Bel Aime: I appreciate your review. Truly. And I can see where you're coming from. However, even though Nathan and Haley are trained cops, they are human first. Them screwing this whole mission up, especially Nathan, was kind of the whole point ;) But again, I thank you for your suggestions/opinion/review. You were very kind and it is much appreciated.

Also, quick side note, obviously I have never been in a situation where I'm bleeding out, so I don't know what it's like. But I hope I did it justice. Also, I tried googling how long someone can bleed out before they fall unconscious but literally every article I read something different. I guess it all depends from person to person? I'm not really sure. So, for the sake of theatrics, let's just pretend everything is all good and dandy in this story, haha.

Also part 2, I may have mentioned this before, but I am currently, along with this story, working on the sequel to Colors, which has gone through some changes. It's a work in progress, haha. And then another little story. I have a few chapters written of both, but I'm trying not to post anything new until I get closer to finishing this one.


Chapter Ten

September 8, 2004

Haley twisted her fingers anxiously through the strands of her blonde hair. Her heart was rapidly beating in her chest as she walked slowly down the empty corridor. Each step she took felt symbolic, like the path she was taking represented her journey to the start of her new life. In a way, that's exactly what it was.

She didn't understand why she was so nervous, though. Her decision to enroll in the police academy was her choice and her choice alone. It was what she wanted and she would have gone as far as to say that it was her dream job. But mixed in with all those feelings of excitement and the good kind of apprehension was a little sliver of guilt. It was like a small sore inside of her that chose the wrong moments to flare up.

It felt so wrong, yet so right to be in that building. Somewhere roaming the busy streets of the city was her father absolutely fuming. The series of voicemails he had left on her phone earlier that morning were playing on a constant loop inside of her head. The icy tone of his voice cut through her like a knife, leaving jagged marks that she knew would permanently scar.

"I just got off the phone with the director over at the academy. He so politely said to me 'oh, I didn't know your daughter enrolled in the program.' Now, I thought he was just joking because I know my daughter would never do something like that behind my back. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he was, in fact, telling the truth. What the fuck are you thinking?"

"Did you really think going behind my back was going to suddenly make me okay with this? If anything, it further proves my point that you are far too immature for this line of work."

"Do you just live to make my life a living, stressful hell? Jesus Christ, Haley."

"Answer your goddamn phone, Haley. I thought I raised you better than this."

For a split second, after hearing those voicemails, she contemplated on not showing up the first day. She even considered the idea that maybe she was making a mistake.

Ultimately, her heart won over her head. This is what she wanted and she was through with her father trying to dictate her life. He could hate her. He could refuse to talk to her. Hell, he had already refused to pay for her schooling when she first mentioned that she was thinking of enrolling. She wasn't going to let something like that discourage her, though. Instead, she worked two jobs and saved every penny she possibly could.

She had earned this. She wanted this. And, she wasn't going to let her dad scare her away like he had so many times before.

The room she walked into seemed to stretch on for miles. Elongated rows of tables filled up the room, two chairs set up at each individual one. In the front of the room sat a podium with the New York State Police badge logo plastered on to the front it. Behind the podium was a flag holder with the American flag and the state flag hanging off it. Against the wall was a giant projector screen. It looked more like a conference room to her than a classroom.

Class didn't start for another thirty minutes—she was always early to things, but her anxiety had made her extra early to this—but there were still a few students huddled around the first few tables. They were whispering animatedly to each other, like they had known each other for years. Their prim and proper clothing had Haley feeling insecure about her choice of a t-shirt and jeans. Was she supposed to dress professionally and just never got the memo?

Keeping her head down, she maneuvered her way through the desks until she found one that was empty and in the center of the classroom. Usually, she was the type of person to sit in front of the class, but she didn't have the guts to do that this time around. Insecurity wasn't something that plagued her intensely normally, but this whole situation had her feeling incredibly off kilter.

Most people would probably view that as a bad thing, but not her. To her, it meant that she was finally moving towards being free.

Time slipped by as more and more students trickled in. She kept her head down, the tip of her pen dragging across her notebook paper in flower-like doodles. Her nerves were jangling wildly as she listened to the hum of conversation around her.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

She looked up at the sound of the gravelly voice and locked gazes with the bluest pair of eyes that she'd ever seen. He was tall—she imagined that he'd still be towering over her even if she was standing up. His hair was dark brown, almost black. The black sweater he was wearing was tight in all the right places, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The smile that was gleaming on his face was both friendly and mischievous. Unlike everyone else in the room, he looked approachable and was definitely easy on the eyes.

