The temperature dropped as evening approached, so the last few patches of sunshine felt like heaven. Blake ducked into each one she could find, her skin rejoicing in the lingering warmth after spending so much time in an overly air-conditioned hospital room. She didn't have any problem spending the rest of her life there if necessary, but she was grateful that Yang had finally been cleared to go home.
Life hadn't returned to normal. Something had changed, not only in her relationship with Yang but also in her view of the White Fang. She had always been proud of what she accomplished with the White Fang, not only as an individual but also as a leader. Now, she worried that she had created a monster.
But she had ignored Adam's terse demands for updates for too long. She had to show her face and, in the absence of a plan, had to continue on as if nothing had changed. She was still Shroud. She was still a master of strategy and the only one capable of picking a lock - though Ilia might be able to soon. So she told Yang that she needed to check in with work after spending a week away and made her way to Cash Flow Consultants.
Her anxiousness to return to Yang increased with each step, but she only had to make an appearance. Just a few minutes at the 'office' and then she could make sure that Yang took it 'easy' as ordered by the doctor.
The door leading into the building felt heavier though, as if the aluminum frame had been replaced with lead. The reception desk sat unoccupied - a small blessing considering she needed a moment to collect herself before entering the room beyond. Her gaze instantly swept the break room, searching for Yuma while her pulse rose in tandem. Fortunately for him, he was nowhere to be found.
Ilia waved but only halfway rose from the sofa before glancing at Adam. Adam was already striding across the room, already frowning and already souring Blake's mood.
"Where have you been?"
"You know exactly where I've been." Forgetting why she even bothered showing up, she brushed past him and went to 'her' area. Someone had moved her tools and her laptop while she was away, so she put everything back how she liked it while Adam towered over her shoulder.
"You didn't need to be gone that long."
"I needed to stay as long as she was in the hospital, didn't I?" Blake smacked a notebook against the counter a little too hard before crossing her arms and scowling at him. "It's not like you needed me here anyway. So what's the problem?"
The problem was that he hated not being in control, but he wouldn't admit that. He frowned instead, gauging her mood, before dismissing her attitude with a shake of his head.
"Well, while you were 'busy,' we were hired for a job."
"'Hired?' We aren't for hire -"
"We are now."
"But that goes against everything we stand for."
"We'll still be taking from the rich - and the money's worth it." When she frowned, he only looked more annoyed. "Don't worry, I'll handle it. Just focus on Cinder's job - where are you on getting into the detective's computer?"
"You mean the detective Yuma almost killed? The one who's been in the hospital for the past week and not exactly logging into work?"
"She survived, didn't she."
Blake's fingers curled into fists. She might have forgiven him if he apologized and swore that it wouldn't happen again or kicked out Yuma for resorting to violence. She should have known better than to expect anything of the sort, yet his callousness towards others continued to shock her.
"You don't understand," she explained slowly. "Yuma crossed a huge line. Now, the police will respond with force to everything we do. They'll start sending the SWAT team after us."
"You worry too much. Nothing will change." Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Besides…" he added. "Hasn't it given you the chance to spend plenty of quality time with her? Time you've used to get closer to her, I'm sure."
"You told me to get close to her."
"And now we're putting your work to the test." When her brow furrowed, he smirked. "We need access to her computer. Can you do it or is it time to pull the plug on this failed endeavor?"
Blake clenched her jaw shut to prevent her first response from slipping out, but he had her trapped. If she said that she couldn't do it, or wouldn't do it, he would call her a failure and order her to cut off all ties with Yang. It wouldn't be 'worth it' anymore. And if he told her not to see Yang anymore but she did anyway…she could be seen as a liability.
"I can," she got out through clenched teeth. "What do you need me to find?"
"You just need to get us access. Cinder will deal with the rest."
"You want me to break Cinder into her apartment?"
"Don't worry. I'll come with you two."
"Why don't you just tell me what you're looking for?"
"Because we won't know until we see what she has." Adam narrowed his eyes. "Is that a problem?"
There was a huge problem in that Blake abhorred the idea of Cinder or Adam setting foot in Yang's apartment - or being anywhere near Yang, much less using her computer.
