A soft trickle echoed in my ears, my eyelids twitching. The rhythm continued on and on as though with each pulse I was rising higher and higher to break the surface of the sleep I'd been trapped in. My skin was cold, making me shiver. An ache ran through my chest, and I found it hard to breath.

My eyes finally opened, the light above my head bright and fluorescent. Blinking, I felt my vision begin to adjust as I dug my fingers into the blankets. My entire body ached from the muscles in my legs to my head where a pain pounded inside my skull. Glancing around, it took me a moment before I recognized where I was.

Surrounded in a world of white and tan, I realized exactly where I'd ended up: the hospital. I tried to sit up, but my body screamed in protest, making me hiss. The beeping sped up now, the sound coming from where my vitals were projected on a white screen. Besides the monitor, a counter, and a few chairs, I was completely alone in a private room just like Samaria had been.

My memories were fuzzy, but I remembered being in a similar room with her, the two of us connecting through a power greater than ourselves. It'd been a happy moment, the both of us hugging before Raphael and Finn...

Wait, Finn!

Despite my bruises and aches, I sat upright in my hospital bed, all of the events flooding back into my brain before I'd gone under. The memories of the storm made me go cold, horror making me cover my mouth with one hand as I held myself with the other.

I'd almost died, nearly ripped to pieces after sprinting for my life through the forest with that wolf on my tail. Gabriel... I didn't know where he was or if he was even still breathing. Rufus had sunk his claws in him before he attacked me, tears rising in the corner of my eyes.

Finn needed me most, everything inside me hurting worse for him than myself. He'd relived his past and his worst nightmare to save my life, and at the end, he'd been nearly out of his mind. Even with Rufus dead, the horror and fear didn't end for him, the pain still just as acute. I needed to be there for him if I could get out of this damn bed!

The monitor was starting to beep quicker the harder I tried to force myself to move. Before I could make any progress the door swung open, one of the nurses walking in. I about did a double take as I stared with my mouth nearly open.

"Stay in bed, Kate." Madeleine walked up to me with a smile, her hands strong yet gentle forcing me back into the pillows. "You're safe now I promise. I'll get you some more morphine to help with the pain if it's too much. How are you feeling? Your neck looks better."

My eyes were wide as I stared at her. My neck? I lifted a hand to try and touch it, but Madeleine blocked my efforts.

"No touching! We have it wrapped up real good for you. I'll get you morphine and that should keep you in bed for a little while."

"N...shmhr..." I opened my mouth to try and speak, but nothing came out. A pain violently burned my vocal cords, the only sound being the air I tried to form into speech. I flinched, shutting my mouth as the fire spread up my throat.

"That dog messed up your throat. It might be a while until we can get your voice back, Honey." With that, Madeleine slipped from the room, her white shoes echoing against the floor.

Panic rose inside my chest as I looked around. I needed to get out of this bed and find Finn before Madeleine put me under. I couldn't find Finn and check to see if Gabriel was alive with morphine in my system.

I fought to sit back up again, grimacing through the pain in my neck and back. My memories vaguely replayed in my head displaying how Rufus has thrown me into a tree trunk, which only made my head pound harder. I was probably concussed at this rate too which was fantastic.

The door opened again, my eyes shooting up. But it wasn't Madeleine. A smile spread across my face when Samaria shut the door behind her, eyes glowing with determination. "Good morning, Kitty."

I tried to speak but my swollen throat couldn't make a single sound. Flinching at the ache, I took a deep breath. It appeared that I didn't need words to communicate who I needed, because Samaria nodded her head.

"I'll get you to him," Samaria said, "but I can't guarantee how long you'll have. Secta's around, and he is on a war path. Come on, let me help you up."

She came over to me, sliding an arm around my shoulders to coax me onto my feet. I nearly fell, but Samaria held onto me, refusing to let me drop.

"I wish I could heal you, but I don't know if I can. I've been playing with my meraki, but it can't extend outside of my body. We'll learn that trick another day." She said, helping me towards the door. "Gabriel's in one piece. He doesn't look too good right now, but the doctor's said that he'd heal and be on his feet soon. I may have used my visitation rights with him to find you, but he was unconscious anyways so he won't be too mad at me."

I looked at her, touching her arm. Slowly I was able to mouth 'thank you' which only made her shrug.

"Don't worry about it. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for you, that and you gave me time with Raphy before..." She paused, smile fading. Whatever pain she was feeling, I knew that I'd be the next recipient. Secta wouldn't let Finn and I stay together, and the thought nearly made me crumble. "This way, chica. I'm getting you time with your man before it all goes to shit."

We stumbled around the hospital, Samaria supporting me less and less as I grew stronger. The more I moved my muscles, the more they ached but slowly seemed to adjust to their use. Samaria still kept a hand on me for support, but I wasn't nearly as useless any longer.

After coming down a hallway, Samaria pointed out Finn's door. I was unsurprised at how far away it was from mine, the most shocking element of our trip being that we weren't caught. The only doctor who saw us was some stocky man who Samaria knew and blackmailed so that he wouldn't call the nurses to grab me.

