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It was a hand-off like any other. Seeing her safely home after a long day of moving her from one place to the next, appointment to appointment, event to event. Uneventful, just the way everyone preferred.
Transition points are the typical weak spots which was why he was the one walking her from the car to the door. Owain had already swept her place, granting them a thumbs up from his position at the edge of the building.
All clear.
They walked together just as they always did, her in the lead with him just off her shoulder. Because she was who she was, and did what she wanted regardless of how many times they’d been over the reasons not to, she started to slow her pace as they approached the building.
Delaying the hand-off, just to see how she could test him today. He emits a strained grunt that she shouldn’t have been able to hear over the bustle of the sidewalk, but that’s never stopped her before. He can tell by the way her expression changes that she’s heard him.
She turns, offering him that same half-smile she always does when she’s amused by him. It makes him drop his shoulders just a little, his own expression carefully changing but not quite far enough out of Neutral to be in danger of showing her how he really feels - delighted but somewhat afraid of how keyed to him she is.
“You know –”
Two words. That’s all she manages with her head tilted just so, the wind brushing through her hair, fluttering their clothes. Her posture abruptly changes, alarm conveyed without a sound. It’s all the warning he gets, all the needs to know that he needs to react, and do it quickly.
The kick to the back of his knee comes as he shoves her towards the door, Owain jumping into motion to receive her and sweep her to safety. Tom reaches behind him, knowing he’s going to the ground, grabbing a fistful of cloth and yanking, keen to take the attacker down with him.
Conflicting pain blossoms - his knee already screaming - his shoulder now objecting to a hard introduction to the pavement. WHUMP - his breath leaves him as the weight of the scrambling, growling man lands a top him, slamming his upper body back into the pavement again. Adjusting his grip, he rolls, adrenaline sending an override to his brain to ignore the pain, his training to keep the threat engaged kicking in.
Owain will be sweeping her further away from the action. Sol will be calling it in, and soon - hopefully - arriving along with building security to help gain control of the incident.
Safe.
Safe.
So long as she’s safe.