Dream Theory - Chapter 21 (Patreon)

After the events of the past few days, Yang couldn’t wait to get back to work.  Not that she had a problem going to work on a typical day - she liked her job, and she liked the sense of purpose it gave her.  But this morning, after a full day to decompress, she felt reinvigorated and ready to go back.

Though she’d argued at first, Casey was right that she should go home and be with Blake instead of rushing to the station to clean things up.  It was in her nature to get right back on the job, but sometimes...everyone needed a little break.  Plus, she trusted his ability to keep an eye on Lyla.  Blake had been a bit more wary about that but, after whatever she went through, was ready to accept the help.

The result of that decision was this morning - the two of them relatively rejuvenated and ready to finish what they started.

“Isn’t it weird…” Yang mused while watching the buildings pass by outside the window.  “While we were trying to figure this out and fighting for our lives, the rest of the world just...continued?”

“That’s how I’ve felt the past year...”

Looking at Blake, whose smile didn’t quite make it to her eyes, Yang reached over and squeezed her hand.  

Separation had taken an emotional toll on their relationship - an issue that went unnoticed through the Dreamscape as the days slowly marched past.  Now that they were back together, however, some of their insecurities and mistrust became obvious.  The events of the past few days hadn’t helped, especially with the sequences they’d been subjected to, but Yang was determined to show Blake that they were still meant to be together.

Intertwining their fingers, she gave Blake’s hand another squeeze and smiled.

“But we still have each other.”

To her, that was the most important lesson of this.  They had each other.  They loved each other.  Life threw a wicked curveball sometimes, but the two of them could bat anything.

“We do,” Blake replied, her relief showing in another smile - this one closer to what Yang was used to seeing.  The smile disappeared, however, the moment the train slowed down.

It was their stop - the train station across from the police department.  To Yang, this was nothing more than her second home.  To Blake, however...well, her nerves were readable to those who knew her well.

Yang understood Blake’s apprehension and, honestly, she would feel the same.  After a year in hiding - a year on the run - Blake was stepping out into the light.  She was reclaiming her life and standing up to those who tried to erase her.  They both knew the risks, but they’d decided - together - that they would take them.

“I won’t leave your side.”  Standing up once the train came to a complete stop and the doors opened, Yang kept hold of Blake’s hand and smiled in encouragement.  She meant the words in more ways than one, and she hoped Blake understood that.  She would reassure Blake constantly, if she had to.

“Thank you,” Blake replied, her voice soft and her gaze drifting to the ground as they left the train behind.  The crowd of people exiting with them clearly made her nervous, so Yang did her best to lead them away from the group as quickly as possible.

Just across the street was a sight for sore eyes - the department, in all its glory.  A remarkably plain building in the center of the city, it contained a level of chaos understood by very few.  One of its trademarks were the sliding glass doors in front, which accepted anyone and everyone who walked through - some people being accepted rather unwillingly.

Once she and Blake walked through, greeted by the familiar blast of cold air, she paused in front of the second set of doors.

“You’ll need to take your mask off,” she said while gesturing to the large, very noticeable sign stating ‘NO holomasks past this point.’  If she could get an exception, she would, but the rule applied in all instances, no matter what.  Either remove the mask or the scanners just inside the door would detect it and immediately flag the wearer for a low-level misdemeanor.

Blake seemed to understand that there was no other option.  After looking at the sign, she ducked her head and removed the mask from her ear.  As soon as she did so, sandy-blonde hair shimmered to a dark, shiny raven that was much more eye-catching.  Light green eyes flickered to beautiful amber.  Her nose and lips grew more pronounced, more beautiful, but as she slipped the mask into her pocket, she met Yang’s gaze with a hesitant smile.

“There you are...” Yang whispered, raising one hand and brushing her fingers across Blake’s cheek.  The mask was a stranger to her - someone she’d never seen before - but this...this was the person who made her heart beat.  

But Blake looked uncomfortable in her own skin, especially now that they’d left the ‘safety’ of their apartment behind.  As she’d explained to Yang, she still wanted to hide in the shadows - out of sight and out of mind - but she also understood that she couldn’t live her life that way.

“We’re not hiding anymore,” Yang reiterated from their conversation last night.  “We’re in this together, and we’re not going to hide.  We’re sending a message to whoever’s behind this - that we’re not scared, and we’re coming after them.”

After thinking through the words, Blake nodded and reached out for Yang’s hand.  Together, they walked into the department.  

