"You're sure this is gonna work?" Eve asked, pulling her jacket tighter around her midsection.
"Yes! Um... maybe? I don't know..." Cassandra replied optimistically, then trailed off in uncertainty. "But I think it's our best shot since there's no cell reception in here."
Eve nodded, fully trusting the young Librarian to find a way out. "What do you need me to do?"
Cassandra turned and offered Eve a small smile, appreciation for her Guardian's unwavering loyalty sparkling in her gaze. The redhead waved her hands, bright blue eyes widening with the familiar awe and wonder Eve recognized every time her friend used her gift. If it wasn't so cold in that godforsaken freezer, Eve would have smiled back.
"Okay okay okay..." Cassandra muttered, waving her hands in the air, her gaze dancing around as she did calculations too complicated for Eve to even dream of. "If I can supercool this room to -20 degrees, it should be enough to disrupt the stainless steel matrix of the door. Meaning there are weak points... weak... points..." The Librarian shook her head vigorously as if to clear it. "If we can strike the point at exactly the right place with enough force-"
"The lock mechanism will shatter and we can blow this popsicle stand." Eve finished for her, nodding as she pieced together Cassandra's plan.
"Exactly!" Her charge replied brightly, waving her hands to disrupt her visions. Eve felt a pang when she saw bright red blood begin to drip from Cassandra's nose.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine!" Cassandra quickly waved her off with a dazzling smile, turning to the control panel.
The Guardian watched Cassandra work in concerned silence, the Librarian's nimble fingers dancing throughout the wires, disconnecting and reconnecting faster than Eve could process what Cassandra was doing.
"Cass... if this doesn't work..." Eve began wearily, not wanting to consider their alternatives.
The ginger froze for a moment, seemingly curling in on herself but not turning back to face the blonde. "Then it's gonna get really chilly..." She mumbled darkly. "I think- if we can't break down the door or call for help... we have about an hour before frostbite and subsequent hypothermia set in, but as long as we keep moving and stay positive-"
"Hey... sorry I didn't mean it like that." Eve broke in, voice softening. "We'll get out of this and hey- if this doesn't work, that big brain of yours will come up with an even better plan."
Even though Cassandra didn't look back at her, fingers resuming their rewiring, Eve could sense the grateful smile on her charge's face. The blonde shivered slightly, already feeling the temperature begin to lower.
"Okay... I should be... if I just... AH!" Suddenly Cassandra yelped, flinching away from the control panel.
"Cassandra!" Eve hurried to the redhead's side, worry coursing through her veins as she watched sparks fly from the panel. She shuddered, holding on to Cassandra tighter as the temperature rapidly declined in the freezer.
"I think it w-worked..." Cassandra shuddered in Eve's protective embrace, looking up at her Guardian with anxious pools of cerulean.
Eve met Cassandra's gaze with pride, opening her mouth to ask their next step. "So now- Cassandra! What happened to your arm?!" The Colonel demanded, care coloring her exclamation.
The redhead followed her pointed look. The sleeve of her far-too-thin jacket had been torn, exposing a several-inch long gash with raw burn marks surrounding the wound. The entirety of Cassandra's forearm was inflamed and raw, the limb trembling in the rapidly cooling air.
"I'm okay- don't worry about me." Cassandra attempted to comfort, warily extricating herself from Eve's grasp and padding towards the door.
Eve rolled her eyes in worried exasperation. "After we get out of here, you and I are going to have a serious talk about what constitutes 'okay.'"
The ginger paid her words no mind, instead beginning to knock on the steel door, hissing as her bare skin made contact with the supercooled metal. Her hand traveled up and down the length of the door, searching for something Eve couldn't pinpoint.
"There!" Cassandra finally said, knocking again at a spot about waist height on the left side of the door for emphasis. "When I say go, kick the door right here. It's the weakest point."
Eve nodded, pulling the jacket even tighter around herself and bouncing on her heels in anticipation. She tried to stave off the shiver threatening to wrack her frame, hoping that their plan worked.
Cassandra quickly walked back to the panel, eyeing the temperature gauge as it rapidly plummeted. "Just a little bit more... okay now!" She shouted.
With a grunt, Eve pivoted on her heel and turned to kick the exact spot that Cassandra had pointed out... but her body was stiff from the rapidly declining temperature; her knee didn't fully extend in time. The Guardian watched helplessly as her foot collided with the door about 4 inches below it was supposed to.
"AH!" Eve roared, hearing a crack as stabbing pains began shooting up her leg. She collapsed to the floor in pain, the cold momentarily forgotten as pain and adrenaline coursed through her body.
"Eve!" Cassandra shouted from behind her. The blonde was dimly aware of the redhead's quick footsteps as she approached her fallen form. The Librarian sunk to her knees beside the Guardian, hands bright red and trembling as they hovered above Eve's prone frame. After a moment of hesitation, Cassandra reached out to cup Eve's cheek, talking softly in an attempt to ground her. "Eve... Eve I'm so sorry, I thought it would work! Are you okay? Where does it hurt? I'm so sorry! I-"
Her guilty babbling snapped Eve out of her momentary pain-induced haze. She groaned as she turned to meet Cassandra's eyes, the sheer guilt and concern within her charge's normally bright blue gaze made Eve's heart clench. "Cass- it's okay it wasn't your fault. I- I kicked the- wrong spot." The Guardian responded through gritted teeth. "I messed up my ankle." She reluctantly admitted, attempting to sit up.
