After having spent the better part of the last three hours tossing and turning, Sara gave up and get out of bed. She glanced across the hall at an empty bedroom where she assumed Flynn would be. Her stomach dropped. Did something happen to him? She didn't want to think about it.

She hustled downstairs, calling out for him, but got no answer. Now she was getting anxious. "Flynn? You here?"

Finally, she found him, right where he was when she retreated to the bedroom, sitting at the table with the side of his face on its surface, books and papers surrounding him. He was out cold, drooling on some pages of an otherwise empty notebook.

His body shivered — chilly, no doubt. Sara eyed a throw blanket and plucked it off the sofa, then draped it over Flynn. If she could move him to a more comfortable place, she would. Her muscles wouldn't allow it.

For a while, she watched him sleep, careful not to make a sound. It was the second time she had. She couldn't help it. Flynn was adorable. Though there was no doubt in Sara's mind that if he was in bed with her, his snoring and drooling would most likely piss her off. But thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Figuring he'd be more comfortable in bed, Sara found herself crouched down in front of her Librarian. It took some nudging from her to get Flynn up.

With a snort, his eyes peeled open. Through bleary vision, he saw her, barely. "Mmm... Hi."

Sara simply smiled in response, almost a reflex.

Flynn quickly retracted his eyes and glanced at the wall, trying to reorient his vision. "What time is it?"

"Three-fifty-one. How 'bout we get you to bed?"

He ran a hand through his mussed hair and stretched. Soon after, his neck and shoulder shrieked at him for lying like that for so long and decided a sharp cramp was a valid punishment.

"Oof, yeah. Bed it is," she said as she helped him out of the chair. "Poor old thing."

"Old?" Flynn echoed in affront.

"Figure of speech."

"Call me old," he muttered under his breath. "I'll show you old."

"All right," Sara drawled. "Not even awake a minute and already you're annoying."

Once they made it to Fynn's bedroom, he flopped down front first onto his bed. Now getting his second wind, he swiftly pushed himself up and sat cross-legged, staring at Sara. "I'm not even tired anymore. Maybe I should–" Before he could fully stand up, she shoved him back down. "Hey!"

"You need to rest. You and I have a lot of work to do today. I need to change clothes," Sara brandished her hands over her body, then glanced at herself in the mirror. "And my hair... and we need to figure out our plan."

"We have a plan," Flynn said. "Get back The Library."

Sara stood with her hands on her hips. "Yeah. How?" Flynn's lack of a response, other than his gaping mouth, told her that he had no clue. "Exactly. Go to sleep, Librarian."

After she left, Flynn shot a dirty look at her back. With a sigh, he crumbled down onto the mattress once more, his eyes fixed on the ceiling where they'd stay for the next seven hours.

Flynn's brain refused to recognise that it was time to rest and recuperate. All he could think about was how he left things with Baird. They parted ways with a kiss — a kiss that he now questioned the meaning of since meeting Sara — and there was a promise made: find the Library. Something he also doubted. It wouldn't be easy, finding something lost in another dimension, but he had to try.

By the eighth hour, still wide awake, Flynn rolled out of bed and sauntered across the hall to the other bedroom where he caught sight of Sara cutting off the last bit of hair she had, sporting a short boy-cut, reminiscent of a doctor's from a popular nineteen-nineties medical show. He kind of liked it on her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him standing in the doorway. It wasn't until she finished chopping off her hair that she completely gazed at him. "Oh, hey," She pointed to her head. "Hair was driving me mad, so I... Well, you know. Just need to strip the colour out."

"Have you been to sleep at all?"

"Nope. And judging by the droopy, red eyes, neither have you."

Flynn moaned. "No. I couldn't shut off my mind. Happens sometimes."

"Well, shall we-?" Sara jerked her head towards the door. Going off the nod of agreement, she said, "I'll just get dressed then."

***********

One leisurely walk later, they arrived at a clothing shop that Sara was ecstatic to go to. It was one of those chains that Flynn assumed had closed down after the twenty-tens, but lo-and-behold, there it was. There was something to be said about a store named after marine life. Flynn eyed it sceptically but opted to follow her in, anyway.

They went inside, the ringing of their bell announced their arrival, and a hushed discussion ensued in the small, cramped space, while music from the early two-thousands played out of tiny speakers in the ceiling. It was as if they wanted to keep the aesthetic of this place alive. That or he time travelled without realising it again.

"I've been in sleeping bags comfier than this," he griped.

"Shush," Suddenly, Sara gasped at a mini-dress that caught her eye. A shimmering silver dress with spaghetti straps. "Ohh, I need this!" she rasped in a drawl.

Flynn winced. "Why, exactly?"

