rhythm of his breathing below her palms. She could feel the raggedness, the struggle in his breath. Whatever had happened today, it had definitely taken it’s toll on his lungs.
Still, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was that first night. Small consolation, but it was something.
“I see.” She said, removing her hands from his chest to wrap around him again. She didn’t know what to do for him now besides just let him rest. He hadn’t had an attack, so that was good. He was bruised and beaten, though. And he still shivered against her, although it came more in occasional shudders than constant shivering. His skin was still cold to the touch.
There was nothing else she could do for him now. So she held him.
“Just rest for now, Sai.” She said quietly. “We’ll get through this. Just rest for now.”
To them, words had always been almost meaningless. Actions and something tangible that they could feel between their fingertips had always dictated their lives, and even now…
Even if they couldn’t feel the pulse of the earth, they had the beating of their hearts, the thrum of life beneath skin, and that… That was all they needed to get through, even if what they felt beneath their palms was something that ached, it was the truth, it couldn’t be distorted like words.
He couldn’t lie to her, not now. Not when escape hinged on both of them being physically competent, enough to fend off the Equalists, enough to run until they could see the mountains rising around them.
” It… It’s irrelevant.” Saikhan murmured, curling against her once more, head tucked into her shoulder, and lips barely brushing her pulse.”What happened… It doesn’t matter.” His lips twitched into a small, grim smile against her skin.
((Hey guys! It's the entire BoltFong ship sailing thread! All in one place for your convenience!))
“Chie- … Lin,” Officer Lan walked up to the former chief, reminding herself that she wasn’t the chief anymore, “Something happened at the prison... Bolt was involved.”
Lin looked up from the newspaper she was reading, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean by ‘involved’?”
Lan explained everything to her. She didn’t even remember running to the prison, but before she knew it, she was slamming both hands on the Warden’s desk. “What the hell were you thinking?!”
The Warden was still filling out paper work from the breakout, he heard some shouts in the hallway and looked up.
“Miss! Miss! You can’t go in there!”
“Do you have an appointment with the Warden miss?”
Suddenly the door burst open and in came a very angry Lin Bei Fong, he jumped as she slammed her hands on the desk, papers flying everywhere.
“What the hell were you thinking?!”
It took a lot to intimidate the warden, but with Lin staring down at him angrily, he shrank back a bit, “We didn’t know whether the prisoner’s claims were true, we couldn’t just put her in protective custody because she wanted it…”
She leaned in further, staring the Warden down until she was certain he might burst into flames. “What do you mean, you ‘couldn’t’ put her in protective custody? Don’t prison regulations state that any prisoner who feels threatened can and must be placed in protective custody? No questions asked?” He didn’t answer. “DON’T THEY?”
“W-well yes, b-but-“
“Don’t you dare make excuses! This falls on you! I may not be chief anymore, but I will find a way to make sure you pay for this. Now, I want to see her. Where is she?”
“Ch-Lin-I-we can’t just let you-“
“WHERE IS SHE?”She slammed the desk again.
He was shaking now. “Sh-she-she’s right this way-ch-Lin-j-just-f-follow me…”
The Warden led her through the prison to the medical wing, there was signs of the riot everywhere. Scorch marks on the wall, small piles of debris on the floor, little splotches of red that still had yet to be cleaned up…
They entered the medical wing, there were a few beds filled with prisoners who were injured, not severely though. They watched as Lin and the Warden walked past, finally they reached a room that was separated from the rest of the ward, a guard was posted at the door and saluted as the Warden approached.
“Open the door,” the Warden ordered and the guard did so, allowing him and Lin to walk in.
Bolt lay on a small bed in the center of the room, her right arm was in a sling, bandaged heavily from the shoulder up to her elbow, a cast adorned the wrist. Gauze was wound tightly around her head, a little splotch of red on the temple indicated where she had hit it in the struggle.
