Sam fell asleep on Ada's lap sometime after ten, and Ada didn't move her. Aidan offered to help, but she declined. She was in no hurry to go anywhere. Her warmth was welcome. Ada still had a chill from the park; her fingers tingled against Sam's side as they regained sensation.

Noah had barely even stirred, aside from some slight twitches and groans in the first hour. The pungent stench of alcohol oozing from his pores until she couldn't detect it any longer.

Aidan's ire, on the other hand, did not. It ebbed and flowed like the tide and was just as impressive. Though he kept it inward, Ada could feel the tension radiating from his still figure. He remained seated on the floor in front of the couch Noah occupied the entire evening.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, pulling her from her reverie.

"Of course."

"You and Noah have gotten pretty close lately, right?" He paused, and Ada shrugged with a nod of agreement. "Has he seemed stressed or upset?

Ada shook her head. "No more than usual, I guess. He had a rough time with his wolf while you were on the east coast. It didn't seem too bad, he handled it well enough."

"But besides that?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of."

Aidan heaved a defeated sigh. "What am I going to do with him ...?"

The question was rhetorical, and Ada had no answer to provide him even if he wanted it. What could she possibly say to that that would be helpful? She didn't need to tell him he was doing his best. Noah's relapse was probably because of what she had asked him to do. That was on her. She was the last person he should be asking, but the only one around.

Still, Ada felt like she should say something. Anything. Anything at all. But the seconds bled into minutes and still they were silent.

Noah woke with a graceless snort and a flail that cracked Aidan across his left ear. He cursed loudly and jolted to his feet faster than she thought he could. Noah pressed a palm to his forehead and swore under his breath. At this, Sam finally stirred.

"Why did you hit me?" Aidan groaned, pacing around the table massaging the side of his head.

"Didn't mean to," Noah grumbled. "How did I get here?"

Ada raised a hand, leaning a bit to see around Sam.

"What the hell were you thinking? Why did you run off?"

Aidan's careful composure was slipping. Sam sat up and cracked her neck. Her hair was mussed, partially from sleep, partially from Ada running her fingers through it.

"Aidan," she murmured.

His head tilted toward her, then he shut his eyes and forced a slow, deep breath. He deflated infinitesimally. His eyes, when he opened them once more, were hard. Noah stared back in wary silence.

"Why did you run off?" repeated Aidan in a monotone.

Noah swallowed hard. "I ... got overwhelmed. I don't know, it's like my brain just shut off. All I knew was that I needed to make him stop."

"What did he want?"

"Control, as he usually does."

Aidan's fists clenched. "What happened after you left?"

"I ..." Noah frowned, gaze falling to the coffee table in thought.

"What happened?" Aidan snapped.

Noah's mouth opened and closed, then he pressed his lips together. Fuming, Aidan seemed to swell, and a second before he spoke, Ada got an odd tingling across her bare arms.

"Tell me what you did. Everything you did that you weren't supposed to."

Goosebumps erupted on Sam's arms, and she stiffened in Ada's lap. At first, Ada didn't understand, but then she saw the look of horror on Noah's face and it all came rushing back. She got goosebumps of her own as, wide-eyed, Noah began to gush information.

"When I was fourteen, I stole your pocket knife and threw it in the river. When I was sixteen I skipped lessons and started meeting with Cora in the woods. A few months later I killed her. Just after my nineteenth birthday I killed Alish-"

Aidan gave a sharp shake of his head. "No, just the things I don't know about."

Dread was leaden in her belly. Ada was helpless to stop him. Nothing she could say or do would prevent Noah from answering, she knew that, but still her mind scrambled for fruitless solutions. That second stretched into infinity. Noah's eyes flicked to her, wide with apprehension, and still his lips moved.

"I beat a drug dealer half to death two years ago for a fix. I stole purses for a while to get money for a fix. I got in a fight in a bar and nearly lost control. Five people had to drag me off; that was in February." Noah's eyes were bulging from strain now, as though he was trying to fight the compulsion. Aidan's eye was twitching, but he didn't amend his order. "When you were away the first time, I read your journal because I was bitter about you reading mine. The second time you were away, I helped Ada dispose of a dead body. Today I stole money from your wallet when you were in the shower and went to the liquor store."

