Author's Note: There isn't really a valid excuse for my lack of updating, I've been focusing on my own writing aside from Fanfiction as I'd like to pursue Professional Writing in University. I'll try and release a chapter as often as possible.

Chapter 3

"What?" asked Garen, peering over the side at the white bubbles frothing on the surface of the water.

"She can't swim" Talon repeated, undoing his tie. Garen's face paled, his grip tightening on the balcony rail.

"Caitlyn!" he called out.

"We need to get to the beach" he shouted to her, her head nodding in comprehension, she bit her lip tightly, picking up the rifle that rested against the wall.

"There's no time" Talon whispered, watching as the rough sea waves watched over the bubbles, the waves lapped up against the sharp cliff face, spraying salt water into the air.

Talon threw his tie to the ground, quickly kicking off his shoes before jumping up onto the balcony fencing. The crowd gasped as he leapt forward, swinging his feet forward until he was vertically dropping. He stuck his hands out in front of him, propelling him towards the water's surface.

Quinn's dress fluttered in the wind as she plummeted towards the water, her screams cut short by the torrent of water that wracked her body. Her frail frame flailed in the waves as she sunk deeper into the dark abyss. The salty water invaded her nostrils, filling her lungs. She could feel herself slipping out of consciousness as she became entrapped in her watery grave.

It's so cold...

The last bubbles of air escaped Quinn's mouth as she sunk lower and lower. She caught a glimpse of white before her mind went blank.

Talon connected with the surface of the water quickly, his body enveloped in the cold waters. He sprung to the surface, gasping for breath. Where was it? He dove back down, hovering slightly underneath the surface. He noticed something flash from the bottom of the ocean floor, drawing his attention. He swum down deeper until he reached the bottom of the ocean floor. The object flashed again, revealing pale white skin. Quinn.

Talon quickly grasped her, pushing off the sand and swimming upwards as fast as he could. He burst forth through the waves, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"Quinn can you hear me?" Talon yelled over the roaring sea. The scout remained silent, her limbs held tightly to Talon by his hands.

With the beach in view Talon picked up the pace, making sure to keep Quinn's head out of the water.

When the duo shot up onto the beach, citizens of Piltover looked over interest. Talon paid them no heed, placing Quinn lightly onto the sand. Her dress was ruined, wet and sandy as Talon tore it open. Cries of horror spat out from the onlookers, placing his head on her chest he could feel a faint beat. Her breathing stopped and Talon placed his mouth over hers, blowing air into her gaping airways. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest, a sign that the air wasn't escaping.

Quinn's eye burst open, she rolled onto her side, the water clogging up her lungs spilt out onto the sand. She could make out the shape of a shadow above her, the sun blotting out her vision.

A squawk from above caught her attention as Valor descended hazardously, diving towards her.

"Valor?" she croaked, her voice swept up into the wind.

Talon dove to the right, a large sword thudded into the sand beside him, his eyes travelled up the blade and to the giant wielding it.

"Get away from her" Garen spat, shifting his weight around to strike again.

"What is a noxian scum doing here" he shouted, swinging the sword around towards Talon's head. The sword rang clear as it passed over, cutting a few hairs clean off the assassins head.

"I'm not here to kill her" Talon muttered, blocking the giant fist that sped at his face.

"I don't care why you're here"

Talon crouched down low, kicking Garen in the back of the knee. The behemoth fell to his knee, clutching the hilt of his sword.

"Then you won't mind if I leave?" Talon remarked, looking down at the angered giant.

"I'd rather you die" Garen spat back, launching himself from the sand and catching Talon off-guard. His shoulder slammed into Talon's stomach, winding him slightly.

"I thought you fought fair" Talon groaned, kneeing Garen in the chest and distancing himself.

"Coming from you" Garen wheezed, rolling his shoulders back. A whistling sound caught Talon's attention as a net flew through the air, trapping Talon's arms to his chest.

"Stop right there Talon, I don't want anyone to get hurt" Caitlyn yelled from behind Garen, the sniper kneeling down in the sand, her weapon aimed. Garen gave no such care, swinging his meaty fist into Talon's face, knocking the assassin out.

"Did you really have to do that?" Caitlyn asked, strapping the gun to her side

"Probably not" he spat, looking over at Quinn.

Quinn could make out the duo conversing through blotted vision, her eyes were drawn to the male lying in the sand, unable to make out his features her eyes closed again.

"I already told you I wasn't trying to kill her" Talon muttered, lying down on the hard metal bench, locked inside one of Piltover's cells. The stale musty air filled Talon's lungs as he breathed in heavily, sitting up on the bed as the door to the room outside swung open.

"It's ok Caitlyn" Vi called out as she entered the room, placing a key into the locked cell door.

"What are you doing?" Caitlyn asked, standing up from her seated position at the desk.

"I already explained to the Big Boy what happened, he's agreed to let him go" she muttered nonchalantly, pulling open the metal door and throwing Talon his belongings.

"It wasn't nice forcing me to dance" Talon chided, standing up from the bench and pulling the rough shirt off of his chest. Vi whistled loudly, winking at the undressing assassin. Caitlyn looked away hurriedly, her cheeks heating up. Talon slid his shirt on, doing the tie up loosely.

"Neither was crashing the party" Vi laughed, clapping him on the back.