She shook her head and moved her things, giving him space to sit down.

"I'm Nathan Scott," he said casually, sliding into the chair next to her. His clothed arm brushed against her bare one and a shiver passed through her.

"Haley," she responded, glancing up at him with a timid smile.

Her initial plan was to just keep to herself. From what she had heard, the program was split into three parts and it was rigorous. Out of all of them, though, the classroom instruction was the most difficult to manage in terms of time and coursework. They threw a lot at you and in short amounts of time. She couldn't afford to get distracted in anyway, especially when she was trying to prove to her father that she could do this.

But maybe there wasn't any harm in making at least one friend in this journey.

"You have a last name, Haley?"

His voice came out like liquid honey, dripping in finesse and confidence. His smile had shifted from friendly to flirty and her bones stiffened in response, warmth spreading through her.

An eyebrow arched when she didn't respond, egging her on.

She hesitated, unsure of how to answer him. She figured that most people knew who her dad was and were well aware of the reputation that preceded him—and preceded her.

One of the things that scared her the most was people finding out that her father was the Chief of State Police. The last thing she wanted was people thinking that she was getting preferential treatment because of it. Or, people thinking they had to treat her a certain way. She just wanted to be Haley James, the person and future law enforcement officer. Not, Haley James, the daughter of the Chief.

"I prefer to go by one name. Kind of like Cher or Madonna," Haley answered dryly, smirking uneasily at him.

A smirk of his own mirrored on his face.

"A girl with a mystery? That's hot."

Her face flamed in response. She bowed her head to hide her rose colored cheeks.

His words were bold, but he didn't seem the slightest bit phased by them. There was no sense of embarrassment, only confidence. She could already tell that he was the type of guy who went after what he wanted and wasn't shy about it. That was terrifying, but also…incredibly attractive.

"Down boy," she replied coolly. "I'm not the type of girl you can just charm your way into with a few quick, smooth lines. I prefer to take things slow."

He looked at her as if she had just initiated a challenge. Goosebumps coated her skin when he leaned in closer to her, amusement dancing in the pools of his blue eyes. She'd had many guys try and flirt with her, but none of them were as daring as Nathan Scott, especially within the first five minutes of meeting.

"Let me guess, you're one of those good girls. You know, the kind that follows the rules, does as she's told, white and pure…those kinds of things," Nathan teased, his lips curling into a half smile and eyes flashing with humor.

Every muscle in her body locked into place, her spine straightening. Her playful mood completely disintegrated with a few simple words. She knew that he was teasing, trying to warm her up with playful banter. Normally, that was something she'd join in on. This time, it struck a chord in her. Her enrolling in the academy was supposed to be her clean slate, her chance to break free of all the stereotypes and preconceived notions that followed her around.

"Let me guess, you're the type of guy who slept his way through high school. Or, you just flirted your way into anything and everything you wanted."

In hindsight, she shouldn't have snapped at him. He didn't do anything wrong—she just took what he said too seriously. It was a product of her heightened emotions and his coy smirk wasn't helping matters.

"Woah, those are some heady accusations you're throwing out there," he muttered.

"But am I right?" she challenged, kinking an eyebrow.

Nathan narrowed his eyes, a pensive look on his face. The way he was looking at her made her nervous. It was like he was trying to see into her soul, picking around for the things he could use to push her buttons even further.

"Do you do this to every person you meet?"

"What?"

"Psychoanalyze them to form your own judgements without actually taking the time to get to know them?"

His tone was light, but accusing. Her temper flared even further. She wasn't the type of person to fly off the handle easily, but she felt out of control of her own body.

"You did it first!"

"Mine was simply a joke, sweetheart."

~x~

"Haley!"

"Haley!"

"Come on, Hales, wake up."

Prying her eyes open took a lot more strength than she thought she had, but she finally managed. Her eyelids slid open weakily. A pixelated version of Nathan appeared in front of her as she blinked slowly, trying to rid her vision of its blurriness. There was a pain in her side that was threatening to steal all of her clarity. It was sharp and had her gasping for breath. Blindly, she felt around her body until her fingers came into contact with something warm and wet.

Blood.

Everything came rushing back to her at once. The panic that was coursing through her body had her jolting into full alertness. For a few seconds, with the help of adrenaline, she forgot all about the pain. Instead, she frantically looked around the confined space, her heart drumming loudly in her chest.

