Jack threw on a too large of a t-shirt over his head, it's fabric falling onto his shoulders with ease and dragging down to his waist. It was longer than he had expected, its hem nearly draping over his knees and flaring out from the inside, resembling a dress more than a shirt. He glanced down, letting out a defeated sigh and mulling at the contrast between the roomy fabric and his oddly thin legs; it only created the illusion he was more starved than he was.

He was back in the room he awoke in, a secluded nursery that gave a slightly comforting atmosphere. It had an aged look to it, the color on the walls fading and faint, with all its furniture still intact, including a rocking horse that was tucked away in the corner with his paints peeling from years of neglect, and a dresser with engraved, gold butterflies going up the side of it.

Tooth had insisted that he stay at least another night before leaving, wanting to make sure his arm was completely healed before letting him go anywhere else. She had given back his clothes and the sack that came with it, (but withheld the knife, telling him it made her 'uncomfortable'), so Jack had nothing to really fuss about.

Laying himself down on the air mattress Tooth had lent him, he let out a slow breath while his back cracked from soreness. His head rested on a quilted pillow with birds stitched onto the front, stretching their wings and taking off into the air. He felt more tired than need be.

Today had been unusually hard. He was used to being on guard and constantly expecting a threat. Being on edge when there was nothing to fear was terribly exhausting.

He looked up to the ceiling, where the night-light dimly revealed a mural of wispy, pale clouds and silky, rose colored feathered that seemed to nearly dance alongside them. His eyes wandered, following the feather's patterns and how one seemed to lead to another one. They all were in such intricate, perfectly posed positions that he couldn't help but get lost in their display, feeling nearly just as light and flimsy as his eyes seemed to lull to sleep.

He rolled onto his side, tensing himself up just the slightest to hear his shoulders and back pop from stiffness before doing the same with his neck and knuckles. Letting out another sigh through his nose, he ran a slow massaging hand through his hair and shut his eyes tightly to blink away the drowse that weighed him down.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he did get out of here. The police were still on the lookout for him, obviously. Tooth had told him during dinner how troubling it was to do a case file on the criminal when there was no leads or profile to go off from. He couldn't help but smirk hearing that.

She was going to figure it soon, no doubt. She worked for the detectives, she worked for the city. Even for someone as ditzy as her, it wouldn't be too hard to put two and two together and realize she was housing a wanted fugitive and turn him in. He had to make sure to be gone by morning before that happened.

An even knock sounded at the door, breaking the silence and luckily pulling him out of his doze. He huffed, blinking away his heavy lids and turning onto his side to look at the door.

"What's up." he called over hoarsely.

It creaked just the slightest, hallway light beaming in and revealing a small, colorful head poking into the room. Her voice was quiet and demure.

"Hope I'm not being a bother," she began in a low squeak, offering a small smile. Strands of blue and pink shown brightly in the little light the hallway offered. Her hands carried a new roll of gauze, scissors and a bottle of some liquid. " I just need to check up on that bite of yours, and then I'll be on my way."

He gave a quick eye roll towards her direction but wasn't going to protest. It's not like he planned on sleep in the first place.

"Whatever."

Propping his back against the wall, he sat himself up while Toothiana knelt down and began to slide the blades under the bandages, slowly and steadily and they tore through them. He watched closely, a little bit taken back at how intricate and precise her movements were. Her hands would work separately and have their own mind, not taking a moment to hesitate or think about her next move. Her fuchsia eyes seemed for once to be occupied and premeditated, instead of dancing like he had witnessed before.

He cleared his throat and drew his own eyes to himself.

"Something tells me you've done this before." he broke as she dabbed ointment on his lacerations. Her face shifted into a thoughtful smile. She gave a single-breathed laugh, not breaking her focus away from his arm.

"Am I that obvious?"

He gave an empty shrug as she began to unravel the roll.

"You sure don't look like an amateur to me."

She wound the fresh gauze slowly around his arm, each full rotation being almost tighter than the next. He winced slightly as there was slight pressure on where the stitches were. She gave a quiet apology.

"Well, I have had some experience," she admitted. "My parents were set on me to go to medical school, so I entered through the training program at my local college for scholarships." She made the last round, tying it neatly before grabbing a safety pin and quickly running it through.