There was a doctor looking over her chart when Lin and the Warden walked in, he needed no further prompting when he looked at Lin’s face, “It’s touch and go… she’s sustained severe burns on her shoulder, a fractured right wrist, a stab wound to the lower abdomen, a severe concussion, several broken ribs… not to mention the very real possibility of internal bleeding. We’re healing her the best we can but honestly it’s a surprise she survived.”
Lin stepped forward and took Bolt’s uninjured hand in her own.
“You can go now,” She said to the Warden.
“I’m sorry, but you’re a civilian now. I can’t just leave you-“
“You can go now.” She heard the door open and close behind her.
She sighed, pushing a strand of Bolt’s matted hair behind her ear. “And she hasn’t woken yet? Not even for a moment?”
The doctor shook his head, “She’s been out since we’ve started treating her… Not that I’m surprised, her body’s taken a lot… she needs to heal.”
“Ma’am,” a tentative voice piped up, it was one of the guards, “I was the one to find her, she told me to tell you that there was something she wanted you to see, I uh, got it from her cell, didn’t look in it though,” he was sure he’d be yelled at by the warden for taking it but he’d rather face an angry Warden than an angry Lin.
He handed her a neatly folded piece of paper, it was addressed to Lin.
Lin took the letter tentatively. She opened it carefully, almost afraid of what Bolt had wanted to tell her so badly.
She was right to be afraid.
Dear Lin,
If you’re reading this right now, it’s probably because I’m dead, if not, well… I must not be in good shape if you’re rummaging around in my cell without me knowing about it. Prison life sucks and I got pulled into something that you’re not going to like but it’s alright, I’m reporting the attempted breakout to the warden, I was planning on stopping it single handedly anyway.
There’s not much time until I make my move so I’ll keep this brief, I care a lot about you… it’s what kept me from hurting you more that night and killing you and detective Relav. Lin, I know this is probably not the best way to say this but I love you. I understand that you have feelings for Relav (or at least it appears that way) but I really can’t just die here without saying that I love you.
The bell’s ringing for us to get outside now, I guess I’ll go make my move then, again, I love you… and I’m sorry that it had to come to this.
Kick lots of ass,
Bolt
Lin stared at the paper long after she read it, blood pounding in her ears. After a few minutes, she noticed that the doctor had been trying to get her attention.
“Yes?” She shook her head. “Sorry, what was that?”
“I was just saying that I’m going to have to ask you to go. I’m sorry, but we need to start another healing session…”
“No, of course. I understand.” She put a hand on Bolt’s arm. “You get better, kid. I’ll be back.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about the letter. She’d probably push it to the back of her mind like she did with most things of the emotional nature. She did know one thing, though.
She was going to find a way to get than damn Warden fired.
_____
Pain… that’s all she felt.
Pain.
She didn’t remember much of anything after her meeting with Lin, so why did she feel so much pain? Bits and pieces of information came back, shouting, alarms blaring and of course.
The pain.
But that was going away now, being soothed, she floated along in the inky blackness almost blissful now that the pain level had been lowered now that that matter of business was out of hand… why was she here?
Unless the prison had decided to lock her in some dark room as some sort of punishment, she was thinking she was unconscious. Unconscious? She fought the darkness then, struggled until she could open one bleary eye and stare at the doctor who was currently healing her. Her hand felt warm, as if someone had been holding it, which made no sense… the prison wasn’t exactly known for its hospitality and there wouldn’t be anyone who’d want to hold her hand except… Lin…
The doctor was looking at her, saying something to her and smiling, it sounded like, “Look who’s up” but she could have been wrong. She was tired… so tired… her eyes closed on their own accord and the darkness took her once again.
—-
The Warden was back in his office (after a change of pants) back to filling out paper work and fretting over Lin. Might as well kiss this job goodbye.
Lin was at home pouring over the newest possible lead on the Equalists when she received the next call from the prison.
“Miss Beifong? It’s Doctor Chien. I just wanted to let you know that Bolt is finally awake.”
She was out the door in less than a minute.
It had been a few hours since Bolt had first woken when she awoke again, this time staying up instead of passing out. The pain was still bad, even with the medication, but at least she was on the mend. The Warden had come in to apologize for not putting her in protective custody, he looked a little freaked.
