Mark HoffmanHe was floating. Flying. He was in the air. The world was gray. And misty. He thought he heard a noise in the distance but it was gone before he could pause to listen. Everything hurt.He felt as though he was on a spinning top, being pulled apart at the limbs. Stretched like a rubber band as he rotated. And then the pain exploded, in his chest.It was hard to breathe.He heard a high pitched beep. Consistent.He heard crying. Angie?And a voice. Not Ange. He knew that voice."He's stable," a male voice came in, clear. "The anesthesia should wear out soon.""That's a relief. Is there any lasting damage?""No. Not after a few months of taking it easy. He needs to be placed on limited duty.""Don't worry, he will.""Promise me, Will, when he wakes up, you'll make sure he doesn't try to play hero." It was Angie. She sounded scared. Angry. Both."I promise, Ange."Will.He wanted to say her name but when he tried to move his mouth he felt as though his lips were taped shut.He tried to move. His arms were filled with lead.Everything was heavy.He opened his eyes."He's awake!"He saw his sister. His partner. His future brother. His coworkers."Mark," Will, her face bruised, tears streaming down her cheeks, leaned against the bed and touched his hand."Thank God," Angie was also weeping, eyes red and swollen. There was a heated fury in how her lips trembled, as if he had done something wrong. Peter held her with a relieved smile."Fuck," he growled, figuring out how to use his mouth. "I feel like I've been pushed through a cheese grater."Will laughed and swiftly broke down into another string of tears. She wiped her face furiously. "You saved my life.""Couldn't let you marry that prick."His sister had a slight waver of confusion before she shook it away. "You both are going to be the death of me.""We got 'em, Ange. He's not going to bother us anymore."Ange inhaled sharply, letting out a low chuckle. "You did it. I knew it." She sat on the edge of the hospital bed, sniffling. "I hate hospitals.""I know, Ange." He took a slow breath, the action making his tight chest burn. "You can go home.""I'm not leaving you.""How long have you all been here?""Your surgery took six hours."The doctor cleared his throat. "You're lucky you survived. Very lucky. Two bullets went through soft tissue. One had penetrated your liver. The other, a portion of your small bowel. You'll be off your feet for at least a week. Then, the next few months you'll need to take it easy. And I would wait three weeks before consuming alcohol." The doctor stared down at him, as if he knew of Hoffman's drinking habits, before turning to the other cops. "I know you guys like to be all macho, but make sure he stays out of the action. He'll be catching bullets in no time so long as he rests when he needs to."Angelina made a shocked noise while Matthews chuckled.Hoffman let everyone talk. He leaned back into his pillows, watching them.Matthews went on the phone, casting a glance in his direction every so often as he paced on the other side of the room. His hand was on his hip and he was biting his lip. He did that whenever he craved a cigarette.Peter and the girls were off to the side, listening to the final words of the doctor. Kerry was pulling at her necklace. Angie linked her arm around Peter's, resting her head against his shoulder. She looked tired. Worn.He winced from the throbbing in his chest. He blamed guilt. Ange shouldn't be worrying about him. She had her wedding to plan."Thank you, Doctor," Will, always in control, concluded the discussion."I assure you, he's out of the woods. It's late. You should all go home. Get some sleep.""We will," Peter forced a smile and looked down at his fiance, who shook her head."No. I'll stay.""No," Mark cleared his throat. "Ange, you must be exhausted. Go get some sleep. I'll be fine. Visit me in a few hours.""I'll stay with him," Will suggested. "I'll keep him company." Angie pursed her lip but when she locked eyes with Mark he gave her one of his looks. She blinked and nodded, understanding."All right."Matthews yawned. "Sounds like a plan. Hoffman, you're a tough bastard. See ya."The room cleared out, Angie quickly returning to his bedside to give him a gentle hug and a kiss on his temple. "Love you.""Love you, sis."The group left, leaving Will behind.He turned his head, smirking at her. "You owe me. Big."She let out a surprised scoff, hugging herself and nodding. "Yeah." Her voice was a tired whisper, throaty. "I sure do.""Come here." He held a hand out, wondering why she was so far away.She walked to him, her heels clicking sharply, drowning out the beeps of his heart rate monitor.Still dressed for Rosello, now looking as though she had escaped a zombie apocalypse, she still looked so damn beautiful.She stood next to him, her thigh just out of reach. Her cheek was still swollen. "How's your face?"She looked away. "Intact. You sure can throw a mean punch.""Hey." He looked up at her, wanting to touch her. "Come closer."She smiled nervously. "What are you planning?""Come here and see."She did.He took her hand and squeezed it, surprised to feel it cold. "It's over.""Yeah. It is." Her eyes were shining and she cleared her throat. "You're free.""Thanks to you."She raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who knocked Rosello down. Taking bullets for me.""I wouldn't have had the chance, if it weren't for you, putting yourself out there. Willing to let that bastard toy with you. I'm grateful. I want you to know that."She bit her lip. "So," she smiled. "We can go back to the way things were? Before?""I don't want that."She flinched, hurt. "I see." He shook his head, frustrated at being misunderstood."I want more.""What do you mean?""I want us to be together."She blinked. "Mark, I think you're pretty drugged up on painkillers right now. I don't think… you're not thinking clearly.""Maybe." He felt himself grin up at her. Maybe that's