Vi walked over to Cait's desk, taking ahold of the half eaten doughnut and popping it in her mouth behind Caitlyn's back.

"Did you need a ride back Tal-" she started, dropping the sentence mid-way as the room was devoid of the assassin.

"How does he do that?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing at the grinning officer.

"Where did my doughnut go" Caitlyn asked, her hand resting on her hip.

"I danwt kwow mwhut yoor twalking aboot" Vi muffled through her full mouth.

Talon could feel the presence of another as he crossed the road, blending into the thick crowd of people.

"Talon" he heard her call out, the delicate tone indicating it was a she. He already knew who it was, the only girl to confront his bad mood.

"Yes Kat?" he replied, waiting as the crowd dispersed around him.

"Not only did you fail to keep yourself hidden but you also got arrested?" she whispered intensely, looping her arm through Talon's.

"I fucked up, I know" Talon muttered, peering around to see if anyone was following them.

"You know the institute is closing soon Talon, you won't be able to get out that easily again"

Katarina and Talon continued down the street, making their way to the train station Katarina took two tickets out from between her breasts, much to the amusement of Talon and boarded the train on its way to the Institute of War.

"Is she ok?" Katarina asked, taking a seat on leather seat.

"I don't know" Talon muttered, taking his seat across from her, she smiled at him sweetly as he rolled his eyes.

"You should go see her you know"

"You do realize she is Demacian?" Talon chided, pulling the purple cloak down to reveal his face.

"And?" Kat asked, laying back against the cool leather.

Talon opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, folding his arms pointedly. Katarina clicked her tongue and gave a wink to Talon. He sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands. The train jolted forward, signalling the start of the journey. This is going to be a long train ride.

Quinn slowly opened her eyes, looking at the bright white ceiling boring down on her.

"Hello?" she called out meekly, peering around the empty room. A vase of flowers sat on the bedside table, the sweet fragrance invading her senses. She could hear the faint sound of voices conversing outside her room, pulling back the covers she shivered slightly under the cold air. Winter was coming to Valoran and the weather was dropping rapidly. The door opened wide with a click. Quinn recognized the woman as Akali, one of the nurses that volunteered at the institute.

"Hello Quinn" she said, smiling sweetly. Quinn returned the greeting, nodding her head slightly.

"Are you feeling better?" Akali asked, sitting down on the bed and pressing her hand against Quinn's forehead.

"Physically, yes." she replied, her eyes drawn to her hands.

"Those kinds of experiences can be traumatizing." Akali reassured her, standing up from the bed and retrieving a clipboard from the nearby bench.

"As far as your condition goes, you should be free to leave in a few days, if you aren't up to it. We can move you to a better suited area." Akali declared, looking up from the paper in her hand.

"I should be fine, thank you for everything Akali" Quinn blurted out, sitting up on the bed.

"I'm not the one you should be thanking" Akali announced before leaving the room, the door closing softly.

Talon's face flashed through her vision, his rough features hidden by the soft fabric of his cloak. Why did he save me? She thought, remembering her time on the beach.

"Why did you sssssave her?" Cassiopeia asked, looking away from the mirror in disgust.

"I don't know" Talon responded, fixing the metal device back into its place on his arm, the blade sprung from it's place.

"You don't know? Or don't want to tell?" she chided. Talon merely looked up, his eyes boring into hers, she flinched, looking down at the ground to avoid his gaze. Talon retracted the arm blade, detaching the device and placing it down on the table.

"I won't poke into your relationshipssss, but" she muttered.

"The institute will be closed by snowdown, you will have to make sure you see her before then" she added on, making her way towards the exit.

Talon wrapped the cloak tighter around him to ward off the cold air that snipped at any area of exposed skin. Snowdown had come in full force, the mountainous winds blew through the desolate institute, picking up sleet and snow along the way. Talon made his way to the institute's medical facilities, one of the only buildings still running. Pushing open the doors he felt the warmth from the indoors heaters flow past him.

"Is Quinn still in?" he asked one of the summoner's who sat at the desk, she peered up from behind the small display.

"Room 132" she replied, waving Talon off in the direction he needed to go.

Leaving without a goodbye, Talon slipped on down the dimly lit hallway.

"Talon" he heard someone call, a slender nurse stood leaning against the wall.

"Akali" he greeted, folding his arms and peering at her under his hood.

"So you are going to visit her?" she asked, a rhetorical question, but Talon answered nonetheless.

"Yes"

"Do be careful with her, she's still a little shaky" she stated, pushing herself off of the wall.

Talon nodded, reaching for the door handle, he grasped the cold metal firmly, pushing open the glass door.

"Quinn?" he inquired, peeking into the room. Quinn lay on her side, the slow breathing and closed eyes indicated she was asleep. Talon entered the room quietly, standing at the foot of her bed. Quinn didn't move a muscle, her slow, deep breathing continued on.

Why did I save her? Talon asked himself, sitting down in the empty seat beside her. Quinn rolled to the side, facing the assassin. The blankets covering her upper body rolled off, causing her face to contort slightly, her body shaking. Talon stood up from the chair, taking ahold of the rim of the covers he pulled them over Quinn's shoulders. Re-taking his place in the seat, he could feel his eyes drooping closed.

The slow click, click, click of the ceiling fan as it slowly turned lulling him asleep.