Jimin lounges on the couch as the afternoon sun passes by. Lazily, he stretched himself out and curled his tail into the air before relaxing his body. He rests his head on a pillow he stole from the bed. His eyes droop briefly but his ears perk at the sound of Eden's footsteps.

Eden is restless. She hasn't stopped moving since she returned home from her morning errands. Jimin hears her pacing around the apartment, checking the lock on the door, testing the latches on the windows, and setting butter knives in random places. Jimin isn't sure why the butter knives are out of their drawer and is more confused as to why he found one in the bathroom beside the toothpaste.

He wants to know why she's acting weird yet she is determined to keep everybody in the dark about the situation with the butter knives.

Ever since she came home from the grocery store, she started doing strange things. Jimin and Taehyung have asked repeatedly about what happened but she shrugs them off and reassures them that everything is "completely fine" and they don't need to worry about it.

After their failed attempts to get an answer out of Eden, they resorted to interrogating Jungkook—who they found was as clueless as the rest of them.

Jimin thought everything was fine before, so why is she acting like this now?

Eden walks out of the hallway with a bundle of blankets in her hands. She glances at the door as she passes by before disappearing into the kitchen.

Jimin sits up from the couch and watches her with growing concern. "Hey, are you really doing okay?" he asks once again.

"I told you that everything is fine!" Eden replies from the kitchen, her voice stable and calm.

Taehyung stumbles out of the hall with sleepy eyes. He winces as he rolls his shoulder and searches the living room before finding Jimin. He points weakly towards the kitchen, "She stole my blanket..." he whines.

"I told you that there is another one in the drawer!" she replies evenly.

Jimin frowns. "What are you doing with it?" He stands from the couch and crosses the room on light feet. He peeks into the kitchen and draws back in confusion. "Why on earth are you covering the window with a blanket?"

Eden freezes, mid-reach, and smiles guiltily over her shoulder. "It's too bright in here," she explains nonchalantly. "This blanket was dirty anyway."

She is extremely good at controlling her voice to appear calm. To the rest of the world, Eden would be described as "perfectly calm" and "rational" but it's all in the eyes.

She looks as if she had woken up from a nightmare and her mind still lingers in its memory.

Jimin feels hurt by her dismissive behavior and wonders if he did something wrong to lose her trust so quickly. For the last hour, Jimin has mentally run through everything he said to Eden that could have bothered her.

He knew the sleeping medicine was bad, but he thought they had settled that?

Is this about her parents? he wonders. They are arriving tomorrow but they aren't coming to the apartment. So why is she hiding the butter knives?

Taehyung heaves a sigh and trudges back into the bedroom, muttering that the blanket was warm.

Jimin lingers in the kitchen doorway and watches Eden tie the blanket to the curtain rod. His eyes soften as she stands up on her toes but is unable to reach them. He enters the room quietly and comes up along her side. He gently takes the blanket from her hands and hops up onto the counter. He offers her a smile before reaching over and tying the blanket to the curtain rod.

Eden stares at him, surprised.

Jimin finishes tying it and smiles widely, "There. All done."

Eden opens her mouth briefly before closing it again. She bows her head and moves to the side to allow him to come back down. "Thank you."

Jimin doesn't move. Not yet, at least. He remains on the counter, kicking his legs aimlessly. "Eden... is this about your parents?" he tries again.

Eden's eyes flick to the blanket on the window. "No. It isn't," she says definitively. "I just thought it was too bright in here. When we cook, the sun is always right there in our eyes so I wanted to make it easier for us," she explains simply.

Jimin's brow furrows. "What about the butter knives?"

Eden's gaze doesn't move from the window. "I'm... I'm just letting them dry."

Jimin's gentle look slips from his face and is replaced by an irritated scowl. "In the bathroom?" he asks incredulously.

Why is she lying to me? What did I do wrong? Why can't she trust me anymore?

Eden has the decency to wince in shame. She knows something is wrong with this. She must know she's being strange.

"Eden, please," Jimin pleads, leaning forward to her, "please just tell me what's wrong. I can help you, don't do this. After everything we've been through, don't lie to me like this. You look so scared... I just want to help you. We all do but you have to tell us what's wrong."

Eden takes a slow step backward. Away from him. It hurts him more than if she had said something. She forces herself to smile, it looks painful for her, "It's so dumb, I shouldn't even be thinking about it," she says instead. She shakes her head quickly, "I shouldn't be worried about it. It doesn't matter."

Jimin frowns, "Obviously it matters enough to cover the windows, or hide the butter knives, or check the locks on the doors."

Eden sucks in a sharp breath and runs her hand through her hair, exposing her forehead. "I... I think it's dumb," she says instead.

"You told me to trust you," Jimin argues, slowly getting off the counter. "And you won't trust me in return? How is that fair?" His voice aches with the pain he feels. "Whatever it is, we can figure this out together."

Eden drops her gaze again and takes another step away from him. "I—... this isn't about trust, it's not about that just..."

A loud thud comes from the living room.

It took a whole two seconds for Jimin to realize Eden snatched a butter knife off the counter.

