Chapter Text
Nik's Perspective
As Nik stepped out of the car and laid her eyes on Tyler, clad in prisoner attire, the harsh reality of their situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
Tyler stood beside a stranger, a man she knew nothing about. However, she got the instinct that he might be the guy who talked to Tyler about the situation of his ex-sister-in-law.
The unknown man finished talking to Tyler and started approaching her. As he approached, she noticed that the security guards were on their guard as if she was like her father.
"I offer my sincerest condolences for your brother," he said solemnly. "I heard what happened in Vienna, and it shouldn't have. He was a good guy and didn't deserve that, but you've been able to revenge him. Death with the bastard who took his life. »
Nik couldn't find the words to respond; she didn't even nod.
"I heard a lot about you, Ms. Khan, and your family. Especially your father, and in other circumstances, I could say that you look intimidating, but right now isn't the good word to use." He smiled, trying to lighten the atmosphere but didn't work well. "Rake has offered his assistance and yours for one last mission," he continued. "After that, you'll be free to go wherever you please. »
"Are you interested?" He asked.
Nik's curiosity got the best of her. "Who are you?" she inquired. It was the first time she spoke in three weeks, and the tone of her voice was colder than she wanted.
"My name's Alcott. I know it's not a serious name like yours, but don't say it to Rake. He doesn't know my name yet," Alcott told her.
"Then why did you tell me?" Nik inquired.
"Because I know that you need a tiny bit of trust to work with a stranger you know nothing about. And for this mission, you'll have full control like you do with your business. However, this mission will be the last one of yours; after that, you'll be free to go back to your own business or do whatever you want to. I'll give you two months to recover from your injuries. Good luck with this one. »
With those parting words, Alcott left, leaving Tyler and Nik alone with a car at their disposal.
Tyler's Perspective
"You're going to love this guy," the stranger assured Tyler before moving on to speak with Nik.
For the past three weeks, Nik had been his obsession. The prison's security assured him of her safety and the imminent danger she faced. However, she had to remain in prison, just like him.
She looked like a ghost, and from his vantage point, he could see the pain in her eyes.
It tore him apart. Her eyes reminded him of Yaz, who shared the same look.
He had lost a brother, and Nik wasn't a sister to him; she meant more. In truth, he could say she was his reason for living.
Eleven months ago, after his accident, Nik had urged him to find the reason for his existence. The truth hit him harder than he expected.
It was her. She was his reason for living. Her and only her. He would lay down his life for her, and he knew she'd do the same for him.
Seeing her in those prisoner clothes was painful. She, who used to be so chic, had accepted to wear such attire.
But with Yaz's death and her injuries, her clothes were the least of her concerns.
After what felt like an eternity, he made his way to her. They were finally alone, and the loss in her eyes mirrored his own.
He didn't know what to say. Should he take her in his arms to comfort her?
Neither of them was the touchy-feely type.
To his surprise, Nik initiated a hug.
Nik's Perspective
She couldn't bear the way he was looking at her, so instead of meeting his worried, pained gaze, she embraced him.
When she first awoke in prison, it took a while for her to process the events that had unfolded. Yaz—her little brother's name—resurfaced in her mind, and the realization hit her like a tidal wave.
He was gone, and the guilt of not having done enough to protect him weighed heavily on her. Tyler was the one who had shielded him.
She didn't understand what was brewing between her and Tyler, but from the beginning, there had been an unspoken connection.
She loved him, and longed for him, and when she had seen him plummet off that bridge earlier in the year, her heart had plummeted with him.
She didn't cry then; the child was already in tears, and she couldn't reveal the depths of her feelings for Tyler.
When she learned he was alive, a wave of relief washed over her.
She paid no heed to the doctors' advice, refusing to let go until he finally woke up. And when he did, he despised her, not even willing to meet her eyes.
She told him the truth, "Believe me or not, but it's not easy watching someone you care about die. »
Tyler harbored bitterness and anger towards her, and she understood the monumental effort it would take for him to recover.
Rather than uttering harsh words, he ignored her, which cut deeper than any verbal reproach.
Perhaps, as they arrived at the house that had once been Yaz's and her gift to Tyler, he asked when he would see her again.
That provided Nik with a glimmer of hope.
"When we have something worth celebrating," she replied with a smile before leaving.
If Nik were honest with herself, she would have stayed, were it not for Yaz's presence at the time. Now, she was thankful she hadn’t.
The thought of her brother with lifeless eyes haunted her, and she cried in silence once more.
Tyler's Perspective
He was following his conversation with Alcott about accepting one last mission to secure their freedom from prison.
Nik and Tyler found themselves in a peculiar form of « freedom".
The Austrian government had agreed to Alcott's deal, but the condition was that both Tyler and Nik had to remain in Austria, awaiting their impending extraction.
When Alcott and the security team left them with a single car, providing them a means to return to Tyler's house, the silence between Nik and Tyler became almost unbearable.
They finally arrived at Tyler's house, after three hours of silence.
For weeks, Nik had barely said a word. Ever since their release from prison, conversation had been scarce, despite Tyler's attempts.
Nik appeared utterly drained and broken. When he gazed into her eyes, he could see the emptiness within. Since their arrest in the church, he had not had the opportunity to talk with her.
Three weeks had passed since that fateful day, and each day and night felt like an eternity to him. He suspected Nik felt the same.
Now, they were back at his house, and the silence in the room felt suffocating.
Tyler quickly prepared a meal with the groceries he had bought in the nearby village; he didn't want to leave Nik alone for too long.
Upon his return, night had fallen, but the warm glow of his house lent a comforting atmosphere to this February evening.
