"They've been alone in there for hours," I muttered anxiously, my eyes on the hospital room door.

Zed sighed heavily, his arm tightening around my shoulders as he turned me so that I could rest my head on his shoulders. "Then it's safe to say we were right, Thea is Alex's soulfinder, and we should leave them to talk."

Across the waiting room, Xav snorted sourly. "No kidding. You realise how hard it is keeping that idiot out of trouble?"

I shot him a withering look. "After seventeen years, I really needed you to help me figure that out."

"Ouch," Xav winced, smirking at me as Zed and Yves laughed at him. "Your soulfinder's a piece of work, Zed."

"She's got you figured out," Yves shrugged at him, ducking to avoid the rolled up magazine Xav used to hit out at him.

"Boys," Karla complained from the corner of the room. "Please, we're in public! Behave yourselves!"

I cast an uncertain look in her direction, thankful that her attention wasn't still on me. The Benedicts completely dominated the waiting room we were sat in, which thankfully was empty of other people. Saul and Karla were sat in the nearest corner, not saying much but taking comfort in each other's company. On the opposite side of the room, Yves and Xav were lounged out over several chairs, flicking casually through the magazines with no real interest. Beside me, Zed had one arm around me while he drummed the fingertips of his free hand against his leg. Despite the fact that he and I had been here since we'd brought Thea in, almost thirty six hours ago, he refused to leave my side to go home to sleep. I wanted to argue with him and tell him I'd be fine, but with all the other Benedicts drifting in and out of here, I wasn't sure I would be. It was selfish, but I wanted him with me, not flat out somewhere snoring.

Unfortunately, there were some things I had to handle alone. Like Victor, for instance. After we'd been waiting for Alex to make an appearance for almost three hours, Victor appeared in the waiting room. He looked as tired as I felt, but still held his stern frown in check as Karla immediately started to fuss.

"Victor, you look awful!" she scolded.

"Breaking news," Xav muttered sarcastically.

"I need a word with Grace," he assured Karla, ignoring Xav's comment and settling his eyes on me. "If Zed can bear to part with her for ten minutes?"

Zed snorted, reluctantly unwinding his arm from around my shoulders to let me get to my feet. "So long as it's only ten minutes," he grumbled with a small shrug. Victor lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing and held the door open for me.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the waiting room opposite Thea's hospital room and allowed him to lead me into a small, unoccupied room a few paces down the hall. A shudder ran down my spine at the thought of being enclosed in a cold, dark room, and when Victor flicked the light switch, it only made me feel a fraction warmer. Forgetting the fact that I'd only just left him, I found myself wishing I was still wrapped in Zed's arms.

Victor took a deep breath, drawing himself up to his full height and eyeing my expression curiously. "Zed asked me if I could speak to you," he told me carefully. "He says you're worried about whether or not we can pull this off."

"You don't know Matthews like I do," I muttered at him with a scowl that was beginning to feel like a permanent fixture in my features.

"I'm well aware of that," he nodded sternly. "But the entire Net is in on this now."

"And you don't think there's even a remote chance of a leak?" He seemed mildly amused by my question, like he hadn't expected me to think things through so thoroughly. I felt a spike of irritation at that. "I've done nothing but think all this over since the day I found out Zed was my soulfinder, Victor. I can't stop thinking about it! Your family is involved, and it's my fault!"

"No," he interrupted sharply. "As much as I don't like the idea of Zed being dragged into this, it isn't your fault, Grace. Now I can't even begin to imagine how they have weeded out the links, but blocking off the border is a different operation now, and the Redfields are more than capable of handling it. They've been fending Matthews off for longer than you and Zed have been alive, and by now, they've worked out how to determine who to trust and who not to trust. If they say the borders are safe, they're safe. They wouldn't make a promise like that unless they could keep it."

I felt a portion of my worry ease, and I shifted slightly under Victor's gaze. "I'm starting to like the sound of the Redfields."

"You're not the only one to think that," he assured me. "They're a godsend to the Net at the moment. I don't envy them, mind. Their lives are more hectic than ours." He took another breath and leant against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest. "Right now, our only problem is the Kellys."

I hesitated, watching him carefully for a moment. "Is that the family Matthews hired?"

Victor frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not sure hired is the right word, but they're certainly the ones working with him, yes."

"And you all know them?"

"In a manner of speaking. Grace, my family are in witness protection at the moment." I felt my eyes widen a fraction. "We were responsible for putting a few members of the Kelly family behind bars, and if my family can't testify, they won't be prosecuted."