Noah coughed and went slack against the cushions as he caught his breath. The words had come so fast he barely had time to breathe. Aidan went utterly still, and Ada's stomach soured. Her grip on Sam's waist tightened. Her finger's sought Ada's and gave a supportive squeeze.

"What was that?" hissed Aidan, still facing Noah.

Noah swallowed deeply. "Um ... which one?"

"I think you know which one?"

Inky eyes flitted to Ada's, and she was nearly overcome by the urge to cringe away. She had hoped Aidan would never have to know about what she had done, and what she had asked of Noah. It wasn't fair to him, she knew that, but it didn't keep her from deception.

Noah had composed himself some and sat up straighter, head slightly bowed. His gaze was locked on Aidan's collar. "She needed my help, she was scared. I couldn't say no."

Ada's cheeks prickled, and she cleared her throat. "Don't be mad at him, be mad at me." She patted Sam's arm, and she scooted onto the armrest so Ada could move freely. Aidan turned and folded his arms, wearing a scowl that would flay her where she sat if looks were able to kill. "I was careless that night. It was him or me; he had his hands around my throat, and I was seconds from blacking out. I stabbed him.

"I shouldn't have asked Noah for help. I didn't know where else to turn. I was in shock."

Aidan stared down his nose at her, thoughts churning behind steely eyes. He turned to Sam. "Did you know about this?" When she said nothing, his jaw flexed, causing a muscle to jump in his cheek. "Am I the only one who didn't know?"

Two agonising heartbeats later, Sam murmured, "Yes."

His eyes squeezed shut, his tension palpable. She felt Sam's discomfort even before her firm grip found Ada's upper arm. They were all helpless as Aidan threw up his hands and then stormed out the back door.

The silence in the living room stretched on. They didn't move. Sam and Noah, like Ada, likely couldn't find the will to move, to break the moment. Ada's shoulders ached deeply from the tension she held.

Noah turned, seemingly in slow motion. "I'm sorry, there was nothing I-"

"I know. I'm sorry, too. I meant what I said. I never should have gotten you involved."

"I don't regret it." He held her gaze for a time.

Silence returned but for the occasional uncomfortable shifting. Sam eventually sighed. "Should I go after him?"

"Let him be," said Noah, getting to his feet with a grunt. "If he's not back in an hour, I'll go looking for him."

Noah climbed the steps without looking back and locked himself in the washroom. Sam slid back into Ada's lap and buried her face in her hair. As it all sank in, Ada stroked her spine, absorbing some of her tension.

"That was horrible," Sam groaned, gripping Ada's shirt. "He was so angry."

Ada shushed her softly. "He'll forgive you."

Sometimes, Sam is too clever for her own good.

"He'll forgive you, too, he's just upset."

"I don't know," Ada sighed. "This is Noah we're talking about. Aidan put his whole life on hold for, what, three years?"

"Four."

"Exactly; Aidan would do just about anything for him. I wouldn't put it past him to hold this against me forever."

Sam pulled back to assess her face. "I wouldn't let that happen. Aidan will get past this, he just needs time to get over the hurt."

Ada pressed her lips together to keep in her first thought. "If you say so."

Ada really wasn't so sure, but there was nothing for it. She had done this. Aidan had every right to be angry with her. It was a miracle she didn't get them caught. There would be Hell to pay if any of this came to public light.

The weight of her actions became an impossible mantle pinning her to her seat, restricting her breathing. Ada pulled Sam close again and shut her eyes. She tried to focus on Sam's breathing, her pulse, to help even her own.

Noah returned not long after, hairline damp and cheeks flushed from scrubbing. He gave them both a joyless smile. Sam cleared her throat as his attention turned to his phone.

"I'm sorry he used his power on you. That can't have been pleasant." Her eyes were huge with empathy.

Noah shrugged but said nothing, returning to his phone.

"Sam?" Ada murmured. "Didn't he use it on you before?"

"Yes, but to keep me from talking, not the other way around. I can't imagine how that must have felt."

Noah made a soft sound in his throat. "It felt like the words were ripped from my lungs."

They cringed together, and Ada asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

The hour ticked away. Yawning, Noah was just getting to his feet when the back door opened. Apprehension was palpable as they turned to see what state Aidan was in. His hair was a mess, as though he had run his hands through it repeatedly. Impassive eyes addressed them before returning to Noah.

"Come on, we're going home." Flat, practised calm.