"You don't trust me," Blake said when she realized what was actually going on.
"I think you're a little too close to the situation."
That was the same thing as not trusting her, but Blake kept her mouth shut and considered her options. She had already put Yang in harm's way, so trying to back out now might only worsen the situation. She needed to prove to Adam that she was still loyal to the White Fang above anything else. That would hopefully buy her enough time to find a way to keep Yang safe.
"Give me a couple days to work out the logistics and make sure she's out of the apartment," she grumbled. "Wouldn't want anyone to shoot her again."
"Yes…wouldn't want that, would we?"
Her fingers balled into tight fists, but she kept them firmly at her sides.
"Is that all?" she asked shortly.
"Not quite." She had already turned away, so she sighed and turned back to him. "Can you open the Vanguard yet?"
"No. Why?"
"Because that's our next job. We need to know when you'll be ready."
"You're kidding me, right? Where is it, even? How are we getting in and out?"
"Cinder's handling the details. You worry about opening it in the time we get you."
"Oh, Cinder's handling it?" Blake had much more to say than that but, when Adam's expression remained impassive, said, "Fine. Whatever," and walked away. She would worry about everything he just said later. Right now, the less time she spent with him the better. The less time she spent here, in general, the better.
"Oh - Blake! Wait up!"
Blake paused, one hand on the door leading to freedom, as Ilia rushed over.
"What's up?" she asked once Ilia reached her.
"Um, I just wanted to see how you're doing. You know, with…everything."
"You mean with Yuma shooting my not-girlfriend and Adam handing over my responsibilities to Cinder?" Blake shot Adam a glare while Ilia twisted her hands in front of her.
"Too bad she didn't die, right?"
The nonchalant remark hit Blake like a sledgehammer. After staring at Ilia for several seconds, hoping the comment would be recanted, she shook her head and asked, "Why would you ever think that?"
"Well - because? Then she wouldn't be trying to arrest us, and you wouldn't have to fake date her anymore."
"Ilia…the police believe they're doing the right thing just as much as we do."
"Right. It's just…the way Adam talked about it, we'd be way better off if she'd died…"
"A difference in opinion doesn't mean someone deserves to die," Blake replied, sending another glare Adam's way.
"Right. Sorry." Ilia ducked Blake's incredulous gaze and tapped her index fingers together in front of her. "Um, how's she doing then?"
"She's tough…recovering fast." Blake studied Ilia for another second before adding, "She did almost die though, and then what would we have done? A dead cop only hurts our mission."
"It kind of feels like the mission's changed."
Blake frowned at the remark but shook her head and tried to focus on who she was supposed to be: Shroud, leader and mentor.
"How are you though? Still at the bank for now?"
"Yeah…" Ilia looked at the floor and held the crook of her arm with one hand. "They fired Brandon, so I feel kind of bad. He was nice."
'Collateral damage' Adam would say. An unfortunate casualty in their march toward a greater good. Equality had to be fought for, after all. Innocent people would get caught in the fray. They could care, but it shouldn't stop them from doing it again.
Blake couldn't say any of that to Ilia. Guilt gnawed at her conscience instead, and she bit her lip before saying, "That's too bad…I'm sure he'll find another job though. Plenty of banks need help right now."
"Because of us?"
"No, not - that's just…how the economy is right now."
"Oh." Ilia looked disheartened for half a heartbeat before brightening. "Did I do a good job though? Everyone said I did a good job, but I just wanted to make sure that, you know, I did everything exactly how you planned it."
Blake stared at her for a second before jolting with realization.
"Right. At the bank. You did great, Ilia. You got everything we needed."
"Adam gave me a big cut, too," Ilia added, beaming now. "Maybe one day I'll make enough to live in one of those new apartments over the river. Those are so nice…and way better than where I live now." Her eyes briefly unfocused as she imagined her dream home, then she smiled at Blake. "Hopefully, I can play a bigger role from now on."
"If that's what you really want, but it's not always everything it's cracked up to be."
Ilia frowned, but Blake's phone interrupted before Blake said too much. After checking the message from Yang - a simple text saying that the door would be unlocked - she motioned to the exit.
