With a weary, tired sigh, Sasha slung her bag over her shoulder and locked the doors of the SUV before making her way out of the hospital parking complex.

All she wanted to do was sleep, but she knew she couldn't go back to the hotel without checking on Mike. If she did that, she wouldn't get any sleep at all.

Not that she even knew if she'd be able to see him – the last she'd heard from Max, his parents were sitting with him, and they didn't want him having any visitors, so she might just have to be content with asking the nurses how he was doing. Finding out how he was doing from someone else was better than not finding out at all, she supposed.

"Sasha?"

She looked up at the sound of her name, shooting her cousin a tired, confused smile and allowing her to pull her into a hug.

"What are you doing here? I was watching the news, I thought for sure you'd be working, that's why I didn't call."

"Yeah, I- it's kind of a long story, and I'm too tired to get into it right now, y'know?" she told Max with a sigh, staring down at her phone and cancelling the sixth call from Lilah that night. She felt bad ignoring the woman, but she didn't have the heart – or energy – to tell her that they still hadn't heard anything about Jacob's whereabouts. He could have been dead for all Sasha knew, and that wasn't news she was willing to break to Lilah. "What are you still doing here? I thought his parents were with him, that they wouldn't let anyone see him?"

"Yeah, they were," Max shrugged her shoulders, rocking back on her heels and trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "But he sent them away, told them to get some rest."

Sasha frowned in confusion, dropping her phone into her bag. "Who did? His doctor? I thought his doctor was a woman?"

"She is," Max grinned. "Mike told them to go get some rest."

Sasha blinked back at her cousin in surprise, feeling as though the air had been pushed out of her lungs as an icy feeling settled in her chest and she stumbled backwards slightly.

"What?" she breathed.

"Are you alright?" Max asked with a concerned frown. "You look like you're about to pass out-"

"Max," Sasha interrupted, grabbing hold of her shoulders and shaking her gently. "What did you just say?"

"I-I said Mike told them to go," Max repeated with a smile. "He's awake, Sasha. He woke up a good few hours ago. They checked him over and he's fine, he's going to be fine. He sent his mom and dad home and I ducked in to see him real quick, introduced myself and asked if he wanted me to call you. The TV was on, though, and he saw the news, so he said it could wait and- Sasha, wait! He's sleeping!"

But Sasha didn't listen.

The second Max's explanation had hit her, the moment the words finally registered in her brain and she realised Mike was awake, she was off like a shot towards his room. She didn't care if he was asleep. She didn't care if he slept the whole time she was there. She needed to see him now that she knew he was going to be okay.

She burst through the door, freezing when she saw him sat up in the hospital bed, wide awake with the TV remote in his hand. His gaze shifted to the door, and he smiled widely when he saw her stood there.

"I told Max not to call you!"

"You idiot," she breathed, laughing quietly and she rushed over to him and threw her arms around him, gasping when he winced. "Sorry, I'm sorry," she rushed as she pulled back. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"I'm a little bruised up, so if you could not hug me as though you're trying to strangle me, that would be great," he chuckled quietly. "I was just watching the news-"

"I don't care about the news," Sasha interrupted, pulling a chair over to the side of his bed and sitting down. "Mike, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't."

"But if-"

"Sasha," he interrupted with a frown. "Don't. Don't apologise. What happened wasn't your fault, don't… Don't do what Ryan does. It's not on you."

Sasha felt her bottom lip trembling and she sniffed, letting her hair fall in front of her face as she looked down at Mike's hand on the edge of the bed, letting her fingers brush against his.

"I thought you were going to die," she told him hoarsely. "I thought they were going to kill you, and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't stop them."

"I thought I was going to die, too," Mike admitted quietly, turning his hand over and letting his fingers lace through hers. "I thought they were going to kill me, and I thought they were going to take you. They- they did take you. They tried. I remember. …What happened?"

Sash shrugged her shoulders weakly, picking at an imaginary thread on the blanket that covered Mike's hospital bed.