why the room feels fuzzy. "But I want you, Will."She looked surprised. Lost. Uncertain.He didn't want her to feel those things.But regardless, she sure looked pretty with her eyes so wide. Afraid.Was it fucked up to find her attractive when she looked so scared?Yeah, probably.He sunk back into his pillows, dizzy. "I think I need to sleep.""Good idea. I'm going home to take a shower and will be right back. We'll play some cards.""Bring some whiskey.""No."He chuckled, weakly, as he felt himself drift away.Will MaddoxThe flash of the camera gave her a headache. She hadn't slept much lately. It was Hoffman's first day out of the hospital, the same hospital she had practically lived in for the past week, trading off with Angelina in shifts. Not that she was complaining.The cameras were only flashing because of good things this time.So she smiled as an applause thundered in her ears.The uniform's collar was tight and felt as though she was being choked. She cleared her throat and kept showing teeth as the reporters looked on with approving faces. It was a rare experience. Normally, when the media was around, it was a witch hunt for the scape goat to blame for some fuck up that MPD had failed to sweep under the rug.They stood behind Grissom, who was leaning against the center podium of the press conference room and speaking into the mic."I am proud of the men and women who came together to take down one of the most evil organized crime leaders of our time. And it is with pride that I promote Officers Mark Hoffman and Wilhelmina Maddox to the rank of Detective Sergeant."Another flash and a roar of applause.In the crowd, Will recognized Angie and Peter, both grinning widely and waving up at them. She watched Hoffman in the corner of her eye, who also was grinning widely.A pang of worry struck her. She wondered if he was tired from standing for too long.Grissom and the city commissioner presented their placards, showcasing their titles with golden starred badges glistening in the fluorescent lights.Hoffman and Maddox took their prizes, shaking hands with their supervisors for a job well done. Maddox let out a sigh of relief when the ceremony had concluded."Mark! Will!" Angelina approached them, dressed in a pink paisley dress, beaming like a sunrise. Mark approached her, all jolly and joyous, holding out his award to her. She looked at it briefly before holding her arms out to pull him into a deep embrace."I'm so proud of you," she kissed his cheek before turning to Will to hug her as well.Will had never seen Mark so expressively happy before. Never, in the years she had known him. She knew he had all but given up on any hopes of ranking up until this case.Despite the odds, he overcame such a terrible obstacle. Pride swelled in her chest, knowing he would go forth from that day and never tarnish his hands again. He had changed since she met him. He was more in control. More careful.He had learned his lesson with letting a mad man take control over his life.Even if something else came up, she was confident that, together, they would beat whatever came their way.She would help keep him on the straight and narrow. He would watch her back.She would keep her partner out of trouble. This, she silently swore to herself."Congrats, Will," Sing walked up and shook her hand. "How does it feel, Sarge?""About the same," she shrugged. "It just hasn't sunk in yet.""Oh, once everyone comes at you for your signature, it will." Sing laughed at his own joke, waving in the distance. Tapp and Gibson were still seated in the audience, speaking amongst each other. Tapp gave a nod and a smile to Will. Gibson was glaring in Hoffman's direction, a sullen look shown."About time," Vernon Knox wheeled up to them, looking surprisingly clean shaven and showered, smirking up at Mark and Angelina. "Proud of you."Will decided to let the old partners have their moment and she left the room. Her thoughts were on her father and a tremor in her chest made her wonder if she should have invited Bram. But the guilt of knowing that Bram was currently back in San Diego, caring for their father, shoved that thought into a box far in the back of her mind.She decided to explore her new workspace to keep her mind off of her personal life.She walked through the rookie pit, climbing the stairs and going down the corridor where small but private offices were nestled along narrow walls. She stopped when she reached an office. Grissom had immediately reassigned her and Hoffman to this new room.The door still required their nameplates as an identifier. The frosted glass hid its interior.She opened the door and walked in, noting the two small desks and sparse decor.It would be strange, sharing this room with him. It felt intimate. Private. A piece of this building that was all theirs and theirs alone.She decided to grab the desk closest to the door. She figured Hoffman wouldn't want to be the very first person seen when someone entered. She smirked at this, tossing her hat onto the tabletop and taking a seat behind her new desk.The door opened and Hoffman came in, raising an eyebrow before closing the door. "So these are the new digs?""Yep." She spun on her swivel chair, grinning. "Congratulations, Mark.""Congratulations."They stood in silence, looking at each other, as though frozen in a trance.A knock on the door made them both turn."Hey, congrats, ladies," Matthews strode in with a cigarette dangling from his mouth."I've got to say, I'm going to miss seeing you guys every morning. Don't forget to come down and visit us lowly folk every so often."Allison Kerry came in, a thumb in her belt. "By the way," she lowered her voice and whispered to Will, "Just a fair warning. Gibson was running his mouth again. I heard he's switched to IA and he's out for blood. Hoffman's, to be specific."Will nodded. "Thanks." She had a bad feeling about Gibson. She really needed to clear things up with him.