"Dunno. Just do. Oooh!" A chequered crop-top with the word 'Honey' written on it in red snared her attention. "I know I don't have the mid-drift for this, but..."

"It's eighteen dollars?" he demanded, practically affronted by it.

"Eh, being a Librarian pays well. Right?"

"Not that well."

With a shrug, she swiped a pair of yellow trousers with blue stripes down the side. Twenty-five bucks.

"Sara?"

She peered over the rack of shirts. "Yo."

"You're not going to buy an entire wardrobe, are you?"

"Nah. Now that wouldn't be fair. Just–" Then she saw a hot-pink lace nightie. "Need this!"

As she held it up, Flynn gawked at it. "It's... see-through."

"I know. I don't even have a reason for it," Regardless, she added it to the increasing pile of clothes she made Flynn carry. "We have the money for this, right?"

"Yeah," A muscle in his jaw twitched as he scowled at the clothes he plonked down at the checkout counter, then muttered under his breath, "Just not for food any more."

***********

They left for home, plastic bags in each of Sara's hands, while Flynn's were busy articulating as he thought to himself.

Eventually, he felt the need to talk out those thoughts. "Inter-dimensional gate... How could we do it?"

Sara whirled around but kept walking, shooting a bewildering frown. "What'd you say?"

"Nothing, nothing. So tell me," Flynn said. "Why are your parents so determined to keep me away from you?"

"Because they don't like what they don't understand," A shrug issued from her shoulders, just about hindering her shaking head. "Or they don't want me to be happy. Take your pick."

"I'm sure that's not true."

Sara strode out in front of Flynn and stopped. She looked him dead in the eye with intense hatred, and sorrow shining in hers; not for him, but for every moment spent with her mother and father. "If you knew– Why do you think I was desperate to go with you?"

A thin-lipped smile came across his face as he knowingly nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much," There was a moment's pause that followed while Flynn debated whether to ask the question. One that wouldn't be easy to find the courage to admit the answer to. He could see it in her soul, hear it in her voice whenever they were mentioned. Perhaps, if she wanted to, she could confide in him? It might help to talk. "Sara, did they ever... do anything to you?"

"Not physically, no," she responded, followed by a sniffle.

"Then, what, mentally? Emotionally?"

"What difference does it make?" Sara snapped, her voice breaking. "Abuse is abuse! It all screws you up. Makes you feel like you're not good enough, makes you... want to die."

Flynn raised both of his hands and slapped one on each of her shoulders. His maple-brown eyes sparked with conviction aimed at her. "Don't ever say that. You are good enough, and I'm glad you're alive. You are Sara Wheeler, the smartest, most extraordinary and impossible woman I've ever met."

Sara could barely breathe. Someone was actually being nice to her, and it wasn't out of pity. It was out of the kindness of his heart, veiled as it may appear to be. Then desire turned to embarrassment, simply for feeling these unspeakable feelings for him, causing her to shift her focus of attention elsewhere. "You've only just met me."

"Exactly," One of Flynn's hands reached out to her chin and put his thumb and index finger on it, gently forcing her to look at him. "That's how sure I am. Of you and everything you'll ever take on. I know that whatever you may face you'll pummel it into the ground."

A lopsided grin flashed upon her lips, and she backed away from his grasp before she could allow herself to let something desirable to happen. "I might need some help with that."

"No problem. I will gladly provide it. Not just with that. I could give you sparring lessons, teach you different languages."

In Chinese, she said, "Not needed, Librarian, but thank you."

"You are welcome," he replied in the same tongue. "Where did you learn Chinese anyhow?" Flynn asked, now speaking English once more.

"Firefly," She sheepishly grinned. "Real answer, I spent five years in Shanwei after I turned twenty-one. Needed a change of scene."

Following a curt nod, Flynn began walking alongside her once more. "I can certainly understand that. I once stayed in Ukraine for a couple of weeks. Odessa. Word to the wise: stay away from the Soviets. They're vampires."

"Oh, come on. I know they were bad, but calling them blood suckers–?"

"No, I mean they were actual vampires."

Sara halted in astonishment while Flynn kept on going. "You wha?" After shaking off the stupefaction, she jogged to catch up with him. "Seriously, communist vampires? Isn't that a bit redundant?"

"That is exactly what I said!" Flynn's lips pursed while he pondered. "Come to think of it, that might have been what got them riled up. That and stealing back the Devil's Scimitar."

"Well, I'll keep that in mind, next time I'm in town," Sara caustically retorted. "What I wanna know is what you did to fight them off. Fistfight?" Sara punched the air before her. "Ooh, no! Swordfight!" Then she lunged forward, invisible sword in hand.

