“What the hell were you thinking, Reb?” Bones growled, his voice a low rumble as he dragged me inside and slammed the door shut. “Going after them alone?”

“Look, it was a great plan,” I said, wincing as he pressed a cloth to my arm. “Until they turned out to be, you know, actual professionals.”

“Yeah, well, next time you get a great plan like that, how about you actually run it by me first?” His glare could’ve split stone.

“Careful,” I said, smirking despite the sting. “You’re gonna make me think you actually care.”

He didn’t answer right away, just grumbled under his breath and carefully lifted me onto the rickety table like I was made of glass. “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” he muttered. But the way his hands lingered on my arm told a different story.

Bones went to the sink, grabbed a bowl, and filled it with water. I watched him from the corner of my eye, trying not to let the weakness show. The guy could read people like a book, but I didn’t need him reading me right now.

The cloth came back, damp and cold, pressing against my torn skin. I winced, hissing through clenched teeth.

“Bones,” I said, shooting him a look. “You keep touching me like this, I might think you’re sweet on me.”

He paused, the cloth hovering over my wound. For a second, his gaze lingered on mine, like he might actually say something real. My chest tightened. But then he grunted, breaking the moment and turning back to his work like it hadn’t happened.

Classic Bones.

When he finished, I eased myself off the table, stiff and aching, each step like dragging through wet cement. “Give me a minute...girl stuff,” I said, gesturing vaguely toward the corner.

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t push. “Fine,” he said gruffly, grabbing his axe and heading out the door.

Once I was sure he was gone, I moved to my rucksack, pulling it toward me with shaking hands. I was running on fumes, and I knew it. My body screamed at me to stop, to sit, to sleep. But stopping wasn’t an option. Not yet.

I pulled out a capsule, its contents a gloopy, neon liquid. I popped the top and swallowed it down in one go. The taste hit me like motor oil mixed with regret, but the effect would kick in soon. Dangerous stuff—meant for emergencies only—but that was the thing about me: I never knew when to stop pushing.

Then came the spare suit. As I slipped into it, the fabric hugged my body like a second skin, every move precise, every crease fitting just right. I tightened the straps on my gear, feeling the familiar weight settle into place. When I turned, Bones was there, standing in the doorway, his gaze hard as steel.

“You’re out of your damn mind,” he said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. His voice was lower now, quieter, but it carried the same frustration. “You’ve already seen what these guys can do, and now you want to go after them?”

“Exactly,” I said, adjusting the strap on my katana sheath. “The last thing they’ll expect is for me to come knocking again, they think I'm dead, let's prove them wrong."

“Reb, you’re hurt,” he snapped, pointing at my arm like it was evidence in a trial. “You won’t make it five minutes out there.”

I met his gaze, defiant. “I’ll make it longer than you. So what’s it gonna be? You coming, or are you gonna sit here and sulk?”

The words hung in the air like a gauntlet thrown. Bones paced near the window, his rifle leaning against the wall, his fists clenching and unclenching. I could feel the tension rising, heavy and suffocating.

“You’re a damn fool, Reb” he said finally, his voice low and sharp.

“You’re wasting time, Bones.” I snapped, stepping forward despite the ache in my arm.

“You need to rest,” he said, maddeningly calm. “We need to be smart about this.”

“We need to deal with this,” I shot back. “We're sitting ducks, Bones. I’m not waiting for them to come back and trap us in this damn cabin. You might be ready to die but I'm sure as hell not”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his back to me, his shoulders rigid. That was it. The last straw.

“Is there anything left of the old you?” I hissed, my voice low and venomous. “The guy who fought like hell? Or is he just gone? Freaking coward.” The words slicing through the room like a blade.

He froze, his back still to me. Slowly, he turned, his eyes blazing with something I hadn’t seen in years. “More than you think,” he growled, his voice rough and unsteady.

The space between us disappeared in a heartbeat. Before I could process what was happening, his lips crashed into mine. The kiss was rough, full of heat and frustration and years of unspoken tension. There it was—that flicker of fire I thought had burned out for good. The Bones who didn’t just survive but fought like hell to live. For a second, I almost forgot the world outside. Almost. But it wasn’t real. Not yet. This was the fire I’d been trying to wake up in him, but it was too soon to trust it.

My fingers hovered near his chest for a second too long before I stepped back, shaking my head like I could clear the weight of it all. “We end this now,” I said collecting myself, my voice firm, my resolve sharper than ever. “Grab your rifle.”

Bones’ hand twitched, like he was about to reach for me again, but he stopped himself. The fire in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something I couldn’t name. He didn’t argue this time. Didn’t push back. He slung the rifle over his shoulder with a practiced ease, his jaw set like granite. Whatever doubts he’d carried before were gone for that moment, burned away in the fire of what came next.

This was it. This was the man I’d been trying to wake up. But I couldn’t help wondering… how long would it last? I'd learnt the hard way not to count on it lasting but for the first time in a long time, we were on the same page. Ready to fight. Ready to end this. Together.