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x x x x

As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep
And if I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take…

She tossed helplessly beneath the covers, feeling them constrict around her slender frame. Her whole body was coated in a thin layer of cold sweat as her breath came in short bursts and her hands clenched and twisted in the blankets.

The walls seemed to be closing in around her; and like the thick San Francisco fog creeps through the narrow town streets, she felt a presence creeping around her bed.

With a sharp gasp she sat bolt upright, her eyes wide and frantic as she searched the dimly lit room.

Her possessions, her furnishings, her life – but it all seemed unfamiliar and cold to her now.

She wanted to run away, as fast and far as she could. She let her eyes drift closed, feeling an invisible wind whip around her hair. She could almost feel the cold sensation of something around her legs, like a fine mist wrapping her up inside its damp web, trapping her.

She squeezed her eyes tighter, shaking her head against the wave of fear-induced nausea rising from the pit of her stomach.

"It's not real. It's just a dream. It's not real." She chanted to herself breathlessly. It hadn't worked as a child but she had continued to do it anyway. She had often found that the simple repetitiveness of the action had calmed her.

But not tonight. Tonight, it was going to take more than a little mantra to get her back to sleep.

She needed to get out of here. Outside, where the air was thin and crisp.

Outside, where she could breathe again.

X x x

"Hey, you gonna eat that?" Hodges aimed a fork at Greg's untouched bagel.

"No, knock yourself out." He hummed miserably, nudging it across the table. Hodges snatched it up happily, dropping it onto his own plate.

"Second helpings?" Mandy raised an eyebrow in mocking fashion. "What would Elisabetta think of you stuffing your face like that?"

"Yeah, you know women don't like extra weight." Morgan added light-heartedly, twisting a piece of stringy bacon around her fork and shovelling it between her lips.

"Say's you." David retorted around a mouthful of bread, gesturing pointedly to her actions.

Beside them, Greg continued to stare forlornly out of the window across the deserted parking lot. It was filled with police cars, but no one was stirring in the shadows cast by the pre-dawn glow.

Noting his downcast demeanour, Morgan nudged him gently in the ribs to get his attention.

"Hey, earth to Sanders." She called lightly. "Don't worry about Nick; he just needs some time to calm down. He'll come to his senses."

"Yeah, I guess." Greg agreed, somewhat unconvinced. "It's actually Sara I'm more worried about. She looked so upset when she left."

"She'll be alright." Morgan assured him, sobering up slightly. "Sara's a tough chick."

That, at least, elicited a small smile from the man, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she is isn't she?"

X x x

She tried to tell herself it was the wind making her feel numb. But she knew deep down that that was a lie.

Memories flashed through her mind. One failure after another, flickering behind her tear-filled eyes like a deck of cards; each one with its own sordid story to tell.

Queen of Hearts

Justice

X x x

Nick stumbled blindly towards his car, his body swaying involuntarily until he landed ungracefully against the cool bumper.

Reaching into the bag, he extracted a bottle from the pack he'd just purchased – his replacement for the six cans of beer he'd already downed, and wrenched the lid off. It clattered to the floor at his feet and disappeared under the car somewhere.

No matter, he thought to himself idly, taking a large swig of the drink. He wasn't planning on resealing it anyway.

X x x

She could feel the air against her body, the wind whipping her long tresses around her face. The ground pounding beneath her feet.

And then she was actually running, racing her demons to the edge of the roof. A part of her brain told her to stop, but the voices in her head drowned it out.

Four of Diamonds

Family

X x x

"Hey, I thought you guys had left already?" DB queried, catching the younger members of his team up in the parking lot. Behind him, he heard Finn's heels clicking towards them as well.

"We did," Morgan agreed. "We were just going to Greg's for a movie marathon but David forgot the DVDs." She sent the lab rat a critical look, earning a careless shrug in response. "Mandy's going to meet us there with the booze."

"Any word from Nick yet?" Finn asked, tugging her leather jacket around herself against the chilly breeze.

"Not yet." Greg sighed, checking his phone once again in case he'd somehow missed a call since he last looked.

"He'll calm down, just give him time." DB assured them, squeezing the young man's shoulder in a paternal gesture.

"Yeah, I hope so." Greg breathed, casting his eyes skyward and blowing out a breath of air. "Come on, it's freezing out here today."

"Agreed." Morgan nodded abruptly, linking arms with Hodges. "Let's get that DVD and get out of here."

"Alright, have a good morning guys." DB waved, moving in the direction of his car with Jules in tow.

However, they didn't get more than four steps away when a piercing scream ripped through the air.

X x x

Before she knew it, the world beneath her feet was gone, replaced all too briefly by light, free air.

And then there was nothing but a peaceful weightlessness.

Five of clubs

Marriage

X x x

DB and Finn turned back towards Morgan at her panicked cry. She remained stood between the boys, her hands raised to her ghost-white face in terror, equally mesmerised and horrified by the scene playing out before her.

The supervisors followed her wide-eyed line of sight towards the building…

… just in time to see Sara's body hit the top of the concrete steps with an ominous crack that tore through the peaceful silence of daybreak.

Ace of Spades

Death