Kai didn't hesitate.

The trip to Dev's cabin took less than five minutes, but every second felt too long. He held Hillary tightly the entire way, arms wrapped securely around her limp frame. Her breathing was too shallow, her skin like ice against his.

At the door, he hesitated. One last chance to back out, he thought. Then Hillary shuddered weakly in his arms.The decision was made for him. He stepped inside.

Dev moved fast. The heater roared to life, chasing away the cold-stiffened air. He cleared the couch with swift efficiency, and Kai laid Hillary down, kneeling beside her immediately. His fingers worked at the bun she had tied her hair in—it had frozen stiff.

She was too pale. Too cold.Only the terrible shivering of her body, the chattering of her teeth, reassured him she was still fighting.

"I need to check her pulse," Dev announced quietly, his hands inches from her wrist.

Kai didn't stop him, but his gaze never left the man's hands as he continued assessing her. One wrong move, and he would beat the hell out of him before escaping with Hillary.

He glanced around. The cabin was small and clean, with an attached bedroom and a bathroom. The kitchen was attached to the hall. The front door was locked with a simple latch, just to keep the Hall warm. It wouldn't be a problem if he needed to escape.

He didn't see any weapons lying around, but that didn't mean too much, most people kept their ammunition away from direct reach. And given that there was a kitchen, knives were within reach anyway. That would do.

The only problem he did think he might face was the mastiff. It had curled up and settled in front of the heater as soon as they came in, and wasn't making much noise. Fighting off a human was easy. Things got a bit difficult when you were fighting with a canaine as huge as it was, especially when he didn't want to hurt it.

"Weak, but steady," Dev muttered, drawing him back to the present. "She needs more blankets. The heater'll help, but she needs direct warmth first."

Kai barely acknowledged him. The heat was beginning to seep into his own skin, but Hillary remained cold beneath his fingertips.

Too cold.

His jaw clenched.

Dev returned with another layer of blankets and tucked Hillary in with the kind of efficiency that told Kai this wasn't his first time handling something like this. But that didn't mean Kai trusted him.

Dev must have sensed it because he spoke as he worked, as if explaining himself would stop Kai from putting a knife to his throat the second something went wrong.

"I need to warm her up gradually," he said, slipping a heat pack beneath the layers. "Can't do it too fast or her body'll go into shock."

Kai sat stiffly beside the couch, arms resting on his knees, eyes locked on Hillary's face. The blankets seemed to help—her shivering had eased slightly—but her breathing was still too shallow for his liking. Then a faint wheeze escaped her. It was so faint that Kai had almost missed it until Dev frowned and leaned in, listening. His expression darkened. "Something's wrong with her breathing." He muttered.

Kai said nothing, his frown deepening. Dev then pressed two fingers lightly against her stomach, pausing. His brow furrowed. "Her stomach's tight." He glanced up. "What did you say happened to her?"

Kai met his gaze evenly. "I don't know." He admitted. Dev didn't look convinced.

"I found her in an alley," Kai continued, rubbing his hands to warm them up. "She was barely standing. She thought she'd been mugged—her cash was gone, her phone was smashed. Why? Is something wrong? Does she need to see a doctor?"

Dev's fingers lingered over Hillary's stomach again, his expression unreadable. "There's a bit of water in her lungs," he said finally. "And her stomach's slightly tight with water too. Like she's taken in too much water. Like she was forced to take in too much water."

Kai's grip on his knees tightened. "Are you saying she almost drowned?"

Dev considered it, then shook his head. "If she did, she wouldn't have made it this far without serious symptoms. Besides..." He gestured at Hillary's limp form. "She's a national swimmer, right? Someone like her wouldn't just... drown." The implications in his tone were obvious.

He thought someone had forced Hillary into the situation he'd found her in.

Kai didn't answer. It didn't make sense.

Then Dev's gaze flicked to Hillary's wrist. His head tilted slightly.

"She still has her watch," he noted. "If she was mugged, why would they leave that?" Dev tapped his fingers against his knee. "It's not cheap. Neither is the bracelet she's wearing."

Kai's eyes followed Dev's gesture—to the familiar golden bracelet still tied loosely around Hillary's wrist. Resilient. The only reason he had reached her in time.

But before either of them could dwell on the theories, Dev exhaled and pushed himself up. "We'll figure that out later," he decided. "Right now, I need to get her salts balanced. She's at risk of an electrolyte imbalance after consuming all that water." Kai didn't respond, his mind still running in circles.

Kai watched as Dev moved toward the small kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards. Eventually, Dev settled on salt mixed with water. He made Hillary swallow it slowly, careful not to let her choke.

"She's past the worst of it." Dev announced later, sitting back.

The cabin was quiet except for the low hum of the heater. Hillary's breath was getting more even now, but he couldn't help but worry.

