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What a night, Eve thought to herself exhaustedly. Cassandra had finally fallen asleep on the bathroom floor after an impressive bout of vomiting, and the boys briefly returned after getting their tacos to check on her before going home for the night. Eve retrieved a blanket and pillow from the closet and positioned Cassandra in a manner that at least looked like it might be comfortable and left her a glass of water and some aspirin within easy reach, before retreating back to the main room of the Annex. She sat back down at the desk that she shared with Flynn, and cupping her chin in her hand, stared down at the photo. She lightly traced a finger over his face, trying to dull the physical ache in her chest when she thought about him. Her last words to him rang in her head mockingly, No kiss this time. I think. She remembered his resigned look when her words had hit him. Why hadn't she stopped him? Why hadn't she turned around just a little bit sooner and told him to come back alive. To her. She knew it was hard for him and that running was all he knew. She wished she had been more patient and helped him realize that he was safe with her, he would never have to hide anything from her. Her regretful thoughts consumed her and her eyelids became heavy. Picking up the photo, she brought it close to her chest, as if the action would somehow bring Flynn closer to her. Eve propped her head on her forearm, clutching the photo in her other hand and let her eyes drift close.

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Flynn was surprised to find a few of the lights on in the Annex when he came through the backdoors. He was returning from London where it had been early morning, so he knew it was pretty late and Jenkins was always a stickler for conserving energy and never left unneeded lights on. He walked further into the Annex and then stopped in his tracks when he saw Eve hunched over at their desk. She made no indication that she heard him come in so he approached her cautiously, intensely aware of how they had last left things.

He felt a warm rush in his chest when he saw her up close and realized that she was fast asleep. Her face was relaxed, void of the tension that had been present when he last saw her. Her shoulders rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and her breath puffed against a loose curl with every exhale. She must have been exhausted to fall asleep like that.

"Eve?" he called gently. Getting no response, he lightly cupped the back of her head with his hand. "Eve?" he tried again.

Eve let out a soft murmur and shifted a bit. As she did, one arm slid out from under her head and he saw that she had something clutched in her hand. Bending over to take a look, Flynn felt like he had been punched in the gut when he saw what it was. A photo of them. Looking happy, carefree, and in love. He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. What had gone wrong? Why hadn't he just said the words on the tip on his tongue that night? I love you.

"Eve, wake up."

"Flynn?" she lifted her head, peering at him through bleary eyes.

"Yeah, c'mere," he pulled the chair out from the desk a bit and in a surprisingly coordinated move, scooped up her sleepy form.

"Mmm, missed you," Eve's head lolled on his shoulder as he walked towards the couch.

Gently setting her down he replied, "I missed you too." He set about unlacing her boots and pulling them off for her.

"Stay?" she looked at him with a vulnerability that he didn't know she possessed.

He wouldn't refuse her request. Not now. He nodded and helped her sit up a bit so he could settle at the end of the couch before she lay back down, her head in his lap.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, running his fingers through the strands of her hair, massaging her scalp soothingly.

"'s'ok" she was quickly drifting back off under his relaxing touch.

"It's not. I'll try to better. I promise."

"Me too."

His free hand found one of hers, bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. He felt her body going lax against him. "Go back to sleep," he commanded lovingly.

"Kay," she let out a deep sigh and her breathing almost immediately evened back out.

Flynn looked down at her sleeping form with wonderment. How such a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman had all but been dropped into his life and become not only his friend, but his lover if he didn't continue to mess things up, he would never know. "I love you," he whispered before allowing his chin to tuck to his collarbone and drift off with her.

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Flynn woke up about an hour later when he felt Eve trembling against him. The Annex had gotten a bit chilly, and unfortunately, there were no blankets within easy reach. Trying not to jostle her too much, he carefully extracted himself from his blazer and lay it over her shoulders, offering her what little warmth he could. Her shaking stopped almost immediately and she rolled over in her sleep with a sigh, cuddling in close to him. He watched her for another moment before sleep claimed him again.

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Eve felt herself being tugged from her sleep, by what she wasn't sure, and her body fought against it. She rolled over, burrowing into the couch and let out a sleepy sigh of contentment. Flynn, the couch smelled like Flynn, she thought before drifting back off, not stopping to think how she had ended up on the couch.