"Whoa!" Jimin jumps at the flash of the metal in her hands, "Hey, hey what are you doing—?"

Eden turns sharply on him with eyes burning with fresh adrenaline and unshakable nightmares. "Be quiet," she hisses through her teeth and presses herself against a nearby wall. Her body is practically shaking with pent-up anxiety, "Get back, get back!"

Jimin stares at Eden in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Eden's face contorts with sudden hurt, "You're not listening!" she whispers harshly, "Get back! They're here, you have to hide! Jimin, get back!"

They?

Jimin's lips part as it hits him. "Eden..." he begins slowly but she isn't listening to him either.

She peeks around the corner with darkened eyes as if she were some kind of hunter. As if she knew how to hurt another person. Eden and her butter knife.

"There's nobody here," Jimin attempts to reason with her but she ignores him.

They wait in tense silence before Jimin hears Jungkook's muffled cry of pain from the living room.

"Ouch..." Jungkook whines quietly, "stupid couch..."

Jimin lets out a soft breath of relief and comes to Eden's side, "It's just Jungkook," he states, giving her an obvious look. "Look."

Eden hesitantly peeks around the corner and watches Jungkook bounce around on one foot. He groans quietly and turns his head to the ceiling, "Ow..." he whispers before falling back onto the couch.

Eden visibly relaxes and lowers the butter knife. She withdraws from the doorway with a glassy look in her usually bright eyes. She walks back to the counter and sets the butter knife down, before forcing herself to take deep breaths.

Jimin is more worried than before.

She looks on the verge of falling apart but she won't let him help her. There is obviously something bothering her, something that's scaring her. Someone.

"Who are they?" Jimin asks in a hushed voice, wanting to keep this conversation private. Maybe it will make it easier for her to talk about it if it's just the two of them.

Eden turns towards the counter and braces her hands against its edge. She doesn't answer him. Instead, she stays silent as if she could escape his questions.

He won't let that happen.

"Eden, whatever is going on, I don't think hiding the butter knives will help you."

She doesn't answer him.

"Did something happen when you were out? Did you see something? Do you think they are coming back for you?"

Eden's shoulders stiffen at the mention of them. Her head turns slightly to watch him through the corner of her eye. "No. Nothing happened to me," she finally replies.

He doesn't sense a lie but he knows she isn't telling him the whole truth.

A hot flash of frustration rises through his chest. She is being hypocritical! Why does she expect me to trust her when she doesn't trust me first?

Jimin still cares for her, that goes without saying. Yet he can't help but hate her for keeping secrets from him. He doesn't understand what happened or what he did wrong. Why is she acting like this? It isn't fair. He doesn't deserve to be treated like this.

He knows he isn't perfect either, but this is different from mistakes and bad choices in the heat of the moment.

She is making the conscious decision to lie to him.

"Aren't we a family?" he questions. "If you are scared of something, shouldn't you tell us what that is?"

Eden finally turns around and leans up against the counter. Her head remains lowered allowing her blonde hair to shield part of her face. "We are a family," she says softly, "but I am telling you that it's dumb."

"It isn't dumb enough to ignore, apparently."

Her mouth twists back in an offended frown. She finally looks up and meets his gaze immediately. "I'm trying to handle it, and you're just making it difficult!" she snaps.

Jimin inclines his head to one side, confusedly. "I'm trying to help you. You're the one making it difficult. We could have already talked about it and you're keeping everybody in the dark."

Eden slaps her hand on the counter behind her and shoots him a dirty look. "It isn't worth talking about it."

"It's worth hiding the butter knives for," Jimin argues with an eye roll.

She outright glares at him. "What does it matter if I hide the butter knives? This is my apartment so who cares if I move the butter knives!"

"I care!" Jimin explodes, his ears flatten against his head. "I care if you move the butter knives, Eden!"

"They are just butter knives! There are still some in the drawer if you want them!"

"I know there are some in the drawer but why are they out in the first place?!"

"I can move them if I want to!"

"WHY BUTTER KNIVES?" Jimin screams, almost red in the face. He scoffs in disbelief and gestures sharply to her, "Why are you arguing with me over this? This is dumb!"

Eden smacks her hand on the counter again and continues to glower, "I know it's dumb! That's what I just said! It's not like the knives are hidden! You can still find them!"

"This isn't about if the butter knives are hidden or not!" Jimin's angered expression slips from his face and turns into a desperate one. "I don't care if you think it's dumb, I want to know why you are hiding them in the first place! Why are you so upset? Who do you think is coming and why don't you think I can protect you? I protected you twice before, why not again? Why don't you trust me anymore?"

Eden opens her mouth to answer but hesitates. The blind rage in her eyes falls away like fog under the light of the morning sun. Her body slowly relaxes into a calmer position and she takes a step away from him, backing herself against the counter again. "Oh. I didn't realize that was what you are..."

Jimin watches her expectantly, too stubborn to let her off the hook.

Eden closes her eyes and begins to calm herself down. "It's not that I don't trust you. I do. I really do, Jimin. I just thought... I guess I was just... embarrassed."