"I wasn't going to go anywhere with him," she told him quietly. "I was never going to leave you behind, either. My dad and the others just showed up at the right time, I guess. Roderick was too distracted with shooting at my dad to really pay attention and I just- I got loose, I guess. He turned to come back for me, but- Louise said there wasn't time. Deb found me, and then I came to the hospital with you."

"…Something tells me that's the shortened vision of events, but I'll let it slide," Mike hummed. "Given my current situation, I'm hardly in the position to push you to tell me anything, but… How are you doing? I mean- with Roderick and everything- …I know that's a stupid question, but I just- it couldn't have been easy, finding that out…" he trailed off carefully. "I remember what he said to you, how could you be sure I have nothing to do with it? You didn't… You don't… Right?"

Sasha smiled weakly. "Of course I didn't. I don't. He was just trying to get in my head, I know that."

Mike nodded slowly, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on her. "…What he said about your mother-"

"He was lying," Sasha interrupted quickly. "I know he was lying. I'm beginning to doubt whether even Joe knows what really happened to her that night, I think it's all been a ploy just to get into my head, you know? I don't- I don't know. Maybe- I don't know," she breathed, feeling a little lightheaded and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Mike sat up as best he could, a worried frown on his face that made Sasha laugh inwardly – there he was, sat in a hospital bed after having surgery and recovering from getting stabbed, and he was still worrying about her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just feel a little dizzy," she gave him a weak smile.

"Sasha… When was the last time you ate?" he asked, and she gave a weak shrug in reply. "Slept?" Mike raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know," she bit down on her lip. "The last time I slept properly was the night before we were taken, I guess. I've- I've been- I mean, between here and trying to stop Joe and… I just haven't really had any time for sleep."

Mike frowned at her answer as he untangled his fingers from his and shuffled over slightly on the bed, wincing but trying to hide his discomfort at the pull of his wound when he moved.

"Come on," he told her, patting the small space beside him.

Sasha raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Come on," Mike repeated. "I've been stabbed and gone through surgery, and somehow you look worse than I do. So come on, lay down before you fall down," he told her, narrowing his eyes when she didn't move. "Don't forget that time I saved your life. Besides, I'm all wounded and scarred, you can't say no to me. I was stabbed."

"I can't believe you're using that as an excuse to get me to do what you want," Sasha grumbled.

"I just did," he told her, patting the space beside him again. Rolling her eyes, Sasha carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap as she looked up at the door when it opened, smiling when she saw her cousin in front of her.

"Max. Hey."

"Hey, uh," Max paused, looking behind her into the doorway. "Listen, I'm gonna take off, alright? I gotta get back to New York… The bad guys aren't gonna catch themselves, y'know?"

"I hear ya," Mike let out a snort, patting his side with a wince, and Sasha rolled her eyes at him before she turned back to the door.

"Thank you, Max. For being here."

"Hey, anything for my favourite cousin!"

"Only cousin."

"Still my favourite, though," Max shrugged her shoulders, cocking her head to the side and looking at them both curiously, her eyes narrowed slightly and a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"…What?" Sasha asked apprehensively, her stomach turning nervously as Max grinned, her arms folded over her chest as she nodded towards Mike.

"He your boyfriend yet?" she asked, and Sasha groaned quietly and Mike chuckled beside her. "What?! It's a genuine question! He said he wasn't your boyfriend yet. Did the life or death situation change anything?"

"Max I swear to God if you don't stop talking, you're going to be the next person I end up in a life or death situation with."

"Jeez," she pulled a face, holding her hands up in surrender. "You hear this, Weston? She's threatening me with violence. Get out while you still can."

"I think I can handle it," he gave Max a smile. "Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I abandoned her when she clearly needs me to help her make good life choices?"

"…And to think Brad in forensics still hasn't noticed how hot I am," Max shook her head with a sigh and Sasha giggled quietly, Mike staying quiet and looking between the two women in confusion. "He's a keeper."

"Yeah," Sash agreed, looking at Mike and biting down on her bottom lip. "I know."

