Motorcycles roared through the dark crowded streets, mapping the sweat on their foreheads, the warm rays on their backs, the blinding dust. The walkie-talkie crackled in the pocket of Hal with screeching Captain commands. Maggie revved past him, marking through the lines of the road, weaving as well as avoiding the death rays of Mechs, an electrified her masked smile.

"You direct those Mech bastards away from the civilians!"

"You do your job, Weaver; leave this to me and Maggie!"

"Mason, you better be guarding my ass!" Maggie yelled at his side, with one glance, they revved their engines, catapulting through the air, hitting the Mechs on their metal surfaces, feeling invincible. With a pull of her gun, she shot in the eye of the Mech, but it's partner took her by surprise, crushing the ground beneath her, making her fly through the air, hitting the pavement.

"Maggie!" Hal shouted, trying to reach out and take his place, but his priority was to take down Mech. Feeling restricted, he reached for the gun. The pocket was empty. Hal cursed, grabbed the handles and woven again, trying to drive it off the bridge. He felt the crushing ground around him, the walls of the sidewalks flying after him, his eyes stinging dust poisoning him. He was running out of options, he would have to push it off the bridge. Taking it with him. A shrill whistle was heard behind him, the wheels rounded, he faced the figure.

Sitting heavily on another bike was a character, obscured by smoke around them. Maggie called on the character to escape as quickly as possible. The figure ignored her orders and her preparation, their face came into focus.

"Lourdes! Get the hell out of here!" Hal accelerated to guide her out of danger, but Lourdes revved ahead, dropping Mech in his step and be trapped by her journey, Maggie and Hal had no choice but to take her side to support. Hal took to her, trying to prevent her from taking the bold decision, she seized the outstretched hand and pulled herself on the back of his motorcycle. Ignoring his protests, she turned around with her back pressed against his to the Mech on their tail, she recovered a weapon in the inside pocket of her jacket. Pressing her lips against his ear, she whispered mischievously. "The secret weapon." She released the grenade, watching the cap lift, and it crumble to centrepieces. Maggie looked back in anticipation.

"Tick."

"Tick."

"BOOM!" It exploded. She watched proudly as the surface of Mechs burned in hot, red. The smoke swallowing in defeat. She squeezed his arm against the back of Hal to steady herself, seeing the hint of a smile on his face. A kiss on his ear, she left her bike in the wreck.

"Okay, that was badass, but you are in so much trouble!" His words were defeated by his proud smile, as he rode with his one and only back to base, with an applauding Maggie at their side.

Hal did not speak any word to her as they entered the building, a swarming crowd around them stood astonished as they noticed the medic beside him walking through the hallway. She found herself embraced in Anne's welcoming arms, Hal hugged by his father, Maggie high-fived by Ben. The clapping silenced when Captain Weaver entered. He watched Lourdes without speaking, then turned to the eldest masons swiftly, his glare stern. No-one spoke.

"You wanna tell me why our medic had to go out and save your ass, Mason?" Hal cringed at stone-cold tone in his tenor; Maggie glanced at Lourdes wearily, knowing what was coming. Sensing Hal's hesitance, Lourdes took courage.

"I didn't have to go, Captain. I went because I wanted to help them." She pressed her hand into Hal's ,squeezing to give reassurance. Captain Weaver avoided looking at their intertwined hands.

"And why is that?"

"There was no reason-"Lourdes began to lie, but Hal took the fall.

"It was my fault I lost my weapon, and Maggie was hurt." There were sharp intakes of shocked breaths, the concept that Hal and Maggie could have been so close to death, had it not been for the brave medic, seemed incredulous to them. Tom Mason stared in disbelief at his son, after all they had been through, how could Hal be so careless?

"Do you realise how stupid that was, Hal?!" Tom's voice boomed. Hal nodded his eyes downcast.

"Hey!" Maggie stepped forward, as did Lourdes, shielding Hal subconsciously. "None of you guys were being chased by Mechs, knowing that if you didn't get them away; this whole building would be wrecked did you? No. Thought not, so before you start barking, you might wanna get a little perspective." She tilted her head in Lourdes' direction. "She did well, but that doesn't make Hal any worse."

"No. It doesn't." Lourdes nodded, irked that they had blatantly treated him as a scapegoat. Captain considered their words, and then dismissed them. Lourdes had to fasten her pace, to match Hal.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I need some air." Hal briskly stated. Lourdes pulled him back so there was privacy.

"Hey! You wanna tell me your problem?" Hal's eyes widened at her patronising tone.

"My problem is that I could've lost you! What were you thinking, Lourdes?" His head was dangerously close to hers, but she was too insulted to be thrown away by his close lush lips.

"Don't be a hypocrite; I could have lost you, since you forgot the weapon!"

"I didn't forget it. I lost it enroute."

"Because that matters now!" Lourdes retorted in sarcasm. She pushed him away and made to leave, but feeling guilty, Hal hooked her elbow and pulled her back, his arms encircling her waist.

"Okay, I'm sorry. It's just…it's been five months, Lourdes. A really good five months, I keep thinking somebody is gonna come and ruin this." He pressed his forehead against hers, cradling her. Lourdes' heart melted at his sincerity, she had the doubts also, with the chaos that stalked them, and she woke every morning expecting him to be stolen from her. She pressed her lisp against the corner of his mouth, only intending to keep it quick, but Hal had different ideas. Dipper her head back, he deepened the kiss. They broke after a minute or so, both breathless and dizzy. She whispered in his ear naughtily

"It's going to take a lot to ruin this." She left him standing there with a foolish grin upon him.

Maggie adored the couple, she really did. But, to have to constantly remind Hal Mason to concentrate and to stop staring at his girlfriend was tiresome. They had weapon stocking to do, and more often than not, Hal would idly renumber the same weapons as he stared wondrously at Lourdes. Sometimes it took measure such as whacking him on the back of his head to wake him from his entranced state.