"Shh, Hales, it's okay, it's okay," Nathan consoled her as he slowly inched his way back towards her. His cool fingers skimmed across her as his face was contorted with grave concern. Without even thinking, she reached up to grasp at his fingers. Her eyes were wild as she stared back at him.

"Na-Nathan, where are we?"

She winced as the pain returned, shooting through her as she struggled to speak. Her free hand reached for the pain, fear settling in when she felt how soaked her shirt was. She didn't want to think about how much blood she had lost or what the damage to her body was. Right now, the only thing keeping her upright was adrenaline.

"Felix got the drop on us," Nathan answered uneasily. "But we're gonna get out of here, okay? You're going to be okay. I promise."

Nathan wasn't sure who he was saying that more to—Haley or himself.

Haley swallowed the lump in her throat as an image of Felix popped into her head. When he pointed that gun in her direction, there wasn't an ounce of hesitation on his face. She saw his eyes as he pulled the trigger and the way he angled the gun.

"He missed on purpose. He could have killed me, but he missed," Haley muttered through gritted teeth, clutching at her side again. Slowly, with the help of Nathan, she scooted herself until her back was resting against the wall.

"What? Why?"

"Because he's sick and twisted," Haley barked, clenching her teeth together and sucking in a breath of air. It was then she noticed his shirt that was tied around her. "Your shirt is ruined."

Nathan almost laughed with hysteria—leave it to Haley to be worried something like ruining his shirt when she's bleeding out.

"I'm not worried about my shirt, Hales," he said softly, forcing a smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"

Haley leaned her head back against the wall. The breaths she was taking in were through clenched teeth, sharp and short. The pain and agony were written in neon on her face, pale skin visibly clammy. Even through the pain, she was trying to put on a brave face, as she always did. No matter what was going through her head—no matter what she was feeling—she always tried to be stronger than she was.

"It hurts," she croaked.

"You're going to be okay," Nathan repeated desperately. "They're probably looking for us right now."

~x~

"This cannot be happening," Brooke gasped as she paced the length of the unit's office space. Her hands were wringing nervously in front of her.

The tension in that room was the highest it had ever been, as the silence was deafening. The only sound that could be heard was the loud ticking of the clock. Each tick of the clock was just a reminder of another second they lost of trying to find Nathan and Haley. In a high-profile kidnapping case like this, every second was crucial.

They had already exhausted every resource they had. When the shots rang out, they acted quickly and arrested every person they could, but they weren't quick enough to get to Felix before he had disappeared. Nathan and Haley were in tow. Every person they talked to either truly knew nothing or the information they had given up led to dead ends.

"We shouldn't have let them go in there alone," Clay murmured regretfully. "What were we thinking?"

"We were thinking that we needed Felix alive," Julian answered. "We were thinking that the less of us, the less likely we were to blow our cover."

"We weren't thinking. That was the problem," Brooke sighed ruefully.

Clay dragged his hands over his face in frustration. "Then, we should have reacted quicker to those shots."

"We couldn't,' Julian countered. "We were backed into a corner."

"One of them could be...," Brooke trailed off, her voice cracking at the end. Her hand covered her mouth as she choked back a sob, her eyes watery.

"We can't think like that," Chris spoke up. He was the type that could make light of anything, but even his tone was somber.

"You know what the statistics are regarding police abductions," Clay reminded them bitterly. "They're probably both—"

"Enough," Keith barked as he entered the room. His ever-present stress lines were more prominent than usual and he looked as if he was strung out on coffee. His red-rimmed eyes trailed over all of their fear-stricken faces.

"I understand how we're all feeling," he continued gruffly. "Things like this are never easy, nor are they predictable. But we cannot, we cannot, sit here and think about all the 'what ifs' or how we could have prevented it. This is the hand we were dealt and we need to approach it the same way we do everything else. This moping around and assuming the worst isn't helping anyone."

Keith paused, blinking his watery eyes. Sometimes it scared the team how emotionless he could be. But it was moments like this, where he showed them just a sliver of how he was feeling, did he start to look human again.

"The Chief is on his way with help and we are going to form a temporary task force. Not only has Felix been placed on the FBI's list, but Haley is his daughter. This is no longer a normal police kidnapping. This has become personal. Until he gets here, I want you all to re-look at everything we've collected so far. If you still don't find anything, look over it again. If you find something that you think might not be important, bring it up anyway. We can't afford to miss anything."