"Ugh," Max let out a snort. "Okay. This is disgusting. You're disgusting. You're being too cute, so I'm leaving. Now."

"Thanks again, Max."

"It's fine," she waved a hand dismissively. "You gonna come say goodbye to your grandparents, or do I need to tell them you're too busy with your boyfriend?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow when Sasha immediately jumped of the bed, waving her hands in front of her with wide eyes. "Oh, okay, are we playing charades?"

"Don't you dare say anything to Gramps!" she squeaked, before she quickly darted out of the room, Max staring after her in amusement. Hearing the quiet cough coming from behind her, her attention was immediately drawn back to the hospital bed.

"If you hurt her, you know Carroll's followers will be the least of your problems, right?" Max told him, and Mike's eyes widened in surprise. "What they did… That's nothing compared to what I'll do if you do anything to hurt her. I will kill you."

"And- and again with the violence," Mike waved a hand towards her. "Now I know where Sasha gets it from. Are the Hardy women prone to making violent threats towards defenceless men?"

Max snorted. "It's not just the Hardy women you should be worried about. If you think Claire won't hand your ass to you, then you're wrong."

"Sasha can take care of herself-"

"I'm serious," Max interrupted. "Sasha's been through enough, she deserves someone who's going to look at her like she's the only thing they see, someone who's going to love her more than they could even possibly dream of loving anything else. I'm not asking you to marry her, I'm not even asking you to stay with her forever. All I'm asking is that you treat her right and you don't do anything to hurt her, or you'll regret it."

"…Shouldn't it be Ryan who eventually gives me this speech?" Mike narrowed his eyes, and Max scoffed loudly.

"Please. Ryan wouldn't have a clue where to start, I think he came to a silent agreement with himself that my dad would handle everything related to dating, but he isn't around anymore to do it, so it's down to me. Well, me or Bobby, but I think I'm a little more threatening than her Gramps, right? After all, I'm the one with a gun."

"Y-yes," Mike nodded. "Definitely more threatening. I'm practically shaking in my boots. Terrified. I fear for my life."

Max narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips and she glared at him for a few seconds, before she grinned widely. "I'm fucking with you," she laughed. "Kind of. I mean, if you hurt her, then you will have me and Claire on your ass, and probably our Aunt Jenny too, but you're right. Sasha's more than capable of taking care of herself. She'll probably destroy you before we even know anything's happened."

"That does not make me feel any better. I think I'd rather take my chances with you and Claire."

"What about Claire?" Sasha asked as she slipped back into the room, looking between Max and Mike suspiciously as they both fell silent. "…What's going on?"

"I'm just threatening Mike with death if he hurts you."

"Maxine!"

"Ouch, full name," she winced. "Okay, I'm gonna shoot. The grandparents okay? Didn't try and pressure you to come home?"

"Of course they did," Sasha rolled her eyes, leaning forwards and wrapping her arms around her cousin. "But they know I can't leave now. Nana's a lot more accepting than Gramps is, though."

"Well, Bobby is as stubborn as you are. I think that's where you get it from, actually," Max hummed in thought. "Okay. Promise you'll call me before you go running off on some suicide mission? I'd like to be given a chance to talk you out of it next time."

"I promise," Sasha grumbled. "Keep an eye on Nana and Gramps for me, alright?"

"I always do," Max saluted her and sent a small wave to Mike, before she slipped out of the room and closed the door after her.

Pausing for a moment, Sasha kept her gaze fixed on the closed door, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The atmosphere in the room had suddenly seemed to shift and she had to try her hardest to get her hands to stop shaking.

"Sasha."

Mike's voice was soft, cautious, as he spoke and she had to take a few seconds to plaster a smile on her face before she turned back round to face him.

"Hmm?"

Mike raised an eyebrow. "You aren't fooling me with that smile. Get back over here," he told her, patting the empty space beside him. "Come on. Kick your shoes off and lie with me."

