March 17^th, 3:22pm.

Katy coughed, trying to clear some of the soot from her airway. She kept Tally’s head turned into her shoulder, trying to keep the smoke from getting to her. It was an awfully slow fire, but it was already licking its way up the walls, inching closer and closer to where Katy sat with her daughter. The fabric of the couch was damp with sweat, and Katy’s breathing was ragged.

She was able to move a little bit, her hands and fingers, minor motor skills. What she really needed to do was get up and get Tally the fuck out of there. She wasn’t going to fail her daughter, not now. Tally’s curly hair tickled her nose, and she almost sneezed. But she couldn’t move.

“Shit,” she muttered through gritted teeth, reaching and pinching her thighs as viciously as she could, hissing at the pain. Good. Pain was good. It meant her legs were still there, and at least listening to her a bit. Needles prickled down her calves, soothed somewhat by the heat of the fire.

Tally shifted against her, and Katy tightened her arm. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” she murmured, leaning down as carefully as she could to press a kiss to her head. Tally tucked her head further into Katy’s neck, her forehead sweaty against Katy’s skin. Her breathing was shallow, which worried Katy more. Had Lucia given her too much?

It was strange, the situation she found herself in. Katy felt like she was a few feet away, observing the whole situation with a sort of dispassionate indifference. But the part of her that was still connected, the part that cringed, was the opposite. It sent red alarms off in her mind, being able to see the fire licking its way up the wood walls. No wonder people didn’t build with wood in Arizona. The dry wood was going up like crazy.

“Can you walk?” Katy asked, not sure how they were going to get out otherwise. The smoke was blinding, the heat from the flames threatening to consume them. She coughed again on the smoke, kept her hand on Tally’s head, keeping her secure. Their time was running out.

Tally nodded, much to Katy’s surprise.

“Get on the ground,” Katy said. “The air’s cleaner down at the bottom.” Katy was going to do her best to get them out, but no matter what, Tally had to survive.

Tally nodded once more, then slithered out of Katy’s touch and onto her hands and knees, head down as far as she could go. Her forehead was almost touching the wood floor, barely covered by a faded rug.

Katy stared at Tally. As far as she knew, Lucia had dosed her the same way. Was it just not as effective on her daughter? Had Tally been acting? If Lucia had been dosing Tally before, it was possible she had become more tolerant.

Tally reached up and pulled at her hand, distracting her. Her grip had more strength behind it than Katy would have anticipated, so she let her body roll into the momentum, doing her best to not land on Tally when she hit the floor. “Thanks, love.” Her voice cracked. Her mouth felt dry and gritty, and even when she swallowed, it didn’t get better.

Katy struggled to move, her legs and arms cooperating to some extent. Her fingers dug into the rug, into the wood, her heart racing and her chest heaving. Tally seemed to be doing better, her movements jerky but continuous, and she reached the door before Katy did.

The fire had reached the couch now, had consumed where they had been moments prior. The smoke was so thick Katy could barely see, even down on the floor. The heat from the flames was almost unbearable; it was like Arizona’s sun in the summer, condensed into a small area.

Tally was the one who reached up and unlocked the front door, pressing the buttons on the keypad. Katy would have to ask her where she got the code.

Her chest felt too tight, her hands shaking. The door was open, and freedom was just in front of her, but her body didn’t want to cooperate. She just stayed there, hips and legs on the ground, arms being used to drag herself forward.

Tally stayed by her side, the flames getting uncomfortably close to both of them. “Go,” Katy told her daughter, her voice weak. No matter what, Tally had to survive. She had to make it out of there. There was a crackling noise as something broke, sending sparks flaring. Katy didn’t cry out, even when bits of pain dotted her legs. Little embers must have landed on her. “Go, Tally.” She tried to make her voice more commanding this time.

There was a dark look on Tally’s face, and she shook her head. “No,” she said, and that was the first word Katy had heard out of her since she’d returned. “No.” It was even firmer the second time.

Ignoring the shock at Tally’s words, Katy focused on moving forward, Tally dragging her hand and trying to help in any way she could. The dirt and rocks dug into her skin through her clothes, and her hands burned from the grit dug into the skin.

She coughed again, her chest trying to heave and clear her throat of whatever had gathered there. Slowly but surely, her feet pulled away from the doorway, and she was far enough away to breathe, even as the roof crashed in. Katy’s breath hitched, something that hurt, and she pulled Tally close to her chest.

Tally let out a quiet sob, and buried her head in Katy’s neck, her arms wrapped tightly around her mother.

Dimly, Katy could feel the tears on her neck, feel the way Tally was clutching her like she never wanted to let go. But Katy felt spacey, like she was only half connected to the world. She wasn’t burned, except for her legs, but everything hurt, and it was so hot.

The last thing she heard was Alex shouting her name.

* * *

Alex sat in the chair, her head on Katy’s hospital bed and her hand on top of Katy’s. She had been out for a few hours, even once they’d gotten her to the hospital. The ketamine, exhaustion, and shock the doctors said. Smoke inhalation, possible lung damage. A few burns on her feet and hands. But she should recover.

She straightened up and looked over at the second hospital bed, much smaller. The hospital had made an exception, allowing Tally to stay in the same room as her mother. Katy had done an amazing job of protecting her daughter. Tally would have a cough for a few weeks, but there were no burns and she seemed to have no side effects from any drugs.