"I should go," she said while backing away. "I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, see you."
Blake flashed a smile before rushing outside. She sighed once she reached the sidewalk, her steps lightening as she put distance between herself and the hideout. Frustration gnawed at the edge of her mind, but she didn't have the mental fortitude to worry about Adam, Cinder, and Yang. Yang's recovery mattered most right now, so she once again found herself returning to Yang's apartment.
Yang's neighborhood had become familiar - comfortable, even - over time. Many walks had been taken in the nearby park. Meals had been shared at the plethora of small restaurants. Last-minute runs to the store had been made to pick up missing ingredients for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. When one of the stall vendors smiled at her as she passed, she realized that this had become, in some small way, her neighborhood, too.
That unusual feeling was only cemented when she reached Yang's door and opened it without ringing the bell. Like coming home after a rough day at work, her stress lifted as soon as she smelled the mouth-watering aroma and disappeared when she found Yang stirring a pot in the kitchen.
"Should you really leave the door open?" Blake asked, carefully locking it behind her while Yang turned away from the stove, one arm in a sling while the other held a ladle.
"Why not?"
"Because you work for the police. Who knows who might be looking for you."
"You mean the bad guys I've put away?"
"Or the ones you're trying to put away."
Yang chuckled at the thought, dismissing the danger as Blake joined her in the kitchen. She kissed Blake's cheek before holding up a ladle covered in pasta sauce waiting to be tasted. Blake obliged and groaned as soon as the creamy, cheesy flavor reached her taste buds.
"Yeah?" Yang's eyes sparkled as she dropped the ladle into the pot. "That good?"
"So good."
"I'm starting to think you're only with me for my cooking."
"That's only half the reason," Blake teased. She smiled at Yang's laughter and leaned against the counter, letting her gaze wander up and down Yang's form. "The other half is how good you look in uniform," she added. "And that you can take a punch. And I'm pretty sure your smile will be nominated for an award any day now."
"Which smile - this smile?"
Yang grinned and pointed to her mouth.
"Yes, that one." Blake erased the grin with a kiss that she melted into when Yang's lips melded perfectly with hers. She pressed closer, searching out the familiar warmth of Yang's body, and let every fear or worry about the future momentarily flit away. But the moment ended when she pressed too close and a small, pained noise escaped Yang's lips.
"Shit, I'm sorry -"
"It's ok! I'm fine, really." Yang grabbed Blake's hand before she backed away. "It just felt like the bandage caught one of the stitches, is all."
"Oh, is that all?" Blake replied dryly before shaking her head and letting a small smile show. "Well, there go our evening plans. I'm putting you in a bubble."
"I'm fine!"
"Uh huh…" Blake playfully rolled her eyes before pecking Yang on the cheek. "Do you need help?" She pointed at the stove, but Yang shook her head.
"I'm pretty good doing things one-handed." Yang winked, making Blake scoff, before adding, "But I'm good, thank you. I'll have a gourmet meal ready for you in no time."
"Not even getting shot keeps you from cooking."
"Feeding you is my passion. And I mean that in every possible way." Yang surprised Blake with a kiss this time, stealing her breath away before returning to the pasta sauce on the stove. "I might go broke buying all this seafood though," Yang joked while preparing shrimp for the pan.
"Why don't you let me pay?"
"Because then it's not a treat."
"Right, but…it just seems like the longer we're together, the more it'd make sense for us to…share things."
It hadn't seemed like a big deal until Blake said it out loud. Now, Yang stared at her, studying everything from her tone to her expression to her posture, until a timer suddenly went off. She sprang into action at the loud beeping, silencing the alarm before checking the pot, turning off the stove, and wiping her hand on a towel before returning to Blake.
"How do you make sharing sound so sexy?" When Blake laughed, Yang wrapped her good arm around Blake's waist and tugged their hips together. "I guess that'd be okay…it'll be a little weird though. I've never really…done something like that with anyone."
"Me neither," Blake admitted. "But it's something I'd like to do with you."