Noah turned, offering a quick, closed-lip smile before following to the front door. Sam held up a finger, following just as the door unlocked.

"Aidan?"

"I'll be outside," murmured Noah.

The door opened and shut, followed by three long heartbeats. Ada longed to go out of earshot, but decided against it. The last thing she wanted was to set him off; so she stayed seated, fairly holding her breath from the tension.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She sucked in a shaky breath; it sounded like she wanted to say more, but was at a loss for words.

"She put us at risk," he murmured; Ada strained to hear clearly. "Don't try to tell me not to be angry with her."

"I won't, but try to see it from her perspective, yeah?"

He sighed. "I barely know her perspective, it's not like she broadcasts it."

"So talk to her, for real. Not now, but soon."

Silence stretched on. "Fine."

The door opened again, and Ada gulped. The idea of telling him everything, absolutely everything, was daunting. She had done it once, though, and she could do it again. She would, if he was willing to hear it. It was the least she could do after the danger she had put them all in.

Sharp trilling woke Ada before sunrise. It was a long few seconds before she recognised it as her ringtone. She scrambled to answer; this early it could be nothing good. She didn't recall taking her phone off vibrate, but she also didn't recall much past two. Insomnia had led her to the bottom of a bottle of wine. That, at least, had brought on sleep.

"Hello?" She pressed a palm over her photosensitive eyes as nausea roiled. She hadn't even checked who it was.

"You're not going to believe this," said Hillebrandt, too awake for the hour. Ada grunted for him to go on. "The file appeared on my desk overnight. While I was asleep in the other room."

Ada sat up, and Sam's arm fell to her lap. "What?"

"It was sitting right where I had left it before, like it was never missing."

"Wow, for real?" Ada fought her illness for a moment in wonder. "That was risky; why bother giving it back to you?"

"To prove they could, I'd bet. And I think- no, I know they flipped around some of my things."

Ada laughed at that. "That would be Charles, he does that sometimes to fuck with people."

"Well, it's working. I thought I was losing my mind trying to find coffee beans a few minutes ago."

Ada sighed, flummoxed by the action. Unpredictability was a key part of their success back in the day, but this was extreme, even for them. To break into a detective's home for the second time, while he was there, was beyond what she knew them to be comfortable with. What had they gained beyond amusement? Worse, what if amusement was all they had desired? Were they devolving?

"I don't know what to say," she admitted, flopping back against her pillow. Sam, still sound asleep, put her arm across Ada's belly once more. "This is beyond unusual."

"Me either, but I thought you'd want to know. They have both been staying out of trouble here—that we know about, at least."

"What about Simon, any word?"

Hillebrandt scratched his chin, soft rasping like static. "Nothing, but I'll double check when I'm in later. You sure it's him? He's not someone to screw around with."

"Maybe. Can I send you a picture of his product? Maybe you'll recognise it, or something."

He agreed, and so she sent him the photo of the emblazoned bags, waiting with bated breath for his response. A particularly colourful curse left his lips.

"First of all, yeah, we're talking about the same Simon. I can't believe you got involved with him." Hillebrandt sighed, then yawned. "Second, where the hell did you get this picture?"

"I believe that's in the 'you don't want to know' category."

He sighed harder. "You're probably right. Keep your head up and your nose out of trouble. I had better not hear about you getting arrested. I'll call you again if I learn something else."

Ada lay there for a while, too baffled to sleep, too tired and hungover to get up. Sam had barely even stirred and was snoring lightly. Her safety was Ada's top priority when it came to the situation at hand. It was foolish of her to think she could finish things on her own. Hadn't she admitted as much to herself the first time by going to the police?

Honestly, she had no idea how she was going to keep Sam safe and also involve her in whatever came next. So much could go wrong. Ada had to stop thinking of possibilities when the nausea almost overcame her.

Sam's face was mashed into the pillow beside her. Her eyelids danced as she dreamed. Ada leaned over and pressed her lips to her forehead. The searing heat would be concerning to anyone else. To Ada, it was familiar, safe, comfortable. Ada rolled onto her side and scooted back against her, then pulled the blankets up over their shoulders. At her feet, Percy shifted and stretched, but did not get up.

Sleep didn't find her again, but she was content to stay there until the day came calling. This peace was only temporary, but if she shut her eyes she could at least pretend it wasn't.