"I'm back," Tyler announced. Yet, as he saw Nik sitting on the sofa, Mate, his loyal dog, trying to comfort her as she wept, his heart ached.
"Hey, I'm here. It's okay," Tyler reassured her, sitting beside her and enveloping her in his arms.
Nik, still crying, replied, "No, I can't. Tyler, I can’t."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you, but it will be okay. I promise," he said in an attempt to console her a little bit.
"I don't want it. I can't live without him," Nik replied miserably, her voice betraying her distress.
"I'm here. I'm here for you. I know you don't believe it, but it will get better. It takes time, but one day you'll feel better. In the meantime, I'm here for you, and I care about you," Tyler almost said, "I love you," but he knew it wasn't the right moment.
They sat in silence on the sofa, Nik was no longer crying, but she was now studying Tyler.
"I'm sorry," she finally managed to say.
"You don't have to be. I understand what you're feeling," he replied softly.
"I can't imagine your pain, Tyler. I... I couldn't understand how you were feeling. I still don't," Nik said bitterly.
"It hurts like hell. When you love someone and that person dies, it doesn't matter who the person was to you, whether it's a child or a brother. It's equally devastating," he told her in a hushed tone.
"I can't lose you again, Tyler," Nik confessed, revealing her deep-seated fears for him, something she had never voiced before.
"When you fell from that bridge..." Nik whispers, just as Tyler did, "I know. »
"Now I understand what you felt when you were unconscious, sliding down the glass of the building. I know why I fought back—because of you. The last thing I heard that day was your voice saying my name, and it haunts me. Nik, you haunt me," he admitted.
Tyler didn't know how she would react, but to his surprise, she kissed him.
The kiss was tender, and he felt both the pain and desire in her lips, knowing that she felt the same way about him.
However, before it could progress any further, he stopped it. "Nik," he said gently.
"I don't understand... It's me, Tyler, I..." she didn't know what to say.
"You're not yourself, Nik," he reiterated, seeing the pain in her eyes, which silenced his own words.
Nik didn't respond and went into Tyler's bedroom to take a shower, slamming the door behind her.
She didn't want to revisit the bedroom where her brother had been that night.
Nik's Perspective
Nik shed her drab prisoner clothes and took a hot shower. Her entire body ached, but the pain inside her was far worse.
She avoided looking at herself in the mirror; she knew she'd appear desperate and shattered.
And now, Tyler didn't want her to.
As much as he was right about the kiss, he sounded so sincere, and she welcomed anything that could alleviate her pain even slightly.
Nik took a deep breath and closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of the hot shower. She couldn't help but be haunted by her brother's lifeless eyes.
Nightmares plagued her day and night. The prison's medical staff attempted to make her talk, but she remained silent, enduring the pain without complaint.
She even stopped eating, despite their attempts to force-feed her for some minimal sustenance. But none of it mattered.
She wasn't proud of this and hadn't mentioned any of it to Tyler. It all felt futile, much like her life these days.
The only thing on her mind was the overwhelming sense of uselessness that had engulfed her since Yaz's death.
Tyler's Perspective
While Nik took her shower, Tyler prepared a quick and simple meal, although he had doubts about whether she'd join him after isolating herself.
He expected to dine alone, clean up, and then take a shower.
He assumed he'd be sleeping in the other bedroom, but Nik had left his bedroom door slightly ajar.
When Tyler spotted her in bed, her eyes wide open and an expression of utter exhaustion, concern washed over him.
"Nik?" She didn't say a word, but her gaze met his. Instead of speaking, he sat down beside her.
After a few minutes of silence, Nik shifted her position on the bed to get a better look at Tyler's face.
The look in Nik's eyes made him feel he should leave, a mixture of sadness, anger, and many unspoken questions.
Tyler recognized that she was broken, sad, and likely angry, making the situation awkward.
He attempted to get up and give her space, but she gently took his hand, silently asking him to stay.
Tyler looked into her eyes with uncertainty; there was a hint of fear, but he couldn't quite grasp its source.
"Stay," she murmured. "Ne m’abandonne pas" (Don’t leave me alone) she continued in French.
If she was talking to him in her mother language it meant a lot.
There was an almost childlike vulnerability in her voice at that moment, and despite the sadness, it almost made him smile.
Tyler returned to the bed, and they both lay down, holding each other closely.
The night was quiet, with no sounds of animals in the background.
Nik and Tyler lay side by side in bed. Nik had always been a woman of few words, and she preferred Yaz to handle most conversations.
However, tonight, there was something different in her gaze as she locked eyes with Tyler, revealing a vulnerability she rarely showed.
"Tyler," she began, her voice unusually soft compared to earlier, "we've been through so much together. I don't know what I could do without you."
Tyler met her gaze, his rugged features softened by a hint of emotion. "Nik," he replied, his voice equally gentle, "you've always had my back, and I've always had yours. We've been through hell together. »
Nik's fingers fidgeted nervously with his as she continued, "It's more than just being a team, Tyler. I realized something during that mission. I can't ignore it any longer." She took a deep breath, her dark eyes never leaving his. "I love you, Tyler," she whispered.
The weight of those words hung in the air, unspoken emotions swirling between them. For a moment, the time she seemed to stand still. Tyler drew Nik even closer, taking her hand in his.
"Nik, I've been holding onto something too," he admitted, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and vulnerability. "I love you more than I can put into words." Their hands met, fingers intertwining as they both leaned in closer.
The room was charged with a new kind of tension, one that had nothing to do with the events of the past few hours.
They shared a passionate kiss, and it was as if the world and their recent experiences ceased to exist.
Nik eventually closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep, feeling that something meaningful still existed.