"Neither," Going off the astonished look she gave him, he explained, "There's nothing that can't be solved by talking. Eighty percent of the time, it's enough."

"And the other twenty?"

"Running works just as well."

Sara huffed out a scoff. "The only people who should run is the side you're up against."

Flynn gave her a quick tilt of his head. "So much anger, Wheeler."

"Not anger, just–" For a moment she had to compare it to what she truly felt. There were many synonyms, all of which ultimately meant the same thing. Sara bobbled her noggin, shaking loose the denials that she was anything but furious. "Yeah, okay. Anger. But I have a good reason to be."

"Well, sure. Your parents are hardly worthy of being your parents."

"Yes."

"No friends."

"Yep."

"No sex life."

A look of embarrassment clouded her features. "Well, uhm..."

"Barely even an online presence. Although that doesn't mean anything anyway."

Now she was full-on pissed off. "Flynn, I said a reason. Uno."

"And therein lies my whole point," He put his arm out in front of her and they stopped again. There was a deep set frown of solemnity on his face. "Sara, listen to me. You can't let this rule you. If you do that–"

"I won't be any better than him," she finished. "Than any of them. I know."

"You're better than that. I've seen it, when you comforted me."

Sara waved off that small moment of kindness as though it wasn't a big deal. "Yeah, well, I know how much panic attacks suck."

"Not the word I'd use, but yes."

She snorted at the possible adjectives he would use. Most likely something proper, such as 'horrid,' or 'nightmarish.' Whatever it may be, it was annoying to say the least. "In any case, we should quit stallin'. I would like to get back before dark."

"You're absolutely right," Flynn clapped his hands and said, "Adventure awaits!" Then he sprinted off without her.

"Wh–? I didn't say we should run!" Just when she caught up with him again, she bumped right into him at the corner of the street. Flynn appeared to be stunned ridged for some reason, but the reason why didn't matter once she made physical contact. Sara's cheeks flushed. "You really are a hefty–"

"Ssshhhhhh!"

"Don't you shush me, Libraria– AHHH!" Sara was suddenly yanked between two buildings and thrust up against a wall. "What are you–?"

Flynn slapped a hand on Sara's mouth. "What part of 'ssshhhhhh' don't you understand?" he demanded, voice sotto voce and irked.

Ordinarily, anyone would be pissed off to be manhandled like this. Sara was more peeved that his germ covered hand was over her lips, and the longer it stayed there, the more upset she got. She ripped it off by his wrist and promptly squeezed out hand sanitiser and rubbed it over her mouth, chin and under her nose. Annoyance washed across her like a huge tidal wave.

"Aaannnd there's the anger again," he said in a drawl and with a tilt of his head. "I'll skip the fact that basic sanitising gel will not have any affect on gastrointestinal viruses and tell you the police are here and I think they're looking for us."

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Paranoid much?" It only took her stepping two feet away from him to see that he was right. Police were casing the entire street, most likely for them. With fear in her eyes, she stared at him. "You were saying?"

Flynn grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along with him. "Come on."

"Where?"

"Where do you think?"

In a split second, Sara and Flynn went from a random door in the alleyway to the Annex. They came stumbling in for the second time, startling Jenkins enough to stop studying for all but a moment before returning to his work.

"Ah, Mister Carsen. And..." Jenkins eyed the young woman up and down in disdain. "Miss Whatever-your-name-is. We have got to stop meeting like this."

"Tell that to your Librarian," she wittily retorted. "He keeps bringing me here."

"I know, I know!" Flynn fervidly waved off Jenkins' glare. "No outsiders, I know, but I have a perfectly good reason for bringing her here. I think we're being tracked down."

"Uh, you think?" Jenkins turned a screen towards them, and on it were news feeds from every country, all of which showed their faces. "Everyone on the planet now knows you two. What have you been doing?"

"Well, we did steal a car and fled..." Sara said with another shrug.

In response to Jenkins' incredulous gawking, Flynn immediately spoke in a reassuring way. "No, no. We did not. We... crashed before we could get anywhere."

At first, Jenkins stammered, not forming any actual words, until finally, he snapped, "Unbelievable!"

"Actually, we didn't crash," Sara clarified, raising her hand just to her shoulder. "I stopped it."

"You did?" Intrigued, Flynn stepped a little bit closer to her. "We were going pretty fast from what I remember. How could you have stopped it?"

This was it. Sara had to tell him and Jenkins. But how can she explain to them that she somehow developed telekinetic powers, heightened empathic and psychic abilities and Lord knows what else when she couldn't even fathom it herself?

In spite of that, she made an effort to try to. "Well. Here's something funny."