Chapter 1 - Eve & Flynn - Set between The Sword in the Stone & The Apple of Discord

Summary: Eve shares some thoughts on Flynn as he pays an unexpected visit to the Annex.

Eve trained her gun on the backdoor of the annex, her grip unwavering as light seeped in and blinded the room.

"Eve?" A ragged, tired voice filtered through the commotion. Its inflection was a mix of Please Don't Shoot Me and I Really Hope It's You Behind That Pistol.

She lowered her weapon. "It's 3AM, Librarian." She tried to replace the excitement welling up in her with her casual brand of passive-aggressiveness, but her happiness was hard to displace.

"Do you normally walk around here, gun-in-hand at 3AM Colonel Baird?"

"Actually no, just reading up on incidents of biblical plagues. We, uh, had an incident." She wiped her eyes as the light adjusted in the annex. "I haven't seen you in w—"

Her breath hitched in her throat as she took him in, wincing for the figure stumbling in front of her. "Flynn what happened?"

His face was in various states of black and blue, not to mention the scrapes that speckled his head and hands. He held on to his ribs as he leaned slowly against the wall.

"Bad day at the office."

He pulled a translucent jewel from his pocket. "A piece of H.G. Well's Time Machine. I ran through the footage of the Serpent Brotherhood's attack on the Library. Saw this little guy get snatched up."

She cupped his chin in one hand, moving his head carefully to observe his injuries, ignoring the impossibly powerful artifact in front of her. "If Duloque's men didn't do the job for me, I would slap you so hard right now."

He scratched the back of his head. "Nice to see you too?"

"What were you thinking, facing off the Serpent Brotherhood alone?"

He waved her off and placed the jewel on a table. "It was only a few of Lamia's men." He paused when he realized Eve wasn't buying his excuse. "Okay, maybe more men than I thought. They tried to sell it through a Black Market without anyone finding out. Turns out they're a bit more brawn than brain."

"Ezekiel could have stolen it back, Stone and I can hold our own in a fight. Flynn –"

"I know, I know. In hindsight, not my brightest idea."

She placed her hand gently onto his back, her concern growing when he tensed up to her touch. Leading him to a chair, she kicked her Guardian instincts into high gear. "Let me assess the damage. I think Jenkins has a first kit around here somewhere."

As she spun to survey the room, Flynn grabbed on to her hand gently.

"I'm okay Eve, seriously." He squeezed a little tighter when he had her full attention. An apology, of sorts.

"Just say it," she sighed in defeat. She could tell he was hiding the extent of his pain, for her. She caught every wince in the corner of her eye when he thought she wasn't looking. Because she paid attention.

He stood up carefully and kissed her hand. "I can't stay."

Flynn offered her a meek smile and she realized that this tenderness was an uncommon sight. After all, their last encounter involved him half trying to give her the slip and half dying once they took a liking to each other. Eve appreciated his smile for the rarity that it was, even if it highlighted his injuries in the dark glow of the Annex.

"I know," she replied. "You don't sneak around at 3AM if you were planning to say hello."

"The jewel is safer in the Annex. They won't come looking for it here."

She nodded. "Instead they'll probably come looking for you."

Flynn moved closer to his Guardian to gently tuck a stray hair behind her ear. Another rare sight, she thought as she impulsively ran a hand through her unruly, non-regulation hair.

"I'll be fine." It's a statement of fact from him, more than a promise or a reassurance. "And who knows, that jewel might help us retrieve the Library."

She found a sense of urgency in his eyes, like he was already formulating his next plan – injuries be damned. She couldn't find it in her heart to be angry or annoyed, she'd been in his shoes. A mission more important than his own safety. But she never experienced such a mission in the wake of losing everything, and she'd be lying if his hastiness didn't worry her half to death.

She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, careful to avoid his bruises. A goodbye, for now. He offered her another smile and she hoped more than anything that it became something more than a rarity.

Come back alive, Librarian.