"You don't have to feel—"

"Whether my feelings were valid or not, it doesn't stop me from feeling that way," she answers flatly.

"Then help me understand how you are feeling," Jimin implores, reaching towards her. His gaze softens as he looks over her, wishing he could read her mind and help her through whatever is happening. "Whatever it is, trust me, and tell me what's bothering you. We have to trust each other, Eden. I trust you, why won't you trust me?"

"I'm sorry for acting like this," she apologizes, shrinking back. "I guess what is really dumb is how I'm acting. I didn't realize it was hurting you."

Jimin grimaces as he feels a twinge of guilt. "No. I'm sorry for making it about me. I'm worried about you. I just hate to watch you go through this alone... nobody deserves to be alone, after all."

Eden nods in agreement, still avoiding his gaze. "Thank you for that." She takes a deep breath and finally says, "I'm scared they will come back for us. Those men."

"Those men are in prison right now," Jimin reassures her gently, "They can't hurt us anymore."

Eden's eyes flicker with dark fear. "No. Not all of them. This morning, on the news, they said five of those men escaped custody. They are roaming the streets, they're armed... Jimin," her voice breaks as terror clouds her mind. "Jimin they are going to come for us again. I just know it. And that's why I'm... I'm trying to defend the apartment."

Jimin's eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you tell us?"

She shakes her head quickly, "I didn't want to scare you guys. And I thought I was being paranoid but I couldn't stop myself from falling for it. I am acting strange and I know it. But that doesn't stop me from being worried."

"We can help you," Jimin says immediately, "we can help you protect the apartment if that's what you want."

"No," she says quickly, "this isn't something you have to do. It's my job as your caretaker to do this. I'm supposed to take care of you, not the other way around. You have suffered enough in your lives, you shouldn't have to fear for your life anymore."

Jimin smiles sadly, "There is nothing in this world that could ever truly erase that fear. But we have learned to manage it. We can help you with that if you just let us." He draws closer to her and takes her hands in his. He interlocks his fingers in hers and holds them tightly. "You are trying to protect us and I admire that, but you don't need to shield us from reality. We know what's at stake. I want to keep our communication open. I don't want any secrets."

"I know, I know... and I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Now I know."

"Oh..."

Jimin and Eden jump at the sound of Taehyung's voice and turn to look at the kitchen doorway. Peeking into the kitchen are Taehyung and Jungkook like the spies they are.

Taehyung watches the couple for a moment before sighing. "So that's why I found a butter knife on the dresser."

Jungkook's eyes widened with concern. "Do you really think they are coming for us?"

Jimin gestures for them to come into the kitchen. "I don't think so, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious until they are caught. But I don't think a butter knife can save us." He smiles wryly at Eden, "Sorry, love, but as good as your intentions are, we might need something a little sharper than that."

Eden smiles awkwardly.

Taehyung looks over their joined hands before nodding. "Yeah. I agree. Do you have any bigger knives?"

Eden glances over her shoulder to look at the utensil drawer. "Not really. I was too cheap to buy a chopping knife. However, I think I'm still overreacting. You shouldn't encourage me..."

Taehyung only shrugs. "It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"Yeah. Besides, they don't know where we live," Jungkook offers in a comforting tone.

Eden nods slowly, "I didn't tell them my last name... It would be impossible for them to find me based on my first name. And if they tried to follow me home after that first night, they would have come for us the night we left the hospital. They would have caught Jimin before he had the chance to rescue you guys. The only reason Hoseok and I were taken was that they were retracing their steps at the same time I was."

"See? There's nothing for us to worry about," Jimin says serenely, attaching himself to Eden's side. He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her close to him. He smiles warmly at her, "We're safe here. You don't have to be afraid. And you don't need to hide the butter knives either."

Eden laughs anxiously, "I guess I went a bit overboard..."

"At least we have something interesting to do," Taehyung comments with a growing smile. "Let's see all the creative places Eden hid the butter knives."

"Can we make toast when we find them all? As a prize?" Jungkook asks excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Jimin giggles and nods quickly, "Yes! Of course! Let's go find the butter knives!"

The three boys look to Eden and wait for her to say the word. Eden thinks about it, still leaning against Jimin's shoulder before her eyes light up. "Sure! Let's do it!"

With that, the four of them ran through the house to search for the hidden butter knives.

However, as Jimin searched the living room, he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling of paranoia. Eden's fear must have been contagious as he began looking to the door more times than necessary.

We are safe here, he reminds himself. There's no need to be afraid. All we have left to fear is the butter knives hidden throughout the apartment.

Everything will be okay.

A/N: This past week has been the most productive I had have in a while. I finished all my homework before today's (Friday) sunset and posted my chapter on the correct day! I am sorry if these chapters feel like filler chapters, it's not what I intended. I have a tendency to build towards the climax : ) If you were hiding butter knives around your home, where would you hide one? Remember to take good care of yourselves, lovelies! Drink lots of water and if you are staying up for BangBangCon, try to sleep beforehand!