He raised a brow at her. "You're a doctor?"

She shook her head, giving a half-hearted laugh.

"Heavens no, I dropped out half-way through the semester."

He blinked in surprise, leaning his cheek on his good arm.

"What? Couldn't keep up with all the work ?" he prodded, his lips tugging into a teasing grin. She gave another laugh at him, swatting at his hair. Her eyes then flickered towards the ground, forcing another smile that was more hollow than before.

"No, I had no trouble with school, I kept up with my grades and midterms were no issue for me."

He waited.

"Something happened back home; something that made me realize that it wasn't the right path for me. I was a good student, but..," her voice trailed off, cracking in various places. "But my heart just wasn't in it."

His stomach tightened for a second, watching the veil of sentimentality come over her features. He was seeing a glimpse of his own past in her, remembering all too well running from what couldn't be done.

"So you went the opposite direction." he finished placidly.

She rubbed her eye tenderly, her face now somber. Her eyes had a glossed look over them, their magenta glows subsiding into a dim, glassy stare. He could see the vulnerability begin to unmask itself, hugging her sides as her legs began to draw up to her chest.

"I just couldn't see myself walking that path anymore. It wasn't that I wasn't capable, I just feigned interest." her teeth ran thoughtfully over the bottom of her lip, making his own teeth chew as she continued.

"That's probably one of the hardest things to tell your parents when they've put so much on your shoulders. It's easier to tell them that you couldn't meet their expectations, rather than saying you just didn't want to. To see them muster every bit of change in the back of every couch to go towards you, only to have it spit back at them because I couldn't fit the mold they had set up for me."

There was a quiet. It was the kind of quiet that was deafening, between the slamming hearts and the racing thoughts on how to redeem it. The quiet that was filled with lost attempts to break the silence and wash away every amount of vulnerability and sympathy that was already revealed. It was a quiet where anything could happen but you were praying that nothing did. These types of quiets were the conclusion of a mistake. You didn't open up to people you had just met, because if you did, these types of quiets were unavoidable.

"Anyway, I got a job here in Burgess and am making good money for my age." she sniffed back a dry sob and laughed half-heartedly, turning her head to hide her face. Pieces of hair that were falling out of her bun were tucked back nervously "I'm not the richest person out there, but I'm not complaining. I love writing for the press, it gives me purpose." she cracked.

Jack stared on, watching with a twinge remorse as she collected herself together. She had revealed what seemed like a personal history, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. He was no good at comforting, especially such delicate things like girls. So in an attempt to get rid of the icy air, he offered a tease.

"You find more purpose in writing then saving actual lives? Your head must be completely backward," he commented mockingly, giving her another half-smile. There was a sharp intake of breath before Toothiana turned herself, grinning back at him as she hugged herself sheepishly.

"I've noticed." she murmured, giving one last sniff.

Another quiet was shared, this one was a little less apologetic. Both of their minds wandered for another filler to the silence until their eyes connected for a split second. His were hard and curious, the pale ice that was trapped behinds his lids seemed to make his stare all the more invading, while her's were searching and soft, enveloping you in the warm purples and pinks, with bronze flecks resembling searing embers that you could easily burn up with. Oddly enough, it was enough to stop both their breathing.d

There was a silent click of realization that hit the air and both their gazes darted in opposite directions; his showing immediate interest his arm and mumbling a short-breathed, half-hearted thank you, while her's suddenly being attracted to a freckle on her finger.

Toothiana cleared her throat louder than intended, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. "I guess I should be going to bed." she started, the ends of her voice heightening awkwardly and fading into shaky chuckles. "Do you need anything before I go?"

Jack thought for a minute.

"You don't think you got a phone, do you?"

AN: This chapter is really really bad dlfjdlaf.

I know it's been over a year since I updated this story and I'm really sorry about that. My laptop broke and I haven't been able to get a new one till now. And frankly, I don't know if I'll even continue with this story since I'm out of ideas for it. It's been that long. Who knows.

But yeah, this chapter was really hard to write. I haven't written in general for awhile, I'm a little rusty with everything. So again, I'm sorry for such a bad chapter.