"You've been restocking the same gun for five minutes now, concentrate!"

"She speaks sense, dude." Ben piped up from beside them; he had been silently enjoying the sight of Maggie's frustration at Hal's absentminded blunder. Hal sighed, knowing truly that he was too swept up in his life with Lourdes, but there was urgency within him to savour every moment they had together. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? He had almost lost her once; he could not do it again.

"I know. I just…Maggie, can I talk to you?" Hal asked, his demeanour was confident, but Maggie saw the anxious twinkle in his eyes, his lips pouted as he was hesitant for her reply. Maggie nodded silently, signalling for Ben to leave, to whom he was willing to; he could see the best friends needed their each other's company. "Am I crazy?" Hal continued in Ben's absence. "Am I crazy to get so attached to Lourdes?"

"Oh, god no!" Maggie exclaimed, horrified he had taken her teasing to heart. "Definitely not. Not when you have no idea what's going to happen any second, we gotta make the best of what we have. Though…I think you need to keep your head together, in this line of work, you gotta keep your feelings out of things. Which I know you tend to not to." Hal could not deny it, his father admired his inclination to emotional attachments, and whilst his mother in his early life had warned him it would bring his downfall. She had been almost right, many times.

"I love her…"

"I know." Maggie gave crooked smile. "Tell you what, this mess is almost finished, you go up to see her, I'll finish up."

"You sure?" "Yeah." They both exchanged their special smile for each other, and Hal left her. Maggie shook her head at his retreating back that had been at test. He should not have yielded so easily, these two needed to be careful.

Anne grunted at the discomfort in her body, the baby was active today with her incessant kicking. Lourdes had applied lotion to give her muscle comfort, but it came to no avail. Anne did not berate her for the trouble she had been receiving, Lourdes had been so helpful and talented, and it would be a loss to make her a scapegoat for natural causes.

"I'm really sorry about this." And she really did look sorry.

"Anything I can do to help?" A voice piped up behind her, Lourdes sighed in relief, and threw the tin of cream at him. Jamil, the ever faithful, her friend in all situations, it was too bad that his introspective feelings towards her were not strictly platonic, as hers were towards him.

"Yeah, you can do the paperwork." Lourdes winked playfully, immediately regretting doing so, as his eyes lightened up. Jamil took the load willingly, his strong arms handling them well, being the chief engineer; it was not unusual he was used to heavy loads. Lourdes was the only young medic in the 2nd Mass, so to have a friend that was lovely company was welcoming, as much as she enjoyed being around Hal, there was only so much she could speak with him about. Speak of the devil, and he may appear.

Hal had entered the medical unit on his lonesome, expecting some quality time with his love, to only discover her joking with a man he was not fond of. Jamil. He had attended innumerable meetings with Jamil, and his voice was like an officiously itch. So, it should be no surprise that to behold Jamil engaging in flirtation with his Lourdes, made him ridiculously jealous. He was tempted to storm over and break the two apart.

There was a click in Hal's mind, suddenly he imagined his hands around Jamil's throat, squeezing, and squeezing...

"Hal?"

Watching the life drain out of him, feeling the hot skin turn cold…

"Hal…?"

Feeling his blood stop pulsing and still…

"HAL?!"

There was smashing noise, Hal's hand felt hot with liquid. Glancing down, he saw that he had crushed the glass he had been holding. Ben stared at him in horror, feeling the traumatised pain of his hand, Hal left with no word. Leaving Ben, stunned.

Lourdes found Hal in his bedroom, clutching to his forehead, as though he was in excruciating pain. She knelt before him, and took his hands in hers. Her eyes widened at the newly, fresh scars that stretched across his knuckles and the palm of his hand.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing." Hal pulled his hand away, his annoyance had not diminished. Truthfully, he felt guilty for his thoughts about Jamil, and slightly frightened at how psychopathic he had become in the moment.

"Another headache?" Hal nodded in confirmation, his eyes squinted as he attempted to block out the pain, he always seemed to get these, but no medication would heal. "I'll get you some ibuprofen."

"That doesn't work!" He grunted and stood. Lourdes regarded him in suspicion, only an hour ago, he had been a sweetheart to her. It had been a long time since his mood swings had last surfaced. He left shortly after, leaving Lourdes dazed and confused. Tom at the doorway, knocked.

"Problems in paradise?" Tom asked softly.

"You could say that…"

"What's up with my kid?" Lourdes threw her arms in the air in exasperation. She had no clue, just as Maggie would not, neither would Ben. Hal was unpredictable, for the past month, these mood swings had ceased, but it seemed there were on an ongoing cycle.

"I don't know! It looks like we're back to square one."

"You think it's his PTSD?"

"It can't be, that stopped, right? Although the effects do stay for some people. Has he slept?"

"As far as I'm aware." Tom nodded. "He still has nightmares of the attack, though. He gets scared that if he falls asleep, he'll have a seizure." Just as he had when they found him buried in the rubble, Lourdes had the scariest moment of her life when Hal would not stop convulsing. She wanted to take him in her arms, and make him forget the night. The night he had been assaulted, and betrayed. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Lourdes."

She prayed they would.

Hal could not stop shaking. His blood was pulsing through his veins, and his vision as blurring. His head pounded, and there was clicking in his mind that was driving him insane. He wanted to cry, to let his emotions go, but his body would not react. He was stuck inside a paralysed body. Splashing his face with cool water, he breathed deep, but there was still fear running through his system. He glanced at the mirror before him, and recoiled in terror.

His reflection was smirking at him with red irises, and she stood behind it, a smirk upon her.

"Hello, Hal."

"Karen."