Memories

LX

SAFE AND SOUND

'I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight'

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I just wanted to say that I actually made the playlist on Spotify with all these songs on it. It's called 'Memories Playlist' and the cover is that one drawing of Kevin, Neil and Andrew with their Olympic medals and stuff. So if you wanted to actually listen to the playlist, you can now :)

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Nathalia woke up in a hospital bed, only vaguely remembering what had happened after she shot her father in the heart. It had been a perfect shot, killing him instantly. Nathalia had clutched the gun in her hand afterwards so tightly that Stuart had to forcibly remove it from her grip.

Two FBI agents sat at her bedside, filling out paperwork. As soon as Nathalia opened her eyes and looked around, the men watched her with intent, as if she were about to shoot their heads off their bodies. If Nathalia had a gun, she would consider it, but her wrists, despite already being bloody and ruined, were attached to the bed she was sleeping on. They weren't handcuffs, thankfully, but they weren't exactly comfortable. 

"Nathalia, hello," one of the men said. "I'm special agent Sykes, and this is special agent Black. We're going to be your handlers."

"Handlers?" Nathalia asked in a deadpan voice. 

She'd given up being Thalia in order to survive the night of horrors, but now that she had, she knew she had to stop considering herself that person. That girl who'd done anything her father had demanded of her. Nathalia Wesninski had died last night with her father. Thalia Josten lived on.

 "Yes. We'll be moving you to one of our offices to ask you more questions as soon as you're released," Sykes said. "But don't think you have to wait until then to talk to us."

"Well, then it would probably be best if I told you now that I won't say anything to you and you'll have less luck with my brother." Thalia said. "Where is he, by the way? And where is my team?"

"Nathaniel is next door, and the Ravens aren't being included in this." Black said. Thalia shook her head.

"I meant the Foxes." Thalia said. "They're here, right? They've got to be."

"Well I'm sorry, but they've probably already left," Black said. Thalia laughed. "What's so funny, Nathalia?"

"Don't call me that," she said, a harsh smile on her face that she knew was some sort of deviation of her father's. "And do not call my brother Nathaniel. And Kevin won't leave without me, and the Foxes can't leave without Kevin." Thalia leaned forward as far as she could in her bed. "So I'll ask you once more. Where are the Foxes?"

The agents didn't let her see any of the team and she didn't tell them anything. Fair is fair. Thalia knew she was wearing them down. Getting under their skin. She didn't care. She knew she had to do it if she was ever going to see the Foxes or Neil again. 

"Look, if you cooperate with us, we can put you and your brother in the Witness Protection Programme and let you out of all charges. That includes fake identification, theft, breaking into cars and many more things." Sykes said. It was clear he was taking the lead in this situation. "Or if you don't, we can let you rot in a cell for the rest of your life."

Thalia put her head down on the pillow and fell asleep quickly, though it was a light sleep because her back wasn't against a wall and she wasn't comfortable around these men. For good reason. They had the power to keep Thalia away from anything and anyone she had ever held close. 

"I want to see my teammates," was all Thalia would ever say to them. 

"Listen," Sykes said. "I've just spoken to agent Browning, who's looking after your brother. He's not cooperating either," Thalia made a gesture as if to say 'I told you so' and Sykes ignored her, continuing. "He also wants to see the Foxes. Remember, they've just found out everything about you and what you are. Who you are. If they still want to see you, well, I'll be very impressed."

"They're Foxes," Thalia said. "They'll get over it. They always do." she didn't say anything else, drilling her words into her own mind. Sykes left again and spoke to someone, likely Browning again, and returned shortly after, seemingly angry. He wrote something on Black's notepad and sat back down.

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"You have twenty minutes or until they throw you out of their lives, whichever comes first." Browning said with a finger in Nathaniel's face. "Then you are coming with us and you are going to tell us everything we want to know. Do I make myself clear?"

"They?" Nathaniel asked, unsure that he'd heart correctly. "They're here? I don't see the bus."

"I don't want the press seeing it here and putting it together yet, so I had your coach move it. I said are we clear?"

"Clear." Nathaniel said, pulling the hood over his face. "What about my sister? Get out."

"Your winning personality makes me rethink this entire thing." Browning said, though he got out of the car. "She'll be there too."

Nathaniel was led up metal stairs to the second floor of the motel where a guard was waiting outside a door. 

"I don't like it."

"Noted. Watch him a moment, Kurt." Browning said before opening the door and clapping to get everyone's attention. "Listen up people. You've got twenty minutes. Let's keep this orderly and have only one person at a time."

As soon as Nathaniel stepped into the doorway, he heard Dan's voice. "Twenty minutes? You've got to be joking. Why do - oh my god," she broke off when Nathaniel stepped into the room. "Oh my god Neil, are you okay?" her voice wasn't full of anger or fear, but worry. She was worried about him. They all were.

He looked around the room for one person, and when he found that he wasn't there, he spoke up. "Where's,"

There was a crash behind Nathaniel and he turned, just in time to see Andrew barging into the room, Wymack following him. Kurt tried to stop them, but Wymack shoved him out of the way. Nathaniel recognised the handcuffs linking the two together, and then saw Browning reach for his gun in reaction to the violent entrance.

Nathaniel reached for the gun and pointed it down. He only meant to stop Browning from pointing the gun at Andrew, but he felt a searing pain go up his arms and he dropped to the floor. He felt Andrew's hand on the back of his neck trying to calm him down. Nathaniel cradled his broken hands in his lap, expecting the gauze to turn red from split cuts, but it stayed white and clean.

Andrew knelt in front of Nathaniel, expression calm. Nathaniel let him look when Andrew grabbed his chin because it let him look at Andrew's face as well. There were dark bruises lining his face, and a nasty one on his cheekbone beneath his right eye. "They could have blinded you," he said. "All that time fighting and you never learned how to duck?"

Andrew started peeling off the tape and gauze from Nathaniel's face. He paused when he got to the burns around his left eye. Andrew took Nathaniel's hood away from his face, and Wymack was the only other one who could see his face. "Christ, Neil," he said, telling Nathaniel that the burns were as bad as they felt.

"I'm sorry," Nathaniel said. Andrew brought his fist back, but Nathaniel knew he wouldn't make the punch.

"Say it again and I will kill you,"

"This is the last time I'm going to say it to you," Kurt said from outside the door. "If you don't stow that attitude -"

"You'll what, asshole?" Nathaniel said.

"The same goes for you Nathaniel," Browning said. "That's your second strike. A third misstep and this," he gestured to the room. "Is over."

"God, wouldn't that be awful," a new voice said. "This room reeks of sweat and icepacks. What, did you get into a riot or something?"

"Lia?" Kevin asked, unsure.

"The one and only."