"So they're trying to kill you?" I grimaced.

"Basically," he sighed heavily. "But now we know they're involved with Matthews as well, we've been given the all-clear to set up an operation to take them down. I don't know how long that will take. Right now, the priority is to make sure Thea wasn't followed here and that they can't trace her movements. She'll need somewhere safe to stay."

"With us," I replied immediately. Victor lifted an eyebrow. "She's Alex's soulfinder, and she's alone. She stays with us."

"Okay," he nodded. "If you're sure. I'm positive Zed will keep an eye out for the three of you."

"No doubt," I agreed with a heavy sigh.

Victor grimaced. "We'll keep you safe as best as possible, but you'll all need to be vigilant. If you're even a little suspicious, tell someone."

"Vigilance is something I do quite well," I shrugged wryly. "I'll be careful." He nodded once, pulling the door open again and waving me through.

Back in the waiting room, Xav and Yves were still arguing about something I couldn't quite make out, Karla was lecturing Zed about his health, and Saul was trying his best to get his wife to calm down. But the second she saw me, she only decided to argue harder.

"Right, that's it," she declared abruptly, pointing at me with a stern expression. I came to a halt in the doorway beside Victor, blinking in surprise. "Zed, take her home."

"Mom," Zed sighed.

"No, Zed, I wasn't asking," Karla frowned. "The two of you have been awake for far too long, you're both shattered! The poor girl looks dead on her feet! I want you to take her home, and the two of you are going to get some rest before you come anywhere near this hospital again, do you hear me?"

I stared in shock, speechless. Apparently, Zed was used to being spoken to like this because he barely blinked, pushing himself to his feet and holding his hands out in surrender. It felt strangely surreal, seeing a boy like Zed cave so quickly to a woman as small and petite as his mother. Mistaking the expression on my face for worry, Yves cleared his throat quietly, eyeing his mother's stance. "Xav and I will stay with Alex and Thea. I'll call you the moment she's discharged."

Nodding, I let Zed take my arm and steer me out of the waiting room. "So my brother has your number and I don't?" he grumbled at me.

"He comes in very handy when I'm stuck with my Chemistry work," I shrugged defensively.

He shook his head in exasperation. "Brainiacs."

It was dark outside again, and the cold air did nothing to wake me up. I couldn't remember exactly how long we'd been curled up in chairs in the hospital, but my legs were starting to get shaky, and I couldn't stop myself yawning. As we walked across the car park, Zed wound an arm around my waist with a small smile. "Don't go falling asleep on me yet. Food first."

I let out a small groan, shaking my head and ignoring the rumbling sound coming from my stomach. "I'm too tired to eat, Zed. I just want to sleep, preferably before Thea gets discharged and we have to start all this all over again. Someone's got to explain to her and Alex what's going on."

"And it won't matter if you eat first, or last," he shrugged. "Besides, I'm starving, and I'm not letting you out of my sight until Victor gives us the all clear. You're lucky he isn't making you stay at ours. Mom would've been a nightmare."

My heart fluttered slightly at the thought of staying anywhere near Zed for an extend period of time, particular since I'd been spending most of that asleep. Still, I didn't say anything, climbing into the front of Zed's family Jeep and shifting to make myself comfortable. He didn't say anything for a moment or two, turning the key in the ignition and pulling the Jeep out of the car park as he fiddled with the radio with the other.

"Don't tell me you listen to that pop rubbish?" he grimaced over at me.

I pulled a face. "Anything that doesn't sound like it was made by a five year old with a computer."

He grinned. "So not pop then?"
"Not pop," I agreed, my mouth twitching into a small smile.

Laughing, he winced through his teeth. "Almost." I lifted an eyebrow at him questioningly, praying he wouldn't stop talking. The way I was feeling at the moment, I'd fall asleep if he didn't keep me distracted. "I almost made you smile properly."

I blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I've never seen you smile," he told me. "Not once."

"It is a rarity," I acknowledged.

"Why?"

"Because I have very little to smile about."

He scowled at me, taking one of my hands in his tightly and pressing his lips to my knuckles softly. "That's going to change," he promised me, and it took a lot for me not to flinch. "Relax, Grace. Most people think smiling is a good thing." I didn't bother answering, my eyes fixed to my fingers laced through his.