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Eve's eyes popped open as she startled awake, suddenly aware that she was not waking up in her own bed. She took in her surroundings and realized she was on a couch tucked away in a corner of the Annex. Her brain still fuzzy with sleep, she brought a hand up to rub the sleep out of her eyes, trying to cling to the dream that she awoke from.

Flynn. She dreamt of Flynn. She could almost still smell him on the blanket that was covering her. She inhaled deeply and quickly realized that she did in fact smell him on the blanket that was covering her, and that the blanket was not in fact a blanket, but a blazer. Flynn's blazer. He had been there, not in her dreams, she realized as bits and pieces of the previous night slowly came back to her. But where was he now? Her heart sank, thinking he had left again. Swinging her legs off the couch, his blazer fell from her shoulders to her lap. She ran her fingers over the worn carnation on his lapel, resisting the urge to bury her face in the fabric, instead she draped it over her shoulders.

"Hey."

His voice startled her and she looked up to see him holding two cups of steaming coffee.

"Hey," she replied, suddenly unsure of herself as she took the offered coffee.

He tentatively joined her on the couch and they sat, sipping their coffee in silence for a few minutes, both unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry," Eve finally broke their silence. "About how we left things."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm the one who keeps leaving. I just…I have so much…I don't know how…"

Eve touched his wrist, trying to ground his thoughts. It seemed to work because he took a deep breath and started again.

"There is so much I want to say to you, but I don't know how."

Eve's heart began to hammer in her chest. "I'm not going to leave you know."

Flynn looked at her, surprise in his eyes. "It's just…everyone else…I'm…"

"Has left. And you're scared?" she filled in the blanks.

He nodded. How did she know him so well?

She placed her now empty coffee mug on the floor and grabbed his hand. "I'm scared too," she met his eyes, trying to convey the depth of her feelings. "And I won't leave you alone. We're a little…" she trailed off, searching for the right word. "Fractured right now. But we aren't broken. We just have to start talking to each other about what we are thinking and feeling."

"We can do that," Flynn's nervous grip on her fingers began to loosen.

"Yeah, we can," she agreed, feeling her own anxiety lessen. "But first you need to-"

"Finish my mission and stop Prospero," he finished for her, looking down at their joined hands instead of her face.

Seeing that he was unsure of her reaction, she squeezed his fingers reassuringly. "And if you need help, I'm here. And so are Stone, Cassandra, and Jones."

"Right," he nodded.

"People do long distance relationships all the time. Our version is just a little more unconventional. As long as we want it to work, it will."

"I do," Flynn jumped in quickly. "I do want it to work."

"So do I," she rested her head against his shoulder. "So we will just be better at staying in contact."

"Ok," Flynn agreed, tilting his head against hers.

Eve savored the contact for as long as she could before speaking up again, "But you probably have to go?"

She felt him let out a regretful sigh before replying.

"Yeah."

She brought their joined hands to her lips, kissing the back of his hand, before turning to press a kiss to his cheek. Keeping their fingers laced, she got to her feet, urging him to follow her. She tugged him to her, hips bumping, as she looped her free hand behind his back and lay her head against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat increase, trying to memorize its rhythm before stepping away to meet his eyes and put some space between them.

"Your jacket," Eve began to slip the blazer from her shoulders before she was stopped by his hand on hers.

"Keep it," he smiled at her. "I'll be back." He didn't need to add the 'for you', they both knew.

"Come back alive Librarian," she stepped into his space once more and kissed him. His bottom lip, slightly chapped, fit neatly between hers. Their noses bumped together so she tilted her head slightly, aligning them better. She resisted the urge to run her tongue across his lips, but didn't object when she felt his tongue flick against her own lips. He sighed into her mouth, his warm breath filling her lungs and she felt herself melt into him.

When they parted, he once again felt whole. "I will," his voice was slightly shaky as he brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead.

HIs lips lingered on her forehead before pulling away.

"You're my favorite person," he told her. I love you.

"You're my favorite person too," she replied before he stepped through the doors. I love you too.

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~finis~