"Nonononono just stay down, Eve. It's okay." Cassandra gently pressed her uninjured hand to Eve's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the blonde. The redhead's gaze danced around the room as if she was searching for something. Suddenly, the Librarian's expression changed. "Okay, Eve, I have to move you so that you can sit up safely and stay warm." She explained softly.
The ginger sat back, wrapping her slim arms around the Guardian's midsection. Eve tried to help as best as she could, but she wasn't exactly sure what her charge was doing. Without warning, Cassandra began to gently pull her friend towards the corner of the fridge, which was sort of sheltered by all of the boxes. Eve was honestly impressed by her friend's strength; though Eve wasn't heavy, she was much taller than her slim charge, but Cassandra was managing to guide her with little trouble to the corner.
Upon reaching the semi-sheltered area, which Eve could feel was at least a few degrees warmer than the rest of the freezer, Cassandra gently set her Guardian up against the wall, her concerned gaze asking the unspoken question.
Eve forced a chuckle. "I'm okay, Cassandra." She insisted.
The Librarian shook her head in worried exasperation, shuffling down to Eve's ankles. "If we get out of here, you and I are going to have a serious talk about what constitutes 'okay.'"
"When. When we get out of here." Eve chuckled, despite the turn of events. "Where's your optimism, sweetie?"
Cassandra looked slightly hurt. "S-sorry." She mumbled, quickly looking back to Eve's ankle and gingerly rolling up the leg of Eve's pants.
The Guardian chose not to comment, instead filing the interaction away for later discussion. The sweet, innocent, genius girl in front of her had the biggest heart of anyone Eve had ever met... but that meant she tended to take on everyone's hurt as her own. It was something Eve tried her best to-
"Ah!" Eve hissed as the redhead gently removed her right shoe to expose her ankle.
"Sorry! Sorry..." Cassandra exclaimed. "Ooooo..." She winced in sympathy as she examined Eve's rapidly swelling ankle. After a moment, she rolled Eve's pant leg back down and looked up at her Guardian. "It's not broken... I think it's just a bad sprain. Either way, you shouldn't be putting any weight on that ankle any time soon."
"But Cassandra! We have to get out of here! We're gonna freeze!" Eve yelled.
Cassandra flinched away, expressive eyes filled with remorse. "I know, I know, I'm so sorry..." She babbled listlessly, eventually disappearing in thought.
Eve sighed heavily. "No, I'm sorry. It's not your fault, Cassandra. I'm just worried about the cold-"
The Librarian suddenly snapped out of her daze, frightened gaze locking with Eve's. "That's it! The cold- I have to-"
She scrambled to her feet, quickly shedding her thin jacket. Before Eve could protest, her charge had gently covered the Guardian's frame with her discarded coat. She quickly walked over to the control panel, mumbling words that Eve couldn't make out.
The blonde craned her neck to see what Cassandra was doing. "Cass? What are you-"
"I-I'm sorry... I just have to- have to- if I can stop this- then- aha- AH!" Cassandra yelped in pain just as Eve heard a dull thud echo throughout the freezer.
"Cassandra!" Eve roared, struggling to move forward. Her ankle screamed out in pain, causing her to fall backwards into the wall once again. "Cassandra!"
"I'm- cough - I'm ok-kay..." Cassandra's weak voice echoed from the other side of the fridge.
Eve audibly exhaled in relief. "Thank God, Cass... what were you doing, kid?"
"I had to- had to stop the supercooling process... it won't get any colder... or w-warmer now..." Cassandra's voice was pained, it sounded as if she was struggling to stand.
"That's... good?" Eve tried to be optimistic as she heard her Librarian padding back towards her. "Now we just regroup and then we can- Cassandra!"
Her charge rounded the corner, both arms stiffly bent at her sides with a grimace. Eve inhaled sharply when she saw a red, blue, and white electrical burn spanning the entire length of Cassandra's right arm. "Kid..." Eve tried helplessly, not knowing how to help.
Cassandra offered her a weary smile. "It's okay! At least now they match!" She wiggled her gashed left arm, which was still profusely bleeding.
"NOT funny..." Colonel Baird warned, moving to pinch the bridge of her nose, but her arms were still bundled under Cassandra's jacket. "Cassandra! Put your jacket back on! You're gonna freeze to death!" Eve commanded, her gaze raking over her Librarian's trembling frame.
"I-I'm okay. You need it m-more than m-me..." Cassandra insisted with a gentle smile.
"Bullshit, Cass. Take the damn jacket." Eve was frustrated now; it shouldn't be Cassandra's job to play hero... yet somehow it always fell to the youngest Librarian.
"I-I can move around t-to keep myself warm. You c-can't... because of m-me..." Cassandra trailed off guiltily. "You need to st-stay warm. I'll be okay!"
Eve opened her mouth to protest, but the sheer remorse shining in Cassandra's gaze forced her to think otherwise. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly, "but both of us need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"I agree... I wonder if there's a way... I don't think I could physically generate enough force to break the steel..." Cassandra disappeared in thought.
Eve could recognize when her charge was spiraling. "Cassandra?" She called softly to rouse her. "Why don't you go around and take inventory of what we have? Maybe that'll help spark some ideas?"
Cassandra shook her head slightly, then nodded. That was a good plan. Eve was always good at plans. The blonde watched as her genius Librarian paced the interior of the freezer, looking for anything and everything that could possibly help them get to safety.
"Okay... we have to do one of two things. We either have to find a way to keep warm or find a way out of here." Cassandra whispered as she rummaged gingerly through the shelves and boxes within the freezer. "The door idea is out... Neither of us can physically generate enough force to shatter the mechanism. I don't think I can- wait!" Her charge suddenly broke off, an excited tinge to her voice.