She stayed where she was, chewing on her bottom lip before Mike pouted at her and she rolled her eyes, doing what he said. She was careful as she lay down beside him and she tried to keep her distance, not wanting to do anything to cause him any pain, but Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"They'll yell at me for being in here with you," Sasha mumbled, her head resting on Mike's chest as she traced invisible patterns on his t-shirt. "I like this much better than the hospital gown."

"Me too," Mike hummed. "Less breezy," he grinned down at her and she snorted delicately. "And they can yell all they want. I was stabbed and I want you to lie with me for a little while. They can't begrudge me that."

"You're going to use what happened as an excuse to get away with anything and everything, aren't you?"

"Probably, yes."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Just… if I hurt you, will you tell me?" she sat up slightly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," he smiled reassuringly. "Now get back here," he tapped his chest and Sasha smiled, lying back down and leaning against him gently. "You been here the whole time?"

"Nuh-uh," she whispered. "I didn't want to leave you and Debra said I could have a few days to recover from the 'shock' of everything. Ryan agreed, but then your mom came and-"

"What?" Mike interrupted. "My mom? Y-you met my mom?"

"I didn't," Sasha paused. "Her and your dad, they didn't really want anyone else here. He's a little scary and your mom yelled – not at me, just in general – so I kept my distance while they were here. They were really worried about you… Ryan said he might stop by, too. Someone should call him, call Parker, I can- I can do that later. I just- I'm so glad you're awake. I didn't know if- I didn't think you'd-" she stopped, shaking her head and leaving the unfinished sentence hanging in the air. Mike didn't need her to say it. He knew exactly what she meant. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"Well then," Mike snorted, wincing as the stitches pulled against his skin.

"Oh my God are you okay?" Sasha sat up, moving away from him and climbing off the hospital bed. "Do you need something? I can- I'll get a nurse!"

"Don't you dare get a nurse!" Mike shook his head. "Visiting hours are over. They'll kick you out and I like you being here. Come back."

"No," she shook her head, pulling the uncomfortable hospital chair over to the side of the bed and sitting down, reaching out to entwine her fingers with his. "No, I'm scared I'm going to hurt you. I'm staying exactly where I am."

"Sasha-"

"No, Mike," she frowned. "No. I watched you almost die and I'm not watching you be in pain because you want to cuddle. You can wait until you're better… until you're healed. I'm going to talk to Debra, see if I can get a few days off. I want to be there when you go home, to take care of you. If- if you want, of course."

"So you're- you're still working the case?" Mike's brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought Donovan-"

"He seems to have accepted that fact that it's not going to be easy to get rid of me," Sasha told him with a grin. "He doesn't seem too happy about it, but he's outvoted. "We uhm… They… They got away, Mike. Everyone. I mean- two of them are dead and- I don't know. But Eri- Roderick. He's gone. The one who stabbed you-" she sucked in a breath. "He got away. Louise- she got away but she's- she's dead, I-"

"Woah, what?"

"She's- she's dead," Sasha repeated. "Tonight. I had a gun, I had it pointed at her and-"

"You-…?"

"No," she shook her head. "No. I didn't. Ryan did. I… I wanted to. God, I wanted to kill her for what she did to you and the things she was saying to me, but… I couldn't do it. I think- I think Ryan panicked when he saw us stood there, and he shot her without even seeming like he thought about it."

"You're his daughter, she was a killer. I would have shot her, too."

"I'm- I'm sorry," she murmured, and Mike stared down at her in confusion. "About… Roderick. I don't think he would have been nearly as vicious if he hadn't have known that I- that we…"

"It's okay," Mike whispered. "You weren't to know who he was. You loved him," he shrugged weakly. Sasha cocked her head to the side and smiled curiously at him. "…What?"

"I don't think I did. Love him, I mean," she shook her head. "I don't think I really knew what love was. Not back then. I just don't think I wanted to be alone like Ryan was."

"And uh…" Mike coughed, pulling himself into a sitting position and giving her hand a squeeze. "Do you know what love is, now?" he asked. Sasha looked down at their clasped hands and shrugged her shoulders, smiling softly.

