The first blue light of dawn seeped through the dark horizon, but the earth remained in shadow. Fueled on adrenaline, JB had somehow sped all the way back to Birmingham. Just as he barreled into the Daleys' garden, something flew through the air and crashed into his face. It was soft, and hardly stung on impact, but it expelled a white cloud of rose-scented dust. Coughing and blinded, he skidded to a halt. A voice penetrated the haze.
"Sorry, I thought you were a murderer!" The dust scattered and revealed an embarrassed-looking Sam.
"What was that?" JB coughed.
"Um…" Sam stared down at her feet. "A DIY smoke bomb?"
"That smells like flowers?" Despite everything, he felt an urge to laugh. The absurdity of the situation and his relief at finding Sam safe made him briefly forget the horror he'd witnessed just minutes ago.
"It's hair powder tied loosely in a piece of cloth and then—don't laugh at me! It worked, didn't it?"
"If your goal was to override my asthma vaccine, then yes."
Sam crossed her arms. "It wasn't, but if you'd been a murderer, it still would have stalled you."
JB realized she was shaking. He stopped teasing her. "What are you doing out here?"
Her shoulders sank. "I was worried. I can't believe I agreed to stay behind like a coward. If something had happened to you…"
"I'm an experienced time agent," said JB. "I'm trained to handle danger. It's not your responsibility to worry about me, okay?"
"What if I can't help it?"
He could hardly make out her expression, her slender form silhouetted against the backdrop of gradient blue and outlined by the faint glow of morning. He was already warm from his sprint back from Erdington, but the air seemed to rise another twenty degrees. He suppressed the urge to brush a stray ringlet behind her ear.
"Where's Mary?" she said suddenly.
His gut twinged. "Sam…"
"Did you find her?" Her pitch rose to a squeak.
JB nodded. "I found her, yes."
"And?"
He could barely push the words past the tightness in his throat. "Sam, I'm so sorry…"
Her body stiffened and she shook her head rapidly. "I should have come with you."
"I don't think that would have made a difference. She told me—"
"Wait." Sam's head snapped to attention. "You spoke to her? You found her alive?"
"Yes," he said, "she was on the ground and then this hooded man with an elucidator appeared and—"
"What?"
"It's complicated."
She grabbed his sleeve and leaned forward. "Tell me everything."
He hesitated at first, not wanting to frighten her even more, but by the time they'd snuck back into their room and settled on the edge of the bed, he decided it was indeed best to recount the whole ordeal.
"So someone wants me dead?" Her face looked even paler than usual, if that was possible. "Why? I'm nobody."
"That's not true," said JB. "You're…" No, that part, he couldn't tell her.
"Nobody," she repeated. "And that creepy guy from Gévaudan, maybe that was him hiding under the hood."
JB tensed. "What? You saw someone suspicious in Gévaudan and didn't say anything? What else haven't you told me?"
"Nothing!" She scowled. "I just forgot to mention it because I was too busy being traumatized! It was right before we found out Lucie was dead."
JB exhaled. Just stay calm. "Okay, what did he look like?"
"I only got a glimpse. He had gray eyes and dark eyebrows. He was just staring at me like a creep."
JB did not like this at all. If this was the same man that killed Mary, did that mean he was following them wherever they went? "Ughhhh." He rubbed his forehead and tried to concentrate despite the pounding in his skull.
Sam's expression softened. "I bet you're exhausted. Why don't you take the bed tonight?"
"That's not necessary," he said, though falling asleep on a real mattress sounded heavenly.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You carried me here while I was passed out and then ran to Erdington and back again all in the same night. You deserve to sleep in an actual bed."
"What about you? Are you sure you've fully recovered from that drugged wine?"
"Yes," she said. "That's the least of my worries now that I know some psycho wants to kill me." She looked at the chaise-longue and hugged herself. "Actually…" She faced him again, her cheeks flushed pink. "Maybe we could…just for tonight…"
"What?"
"…I'm scared," she whispered. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep by myself."
"Ah." The room suddenly felt like an oven. "Um…of course. That does sound more, um, safe."
"Yes," she replied quickly. "Safety first."
"Absolutely."
Luckily their clothes had so many underlayers that neither of them had to fully undress to get ready for bed. Still, they avoided eye contact as they shed their daytime layers. The walls seemed to throb with an otherworldly heartbeat. Neither one of them spoke.
They settled on opposite sides of the mattress and left plenty of space in between. Still, JB felt the tremor of Sam's sleeping presence beside him, and when she whimpered and flailed, he filled the gap and held her until her breath steadied once again. With her safely nestled in his arms, he let the sound of her heartbeat lull him to sleep.