"Cassandra?" Eve called softly, not sure if she should be concerned.
"Aha!" Cassandra exclaimed triumphantly, brandishing something in her shaking hands and hurrying back to Eve's side.
"Cassandra? What are you-" Eve broke off as Cassandra knelt beside her and began tearing off large pieces of... aluminum foil?
"It-it'll act like a- like a-a emergency b-blanket..." The redhead explained, teeth chattering. Eve watched in fascination as Cassandra began to wrap the aluminum foil around her prone form, gently layering as much of the reflective metal as she possibly could around her Guardian. "Y-you can't move to g-generate heat... b-but we can make sure you d-don't lose the-the heat you already have..."
After a few moments, Cassandra sat back, setting aside the box of aluminum foil to admire her handiwork. Eve quirked an eyebrow, looking down at her now silver form. "Happy?" The blonde quipped sarcastically.
"Warm?" The redhead fired back with a smirk.
Eve smiled; she had to admit; the aluminum foil was helping. She wouldn't quite say she was... warm... but she didn't feel like she was gonna lose a toe anymore. "I've gotta hand it to you kid, even though I look like I'm about to go hunt aliens, this is helping. Now do you." She commanded pointedly, eyeing the way Cassandra's bare skin was nearly translucent now.
Cassandra settled herself against the same wall that Eve was leaning on, letting her head roll back and her eyes shut. She would almost look relaxed if she wasn't shaking like a leaf... instead she just looked exhausted to the Guardian.
"Cassandra?" Eve began in a warning tone.
"I can't." The ginger replied simply, not opening her eyes.
"What do you mean you can't?!" The colonel demanded.
"There's n-no more. S'okay... you n-need it m-more..." The Librarian slurred, still not opening her eyes.
Eve felt concern threaten to burst from her chest. "Cassandra no! You can't- you have to take care of yourself too! Cass, you're gonna freeze and I can't- I can't do anything to help..." The Guardian's voice broke.
Cassandra's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at her protector tiredly. "S'my f-fault... I'm s-sorry..."
"No." Eve shook her head vigorously. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, kid! None of this is your fault besides the fact that you're keeping me alive! I wish there was a magic wand I could wave so that you could see that... not everything is your fault, honey..." Eve reached out to grasp Cassandra's trembling hand, but then thought better of it upon seeing the burn marks.
"Magic..." Cassandra sat up. "That's it!"
Eve straightened. "W-what? What's it?"
"I-I just... I need to buy some time." Cassandra got to her knees, locking gazes with Eve. "Y-you're still c-cold." She said pointedly.
Eve shook her head. "I'm roasting compared to you."
"Sh-shiv'ring." Cassandra mumbled, vaguely gesturing to Eve's trembling. Eve cursed under her breath, bringing a small smile to her face. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna cast a-a heating spell. It'll keep you w-warm while I-I... I can keep m-myself w-warm. I don't want you-" The redhead broke off with a grimace.
"NO, Cassandra! There's always a cost. It's not your job to protect me!" Eve raised her voice, practically begging the young Librarian.
"D-don't worry. I h-have a- have a plan." The ginger smiled up at her Guardian.
Eve groaned, knowing she didn't have a choice. "Alright alright FINE! But you need to take... I don't know. Your jacket or my jacket or SOMETHING!"
Cassandra shook her head. "N-no. You need those t-to keep the heat in. I'll be o-kay. Promise."
The blonde roared in frustration, running a hand through her hair in concerned exasperation. "Fine. Fine. But if you start showing ANY signs of frostbite or hypothermia or whatever, you're getting the jackets AND the foil. Deal?"
Cassandra nodded fervently, reaching out injured, trembling hands to hover above Eve's midsection. She took a shaky breath, then began to chant in a low tone. "Lumos alcantara tropica tempura!" Her hands began to glow a warm orange, magical sparks flying down to Eve's body. The Guardian immediately began to feel warmer, as if she was sitting in front of a fireplace. She audibly sighed in relief, her shivering stopping almost instantly. After a few seconds, the orange glow in Cassandra's palms flickered and dimmed, bringing Eve's attention back to her young charge's face. Cassandra was pale, eyes wide and unfocused as her teeth chattered, her shaking had increased nearly tenfold.
"Cassandra- are you-"
"Did it- did it w-work?" The ginger stuttered, turning to face the blonde. At her change in position, Cassandra gasped and the little color she had left drained from her face. Her eyes began to roll back into her head at the exertion she had put herself through.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Eve soothed, instantly wrapping her arms around Cassandra's limp, trembling form. She pulled the spent Librarian into her lap, trying to share as much heat as she possibly could with her charge through the godforsaken tin foil. The Guardian couldn't help but do whatever she could to comfort the girl in her arms, slowly running her now warm fingertips through Cassandra's tousled red hair. The Librarian stirred slightly at Eve's ministrations, eyelids fluttering as she was brought back to consciousness.
The tension in Eve's chest began to dissipate as Cassandra was revived. Seeing her collapse had scared the Guardian more than she could ever admit aloud. "Hey, sweetie, are you with me?" She asked softly, not pausing her gentle stroking. Cassandra, still shivering like a drenched kitten, attempted to push herself up. "Nononono honey... stay down for a little while. That took a lot out of you, kid."
"You're w-warm..." Cassandra slurred, sighing contentedly as she cuddled against Eve.
The blonde chuckled, remembering a similar situation when Cassandra was "drunk" during their run-in with Dorian Gray. "Thanks to you. You scared me, Cass." The Guardian admitted.
"S'rry..." Cassandra murmured, blinking owlishly up at her protector.
