Wow…so it's been a while since I've updated :/ In my defense though…I've kinda some weirdly scheduled classes a lot which basically means my schedule is really hectic. In other news…I turn seventeen in a few days! :D Soon I'll be a allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts :)…

Anyway, thanks so much to HopelessRomantic1994, mozzi-girl, DizzyRedhead, Maltara2012 and Crimson Endings for the reviews!

"Natara! Where are you going!?".

I don't stop. I'm already out of the building and half-way across the parking lot before Mal catches me, grabbing me by the arm and forcing me to face him.

"Where do you think I'm going? I'm going back to the precinct, and I'm going to find Shawn before it's too late" I say sharply.

"Now?".

"Yes, now! I think we both remember what happened the last time he was free". I give him a sharp look, and somewhere in his deep blue eyes I catch the slightest echo of the rage he had when Ken died. I can't let that happen again. What if this time he kills Mal? Or Amy, Kai, Blaise or Jeremy? I can't risk letting another friend die.

"I know" he says darkly. "It's just…I'm worried about you".

I sigh, running a hand through my sleep-tousled hair. I probably look like a mess right now, but frankly, I really don't care anymore. "Don't. I can take care of myself" I say sternly.

"I never said that you couldn't".

I glance at Mal's car in the corner of my vision, wanting nothing more than to be inside and growing one step closer to catching Shawn. "I know. I just thought that you of all people would understand that I need to do this".

"I do".

"Then help me. I'm doing this, with or without you. So you can either stand by my side…or get the hell out of my way". I can feel the heat rise in my face; anger surging through my veins. The thing is though…I don't know why I'm angry at Mal. I really don't have a reason to be at all. I want to calm down, I want to tell Mal that I'm sorry and that I love him…but that seems to be yet another thing on the list that I can't seem to do.

His hand slides down my arm, his fingertips sliding down my forearm in such a light whisper of a touch that it sends shivers up my spine. His hands meets mine, his large fingers interlacing in mine. "I'm with you".

I reach down with my other hand, feeling the large one that's molded to mine. I can feel the pressure of a promise there; the reassurance that, at least for now, I don't have to face this alone. This gesture seems to evaporate the anger from me as quickly as water on a hot sidewalk, calming me down.

For just a moment, I forget why I came out here. I forget that the world around me even exists, that there's a murderer out there that I need to catch. For just a moment…I forget that there's something wrong with me.

I pull Mal close, letting his arms wrap around me, hiding me from the world. I am not alone. I never was. Mal never left me. He was there when I was being held by Genevieve, he was even there when I doubted him. He was there when I didn't remember him or the person that he made me. He's always been there to make sure I don't fall off the deep end, and I'm always there to protect him too. He never saw me as someone who needed to be saved; he saw me as someone who needed a little encouragement so I could help myself.

He's my balance. My compromise. He is there for me, and I am there for him. I am one half, he is the other. And I was stupid to forget that.

"Mal?" I say quietly.

"What?".

"…Thanks".

"For what?".

"…For not treating me differently… Like a victim".

I can feel his lips press into the top of my head, and the sound of his steady breathing fills my ears. "I'm just glad they tried to take your memories…not your life".

We remain frozen like that for a moment; not caring that it's probably three in the morning. Not caring that we're in the middle of a freezing parking lot. "I love you" I say softly.

"I love you too" he whispers back, his voice as quiet as the early morning wind.

I was right.

I was never really alone.