"Yes sir," they all said in unison before brushing away their tears and getting back to work.

~x~

The adrenaline had worn off, leaving her body cold and lethargic. The pain, while still very much present, had become a part of her. Her eyelids felt heavy, sleep begging her to take his hand. It took everything in her to stay awake because she knew the second she closed them, it was lethal. The brick of the wall she was leaning against was anything but comfortable. Her lace shirt provided zero protection against its roughness, leaving her skin raw and irritated any time she moved.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked after she shifted for the third time. He knew the question was relative—how could she be okay in this situation?

Slowly, she swung her gaze up to meet his. The way he was looking at her had her weak heart beat sputtering. His concern was palpable—his blue irises stormy and intense. Any tension or irritation that normally existed between them wasn't present. She had to admit that she kind of liked it. Despite the severity of the situation, she felt at ease and safe—something she wasn't sure she would have felt if she was stuck in this situation with anyone else.

"Just…uncomfortable," Haley murmured.

Carefully, Nathan lifted his arm and curled it around her. Gently and slowly, he angled her body so she was leaning against him instead of the wall.

"Better?"

She nodded, snuggling as close to him as she could get. Another shiver passed through her, her bones rattling. The temperature seemed to be on a steady decline.

Silence engulfed them, except for Haley's occasional sharp intakes of breath. Lightly, Nathan traced his fingers over her arm, his fingers scraping against the coarseness of the lace. Every time she shivered, another pit of worry burrowed in his stomach.

Nathan felt so completely helpless. He had tried everything he could possibly think of to get the door open, but it wouldn't budge. His mind was racing, scrambling to find something that he hadn't tried yet. When he came up empty handed once again, he almost cried.

It made the situation ten times worse when he reminded himself that he was the reason they were stuck there. He was the one who fucked up. As soon as Felix shot Vegas, he should have reacted. Nathan couldn't think of a logical reason for why he froze, he just did. It felt as if everything had happened so quickly, far too quickly for Nathan to wrap his head around it.

No matter the outcome of this, Nathan knew he wasn't going to ever forgive himself. He just prayed to God that Haley ended up being okay. He had all the faith in the world in his team, that they would get to them in time. Haley didn't have much time left and he refused to believe that her fate was dying in his arms. What a sick and cruel joke the world was playing on them. Just the thought of losing her had his chest tightening.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Haley asked tiredly, filling the silence.

A hoarse and forced laugh rumbled in his chest. "You mean the time when you jumped down my throat for flirting with you?"

A weak smile slowly shaped on her face. "You totally…deserved it."

"I did?" Nathan teased, trying his hardest to maintain a lighthearted tone.

She forced a short nod. "You hadn't known me even five minutes before you were trying to get in my pants."

His smirk was lack-luster. "In my defense, I was a complete and utter horn-dog back then—"

"So not much has changed," Haley replied hoarsely. Every word she spoke came out slow and scratchy.

He shook his head, a genuine smile appearing. "You're right—you're just as hot now as you were back then."

Her laugh was dry and forced, painful, even. Haley inhaled sharply at the sudden jab of pain her laugh had caused, grimacing a little. As much as it hurt to talk, she forced herself to. It was the only thing keeping her awake.

"I was such a bitch to you the first time we met and I never apologized for that," she murmured quietly after a small break of silence.

"It's really not a big deal, Haley," he quickly dismissed. And, it really wasn't. Her sudden change in attitude had thrown him off when they'd first met, but it wasn't something that offended him or turned him away from her. If anything, it only drew him more to her.

"Maybe it's not to you, but it is to me," Haley mumbled. "I took my fear and anger out on you when I shouldn't have, even when you were being overly aggressive."

The corner of his lips twitched into a small smirk that only lasted a couple of seconds.

"What were you so scared of?"

His question hit her like a ton of bricks. There was so much in her life that she had opted to keep to herself, mostly because she believed that she could handle it on her own.

"A lot of things," Haley answered with a sigh, shifting a little so that she was curled more in Nathan's side. Her lungs felt like they were on fire and the pain was starting to move through her whole body.

For a moment, Nathan thought that was all she was going to say regarding that topic. He scrambled to think of a way to keep her talking, but breathed a sigh of relief when she started again.