Eve chuckled affectionately. "You know, out of the three of you - Jones, Stone, and you - you scare me the most. Because somehow you always manage to hurt yourself to save everyone else, kid. What am I gonna do with you?" Eve didn't know how much of this Cassandra would remember; the kid was really out of it.
"You l-love me. Deeeeeeeeeeeeeep d-down." Cassandra giggled, sitting up slightly.
Eve shook her head in fond exasperation. "You know I do, kid. But you know what I'd love even more? If you weren't in imminent danger of freezing to death."
"Occupational haz-hazard..." The Librarian waved her off with a smile.
Eve feigned a resigned sigh, but her concern for the both of them grew. She didn't know how long they'd been trapped in the subzero temperatures. The Guardian was no doctor, but seeing Cassandra so delusional worried her... hypothermia might be setting in and right now they had no plan of how to escape. The Colonel hated to do this to her exhausted, injured Librarian, but she was their only hope of escaping.
"Cassandra..." Eve tried, watching in fond concern as the ginger struggled to meet her level gaze with her own unfocused blue one. "There you are, kid. Are you with me?" The redhead nodded slowly, confusion flickering in her gaze. "Okay, good. I'm gonna be honest here; I'm really getting worried. I don't know how long we've been in here for and-"
"49 minutes." Cassandra quipped cheerily, offering Eve a lopsided smile. "Aaaaand 36 seconds."
Eve chuckled. "I forgot I'm trapped in a freezer with a genius. Okay kid we've been in here for too long. I'm getting worried about you and I don't think anybody's coming for us."
Cassandra's brow furrowed, as if she was struggling to focus. She was obviously trying to think straight, as her expression became more somber. "Eve I-I'm sorry. M-my brain... I feel like- like my brain wrapped in c-cotton... like clouds..." She giggled, but there was a bit of fear in her expression now.
"I know, kiddo, I know. We've gotta get you outta here. One of the symptoms of hypothermia is delirium... and you're already well on your way there." Eve sighed, reaching out to gently take Cassandra's uninjured hand. "I need you to focus. Just for a little longer, so we can get out of here. I don't know how much time we have left."
Cassandra gulped, nodding in understanding. She gingerly sat up, rocking backwards to sit criss-cross on the cold metal floor of the freezer. She pressed her fingertips to her temples, wincing at the pain in her arms, then squeezed her eyes shut and began to think aloud.
"W-we can't make it any warmer in here... but maybe the original p-p-plan could still w-work. Maybe if I- I'm not sure if that could- but it could- I can't let that happen... If I... If I crosswire the-the panel maybe- I guess... I guess... I-I" The redhead's musings quickly began to spiral, blood beginning to trickle from her nose once more as the genius pushed herself to the limit.
"Cassandra!" Eve exclaimed in concern, reaching out to startle the Librarian out of her daze.
As soon as Eve's hand made contact with her shoulders and began to shake, Cassandra's eyes flew open. She was breathing heavily, her eyes still much too unfocused for Eve's liking. "I-I know h-ow to get us out..." She gasped, shudders wracking her small frame.
"Cassan-" Eve began, but quieted when her charge scrambled to her feet, nearly toppling back over but catching herself on the wall.
The ginger stumbled over to the control panel, tearing out a few wires along with their electronic components. The Librarian continued to flit about the room, fumbling for electric equipment, batteries, and other objects. After a lap through the freezer, Cassandra dumped everything she had collected on to one of the boxes near Eve. The Guardian didn't ignore the Librarian's initial white-knuckled grip on the side of the box just to keep herself upright.
"W-we can't generate enough- enough force to damage the- the- the mechanism. B-but if I can lower the f-force..." Cassandra narrated as she began to construct some sort of improvised device out of the electrical scraps.
Eve inhaled sharply. "Cassandra you're a genius! If we can damage the lock mechanism enough before we hit it, we can get out of here! What are you-" The blonde craned her neck to glimpse what the redhead was making. "Is that a-"
"Small explosive munition de-device..." Cassandra responded, wincing as she finished attaching one of the wires.
Eve shook her head in apprehension. "Cass... you know I trust you but- are we sure this could work? Is it gonna hurt us in the process? How big will the blast be?"
Cassandra sighed, brow furrowing as she struggled to focus. "It won't hurt y-you... I pr-prom-mise. It should be- m-mostly local-lized..." Her teeth audibly chattered.
The Guardian bit her lip in thinly veiled concern. "What about you?"
The youngest Librarian turned and offered Eve a small smile. "It'll be w-worth it... don' w'rry..." She stuttered, delirium creeping back into her tone.
"Cassandra!" Eve protested, not liking what that could possibly mean for her charge's safety.
The ginger shook her head vigorously before stumbling back towards the door. She gently set the improvised munition device on the locking mechanism of the door. The Librarian turned to look at Eve, a small smile gracing her ghostly face.
"Don' worry abou' me... m'kay?" She slurred, giggling slightly. "'m so s-sorry, Evie. You go get h-help..."
Eve's heart clenched at the nickname. Cassandra only called her Evie when she was at her most vulnerable, i.e. "drunk," sick, suffering from a brain-grape headache, and now when she was borderline hypothermic.
"Co-cover your e-ears..." Cassandra instructed before Eve could possibly object or come up with another plan.
The blonde, startled, pressed her palms to her ears instantly, watching in frightened concern as Cassandra reached out to swap one of the wires on her explosive device...
B O O M
Eve flinched backwards at the sudden cacophony, squeezing her eyes shut as her ears began to ring. After a moment, she blinked her eyes open, struggling to focus her vision on the door. There was a sizable dent with smoke marks at the exact spot the Guardian had meant to kick earlier, but the door was still closed.