Dev was sitting opposite him, scratching his dog behind the ear. He seemed to be thinking of something before shifting his focus on him.

"You're not gonna relax, are you?" he mused.

Kai didn't answer.

Dev sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Figured as much."

Silence settled between them again, heavy but not entirely uncomfortable.

He briefly wondered whether he should thank him for helping Hillary tonight, but settled against it. "You know Jason."

It wasn't a question.

Dev's expression remained neutral, but there was something guarded in the way he tilted his head slightly. "Maybe."

Kai narrowed his eyes.

A beat passed. Then, Dev exhaled through his nose, stretching out his legs. "Fine, I know Jason." He bit out with difficulty. "Though it was quite obvious with the line, I assume."

Kai waited for more. Nothing came.

"How?"

Dev smirked slightly, but there was no humor in it. "You ask a lot of questions."

"You give a lot of vague answers," He shot back.

Dev chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Fair enough." but didn't elaborate.

Kai didn't push further, but he didn't look away either. Dev knew Jason. That was important. That meant something. He just didn't know what yet.

After a while, Dev shifted, glancing at the couch where Hillary lay. "She's stable for now. You should get some rest."

Kai didn't budge.

Dev didn't seem surprised. He leaned back against the wall, studying him. "You still don't trust me."

Kai met his gaze evenly. "No."

Dev let out a tired sigh. "Good." He said, surprising him. He then stretched his arms before walking to the small bedroom. "Suit yourself." His eyes flicked to Hillary one last time at the door.

"She should be fine for now," he said, voice quieter than before. "But if anything changes, wake me up."

Kai didn't say anything. He was too busy figuring him out. Dev smirked slightly, like he knew what he was thinking. "Sitting there glaring at me isn't gonna help her." he called out, closing the door.

It was just him and Hillary in the Hall now. And the mastiff of course, sound asleep on the mat in front of the heater.

Kai didn't move.

The cabin was quiet again, save for the distant hum of ships by the arbor. But rest? Hell no.

He wasn't letting his guard down yet.

Not until she woke up.

*****

Hillary woke to warmth. A heavy, stifling warmth that pressed against her skin, thick and unfamiliar. The last thing she remembered was ice—biting, numbing, sinking into her bones. Now, her limbs felt sluggish, her head weighed down with exhaustion. Her chest hurt, and so did her abdomen. But the warmth made it up to them all.

She shifted slightly, and a sharp inhale beside her made her pause. A familiar presence.

Kai.

She forced her eyes open. The ceiling blurred in and out of focus, the glow of the heater casting long shadows across the walls. Everything felt distant, but she wasn't alone.

"Hill." Kai called out, his voice was quieter than usual, but there was tension coiled underneath. Kai was sitting stiffly beside the couch she was in, looking at her like he had been waiting for her to wake up for a long time.

She swallowed, her throat raw. "Kai..."

Her voice came out rough, barely above a whisper, but his shoulders still eased, just slightly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Kai hadn't moved from his spot. He was watching her carefully, too carefully.

She tried to push herself up, but her body protested—muscles aching, head swimming. Kai was there in an instant, steadying her before she could collapse back onto the cushions.

"Take it easy," he muttered, frown deepening. "You were barely breathing when I found you, for Hell's sake."

Hillary blinked sluggishly, trying to piece together what had happened. "Where are we?"

Kai pressed his lips into a line before responding. "A friend's place." Kai didn't elaborate. "What happened?" He asked her instead.

She tried to remember. Her last clear memory was heading to swim practice. Swimming. Practicing. Then... nothing.

Just waking up on the cold pavement, lungs burning, hands shaking as she reached for the epipen. After that, everything was a blur—just the overwhelming instinct to get home. Until Kai found her.

"I don't..." She exhaled, frustrated. "I don't remember."

Kai looked surprised at this. "Nothing?"

She shut her eyes briefly, trying to force something to the surface. But there was nothing past the alleyway—just a sickening emptiness where the past few hours should have been. "I remember going to practice. And then... waking up outside. My phone was broken, my money was gone. I thought I'd been mugged."

Kai didn't react immediately. She could feel his scrutiny, sharp and assessing, like he was searching for any cracks in her words.

"That's it?" he asked finally.

She nodded, gripping the blanket wrapped around her. "After I woke up in that alley, I gave myself an epipen shot, due to the ice allergy," She clarified, "and then I just... tried to get home. You found me shortly after that."

Something flickered in his eyes, but he didn't voice it out. Kai exhaled through his nose, sitting back. His fingers tapped once against his knee, restless.

Before she could say more, movement near the door caught her attention.

"Looks like you're awake, sweetheart." Despite not having heard it in months, Hillary recognised the voice immediately. It was easy, casual, and the way he called her sweetheart just kind of stuck in her head.