"Deciding to go to the academy was the first decision I ever made that was solely based on what I wanted and nothing else. For the first time in my life…I felt free. But then I felt guilty for feeling free. How fucked up is that? I finally did what I wanted for a change, but instead of feeling this blissful happiness that I always wanted to feel, I felt guilty."

He was hanging on to every word, finding peace in the fact that she was still awake and coherent. The silence was what he was most scared of, even if her words were unsettling.

"My dad…he had left such nice voicemails for the morning of and they were all I could think about. It felt so wrong to be there, but I just wanted it so badly. So badly that I put myself through this emotional tidal wave of being happy, and terrified, and worried that my dad might actually hate me. Even carrying around that immense fear, it still wasn't enough to get me to stand up and walk out of that room."

Nathan wasn't sure what to say. He knew Haley's relationship with her father was intense and strained for many reasons, but this was the first time she had revealed this much to him. Every word, coated with both emotional and physical pain, was slowly changing the view he had of Haley in his head. She wasn't just this strong girl who got dealt a few bad hands during the game of life. She was a girl with a dream and the biggest odds against her.

She was so much stronger than she gave herself credit for.

"Why are you so afraid of your dad?" Nathan asked carefully. "Why are you so focused on trying to be the person he wants you to be?"

No one had ever asked her that before and she didn't know how to answer. Her brain felt muddled with both fatigue and looseness. She was surprised that her weak body was capable of holding a coherent conversation. Although, her brain and mouth felt like they were on different wave lengths, words flowing out of her uneasily and uncensored.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "It's just always been this way and I can't see it ever changing. He has this power over me and he knows it. The saddest thing is that I'm not sure if I want it to change. I'm used to this and I can handle it."

He wanted to argue. He wanted to fight back that she wasn't doing a good job of handling it. Forcing herself to be someone she wasn't in all aspects of her life wasn't healthy. Every time he looked at her, he saw the real her begging and clawing at her exterior. The real her wanted freedom so badly and he feared that that little spark of defiance would eventually burn out.

But this wasn't the time or the place to bring up that argument.

~x~

"I think I found something!" Clay piped up, anxiously waving for people to join him around his computer.

The last few hours had been tireless and long. They were working non-stop, barely stopping to eat, go to the bathroom, or function like normal human beings. Their eyes had been glued to their computer screens or they were frantically making calls, trying to get ahold of anyone who might have had even the slightest information.

The chief and a bunch of detectives from different districts had shown up a little over an hour ago. The office space was crowded with extra people and extra equipment. It was an all hands-on deck situation.

Jimmy was the first one at Clay's computer. Despite the severity of the situation and the personal connection he had to it, Jimmy was laser focused. Somehow, he was able to compartmentalize his emotions and focus on finding Haley and Nathan. No one else in that room could say the same.

"It's not much," Clay prefaced, quickly restarting the video that was on his computer. "But a traffic cam on the corner of 1st and Maine caught this car speeding out of the hotel parking lot exactly 5 minutes after the second gunshot rang out. They managed to avoid all the traffic cameras, but we did get a good glimpse of the license plate. I looked it up, and the car is registered under one Felix's alias."

Jimmy's face was set into stone. His eyes flickered over the computer screen, replaying the video a few times before he swiveled his gaze over to Clay. "Where was the car heading?"

"Back towards the club," Clay answered. "There's no way of knowing for sure because the car doesn't show up on any more traffic cams. They must have taken side streets or something to get where they were going."

"Hey guys," Brooke posed excitedly, slamming her desk phone back into its cradle. "I just found out that the club closed early tonight. They're usually open until 4, but Felix showed up and shut the place down…thirty minutes after the gunfire."

"Do you think it's possible that's where they're keeping them?" Chris asked.

Jimmy sat up straight, sliding his hands into his pockets. "We cannot let any possibility slip through our fingers. Half of us will stay here and look for more clues. The other half will check out the club."

~x~

The color was slowly draining from her skin. Lines of dusky blue and pale gray were weaved beneath the pasty skin of her face and arms. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead and the column of her throat. With every passing second, her breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed. The blood was still slowly trickling out of her body. His shirt that was being used as a makeshift tourniquet was almost completely soaked. He watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open, his breath catching in his throat whenever they fully closed. He prayed to God that they'd open again.

He was so full of panic and fear that he was calm. Every part of him was in over drive, sputtering out of control until he was just idling anxiously in place. He couldn't do anything but sit there and wait. He couldn't save her. He couldn't get them out of there. Nathan hadn't realized how much he feared a situation like this until now.