"Cassandra?" Eve asked, coming back to her senses when the fiery redhead was nowhere near the original explosion. "Cassandra!" The blonde began to panic when she couldn't see her charge.
Eve pushed herself up using the wall, craning her neck to see where Cassandra was. Her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest. "Cassandra!" No response.
With a groan, Eve pushed herself up using her uninjured leg, leaning against the frigid wall for support as she brought herself to a standing position. She scanned the room worriedly, feeling her heart stop when she glimpsed Cassandra sprawled out on the ground on the opposite side of the freezer.
"Cassandra!" Eve breathed, instantly hobbling over to her friend, ignoring her ankle screaming in pain. She collapsed to her knees beside her charge, shaking hands hovering above Cassandra's prone form. With a grimace, Eve gingerly turned Cassandra to her back, inhaling sharply when she felt how icy cold the girl's skin was. Eve came to a chilling realization… Cassandra was no longer shivering.
Now frightened, Eve gently bundled Cassandra into her lap, holding her as close as possible to warm her up. The ginger hadn't even stirred, her body was limp in Eve's arms. The blonde's gaze raked up and down her friend's unconscious form, assessing her for further injuries. The gash in her arm was still slowly bleeding, now accompanied by small cuts from the blast. Her breaths rattled impossibly slowly in her chest. Eve's chest tightened; Cassandra was becoming hypothermic. They needed to get out of this freezer NOW.
Eve tore off the foil still wrapped around her midsection and upper arms, exposing Cassandra's jacket. She wrapped the thin layer around the unconscious girl, trying to stop the desperate tears from falling. The Guardian gently moved her Librarian off of her lap and laid her softly on the frigid floor. She tenderly brushed the flyaways from Cassandra's impossibly pale face, trying to ignore the blue tinge to her selfless friend's lips and cheeks, then gritted her teeth and scooted towards the door.
Eve pressed her hands to the floor and raised her uninjured leg in the air, leveling it with the dent in the door. With a grunt, she kicked at the dent, flinching slightly when the metal creaked and groaned at the impact, but still did not open. Angry now, Eve kicked again... and again... and again... and finally, with a desperate cry, the blonde kicked as hard as she possibly could and the metal door swung open with a shudder.
The Guardian couldn't hold back her sob of relief, shuffling forward into the immediate warmth she felt flooding in. "Help!" The colonel cried out; she didn't care at this point who found them as long as Cassandra received medical attention. "Help!" She tried again breathlessly, praying that someone would-
"Where the hell have you two been?!" A familiar voice quipped from somewhere Eve couldn't pinpoint. "Once again, Ezekiel Jones cracks the case while you two are off- Colonel Baird!"
Her young charge rounded the corner, smirk disappearing as soon as he saw his Guardian curled up in pain on the floor of the kitchen. The Australian rushed over, sinking to his knees beside the injured blonde. "What happened? Who did this to you?!" He demanded, not even trying to mask the desperate concern in his voice.
"Call Jenkins!" Eve gasped, chest heaving from the exertion. The Librarian whipped out his phone, already dialing their mentor. "We need a Door NOW!"
"Okay okay- I'm on it- I'm on it-" Ezekiel's fingers twitched as he held the phone to his ear. "Jenkins! We need a door now! Kitchen!" The young man set the phone down on the floor and moved to help his Guardian to her feet.
"No- no Ezekiel! Not me! Get Cassandra!" Eve shook her head, practically begging the Australian.
Ezekiel pulled away quickly. "Where's Cassandra?"
"There-" Eve pointed behind her, breath hitching.
"In the freezer? Why on earth-" Ezekiel replied, concern taking all of the snark from his comment as he hurried into the freezer. "God it's freaking FREEZING in here! Why were you- Oh my god." The Australian broke off instantly. Eve turned to see the boy fall to his knees. "Cassandra! Cassandra!" He yelled, shaking the redhead in desperate concern. "She's freezing. What the hell happened?!" The Librarian demanded once again, easily lifting Cassandra into his arms and bundling her to his chest.
"We were-" Eve felt a 'whoosh' as a Door opened at the entrance of the kitchen. She could see Jenkins peering at them from the globe, concern etched into his confused expression.
Ezekiel paused his stride, glancing down at Eve still on the ground.
"I'll be alright - just get Cassandra to the Library!" Eve reassured, using the adjacent countertop to clamber to her feet.
The Guardian felt relieved as she watched Ezekiel effortlessly leap through the Door with Cassandra in his arms. She grunted with the effort of hobbling through the kitchen, relieved when she saw Jenkins cross the threshold and steady her with an arm around her waist. Shooting the older man a grateful glance, she slung an arm around his shoulders and made her way through the Door.
Ezekiel used one arm to shove all of the books and artifacts off of the table, laying Cassandra on the surface with as much care as he could. Eve knew how dire their situation was when there was no protest from Jenkins. Instead, he quickly shuffled to his Librarians' side, half carrying Eve along with him. The curator grasped Cassandra's frozen wrists, feeling for a pulse, the corners of his eyelids crinkling as he took in the gashes and burns marring Cassandra's impossibly pale skin.
"We need blankets. Lots of them." Jenkins ordered, worry flooding his tone.
"On it." Ezekiel replied without hesitating, turning and practically running deeper into the library.
"Eve, what happened?" Jenkins asked, not looking up at the Guardian as he continued his physical examination of Cassandra.