She shouldn't mean it so wholeheartedly. She also shouldn't savor Yang's responding smile as much as she did, or the way her heart fluttered when she thought about where this next step led them. She only needed to look at Yang's shoulder for a reminder of why she should keep her distance; she kissed Yang instead.
"That sounded really dirty," Yang teased after pulling away, her eyes sparkling. "Now, how about we enjoy the last totally free meal you'll ever get?"
"I'd love to."
The two of them beamed at each other before separating to collect dishes and silverware. Blake caught the glances sent her way though, and snuck more than her fair share in return. It seemed a little silly getting so flustered over the opportunity to pay for dinner, but it also seemed significant enough to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than by enjoying another one of Yang's incredible meals?
"I swear you only get better at this," Blake remarked after her first bite. Shrimp and pasta wasn't her typical order, yet the way Yang made it might be her new favorite. Of course, anything Yang cooked made it onto her list of top meals. Maybe Yang was just that good, but maybe Blake also appreciated the time, attention, and love that went into every dish.
After a brief, comfortable silence passed, Yang suddenly set her fork down.
"Oh! Guess what I got today?"
Before Blake asked, Yang grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk and handed it over, grinning from ear to ear. Blake skimmed the first few sentences before her brow furrowed and she read more carefully from the beginning. She understood the words, but the reality of the letter didn't sink in until she reached the signature at the bottom. Only then did she lower the page and stare at Yang.
"You're going back to work?"
"Yup! Convinced the doc to give me an injury designation. Which means I just can't do anything requiring running, jumping, or carrying a weapon. Since, you know."
Yang motioned to the sling around her arm, but Blake gaped at the letter as if it might burst into flames.
"So…you'll basically be doing your regular job…but without being able to protect yourself?"
"Pretty much."
Yang chuckled and kept eating, but Blake frowned.
"Should you really be going back so soon?" she asked, her heart firmly protesting the idea. "Your stitches haven't even come out yet, and you have months of rehab before your arm will be back to normal."
"But I'm already falling behind, Blake. I can feel it. The longer I sit here, the more preparation they get for their next job."
Yang didn't need to say who 'they' were. Blake hated that Yang was right, but she hated even more that her actions were forcing Yang back to work so soon. Yang needed rest and recovery, not the never-ending stress of chasing the White Fang.
"Hey." Yang reached across the table and set her hand over Blake's. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Desk work only for now."
Yang's smile was supposed to be reassuring, but Blake sighed and flipped her palm over to weave their fingers together.
"I just…wish we could stay like this forever," she admitted. "Let the world do what it wants."
"That'd be nice, wouldn't it?"
But it would never happen. Not only was Yang too duty-prone to sit idly by, but Blake also couldn't handle the lack of purpose for long. Eventually though, she collected herself enough to pull away and force a flimsy smile.
"And the desk is about to get interesting," Yang added, beaming like the sun. "Because we just scored a huge break."
"How huge?"
"Let me show you." Yang took the letter back to her desk and returned with a printed photograph of an evidence bag. As soon as Blake recognized the bag's contents, her heart stopped.
"What -?"
"What is it?" Yang concluded for her. "It's a decoder pick. Evidence found it at Vale Credit Union. They must've left it behind."
Blake couldn't remember packing her tools. She remembered the motion detector. She remembered wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. She remembered opening the safe. She remembered running out of the vault and being blinded by Yang's flashlight. Apparently, she had forgotten a very important piece of equipment somewhere within all of that.
"What will you do with it?" she asked.
"Find the manufacturer, get a list of everyone who's bought one, and ask them if they still have it."
"Shit…" Blake breathed out before numbly shaking her head. "That's…that's a huge mistake."
"It's only a mistake if I find who it belongs to." Yang glanced at the photograph before flicking it back onto the desk. "Which I plan on doing."
Blake quickly smiled before diverting her gaze to her plate, but she could hardly breathe let alone eat. Could Yang hear her heartbeat from across the table or was it only loud as thunder in her own ears? She swallowed and glanced at Yang, but Yang had returned to eating.
The pick came from a company in Vacuo that specialized in them. Blake had used an alias and a phony address to buy it, but could Yang trace any of that back to her? Had she used the same alias in other situations? Had she accidentally been caught on camera while picking up the package? Were her fingerprints or DNA or something else traceable on it?