We ended up pulling up outside the café Yves had brought me to on the first day of school. The sight of the same little old lady waitressing inside made my eyes roll, but I didn't complain, allowing Zed to lead me to the last booth, his hand still linked through mine. Grinning at me, he pulled me down right beside him, releasing my hand to wind his arm around my waist. When I kept quiet and avoided his gaze, he sighed heavily, exasperated. "Seriously, Grace, relax."

Yawning, I lifted my gaze to him irritably. "I'm trying, you're not making it easy."

"What?" he laughed, staring at me in surprise.

"I'm not used to all this," I shrugged defensively, avoiding the strange look in his eyes and shuffling awkwardly. "It's going to take a little longer than a few days to get used it."

Zed hesitated, obviously thinking very carefully before replying. "Like what?"

I couldn't help scoffing, shifting away from him a fraction to look at him properly. "Like the fact you're my soulfinder," I offered simply. "Or how you're immediate family is at least three times bigger than the only decent family I have, or how they're wrapped up in law enforcement, or how they're all nice people, or how your parents actually care, which apparently includes me, for reasons I can't quite understand."

His eyes had widened as I spoke, and he had to shake himself before he could answer me, clearing his throat and setting his expression sternly. "Listen to me, Grace," he frowned, pulling me closer again and taking my chin in his hand so that I couldn't turn away from him. "You don't need to be worried about my family. I know they can be bit . . . intense sometimes, but that's only because you're the first soulfinder we've found. My brothers are torn between being happy for me and annoyed that they haven't found who they're looking for, and my parents are just happy they don't have to see all their sons alone for the rest of their lives."

I sighed at him, pursing my lips together as the waitress arrived to take our order. "Oh, you're Yves's friend!" she smiled widely at me, and Zed groaned beside me. I shot him an irritable look. "And you must be one of his brothers."

"Zed," he grimaced beside me. Her smile wavered a fraction, and I felt my lips twitch in mild amusement. He smirked at me.

The woman obviously didn't see what was amusing. "Erm, are you ready to order?" she asked uncertainly. Trying to ignore Zed chuckling beside me, I placed an order for the small amount of food I'd be able to eat this late at night and jabbed Zed in the side until he answered the woman. Smiling tightly in confusion, she turned and walked away again.

"Look, I don't know exactly how this is all going to play out," Zed told me, turning to cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure the waitress had left. "But if it makes you feel better, when Thea gets out of hospital, the rest of my family will back off, and we'll take things slow." I flicked my gaze toward him uncertainly, and he shuffled, obviously starting to get a little impatient. I wasn't surprised. Honestly, we'd been clashing since the day we met. I doubted that would ever go away. "Would it be easier if I asked yes or no questions?"

I glowered at him. "I'm not a child."

"But this is turning out to be a very one sided conversation," he frowned back.

"What do you want me to say?" I replied shortly, subconsciously shifting away from him again. "I don't want to see your family?"

"I want you to tell me the truth," he scowled, leaning away from me.

My arms folded over my chest stubbornly. "I am doing, but whenever I say something's remotely wrong, you think you can snap your fingers and fix it all. All I said was that it's going to take some time for me to get used to it all."

Zed scanned my expression carefully. I knew I was irritating him, but frankly, he was irritating me. I might not have had a sheltered childhood like he had, but that didn't mean he needed to wrap me in cotton wool. Honestly, I think I was more annoyed that he obviously thought it was necessary.

Eventually, he sighed heavily, pulling me closer with a tight grip as the waitress brought our food back. She smiled, still uncertain around us. "Coffee?" I tried to pay attention to her, but Zed's hand had slipped over my hip, holding me against him as his breath trailed down the side of my throat. Ignoring the shivers across my skin, I nodded at her gratefully, watching her pour two cups of coffee before toddling off again, casting awkward glances back toward us.

"I'm not handling this very well," he murmured, and I couldn't help scoffing weakly.

"You're kidding, right?"

He smirked. "Not at all. I was talking about the soulfinder thing."

I glanced at him, shrugging a shoulder. "You've just been matched with the daughter of a world-class criminal. I think you're entitled to take it a little badly."

His expression wavered and with a small frown, he lifted a hand to take my face. Without a seconds hesitation, he pressed me against him and lowered his lips to mine. Melting instantly, one of my hands clutched his shirt and pulled him closer. It was the first time he'd kissed me properly since the night at the police station, and I couldn't even find it in me to care that we were in the middle of a public café. My heart was racing, my skin was alive with electricity and I never wanted him to let go.