"We-we got locked in a freezer. We tried to um, to supercool it to break out, but I kicked the wrong place and Cassandra said I sprained my ankle. She got shocked and-and blown up trying to get us out. Is she-" Eve couldn't bring herself to finish that statement, swallowing harshly.
"We need to get her warmed up as soon as we can." Jenkins responded, not unkindly. "Are you hurt? You're not shivering." He noted, looking up at his Guardian in concern.
"N-no... just my ankle. She-she saved me, Jenkins. Heating spell. And she- and she gave me her jacket..." Eve faltered for a moment.
"Heating spell!" Jenkins exclaimed, turning quickly to Eve. "Eve, I need you to strip down to expose as much skin as you can. Skin-to-skin contact is the best way-"
"To treat hypothermia victims." Eve finished breathlessly, quickly unzipping her jacket.
"Exactly." Jenkins agreed, bundling Cassandra into his arms and carrying her to the couch.
Eve followed quickly, dressed in only her combat shorts and sports bra, the pain in her ankle fading to a dull ache as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She sat on the couch, opening her arms to allow Jenkins to place the small Librarian in her lap. Eve gasped at how cold Cassandra was, immediately overcome with the urge to hug her close, but she instead began to undress the girl. Jenkins, ever the gentleman, respectfully averted his eyes until he heard Eve inhale sharply.
"Jenkins, look." She said softly, eyes suspiciously wet. "It must've been from the blast..."
The Guardian had undressed Cassandra down to her sports bra and undershorts, exposing her slim midsection that was now mottled with black and purple bruising. The Librarian's impossibly slow and shallow breaths shakily rattled in her small chest; she still hadn't stirred.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she had a few broken ribs. Did she hit her head?" Jenkins asked, but even Eve could tell he was shocked.
"I don't- I don't know..." Eve shook her head. "Probably. She was knocked unconscious from the blast, but that could've been combined with the hypothermia."
"First order of business is to warm her up. We'll treat her other injuries as they become known to us." The caretaker offered simply, attempting to give Eve a comforting smile.
The blonde managed a wan smile back, the glanced back down at the unconscious genius in her arms.
"I've got them! I- criminy..." Ezekiel trailed off upon seeing Cassandra's injuries. The Australian gaped at them, paling as he handed the enormous pile of blankets he was holding off to Jenkins.
Eve quickly wrapped her arms around Cassandra, pulling the Librarian upwards slightly so that her head rested in the crook of her Guardian's neck and so that her torso was cushioned on Eve's. Jenkins began unfurling the blankets one by one, tucking them around the two women. The blonde couldn't help but shiver; Cassandra was unimaginably cold. She rubbed up and down the ginger's frozen upper arms, trying her damnedest to infuse heat back into the normally warm and bright-spirited Librarian.
At last, Jenkins tucked the last blanket around the pair, worry still evident in his pinched expression. "That should be sufficient. Thank you, Mr. Jones."
"Is there- uh- is there anything else I can do?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.
"Yes actually. If Eve can care for Cassandra for the time being, you and I can go back to the mansion and stop the missile." Jenkins glanced over to the Guardian, who nodded fervently.
"Alright mate!" Ezekiel rubbed his hands together. "That's something I can do!" He grinned, but his smirk didn't hold its usual mirth.
"Alrighty then." Jenkins clapped lightly. "Eve, if you need ANYTHING, you know how to reach me. And please do; I- uh- we all care about Miss Cilian. The library wouldn't be the same without her spirit." Jenkins paused for a moment, then cleared his throat, avoiding the knowing fond looks he was receiving from Eve and Ezekiel. "Mr. Jones, we have a cult to stop."
"Right. Take care of the kid, 'ey Baird?" Ezekiel asked, genuinely concerned as he set the Door.
"I will. Go save the day, Ezekiel."
With that, the pair disappeared and Eve was left in the Annex with an unconscious Cassandra. The Guardian sighed heavily, focusing on the limp redhead in her arms. Her face, so pale and delicate, had never looked so innocent to Eve. The blonde felt a sob catch in the back of her throat, knowing that the young woman in her grasp had nearly died to save her. The former colonel leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Cassandra's icy forehead, a few tears falling now. At the light contact, Cassandra let out a small whimper, moving weakly in Eve's arms.
"Cassandra?" Eve wondered aloud, not expecting the girl in her arms to wake up for several hours at least.
The Librarian's eyelids fluttered open, unfocused pools of cerulean dancing listlessly through a half-lidded gaze. She tried to move again, but her body was too exhausted to do little more than a twitch. Her gaze finally settled on Eve, but the older woman wasn't even sure Cassandra was fully aware of her surroundings.
"Cassandra?" Eve asked, voice breaking. She lightly ran her hands up and down the ginger's upper arms to rouse her. "Cassie, are you with me?"
"E-E-Evie?" Cassandra croaked, recognition flashing somewhere in her glassy, dilated eyes.
"It's me, kid. You gave me quite the scare..." Eve admitted, knowing they weren't out of the woods yet. Cassandra still wasn't shivering - was still frozen to the touch.
"'re you o'kay?" The Librarian asked softly, fighting to keep her eyes open.
"Thanks to you." Her Guardian admitted, curling protectively around Cassandra's weak form.
"W-why's it so c-cold?" Cassandra stuttered, her brow furrowing slightly as she struggled to think.
"Oh, sweetie..." Eve sighed pityingly, struggling to release one of her arms from its blanket confines. She initially wasn't sure whether to try to keep Cassandra awake or to lull her back into unconsciousness, so she could get the rest her body was crying out for, but seeing poor Cassandra's pain and confusion, she knew what to do. "It'll all be okay. You saved us, you know?" Eve finally freed an arm and began to gently run her fingers through Cassandra's tousled, yet still soft, tresses.