Before Blake decided just how much trouble she might be in, Yang set her fork across an empty plate.
"I'll do the dishes." Blake jumped to her feet and reached for Yang's plate, but Yang had already picked it up. "You don't get to do all the cooking and cleaning," Blake protested.
"I'm sharing the cleaning. Besides, I'm hoping you'll set up the movie."
Yang nodded to the television, winked, and carried the dishes to the sink before Blake could launch a counter-argument. Lightly pouting, Blake glanced at the television and sofa that would occupy their evening before Yang's laptop drew her gaze.
She meant what she said about wanting to stay in this moment forever, but they weren't safe here. Until she found a way to remove Yang from Adam's crosshairs, Yang wouldn't be safe. And if Yang was going back to work already…
Blake needed to keep Yang out of Adam's way somehow. If only for long enough to figure out a better plan.
"Mind if I check something first?"
Blake pointed at the computer when Yang glanced over.
"Sure! Knock yourself out."
Blake smiled before sitting down in front of Yang's laptop. The screen unlocked when she moved the cursor, but she glanced into the kitchen, took a deep breath, and locked it.
"Oh, it's locked." When Blake motioned to the screen prompting for a password, Yang dried her hand on a towel and came over. Blake politely turned away when Yang typed in her password but snuck just enough of a look from the corner of her eye to catch every key.
"There you go."
Yang kissed Blake's cheek before returning to the kitchen, and Blake watched her walk away with a heavy heart.
Learning someone's password was one thing - Blake had done that plenty of times before. Understanding the significance behind a particular string of letters and numbers - or the name of a loved one and what might be their badge number - was another. After committing it to memory, she opened a browser and pretended to be interested in the screen. In actuality, she waited for Yang's back to be turned before finding the police department's log-in application. Keeping one eye on Yang, she opened it and, when it prompted her for a code, quickly closed it.
The code likely came from the small device on Yang's keychain. Since it probably updated every few minutes, she needed to physically acquire the fob, and she needed Yang not to notice it was missing or not have time to report it as missing. Considering how observant Yang could be - something as simple as the weight of her keychain feeling unbalanced in her pocket might draw her notice - planning for a distraction and a very short window of opportunity would be the best bet.
The beginning of a plan was stuffed into the back of Blake's mind when Yang turned off the kitchen light and walked over. Blake locked the computer, stood up, and turned into Yang like two puzzle pieces fitting back together.
"Done?" Yang asked, her gaze dashing to the laptop before reading Blake's eyes.
"Yeah, thank you. Just wanted to check a work thing." Blake waved away the lie and moved on. "Movie now?"
"Sure." When Blake turned away, however, Yang's fingers clutched her waist. "Actually…I have something for you first."
"You do?"
Blake's curiosity doubled when Yang blushed and looked down.
"Uh, yeah." Yang reached into her back pocket before revealing a shiny, sharp key. "It's, uh, to the door," she explained while Blake stared at it, heart thrumming in her ears. "I just thought…since you've been coming over a lot…it'd make things easier."
Yang offered the key, so Blake numbly accepted it.
"Sure you trust me with this?" she asked, feeling the key's weight and significance in her palm.
"Of course I do."
You shouldn't, Blake's conscience whispered while her fingers curled around the gift. She managed a smile and then closed her eyes when Yang kissed her cheek. "Besides," Yang murmured in her ear. "I'm hoping you'll come over more if you can just let yourself in."
"Maybe I'll never leave," she said as Yang pulled away.
"Even better."
Yang's bright, beautiful smile gave away so much more than two small words and a tiny scrap of metal. There were hopes, dreams, promises…everything Blake had ever read about…a fairytale waiting to come true, and the perfect person willing to make it happen.
Blake couldn't give Yang the response that she deserved, worried that words would all turn into lies. She drew Yang into a kiss instead, hoping to convey through her lips everything that she was too scared to say. Acceptance, apologies, and the growing wish that things were different. Longing, desire, and an inescapable feeling of making both the best decision and the biggest mistake of her life.