And, it was all his fault. The nagging voice in his head wouldn't let him forget that.

When he glanced down at her and saw that her eyes were closed again, he swallowed the ever-growing lump in his throat. Carefully, he brushed his fingers along the cool and slick skin of her cheek, tucking a wayward piece of hair behind her ear.

"You have to stay awake, Hales," Nathan remaindered her gently, trying to keep his voice as level as possible.

Her eyes slowly peeled open as she drowsily lifted her head up. The grimaces of pain were no longer present on her face. Instead, she seemed to be resting easier. Nathan wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'm s-sorry," she croaked, rubbing her cheek against his shirt. He seemed to be becoming more and more comfortable with every second that passed. The chill in her bones was slowly disappearing, and in its place, was this warm and comforting feeling.

"Tell me a story," he requested. He didn't care what she told him or what they talked about, he just needed to keep her talking.

"A s-story?" she echoed, bleary.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, a memory. Or, maybe something that makes you happy. Anything like that."

Haley mulled over his request for a few moments. Her brain was fuzzy, making it difficult to settle on one single thought. Her lips started moving before she full processed what she wanted to say.

"My sister and I made a pact when we were in elementary school that we were going to name our first-born children after each other."

"Oh, really?" Nathan replied with a weak, amused smile. "Tell me more."

"Mhm," she hummed, clearing throat. "We used to have these plastic baby dolls that we would carry around. Mine was named Taylor and hers was…was named Haley. It was a running j-joke that our kids were going to grow up to be best friends, and then they'd name their kids the same thing."

She paused to swallow. Her throat felt raw.

"It sounds kind of silly when I look back on it."

Nathan shook his head. "No, it doesn't. I think it's sweet."

"I'm still planning on keeping my end of the bargain, even if she can't."

Nathan's interest was piqued. As partners, and even as friends, they'd discussed a lot of things. They'd shared a lot with each other. But something they never really talked about was their futures. It wasn't a taboo topic, but it wasn't one that came up all that often.

"Yeah, you want kids?"

"I've thought about it," Haley mumbled. Her voice had dropped its slight chipper and Nathan frowned.

For a few seconds, Nathan wondered if Andy was the person she pictured herself starting a family with. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth as he imagined it, but quickly pushed it out of his head.

"But I don't know...with this line of work…things like kids and families get complicated. Plus, it kind of scares me," she revealed hoarsely.

The idea of her having her own family felt like a foreign concept, like it was only meant to be a fantasy for her. Like, maybe, if she was born into a different life or as a different person, it would be attainable. Even so, she thought about it sometimes, but not long enough to make any concrete plans. It was just another thing on her list of "what ifs."

"For the record, I think you'd make an amazing mom."

"What about you? Do you want kids?"

She was deflecting the compliment, but Nathan let her slide.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I don't know. Sometimes when I see my brother with his wife and how they're starting a family…it brings me comfort. There's just something so serene and comforting about it. Like, no matter what happens or what life throws at you, you'll always have at least one thing you did right. You'll always have someone in your corner."

That was a recent discovery of his. He wasn't that type of person who grew up with the thought in his head that he would have a family of his own someday. It crossed his mind every once in a while, but he would have never categorized it as a want of his. But the older he got, the more appealing it became to him.

"It sounds so simple and heavenly when you say it."

"Well, maybe it can be."

~x~

Brooke and Clay walked quietly up to the front door of the club, while Julian and Chris walked further around the back. Guns were in their hands, fingers resting on the trigger. Their bullet proof vests were secured tightly on to their chests. Neither of them had any idea what they were about to walk into and their anxiety was palpable.

Where Nathan and Haley even inside the club? Were they okay?

"Wait," Brooke whispered before Clay reached the door. She put her hand on his arm to halt him. Her bottom lip was between her teeth, concern melded into her features. "Do you think they're okay?"

Throughout her entire career, she had lost coworkers. She had watched coworkers get hurt. But this unit had become her family and losing a family member was different. Losing Tim was one of the hardest things she had ever had to go through. She couldn't handle another loss, and she knew her team felt the same.

Clay's expression softened as he reached for her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Nathan doesn't crack easily and Haley is an all-around badass. They wouldn't have gone down without a fight."

Brooke forced a smile and a nod.