"I-I did?" The Librarian wondered, eyelids already drooping.
"Yes you did, kiddo. Just like you always do. I just wish it wasn't at the expense of yourself, honey." Eve felt a lump rising in her throat so she swallowed harshly. She glanced down to see that the evidence of pain had left her charge's face. The genius was drifting back into unconsciousness. "I don't understand, Cassie. Why would you do that for me? I'm your Guardian... it's not your job to protect me? You hurt yourself to save me- you almost died! I don't know-" Eve broke off, tears threatening to fall again.
"E-Evie?" Cassandra's dazed eyes, cracked open, looked up at her Guardian. "I-I'd alw-ways save y-you... t's not y-your faul'" The Librarian slurred softly, already drifting into unconsciousness.
Eve shook slightly with repressed sobs, instead trying to comfort the selfless Librarian with an affectionate smile. "Shhh... it's okay Cassandra. You just rest now, okay? You saved us... close your eyes and get the rest your body needs, sweetie. I'll be there right when you wake up... shhhhhh..." Eve's whispered comforts were accompanied by her tender hand stroking Cassandra's fiery waves. Even after the young Librarian had fallen back into unconsciousness, Eve didn't stop her ministrations. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"And ONCE AGAIN... Ezekiel Jones saves the day!"
Eve opened her eyes slowly, wincing against the offending bright light of the Annex. She hadn't realized she'd drifted off to sleep; she couldn't have been out for too long though. The Guardian quickly looked down at the young optimist in her arms, noting that she was still impossibly pale, still not shivering. Eve shuddered slightly upon feeling how frigid Cassandra still was, unconsciously curling tighter around her selfless injured Librarian.
"Um, Mr. Jones, I do believe it was I, with my antidote, that truly saved the day." Jenkins voice echoed from somewhere behind Eve.
"Nuh-uh, mate. It was all me and my... charms." Ezekiel quipped back. Eve could imagine the sly smile on the young Australian's face, as well as Jenkins's disappointed sigh that followed.
"Colonel Baird!" Ezekiel's voice, now more concerned, called out to her. She heard his footsteps fast approaching. "Eve- are you- is Cassandra-" The thief tripped over his words.
The blonde turned slightly to smile at him. "Shhhh..." She pressed a finger to her lips, glancing pointedly down at the blissfully sleeping Cassandra.
The boy's lips rounded into a surprised "O" quickly followed by a locking motion as Ezekiel slammed his lips shut and held up his hands in feigned surrender.
The Guardian chuckled warmly, shaking her head slightly. "It's okay, Ezekiel. She's out for the count; I just want to make sure Cassandra gets the rest that she needs... she went through a lot today." Eve's breath hitched at the end of her quiet statement.
Ezekiel nodded fervently. "Is she gonna be okay?"
The Guardian paused slightly, honestly not knowing how to answer that question. "If anyone can pull through this, it's Cassandra." She finally decided, tenderly brushing the frazzled flyaways out of Cassandra's sleeping face.
The thief seemed satisfied with that, offering her a lopsided grin. "You're right, Baird. Cassandra's a fighter. But I don't think Stone will be-"
"What do you mean?! What happened?!"
Both the Librarian and the Guardian winced and looked upwards toward the upper level of the Annex. Jenkins must have told Stone what was going on. There was a muffled thudding sound, then rapid footsteps.
Ezekiel met his Guardian's eyes. "Here it comes." He said lamely, feigning a wince.
Eve rolled her eyes, but if she was being completely honest, she was that worried too. If she wasn't wrapped up in several layers of blankets, warming the girl who'd saved her life, she'd be busy hitting her punching bag, trying to work through her lingering guilt.
The blonde was startled out of her thoughts by the sudden appearance of Jake hurrying towards them, eyes frenzied with concern. "What the hell happened?! Where's Cassandra- mmf!"
Ezekiel quickly stepped up, covering Stone's mouth with his hand. "Calm down, mate! We're all worried about Cassandra, but she needs to rest. Look!" The Australian warily removed his hand, gesturing towards the redhead's unconscious form in Eve's embrace.
Jake sobered quickly, mumbling an apology and sinking to his knees beside the pair. "What happened?" He asked softly, a tremor in his voice. "Colonel Baird - Eve, are you okay?"
The blonde tried her best to muster a smile for the protective Librarian. "I'm fine, Jake, thanks to Cassandra." She glanced down at the sleeping girl in her arms, who still hadn't stirred. "It's sort of a long story..." She began awkwardly, looking back up at the pair.
The remaining Librarians sat down on the adjacent chairs. "Let's hear it." Ezekiel said, not unkindly.
The Guardian sighed and shifted slightly so that Cassandra was pillowed on her chest. "Cassandra and I followed Agatha to the kitchen to confront her about the missile. She feigned innocence, told us that Cindy was forcing her to make the spell, that she had no choice." Eve's voice grew colder. "We know better now. She offered to show us something in the freezer, that Cindy was hiding something, but when we stepped inside, she slammed the door shut behind us and locked it."
Ezekiel inhaled sharply. "Baird, that was over an hour before I found you."
Eve nodded. "Cassandra had the idea to try to break the door down. She messed with the control panel and was able to supercool the freezer so that the locking mechanism would shatter with less force. She successfully cooled us down... a lot... but I didn't kick the right spot on the door and messed up my ankle. She took care of me while I was down- gave me her jacket and cast a heating spell on me so that I would stay warm. She didn't have a thought for herself..." Eve trailed off, voice thick with tears. "She-uh-she got sorta loopy after that; I think hypothermia was starting to set in. We got desperate; she crosswired some stuff in the freezer to make a makeshift explosive device to blast the door down. It dented the door, but also sent Cassandra across the room. She was unconscious after that. I managed to crawl over to the door and kick it down and call for help. Then Ezekiel showed up and here we are." The blonde finished quickly, looking up at her Librarians.