Hillary stiffened. She didn't know why, but for a moment, Hillary thought the guy in front of her was her father. Maybe it was the sharp angles of his face or the jet black disheveled hair that did the trick, she wasn't sure. But the calculating look in his eyes—that drew her back to the present. She knew him. Not his name in particular, but she'd met him before. Sold her necklace to him in the harbour months ago.

Kai noticed her look. "You know him." he observed, waiting for her to continue.

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I didn't know his name," she admitted. "But I've met him."

Kai's expression darkened. "When?"

Hillary's lips pressed together briefly. She hadn't thought of telling anyone of what she'd done that day. It felt too personal, too raw. And given the fact that she knew that the chances of her seeing her necklace again being next to nill, she didn't see what anyone could have done about it either. "After the talkshow," she said finally. "When Mom was admitted. And... when you were-" she just gestured at him before continuing, "You guys were shot of cash, and Mr Dickenson couldn't get the cash prize to you guys in time. Delaying your operation was out of the question, so I stepped in."

Kai went still.

Dev raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by the shift in the room. "I do hope that you'll paint me in a magnanimous light."

Hillary ignored him, focusing on Kai. "He offered to buy it, and I didn't even know it was that valuable. I—I needed money, okay?" Her voice was tight. "I—" She exhaled, steadying herself. "I did what any sane person would do. I sold my pendant."

Silence.

Kai's jaw locked. "You—"

"Now is not the time for this," she interrupted, cutting him off before the conversation could spiral. She was too exhausted for an argument.

Kai didn't look away, but he didn't push either. Hillary could feel his frustration simmering just beneath the surface, but he let it go. For now.

"You really don't like telling people when you're in trouble, huh, sweetheart?" Dev asked, rolling his eyes at her.

Hillary shot him an exasperated look. "Don't call me that."

Dev smirked, entirely unbothered. "I'd stop if it didn't annoy you so much."

Hillary had been unnerved by the nickname in the beginning too, but now she kind of realised he didn't really mean anything by it. But Kai didn't know that. His eyes narrowed visibly.

Dev must have sensed it because he turned to him next, grin widening slightly. "Relax, sunshine. You'll give yourself wrinkles."

Kai's glare sharpened instantly. "Don't call me that." Dev only chuckled, thoroughly entertained. "You two are too easy."

Kai was still scowling, but he refocused. "Dev thinks you didn't just get mugged."

That sobered up the atmosphere instantly, drawing them all back to how serious a situation they were in. She'd nearly frozen to death, Hillary reminded herself.

But the revelation still unnerved her "What?"

Dev folded his arms, smile lost now. "Your watch is still on your wrist. So is your bracelet. Someone wanting cash would've taken those too."

Hillary's breath caught slightly. She hadn't thought about that.

Kai's voice was tight. "And there was water in your lungs. And you seemed to have ingested too much water, leading to water intoxication."

She froze.

That made absolutely no sense. Hillary glanced at either of them, "That can't be possible. Those are the symptoms of drowning, isn't it? I'm a national level swimmer. I can't-"

Dev nodded. "We realised. It wasn't enough to be full-blown drowning, i agree, but more than what should've been there."

He moved to take a seat in front of them and continued. "And moreover, you don't have to actually drown for those things to happen. Suffocating a person using water will do the trick. They might drink too much water when forced to the limit, and a good deal of it could just trickle into the lungs at that time." He said, looking like he'd given it too much thought.

"And given the state you were in..." He tilted his head. "A simple mugging simply doesn't add it all up, sweetheart."

Hillary barely heard his last comment. Her mind was spinning.

It didn't make sense. None of it did.

"I..." She exhaled slowly. "I don't know." She could feel her heart pick up pace, her palms breaking out in cold sweat.

Dev was more or less implicating that whatever had happened to her had been intentional, not something random. But why? What could she have done? And how the hell did she not remember something this big?

Kai's gaze was steady, watching her carefully."We'll figure it out." he promised, taking hold of her hands.

Something about the certainty in his voice settled her frayed nerves. It was a relief to know she wasn't alone in this.

*****

Words: 2651

*****

A/N: There you go, the bonus chapter I promised! How you guys like it !!!! 

What do you think of the whole story since after swim practice? Was it too much? Did it make you feel things? Did I do the situation justice? What do you think happens from here? Do any of you remember something important to Hillary coming up soon? What is it? How do you think shell handle it? 

I wanna hear you guys talk about it soo much, please indulge me! I promise I'll get back to you as soon as possible in the comments! 

Votes and comments are really appreciated! 

PS: Voting and removing votes is seen, no need to do that. Voting multiple times isn't necessary either, but I really really appreciate that kind of love!