Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters, dialogue, and/or situations are not my own. I repeat: I do not own anything.

"Find anything?"

Thirteen was currently searching through news articles on the laptop while Chase fixed them a much needed cup of coffee. They still had to solve the case and save Darrien which would likely take most of the night. Looks like another sleepless night for me, he thought tiredly. He really needed to hurry up with the coffee.

"Shockingly, a punk kid getting shot pulling a gun on a cop did not make national news," Thirteen responded, her words coming out slow, revealing just how exhausted she was. The night was taking a toll on both of them, and even Thirteen, who usually drank tea or decaffeinated coffee, opted to break from routine and go for a much needed dose of caffeine.

Coming to her aid, Chase brought her mug over, setting it on the glass table. It was then that he noticed how she had her dark hair pulled back leaving her neck exposed—her bruised neck.

The memory of how rough he had been with her earlier made his stomach churn. The bruise wasn't as angry as it could have been, and if didn't know better he would have thought it were a hickey. For the briefest of moments Chase visualized himself actually sucking on the pale flesh of her neck before quelling the thought. It was definitely not the appropriate time for him to lose himself in a fantasy.

"Is your neck okay?" he asked, sorry for more than just the bruise.

"Yeah, it's fine."

Contrary to her words, Thirteen's answer came too fast for him to be convinced.

"I'll get you some ice."

He should have known that she would not want to show any more chinks in her ever-present armor. The way Thirteen could so easily lie to protect herself frustrated him; he wanted her to feel comfortable enough to let her guard down around him.

"I said it was fine," she repeated, and he could tell she was making an effort to hide her annoyance. I'm pushing her again, he thought. If he weren't so concerned he would have followed her example and tried to ignore the night's earlier events.

Chase felt ashamed from the memory. All his life he had been brought up to be respectful and chivalrous, and, for some unknown reason, he had lost his composure and engaged in a fist-fight with a fellow female doctor. Thirteen had been driven by her emotions to go to extremes and protect a promise, so what had been his excuse? Could it have been possible that emotion had motivated him to do the same? The idea that he could care for Thirteen as more than just a friend only served to strengthen his sense of guilt.

Unable to look at her, Chase said the closest thing he could at that moment to an apology.

"I shouldn't have grabbed you so hard."

I'm sorry.

There was only silence as he continued to rummage about, gathering the ice to sooth her sore neck. She must be furious with me for forcing her break her promise.

"You had to," she replied, impassively.

For the second time that night, her response was unexpected. The fact that Thirteen continued the conversation and, on top of that, admitted to her mistake, surprised him. Chase forgot his earlier guilt and turned to look at her.

"You were right—about everything."

There was a hint of hesitation, and he knew the admission was difficult for her.

Once again Chase had trouble meeting her eye. It seemed wrong for him to witness Thirteen so vulnerable; he had already seen more than his fair share of her in such a state. All he could manage in response was a barely perceivable nod.

Chase passed her the small bundle of ice and reached for his mug of coffee. It had been a long night and there was still more to do.

Again, I want to apologize for the delay. Halloween is just around the corner and I chose to start reading The Shining. I plan to have this finished by the end of this week. I already have the outline for the last chapter done which, for me anyway, is the difficult part.

Thanks for reading!