The club was completely empty and eerily quiet as they crept through it. The lights had been dimmed and the place was a mess. Half-finished drinks, empty glasses, and napkins covered almost every surface. The bar was hardly restocked, bottles of liquor in random places and off the shelves. It was obvious that this place was cleared out in a hurry.

"It's clear," Chris stated as he came through one of the doors leading into the kitchen. "The back parking lot was empty and there's no one in the back."

"I found a map," Julian said as he followed behind Chris. "And, I found something interesting."

Quickly, he unraveled the map on to the bar.

"There are a bunch of storage rooms in the basement," Julian said quickly, pointing to all the rooms on the map. "If they're here, I guarantee there in one of those."

"Let's go," Clay demanded, already heading towards the basement.

~x~

The shivers were back. Her bones were rattling inside of her, while her blood felt thick running through her. She was weaving in and out of consciousness, the lights around her fading. Black dots clouded her vision as her head felt as if weighed a couple of tons.

Her body was screaming for sleep. All she had to do was close her eyes and then everything would just melt away. The temptation was there. God, it would have been so easy.

Her fear was gone. Her rapid heartbeat was nothing but a slow song. Is this what death felt like? She hadn't expected it to be so peaceful and so…freeing. In the distance, she could see this happiness calling out to her, a vision of the life she always wanted. She had read so many things about people seeing this "light" when they were near death and she wondered if that was what they were talking about.

Maybe a couple of minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt…

"Haley?"

His voice sounded like it was a million miles away, but it still had her eyes jerking open. Through the fogginess, she could see his concern. It was a beacon of light in this hurricane, her last string of hope.

"I'm s-so c-cold," she stuttered, another shiver wrecking through her body and her teeth clattering. She wasn't sure she had ever been this cold in her life.

Suddenly, she was being lifted off the ground and placed in his lap. His arms wrapped tightly around her, seeming unfazed by the blood that had transferred on to his shirt. She felt so small and protected in his arms, like no matter whether what happened to her, whether she lived or died, she was going to okay. Her shivers had subsided almost immediately as his warmth surrounded her.

"Is that better?" he asked, softly.

Haley nodded weakly. "You make me feel safe."

Nathan wasn't sure how much longer he could take. Sitting there and being completely helpless was starting to make him crazy. Every time he looked at Haley, her heart ached in his chest. She didn't deserve this and he should have done more to protect her.

He had gone through so many emotions in the last few hours. First, there was panic. His adrenaline had him doing all sorts of crazy things, like trying to kick the door down or pry it open with his bare hands. Then there was anger. He was angry at Felix. He was angry at himself for not acting sooner. He was angry at his team for taking so longer. Then, there was defeat and helplessness. Those were the worst ones of all. It felt as if someone had reached into his chest and ripped his heart out, stomped on it a few times, and laughed in his face because of it.

Come on, guys. We're running out of time, Nathan silently begged.

"I want to be free," she mumbled so quietly that Nathan wasn't sure he had heard her. "Let me be free."

His face scrunched in confusion as he looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, but her face compressed. Stress lines were etched into the center of her forehead. She wanted to be free? He was scared to know what freedom meant to her.

"What do you mean?" He asked, a lump in his throat.

She groaned softly, pressing herself closer to him. A hand reached up to fist his shirt, like she was using him as an anchor.

"I'm just so tired," she croaked, a single tear sliding down her worn face. Her words were slurred and messy. She was talking in a way where Nathan felt like he was eavesdropping, like she was talking to herself.

"I just want it to stop. I just…I don't. This isn't what I want," she continued to cry.

The Haley that was speaking wasn't the Haley he knew. The guard she usually kept up had crumbled in the wake of her life. He couldn't…he couldn't stand the thought that she was saying her last words.

He wanted to save her, but he just didn't know how.

"I remember everything," she revealed softly, lazily. "Every touch. Every kiss. Every look. He's never looked at me the way you do."

Nathan swallowed the lump that clogged his throat. A pain that he had never felt before rippled through him, stealing his breath away. She was fading quickly, the color in her face draining and her words becoming harsher.

"I wish I could…"

"You wish you could what? Haley?"

For the first time a long time, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. They were cloudy and bloodshot, the life in them barely hanging on. He could feel it in his gut that this was the end. His eyes burned as tears jammed in his throat.

"Hales, please, don't. Just keep talking to me, okay? We're going to get out of here. You're going to be okay," he practically begged.

She shook her head, a weak and small smile flashing across her face.

"It's…you."

Then, there was nothing but silence.