Lin must have gotten to him, she surmised.
Lin… looking down at her hand she remembered the warmth she had felt when she first woke up. She wondered if she knew about the letter… also if she knew she was awake.
The doctor had left after she opened her eyes to make a phone call, it must have been to Lin given that the woman was practically the only person who knew she was in here.
“She’s in here.” She found it much easier to get into the prison this time. She didn’t even have to shout at anyone (although she noticed with some pleasure that they replaced the old warden). One of the guards led her to the medical wing.
“Ah, Miss Beifong. I didn’t expect you so…soon.” Doctor Chien greeted her. “She’s in here. She hasn’t spoken much, but she is awake.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” She walked into the room to find Bolt, still bandaged and bruised, but very much awake. “Hey, kid.”
Bolt was propped up with a few pillows, she didn’t have the strength to sit up on her own quite yet, she gave Lin a weak smile and waved, “Hey…”
She walked over to the bed, taking a seat beside it. “How you holding up? You don’t look so good.” Although, to be fair, she looked better than she had a few days ago.
She walked over to the bed, taking a seat beside it. “How you holding up? You don’t look so good.” Although, to be fair, she looked better than she had a few days ago.
“I’ve been better,” she said, truthfully, she was still in some pain, “But,” she said shrugging with her good shoulder, “I’ll manage.”
“Mhm.” That’s what you said last time, and here you are in the hospital. “I’m sure you will.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Lin was sort of at a loss for what to say. Or, there was a lot that needed saying, but she didn’t know where to start.
She put a hand on Bolt’s arm. “I got that stupid warden fired. But you can’t tell anyone it was me.”
Bolt could tell Lin wanted to say something more, and it had nothing to do with the warden getting fired, still she chuckled at the comment, wincing a little when the movement hurt, “My lips are sealed.”
She knew something was up but didn’t know how to breach the topic.
They sat there in silence for Lin didn’t know how long. She was trying to come up with a gentle way to approach a very heavy subject.
“I read your letter.”
Unfortunately, Lin had all the tact of a boulder to the face.
Letter… Bolt thought, Right.
\She felt heat rising to her cheeks and she coughed awkwardly, which hurt like hell but it was the only thing she could do, “Yeah… Uh…. Heh…”
“Yes, that was, um,” she cleared her throat, “something crazy you did.”
She looked everywhere except Bolt. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you, though.” She smiled. “You’re such an idiot sometimes.”
Is she talking about the prison break or the fact that I just admitted I loved her?
“Yeah… I uh…” she cleared her throat, Okay I need to stop doing that.
“I uh… didn’t know if I was… going to you know, die…. I just wanted to not have any regrets you know? Wanted to say something…”
“No! Yes, I mean. I get it. No regrets. It, um…” She trailed off. There was no way to avoid this anymore. But she didn’t know how now to.
So, being the impulsive thing that she was, Lin kissed her.
She was not expecting the kiss…
Definitely not.
Well…
Her mind went blank.
Well….
She returned the kiss.
A very long, wonderful moment passed before Lin finally pulled away. She sat back in her chair, looking down at her hands, and then back to Bolt. “Well,” she laughed, “Yeah. There’s that.”
Her heart was still beating fast, it felt like a jackhammer in her chest. She smiled at Lin, still at a loss for words.
“Yeah,” she finally said, “There is that…”
“Ahem…” Doctor Chien cleared his throat. “Miss…uh…Beifong? Um…sorry to interrupt but…um…visiting hours are over…”
Lin blushed a little. Just a little. “Oh, right. Sorry. I lost track of time.” The doctor nodded and left the room.
“Sorry, kid, that’s my cue.” She sighed. She really didn’t want to go. “Rules are rules. I’ll be back later, though. Promise.” She planted a kiss on Bolt’s forehead and turned to leave.
Bolt nodded and gave her another smile, “See you around Lin…” she said, waving with her good hand.
Lin smiled again over her shoulder before leaving the room. She walked home feeling just a little bit…lighter.