But then, all too soon, he pulled back, his hand still cradling the back of my neck. "I don't care about any of that," he muttered.

"I know," I answered quietly. "I just don't understand why."

He pressed his lips to mine again quickly. "Yes, you do. You're an incredible girl, Grace. You've had a hard life and after all that, you're still trying to protect everyone else. I think you're amazing." I shuffled awkwardly, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. Laughing lightly, he kissed my temple softly. "Eat. Thea will be discharged from the hospital soon."

Nodding at him silently, I tried my best to block out the smile on his face and eat my food, a little awkwardly since he refused to release any of his hold on me. We ate in silence, but strangely, it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward anymore. Instead, I found myself relaxing into Zed's side, growing more and more sleepy the more I ate.

When I finally finished my pancakes, Zed smiled at me. "Come on," he yawned. "If I don't get you home, my Mom will kill me." I lifted an eyebrow at him, but he just wrapped his arm around me and dropped the money of the food onto the table behind us, leading the way out of the café.

Too tired to talk, Zed switched the radio back on in the car and I forced myself to focus on the songs and the lyrics in a vain attempt to keep myself awake. Fortunately, the house wasn't too far away, and still, by the time the car drew to a halt outside the front door, my eyes were closed and my body seemed to be shutting down, refusing to move.

Zed snorted, nudging me with a smirk. "Don't make me carry you in, Grace." One of my eyes opened a fraction at that, my eyebrows pulling together tightly. He laughed. "Come on."

Groaning irritably, I pushed myself out of the car and dug my hand into my pocket for the house keys. Only now did I remember that Zed wasn't leaving to go home now. He couldn't. Victor had specifically told us that we weren't allowed to be alone. Zed was supposed to stay with me and keep an eye out for trouble. Still, I couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable as I pushed the door open and stepped back to let him in.

He must have noticed the look on my face, because he snorted with a heavy sigh. "So much for taking it slow, huh?" I glowered at him, opening my mouth to snap a comment back, but he just held his hands out in surrender. "Hey, I was kidding! I'll stay on the sofa. Nowhere near your room. Besides, Alex'd kill me."

I rolled my eyes at him, turning toward the kitchen. "I think Alex is a little busy at the moment." He blinked, lifting an eyebrow with a smirk and I felt my cheeks grow uncharacteristically hot. "You know what I meant, stop looking at me like that."

He laughed. "I'm pretty sure he'd make time to beat the life out of me if he had to."

I pulled a face. "Then it's a good job he won't have to." Zed shrugged a shoulder with a glint in his eyes, but I shook myself and turned away from him. I'd thought he was annoying when I was trying to avoid him, but I hadn't counted on him being even more so when I wasn't. Obviously that had been a huge error in judgement.

Something shifted in my thoughts, and I almost started in surprise when I realised Zed was still there, hovering at the front of my mind cautiously. "If I annoy you that much, I can always get Yves down here," he offered calmly, leaning against the breakfast bar casually. Despite his relaxed state at the moment, he knew he'd hate having to ask his brother to watch over me again.

I sighed. "You do annoy me," I conceded. "A lot, actually. But that's just you, so it looks like I'm going to have to get used to it."

His lips tugged at the sides. "I'll try and be good."

I hesitated. "Are we still talking about you annoying me? Or Alex killing you?"

He laughed again, his eyes shining in humour as he swerved around the breakfast bar and wrapped me in his arms. "Both, I suppose," he smirked, lowering his lips to mine softly. Lips moving against his, I shivered into him as his hands slipped to the small of my back. I'd barely managed to lock my arms around his neck, however, when he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine. "But you're making it really difficult."

Shuddering again, I pulled my arms back and pursed my lips, stepping out of his hold. "Then I'll leave you to sleep. Cassandra left pillows and sheets on the armchair."

"She isn't here?" he asked, still distracted as I moved for the stairs.

"She's staying with Darwin, out of the way," I told him with a small frown, almost daring with him to argue with me. I didn't want Cassandra anymore involved in all of this than she already was. Things were getting a little too close to home for my liking, and if something happened to her, I'd never be able to forgive myself.

But Zed nodded at me, like he understood, and stretched out, pausing by my side long enough to press a quick kiss onto my lips. "Night, Grace."

"Goodnight." I turned and took the stairs slowly, unable to shift the feeling that despite everything, maybe letting the Benedicts into my life wasn't such a bad thing after all.