Alex studied the sleeping Tally for a few moments, ensuring that she was comfortable, before she turned back to Katy. Katy, who had her eyes open and was looking at her. Alex inhaled sharply, reaching for the call button.

“Tally?” Katy croaked, her voice hoarse.

Alex shifted, moving out of the way so Katy could see her daughter.

The tension seemed to bleed out of Katy’s shoulders, her whole body going limp. A tear started sliding down her soot-covered face, and her body shook, as if she was sobbing.

“Hey,” Alex soothed, glancing around before scooting onto the bed with Katy and gathering her into her arms as best she could with the medical equipment involved. Katy turned slightly so her face was against Alex’s chest, and cried.

Alex stroked her hair, murmuring endearments. She could only guess what Katy was going through. Finally, Katy’s sobs quieted, with just a hiccup or two before she leaned backwards.

“I thought we wouldn’t make it,” Katy whispered, the words broken and just for her ears.

“But you did.” Alex leaned forward, hesitated barely a second, and then kissed her. It was short and sweet, nothing that would stress her. “You did.” She put her hand back on top of Katy’s, careful to avoid the burned patches, and stroked her thumb across the back of her palm, trying to convey how she felt in some way, since she couldn’t put it in words.

“Is she okay?” Katy craned her neck, wincing. Her words were getting rougher.

“Little bit of smoke inhalation, but she’ll be right as rain.” Alex smiled at her. “Lucia injected both of you subcutaneously, into your skin, rather than your muscle. It was a slower absorption rate, which is why you were able to get her out of there.”

Katy turned to look at Alex, studying her face. “I didn’t know if I’d see you again,” she said, her words almost too soft to hear.

“Sadly, you’re stuck with me.” Alex winked, the relief making her insides flip, and then she leaned in and kissed Katy again. She lingered this time, her lips against Katy’s, until she felt Katy pull back slightly.

“I’m hungry,” Katy murmured.

Alex helped ease her back onto the hospital bed. “I’ll go check with the nurse. That okay?”

“Ye…” Katy’s eyes fluttered closed.

Ignoring the panic that gripped her, Alex turned to the monitors, the machines. Her heart rate was still steady. Apparently, she was sleeping. With one last look at her girlfriend or whatever Katy was, Alex left the hospital room. She found a nurse, gave her a heads up, and then headed to the vending machine with the nurse’s okay.

“How is she?” Greg’s voice startled her, and she jumped, nearly dropping the coins in her hand. “Sorry,” he said ruefully.

“It’s okay.” Alex laughed a bit at herself. She was still jumping at sounds, but she was hopeful.

“They’re looking into the death of Erika Ivakov’s husband,” Greg said evenly.

“Good,” Alex said with feeling. The longer she was behind bars, the better.

“I heard you resigned from the CARD team,” Greg said, leaning against the vending machine opposite from hers.

Alex turned to look at him, distracted from putting the quarters in there. “And how’d you hear that?” She’d just turned it in a couple hours ago.

Greg winked. “I know someone.”

Ah. Her dad, then. Alex rolled her eyes. Gossip.

“What’re you going to do?” Greg asked, hands in his pocket.

Alex looked at him, studying him. He had an agenda, then. The nonchalance was too casual. “I dunno yet.” Her gaze flickered back to where Katy was in her hospital room. She pushed the buttons for an apple juice, watched it fall so she could pick it up.

“You could come work for me,” Greg said.

Alex arched an eyebrow at him. “I don’t know if I can do child cases,” she said slowly.

“We could use a new liaison at the field office,” he said. “One who listens.”

Alex looked at him, considering. She glanced back at Katy’s room, and then studied him closely. “You have your fingers in a lot of pies, don’t you?”

“Helps to know people who know people,” Greg said with a shrug. “And have an uncle who’s second in command.”

Alex laughed, grinning. “We’ll talk,” she promised.

“They caught the leak.” The teasing glint was gone from Greg’s face, leaving him tired and sad-looking. “It was Wiggins, thanks to Susan. Susan was trying to get back into reporting on the side, so she took advantage of him to get the information. It didn’t hurt that she could use the information to blackmail Lucia, or Erika, or whatever her name was. Maybe that was her primary motivation in the first place. That’s how Tally knew them; Lucia had brought them over.”

Alex winced, half in sympathy and half in irritation. “I take it he was fired?”

“Summarily dismissed.” Greg sighed. “The whole department is going through re-training.”

“Don’t envy you there,” Alex said, a lilt to her voice. Department-sanctioned training was one of her least favorite things.

Greg winked at her. “I’m going to go say hi,” he said, then ambled off in the direction of Katy’s room.

Alex watched him go, emotion warring inside her. She was leaving the CARD team, partially so she could travel less and stay local. Especially with both Katy and Tally recovering. It would be best for the little girl to have both of them around.

And honestly, Alex would sleep better at night if she knew Katy was protected. Working with Greg would require a transfer, getting set up with a new department. But an internal transfer in the FBI, maybe to another department, would be just as tempting as a choice. Maybe she would give white collar crime a try.

She exhaled slowly, a smile on her face, before she put a few more quarters on the vending machine. She’d tell Katy the news next time she woke up.