Rather than dwell on those intrusive thoughts, she deepened the kiss and led Yang to the bedroom. Despite Yang's injury, Blake felt the life coursing through Yang's veins - strength, power, and perfection warming Yang's skin. She smiled against Yang's lips and decided that tonight she would shower Yang with affection.
Yang deserved that and much more. Yang deserved the world - at the very least, she deserved far better than Blake. But Blake could still make her happy, if only in this way. Blake wanted to make Yang happy. Tonight, that meant being soft and gentle so as not to aggravate Yang's injury, but also giving Yang everything she wanted without teasing or delay.
For those heated, passionate moments, Blake forgot all about the White Fang. She forgot about her checkered past, her blotted future, and her unclear present. Everything was Yang, Yang, and more Yang.
Blake would have forgotten everything until the next morning if she hadn't woken up hours later with the faint streetlights softly illuminating the empty bed beside her. The crumpled sheets had wrapped around Yang not long before, but now she was nowhere to be found.
So Blake slipped out of bed, tugged on the oversized T-shirt that Yang had given her to sleep in, and went to the living room. Yang sat at the desk in the darkness, only the laptop screen serving as any type of light.
"Hey…" Blake gently wrapped her arms around Yang's neck from behind and nuzzled against her good shoulder. "What're you doing out here?"
"Couldn't sleep. Shoulder's aching."
"Did you take something?" Blake asked while cautiously skimming the articles on the screen. All of them were reporting on the Vale Credit Union robbery.
"Yeah. Just waiting for it to kick in." Yang leaned back into Blake's embrace and sighed. "And I know what you're thinking…how can I go back to work if I can't even sleep through the night."
The thought had crossed Blake's mind, so she sighed and brushed her nose against Yang's neck.
"We shouldn't have done so much before bed…"
"Please." Yang huffed and turned towards Blake, already smiling. "That's not why I'm up. I'm just worried that I…that I missed something."
"Want to talk about it?"
Yang bit her lip and glanced at the screen, so Blake grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the sofa. Freed of the news articles, Yang sank into the cushions while Blake sat cross-legged beside her. Blake then carefully removed Yang's prosthetic, set it aside, and massaged her arm while waiting for her to talk.
"It just…doesn't make sense sometimes," Yang eventually sighed. "Why claim to be the good guys when you aren't doing any good? Where's the good? Are they just saying that for goodwill? Because nothing I'm seeing matches up and…I don't know. I can't figure it out."
"What doesn't match up?"
"Like shooting cops." Blake winced at the reminder, but Yang frowned. "And leaving a trail of collateral damage everywhere they go. And the best part - even though they preach nonviolence, they just dropped a small fortune on an entire cache of guns."
Blake froze.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"We picked up some low-level street thug who knows a guy who knows a guy - said the White Fang went on a shopping spree. Bought up a bunch of guns and armor."
"That can't be true." Blake shook her head, but her heart was already sinking - she already believed it. "If it is -" she added. "Then someone's acting out of line or…something else is going on."
Cinder flashed into Blake's thoughts but disappeared when Yang scoffed.
"Something like this comes from the top. Wilt and Shroud - or maybe you're right. Maybe it's just one of them acting without the other." Yang pursed her lips while Blake gently massaged her arm, silently stewing. "My money's on Wilt," Yang concluded. "Mostly because he seems like an ass, but also because I don't think Shroud would agree to something like that. She…she seems to actually believe in their 'mission,' as dumb as that is."
"What makes you say that?" Blake asked, fearing that Yang could hear her racing heart or sense the nerves trembling through her fingers.
"Just a hunch. That night in the bank, I offered to help her. I told her this isn't the right way to do things. And she listened, Blake. Someone who's dead set in their ways doesn't listen. Someone who thinks they're always right…they're the ones who shoot you."
"So you think she's…good?"
"I wouldn't go that far." Blake's heart clenched while Yang pondered those feelings. "She's still breaking the law and she's causing harm - maybe not physically, but financially and mentally. Sure, the rich jackasses don't need the money, but it's still their money. And the longer this goes on, the more the public's confidence erodes. People are scared, Blake."
