Ains

I was sitting on the floor, playing with the ring around my neck as I listened to Vanessa pound her fists into the punching bag. It sounded different from when I hit it – her fists were smaller and there was a bigger amount of time between punches. She also strapped her hand, like we were supposed to. I only ever hit the thing in fits of rage or frustration – sometimes both at the same time – so the only sound that filled the room when I did it was the constant pounding of my knuckles against the worn leather and when I was done, my knuckles were bruised and sometimes bleeding.

Oscar had dismissed us pretty much as soon as Care had stormed out. As frustrated as he was that Care and Vanessa had gone back for Jazzie, and about me taking Care to Herdeiro, he let it go. I found it odd that he wasn't suspending any of us, but I didn't question it.

I looked across the room to where Jase was sprawled in a chair, turning Camden's necklace in his hands. It used to be dog tags, but by now they'd been so mangled by the fire that they barely even counted as a necklace.

The door opened and Oscar poked his head in, pushing a stray lock of curly blonde hair out of his eyes as he regarded us with sad blue eyes. "Guys?"

Vanessa stopped hitting the punching back and turned, wiping her hands on her pants as I looked up and Jase twisted his body around so that he was facing Oscar. "Yeah?"

"MI9 got back to me on the DNA of the body Caroline and Ains found." Oscar said gravely, jerking his chin towards me.

"And?" Vanessa asked, her voice shaking.

Oscar's eyes flitted to me before he looked at Vanessa, his expression compassionate, as if he wished he could change the outcome. "It was Camden. It was definitely Camden's body that you found."

Vanessa crumpled, but she didn't cry – she put her hand to the chain holding the punching bag as Oscar looked to me, and I noticed that he wasn't looking at me the same way that Stark did anymore. I looked down, turning my attention to my mother's ring. I tried to imagine Caroline wearing it one day, and I couldn't help noticing that the ring would have fit her perfectly, like it had been made for her.

"Ainsworth," Oscar said, and I looked up reluctantly, curling my fist around Mum's ring as he continued, "While I don't condone what you and Caroline did, I don't blame either of you. These are difficult times and we need to find hope wherever we can."

I nodded and he walked out, closing the door behind him. I looked down at the ring around my neck and then I got up, sighing. "Screw this."

"Back to princess?" Jase asked sarcastically.

Normally I would've just shrugged him off, but I was pissed off, I was grieving my best friend, and the lives of everyone I loved was one the line every second of every day. There had to be a breaking point in there somewhere, and it just so happened that Jase was the one to make the comment that made me reach mine.

Clenching my jaw, I turned to face him. "What is that supposed to mean, Jasiah?"

"I'm not saying that anyone's perfect," Jase said, standing so that he was glaring up at me, despite the fact that he was at the tallest half a head shorter than me. "But you seem to act like Caroline Morgan is."

I stepped closer to him and Jase shuffled back a few spaces, his eyes flickering nervously. It suddenly occurred to me that I might have inherited more from my father than I'd originally realised – James Mitchell had had this uncanny ability to scare the crap out of people, it seemed.

"I'd be really careful what you say right now, Collins," I muttered. "It's been a very bad couple of days."

Despite how unnerved he looked, Jase didn't back down, glaring up at me. "Has it ever occurred to you that that girl is damaged for absolutely no reason? She's got a ridiculous amount of irrational fears, for the love of God – "

In a lack of self-control, I grabbed the front of Jase's shirt and flung him against the wall. Vanessa cried out behind me as Jase got up, touching his mouth with his hand. "Get your rage from your dad, did you?"

"Jase!" Vanessa hissed. "Don't – "

"Don't talk to me about him." I growled. "And don't talk to me about her."

"Why?" Jase snapped, his boots slamming against the floor as he stormed up to me. "You afraid that she doesn't love you as much as you thought?"

"No," I replied, and I slammed my fist into his mouth. Jase flew back and I stepped back, watching as Vanessa jumped between us, kneeling down in front of Jase to examine the cut on his lip.