"He owed me." She said under her breath as we walked away. "I took the fall for one of his slip-ups so that he could keep his position over here. I mean, we were having sex at the time too so I guess this was also for old time's sake."

I stood in front of Finn's door before glancing at Samaria. She gave me a smile, leaning against the opposite wall where she said that she'd keep watch. Licking my lips, I turned the door knob and slid into the hospital room without a sound.

The lights were dimmed, the soft sound of his heart monitor singing in the background. I inched closer to his bed after shutting the door, gazing at his sleeping figure. He was on his back, eyes shut as he took steady, deep breaths.

His leg was wrapped and casted, other areas of his body covered in bandages. Rufus had made quick work of sinking his claws and teeth into him, and I felt so much guilt that I couldn't have stopped it. I'd saved Raphael, but I couldn't protect Finn. I loved him, and my meraki had abandoned him when he needed me most.

I came to one side of his bed, afraid to touch him and rouse him from his sleep. Was he stable? Did he think he was out of the forest yet?

After taking a breath, I managed to rest my fingers on his forearm, letting my fingernails run up and down his skin with care. I didn't press down too hard in fear I'd hurt him, but just enough that I knew even in his sleep he could feel it.

He started to stir, making me shift my weight so that I was closer to him. His wings shuddered, a grimace playing over his features. I'd remembered my pain waking up as well, and I couldn't stop myself from resting a hand on his chest.

Finn's eyes opened, their familiar blue peering up at me. He blinked, vision focusing. Now he could see me, and his eyes softened.

"We're dead..." he managed to whisper, his fingers reaching up as he touched my cheek. I shook my head in reply, a smile covering my lips. His eyes moved lower, a new expression on his face. His hands ran past my ear, touching the bandage on my neck like a butterfly's wing. The happiness in his eyes slowly died away. "I'm sorry, Kate. I wasn't there. I wasn't... I wasn't..."

Touching his lips with my fingers, I silenced him. 'You saved me, just like you always do.' I mouthed.

"I wasn't good enough." He managed to stutter, and the only way I could respond was by leaning forward to place a kiss on his forehead.

When I pulled away, I touched his face as I whispered. 'This isn't about me. This is about you. You faced all your nightmares for me, and I refuse to let you forget that. You are strong and brave and you have always been better than just good enough.' I swallowed, my eyes falling to the floor. 'Secta, he knows. Finn...'

"Stay with me until he comes." Finn managed to slide his upper body to the opposite edge of the bed, making room for me. I was able to lie down next to him, careful with my neck as Finn made sure my pillow was fluffed.

We laid together and surprisingly nothing hurt, my head against his chest and his arm resting on my waist. I took a deep breath in, my nostrils filling with his smell just as my body was warmed with his heat. Snuggling closer to him, I didn't let myself think about Secta or anything else. All I wanted was Finn.

He held me close, his fingers running up and down my spine. He kissed me deeply, and we both settled into the sheets, the feeling of his lips on mine still tingling through my body. We stayed together that way, whispering to one another for over half an hour before someone knocked on the door.

I sat up, clenching my teeth at my sore neck. Glancing to Finn, I saw that he was upright too even with his bandaged back; that must have hurt.

"We can fix this." Finn said to me as I stood on my feet by his bed. He kept his arm around my waist as the door swung open, Secta's golden eyes meeting ours.

Finn didn't budge even under the man's stare, which was impressive because I felt the need to hide under the bed.

Secta glared at the both of us before saying, "Kate, come with me now."

"She wants to be with me." Finn snarled, making my head turn towards him. He was stone faced and his eyes glimmered with anger, the Commander inside him striking out as his blood boiled.

"She needs to come with me." Secta responded, "and you need to recover, Finnigan. We can all get past this if you two just split..."

"I'm in love with her." He growled, and I laced my fingers in his. "You know I can't just 'get past' that."

"Kate," the god looked at me, "come." As I studied his eyes, I wondered what ran through them. Was my time up?

"She isn't a goddamn dog!"

"No, she isn't, but you're currently a broken one. She won't help you, Finn. I can't have the two of you together or else..."

"Or else what?" Finn snapped, "or else we will finally be fucking happy? Has my life not been horrific enough for you, Secta? Have I not been alone long enough?"

Secta paused, staring at Finn. "You know that I see you as my son, Finnigan. All I ever want is for you to be happy."

"You're trying to split us apart. How the hell do you think that will make me or her happy?"

"It will be painful, but the both of you will heal. Kate, you know that you aren't in control, and the only way for us to fix that is if you come with me. I'll help you, and we can make everything better."

By killing me right?

I turned to look at Finn, resting my hand on his cheek. His blue eyes met mine, fingers still on my waist. My eyes were watery as I wiped my nose, 'I'll go with him, but know that I'm trying for us.'

He closed his eyes, taking a breath before he opened them. "I'm your's until the world ends." With that, he rested his head against my chest, my eyes closing as I kissed the top of his head. Running my other hand through his hair, I felt its softness. Who knew when it was my last chance to love him?

"Kate." Secta snapped, making me raise my head. He was waiting for me, looking lethal. Finn kissed my lips and I returned his love, enjoying him in that short moment before I had to let him go and walk away.