Damien's POV
Damien stood by the vending machine, staring at the blinking numbers without really seeing them. He hadn't left the hospital since Elias had slipped back into a coma. The corridor light flickered overhead, shadows dancing in rhythms that felt mocking. He hadn't slept. Couldn't sleep.
Because now someone had tried to kill Elias again.
The footage was glitchy. The stranger had worn scrubs, a mask, a cap—but the way the person moved, deliberate and efficient, told him this wasn't just some random break-in.
It was targeted.
And somehow, it all looped back to Noah.
He sipped cold coffee and turned when footsteps echoed down the hallway. Mara Lynne. The newly transferred officer assigned to Elias's case.
Damien had watched her interrogate Cassian earlier. She was polished. Too polished. Her eyes missed nothing, but they gave nothing either. And when she had casually dropped Noah's name in the conversation, it had stopped Damien cold.
No one had mentioned Noah Vale to her. Not yet. Cassian didn't even know Noah had raised Elias.
Damien clenched the paper cup in his hand. Something about her was wrong. Very wrong.
---
Mara Lynne's POV
Her new badge gleamed in the window reflection. Mara sat at her desk in the precinct, fingers gliding across the keys, pulling up Elias Vale's hospital records. She had eyes everywhere—including a tech working overnight security who owed her more than a favor.
She pulled up the CCTV timestamp. There she was, in her stolen disguise. Blurry, yes, but she recognized the tilt of her head, the pace of her stride. Methodical. Controlled. But even so, a nurse had almost walked in too early. That detail annoyed her. Sloppy.
She hit delete. Just like that, the footage vanished.
A photograph sat folded in her drawer.
She opened it.
Two officers in training uniforms stood side by side. Her and Noah Vale. He was younger, all confident grin and stubborn eyes. There was no warmth in her gaze in the photo, even then.
She traced his face with a finger.
No one knew what Noah had done to her—the way he had risen in ranks, charmed their trainers, and gotten the life she deserved. No one had known she'd loved him once, hated him later. Not after what happened. Not after what he'd cost her.
She folded the photo and slid it back.
Her phone buzzed.
"Keep your head down," said a deep voice. Her handler.
"Damien Cross is sniffing around," she replied, her voice neutral.
"Then don't give him anything to smell. Remember why you're there."
She hung up and stood. The next time she saw Elias, she would make sure he didn't wake up again. But not yet. Not until she learned what Noah had hidden in that boy.
---
Cassian - Hospital Interlude
Cassian sat beside Elias's bed, the steady hum of machines surrounding him like a distant lullaby. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, eyes rimmed with exhaustion.
"You know," he whispered, voice hoarse, "I've treated hundreds of patients. But you're the only one who got under my skin like this."
He stared at Elias's hand. Pale. Motionless.
Until it twitched.
He shot up. Eyes wide.
"Did you just...?" He leaned in, watching, waiting.
Nothing.
His mind had to be playing tricks. Hallucinations from too many sleepless nights. He sagged back into the chair, rubbing his eyes.
But in his gut, something shifted. Elias was fighting.
---
**Back to Damien — Hospital Records Room**
Damien walked into the record room, pretending to be lost. Mara was there. Alone. Reviewing Elias's medical report.
He crossed his arms. "You're working late."
She didn't startle. Just turned calmly. "Someone has to."
He stepped closer. "Interesting you knew Noah's name."
Her smile was faint. "It was in the files."
"No, it wasn't."
She blinked once. "I must have overheard."
"From who? Cassian didn't know about him. No one told you. Not officially."
She set the folder down. "I have a good memory for names. Especially dead ones."
A cold shiver ran through Damien's spine.
He watched her. Carefully.
She didn't blink.
Didn't breathe too quickly.
Didn't show one crack.
But she knew more than she was letting on. And Damien Cross had lived too long chasing ghosts not to recognize when a new one was being born.
He leaned in slightly, voice low.
"If you're hiding something, I will find out."
She smiled again. Not with her eyes. "Of course you will."
---
Later that night, Damien sat in his apartment, flipping through one of Noah's old letters. The writing was hurried, scrawled in panic.
"...You should meet Elias. He looks a lot like me. When you find him, protect him. Show me you still love me, even after death. They're too powerful, Damien. I won't survive this. And if you try to go after them, you won't either. Just protect him..."
The letter slipped from his hands as his phone rang.
It was the hospital.