"I don't know," she answered quietly. "Maybe. I think so."

"…You were willing to go with them, you were going to let them take you so they'd leave me alone," he sighed. "You were going to risk your life to save mine. That's pretty- I mean… Not to toot my own horn or anything, but you love me."

"Michael they were beating you with a metal pipe, you were getting your ass kicked. I was just trying to help you. Don't go putting words in my mouth. Quit it, or I'll pull your stitches out."

"So much for not wanting to see me in pain," he rolled his eyes, and Sasha chuckled. "Hey. When I get out of here, when I go back to work… I'll find him. I'll find him, and I'll kill him, Sasha I swear to God. I'll kill him myself."

"Mike-"

"No," he interrupted firmly, his grip on her hand tightening. "No. All those things he said to you- Sasha he would have- I saw, okay? He wanted to take you. I saw that. He tried to take you with him and I couldn't do anything. And those things he said… I- I hated hearing that, I hated him saying those things to you. I just wanted to get to you, I wanted to protect you and I couldn't."

"It's okay."

"It's not okay," Mike argued. "I should have been able to protect you, I should have been able to stop you from hearing those things."

"I think I needed to hear those things. Now I know… I know that everything that happened between us wasn't down to me. It wasn't my fault. It was all part of this plan."

"Of course it wasn't your fault," Mike scoffed. "Cult member or not, anyone who leaves you is an idiot."

Sasha ducked her down, trying to hide the small smile on her face. They stayed quiet for a few minutes, the sounds of the hospital filling the room until Sasha spoke again.

"My dad loves Claire."

"Well, anyone with eyes could see that," Mike spoke. "How'd you know?"

"He admitted it," she whispered. "Everyone knows. Everyone apart from Claire. I don't think he's ever told her, and he should have done. What if… What if something happens and he never gets the chance?"

"He'll get the chance," Mike gave her hand a squeeze. "Nothing is going to happen to Claire, or to Ryan. Or to you. I won't let it."

"My hero," she smirked, and Mike chuckled quietly, glancing down at her when her phone started to ring.

"Back to the Criminal Minds theme tune, I see," he commented, and Sasha grinned as she pulled her phone out of her bag, frowning at the name that flashed across the screen. "…What is it?"

"Lilah," she told him, quickly answering the call and pressing the phone to her ear. "Lilah?"

"H-hey."

"Hi," she greeted, waiting for Lilah to say something, but the girl stayed silent. "We haven't heard anything new about Jacob," Sasha told her, and Lilah gasped quietly. Sasha paused. "…But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I-I…"

"Where is he, Lilah?" Sasha demanded. "Listen, if you tell me where he is now, I might be able to help you. I might be able to get the FBI to go easy on you for harbouring a wanted man. I might even be able to help Jacob – he hasn't killed anyone, he tried to help Joey. If we find him now, I can help him," she told her, waving a hand at Mike as he reached to take the phone away from her. "…He can help me, Lilah. He can help me get Joey back. Please. Where is he?"

"He's- he's at his parents' beach house," Lilah whispered. "I didn't- I wasn't going to call, but- I heard about what happened. What they did. All those innocent girls. I couldn't not call you."

"Thank you," Sasha breathed, scrambling for her bag. "Thank you, Lilah. I promise I'm going to try my best to help him-"

"Sasha," Lilah interrupted shrilly. "You're wrong. He's- he has killed someone," he whimpered, and Sasha froze in her seat.

"Who?" she asked quietly. "Who did he kill?"

"It's-" Lilah paused, taking a shaky breath. "Paul. Paul's dead, and Jacob's gone."

WELL AT LEAST I DIDN'T MAKE YOU WAIT AS LONG AS LAST TIME, HEY?!

So this was a little filler-ish, but it was important to me to have Sasha with Mike at the hospital, and it was important to me to have that interaction with Max.

Also I swear Lilah isn't just some random OC, I'm planning a spin-off mini-fic focusing on her and Jacob, that Sasha will also have a little part in.

Anyways.

Let me know what you think! :)

Becca
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