"Just because she's stolen some things doesn't make her a bad person though."
"Good people do bad things," Yang agreed. "But sometimes bad people do good things."
Blake opened her mouth but ultimately frowned, feeling more sullen than she had in quite some time. "So you'll assume she's a bad person until proven otherwise?" she eventually asked.
"No, I'll assume she intends to break the law until proven otherwise. But I'd love to sit down with her and have a chat about morality."
When Yang flashed a cheeky grin and nudged Blake's elbow, Blake relaxed. A small scoff even slipped through her lips.
"Like that would ever happen." Yang chuckled at the preposterous idea, but Blake mulled over it before glancing at Yang and adding, "What if she wanted to leave but couldn't?"
"Then she should call us so we can help."
"It's not that easy..."
"I know. Leaving a group like that is never easy, and when you've risen as high as she has…" Yang paused and shook her head. "It would take a lot of courage. She'd either have to disappear or hope that we can protect her." Disappearing or depending on police protection sounded like horrible options, but Yang kissed Blake's cheek and said, "But you don't have to worry about any of that."
When Yang leaned comfortably against Blake's side, Blake stared at her hands while her mind raced. Before the night at Vale Credit Union, she had never seriously considered abandoning the White Fang. Sometimes she imagined it, usually after a particularly aggravating episode with Adam or Cinder, but the White Fang was still her brainchild. Her life's work.
It didn't feel like it was hers anymore though. If anything, the White Fang was moving in a direction that she disagreed with yet had no power to stop.
"If she turned herself in…what would happen?"
"Like just walked into the precinct?" When Blake hesitantly nodded, Yang laughed and said, "Well, she'd be arrested."
"Is that it? Arrested, prison, game over?"
"That depends on what she wants." When Blake's brow furrowed, Yang said, "If she helps us take down Wilt and the rest of the White Fang, we'd probably cut her a deal."
"Is it standard to offer a deal like that?"
"Depends on a lot of things, but in her case…she's never hurt anyone that we know of, and she probably has enough info to collapse the entire organization. Prosecutors shouldn't have a hard time arguing that she's not a risk to society and get her a minimal sentence. Hell, I'd vouch for her if she turned on them."
"You would?"
Yang nodded then tilted her head and said, "You're really interested in this."
"Because it's fascinating," Blake replied on autopilot. "Plus, you seem to have a soft spot for her."
"Suppose I do." Yang gave Blake a teasing smile before pecking her on the lips. "Don't tell anyone though," she whispered in Blake's ear. "I think my girlfriend would get a little jealous."
Yang waggled her brow before breaking into laughter; Blake managed to smile but couldn't join in. Her heart sat like a stone in her chest, and her mind felt like it had been placed on a racetrack at a thousand miles an hour.
How was she supposed to make a decision when every path forward was layered with pitfalls or drawbacks? Fortunately, Yang didn't catch on to Blake's emotional turmoil. She slumped against Blake's side and yawned instead.
"Think you can sleep now?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, maybe."
"Let's try."
Regardless of the emotional turmoil, Yang still needed her rest, so Blake stood and set a hand on Yang's back to lead her to bed. Her prosthetic remained on the table to be collected in the morning - a small symbol of acceptance and trust that roiled through Blake's thoughts like thunder.
Adam was acting behind her back. He was using the White Fang's success to carry out his own agenda - an agenda that no longer matched hers. Why else would he buy weapons without informing her? Why else would their money be fed to causes he knew that she disagreed with?
The worst part was that she felt powerless to stop him. He couldn't be reasoned with. He wouldn't compromise.
She could stop him…with Yang's help. But, as she helped Yang under the covers and stole a kiss goodnight, she realized how fraught with betrayal and risk that path would be.
If she could do this without Yang's help, she had to. She had to find a way to leave the White Fang on her own - and on good terms. Adam needed to willingly let her go. Yang needed to give away the White Fang case. Shroud needed to disappear, and Blake Belladonna needed to actually live the life she claimed to.
Because what she wanted more than anything right now was Yang. This was the only way to stay together. She just needed a plan…but it was already shaping up to be more challenging than robbing any bank.