"Jesus, Ains," Vanessa muttered, and she swivelled to look at me, giving me an 'are you kidding me' look. "Really?" She then turned to Jase, getting up and walking out. "I can't believe you two."

"Her fears aren't irrational." I said lowly as the door shut behind Vanessa.

"And why is that, Mitchell?" Jase snapped.

I clenched my jaw at the use of my real last name and said, "She has a scar. On her ankle."

Jase shrugged. "So? I have lots of scars."

I had my own share as well, particularly from the crash, but that wasn't the point. "This scar's different. It's a ring around her ankle. She got when she got her foot caught between some rocks and almost drowned. That's why she's scared of drowning."

"Huh." Jase said. "She never told me about that."

"Yeah. That's what separates me from you," I said. I started to walk out, but then I paused at the door, looking back at him. "I would go sort things out with Vanessa if I was you."

I hadn't realised how much I'd missed hearing her play.

I'd found Caroline in the music room, seated at the old grand piano, her lightly tanned fingers gliding across the keys easily. It had been weeks since her mum had sold her piano, weeks since she'd played and as a result, the way she played translated into the way I'd held her on Friday night when she'd crawled into my bed, her eyes filled with an expression not all that different from remorse. I knew I'd needed that space to work through what was going on in my head, the memories constantly popping up at every turn, the space she'd so willingly given me, but that hadn't meant that I'd necessarily wanted it. I'd missed her.

Just like she'd missed playing.

Some part of me felt distantly envious of the fact that an inanimate object came a close second to me, but the rest of me was always filled with awe whenever she played that that part was always easy to ignore because watching her play was unforgettable. She'd described to me once that playing was like flying – she lost where and who she was, and while sometimes she played for so long that she had sore fingers when she was finished, losing herself like that was good for her. She became separated from everything around her until only the bliss and peace of the instrument that seemed to be an extension of herself remained.

As I watched, I wondered why Claudia hadn't encouraged Care, why she'd hated that piano enough to get rid of it when it had brought Caroline so much joy, and when she had such a talent with it. I thought back to when Caroline had sung briefly for me when we were in bed together the other night and I wondered whether the lack of confidence she had in herself had anything to do with her parents.

I smiled and leaned my head against the door frame, watching her and letting the music float around me, invading every sense. I watched her until she finished, her mouth curling slightly as her azure eyes opened. My eyes travelled down her arms until they came to her hands, and even from this distance I could see them shaking.

Smiling, I clapped three times, alerting her to my presence. Startled, Caroline spun, her blue eyes finding mine as I walked over to the piano, sliding onto the stool beside her. Care smiled, ducking her head and pushing her hair back so that it curled around her ear. "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough," I murmured as Caroline reached out and put the sleek wooden cover down over the keys with mostly still hands. "Long enough to see how much you've missed this."

Caroline smiled wryly, cracking her knuckles. "I didn't think I would miss it so much. When I first got into MI9, I hardly played it at all." She sighed. "I think it's the fact that I physically can't play it that makes it so bad. Sometimes, I just . . ."

She looked down, and then she noticed the bruising across my knuckles from where I'd punched Jase. Cursing, she grabbed my hand, studying it intently before she looked up at me sceptically. "Who did you beat?"

"I didn't beat anyone – "

"Don't you dare lie to me, Mitchell, I know what punch bruising looks like."

I sighed. "Jase."

Caroline burst out laughing. I didn't see what was so funny about the whole thing, but her emotions were all over the place. She was on the verge of either a nervous breakdown or hysterical laughter, and I guessed that laughter felt better than tears. She leaned against me as she calmed down, smiling. "Thank you. I needed that."

She leaned up to kiss me and I responded, pressing my mouth against her and brushing my fingertips across her cheek. She was smiling faintly as she leaned her forehead against mine, reaching up to play with Mum's necklace. I smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, my arm curling around her as she curled up against me, tucking her head underneath my chin.