Stone looked back at her, mouth open in shock. "How-uh-how bad off are you guys?" He stumbled over his words, obviously more concerned now.
"I'm alright; Cassandra said it was probably a bad sprain but nothing was broken. Our resident optimist, on the other hand..." Eve glanced down at the ginger worriedly. "She's definitely hypothermic; it'll take a while to warm her back up. She's got some nasty cuts and electrical burns from all of her crosswiring up both arms, and she's got a lot of bruising on her abdomen and back, maybe some broken ribs from the blast. Probably a concussion too... but I don't know if she was knocked unconscious from the blast or if her body just gave out from hypothermia or exhaustion." The Guardian felt even more guilty with each injury she listed.
"She'll be alright with some rest." Jenkins spoke up as he plodded down the stairs to the Annex. "As will the rest of you."
The boys looked up at the caretaker in indignation. "No- we're not leaving Cassandra!" Ezekiel stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms for emphasis.
"Yeah, Jenkins, I didn't even do anything on this mission but embarrass myself." Jake added, somewhat guiltily.
Jenkins sighed knowingly. "You're all very noble, but with Mr. Carsen gone, the two of you are all we have left. Colonel Baird is incapacitated at the moment and Cassandra will likely take several days to recover. Ezekiel should be tired after the mission and, Mr. Stone, falling victim to a powerful spell like that will leave you exhausted as well." He explained, but realized that both Librarians and their Guardian weren't budging. The former knight sighed deeply. "We all know that Cassandra would want you to rest. You can still stay at the library, but she would insist you take care of yourselves." He added pointedly.
"Jones. Stone." Eve began. "I promise I'll watch over Cassandra for as long as it takes. Jenkins is right; you both need rest AND Cassandra would ensure you take care of yourselves." She raised an eyebrow at the pair, practically begging them to disagree.
"Gah!" Jake threw up his hands in tired frustration. "I hate it when you're right." He admitted, glancing at Ezekiel.
"I guess I'm a little tired from saving all of you…" The young thief agreed, batting his eyelashes at Stone, who rolled his eyes.
Jenkins clapped. "Alright then; there are two cots set up down the hall upstairs for you. I took the liberty of preparing refreshments as well-"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" The Australian Librarian practically jumped to his feet, making a move towards the stairs, but then stopped and slowly padded over to the Guardian and the injured Librarian on the couch. He reached out, fondly mussing up Cassandra's fiery red hair. "Get some rest, kid." He said softly, lopsided grin slightly worried.
Jake had risen as well, padding softly behind Ezekiel to the pair. After the young thief left to go upstairs, Stone reached out to take his Guardian's hand. "Hey," he began, voice gruff but filled with understanding. "This ain't your fault, okay?"
Eve was caught off guard; she couldn't help the tears that began to well in her eyes. She shook her head, sort of at a loss for words.
"No, I-I mean it." The architect insisted, squeezing her hand slightly. "Cassie is strong, and brave, and selfless to a fault. I've lost count of the hits she's taken for me over the years… and we've only been here two." He cracked an affectionate smile, looking down at his beloved friend. "It used to bother me; I didn't want to need help. I shouldn't need saving. She shouldn't have to take bullets for me. But Cassie doesn't save us because of who we are… it's because of who she is and how much she loves us." He sighed, thumb tracing listless patterns on the back of her hand. "I know what you're thinking… and you did not FAIL as a Guardian… okay? You got the both of you out of there, you're saving Cassandra now… sometimes that's all we can do. And I know Cassandra would agree; you're the best damn Guardian we could ever have." Stone said the last line with finality, level gaze filled with conviction.
A few tears began tracking down Baird's cheeks, but she made no move to wipe them away. "Thank you, Jake." She managed to get out, a sob of relief rising in her throat.
Jake nodded, clearing his throat and letting go of his Guardian's hand with one last squeeze. His gaze shifted to Cassandra, eyes softening with concern and affection. "You'd better get well soon, Cassie. You still owe me a rematch in cribbage." His voice was thick with unshed tears. The cowboy bent down, gently kissing the unconscious ginger on the forehead, then turned back to Eve. "I'll see you in the morning, Eve." With that, he turned to make his way upstairs.
"Goodnight... Jake..." Eve softly called after him, as if talking too loud would disturb the moment.
After everyone had left, the Annex was a comfortable quiet. Eve glanced down at the small Librarian cuddled against her, eyes softening in worry and pity. Every once in a while, Cassandra would twitch slightly, as if her body was trying to shiver but she was too exhausted. Worriedly, the Guardian pulled her injured optimist closer, sighing deeply as she did her best to warm the impossibly freezing Librarian. The sleeping Cassandra let out a soft sigh of contentment, relaxing slightly in her protector's embrace. Eve could have sworn that the redhead's rattling breaths seemed slightly easier now.
The edge of Eve's overwhelming worry had been reassured and, though she was still concerned for her Librarian, the former colonel felt exhaustion hit her like a freight train. With a worried sigh, Eve turned slightly so that Cassandra fit nicely in the curve of her abdomen as she rolled over to get more comfortable. The ginger didn't stir as Eve curled protectively around her. With a silent prayer that they sleep easily, the Guardian finally let the flood of exhaustion claim her...