At this time of day, everything was in full swing.  And, as usual, it was controlled chaos - officers rushed to and fro, civilians loitered in the waiting area, and a wide range of voices filled the air.  The atmosphere always felt like it teetered on the edge of falling into complete pandemonium, but somehow it never did.  Somehow, and Yang wasn’t exactly sure how, they kept everyone in check.  Most of the time. 

Most people loathed coming here, but she loved it.  This was her realm, her area of expertise, so the mayhem had a comforting rather than stressful quality.  And today, she definitely needed some comfort.

“Hey Jez,” she called out, throwing a wave towards the reception desk.  The woman standing behind a solid sheet of glass shook her head and smiled.  

“Always causing trouble, aren’t you?”

“You know me.  Don’t know what to do if nothing crazy happens.”

When Jez laughed, Yang searched the lobby for a familiar face.  Not finding who she was looking for, however, she turned back to reception.

“Dr. Webb’s still here, right?” 

“She’ll be here a while.  They gave her a seven-day hold.”  When Yang’s brow shot up, Jez nodded.  “I know.  We have some pissed off attorneys here.  Something about how she has an important work event coming up, but I haven’t heard anything about that, have you?”

“Doesn’t sound familiar,” Yang joked.  “But whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s not more important than completing a thorough investigation.”

“Nothing is.”  Chuckling once more, Jez gestured towards the back of the station.  “The higher-ups want to see you when you’re free.” 

The news was expected but still deserved a heavy sigh.  

“Figures...I’ll talk to them later.”

“I’ll let them know.”  Nodding once, Jez finally turned to Blake with a warm smile.  “You had to come back from the dead to take care of this one, did you?”

Laughing at the question, Yang squeezed Blake’s hand and waited for her response.

“It got a little boring having a predictable afterlife,” Blake replied with a smile that grew in confidence when Jez laughed.  “Decided to come back and see what trouble she could get into.”

“Well, we’re happy someone else can look after her now.”  After sending another glance towards Blake, Jez shot a wink Yang’s way.  “Glad you’re both ok - and it’s nice to see you again, Blake.”

“Nice to see you, too,” Blake said with a polite smile and nod.  

“And I can totally take care of myself,” Yang added, earning an eyeroll from Jez while she waved them away.  With one greeting down, Yang motioned for Blake to follow her through the heavy glass doors leading to the inner workings of the building.

“I hope you’re prepared for a lot of that today,” she said after passing the security protocols and walking into the hallway beyond. 

“It’s to be expected...” was Blake’s murmured response while her eyes swept back and forth across the corridor.

“Seven days though,” Yang added with a low whistle.  “That gives us plenty of time to verify at least one of the charges and hold her long-term.” 

“And if you can’t?” 

Reading the worry in Blake’s expression, Yang gave a reassuring smile.  

“Ruby’s the best for a reason.  Seven days is plenty of time for her to work her magic and find the evidence we need.”

“Detective Xiao Long.” 

Cringing at the tone her name was spoken in, Yang turned around and forced a smile.

“Heyyy...heard you missed me!” 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Detective Saffold asked while stalking up to them.  “Going after Dreamscape’s top theorist right before they launch a new product?”

“Technically, she went after me,” Yang pointed out, which earned her nothing more than a scoff while the woman crossed her arms over her chest.  “I didn’t realize I was supposed to check the corporate calendar before going after someone who had me kidnapped.”

“Your actions put the company’s future at risk, which puts the department at risk.”  When Yang made a noise of disbelief, Detective Saffold jabbed a finger towards her chest.  “We’re already on thin ice since some idiot patrolman decided to arrest Bishop’s son.  How much rope do you think we get until he comes after all of us?”

One, Yang really didn’t enjoy someone jabbing a finger at her.  It made her want to grab it and break it a little.  

Two, everything about Detective Saffold’s persona was wrong - from her posture to her scowl to her tone.  They were on the same team; she should have Yang’s back on this.  She shouldn’t be worried about what some company would do.

“It’s a good thing we don’t work for Dreamscape then.”

Holding Detective Saffold’s gaze, Yang watched a wave of emotions pass through.  The woman knew she couldn’t argue without implying something she really didn’t want to imply, especially not in this day and age.  Instead, she worked her jaw back and forth before dropping the hostility in favor of a more measured response.

“You don’t understand what you’re getting into.  This will put you on a list you don’t want to be on.”  Glancing at Blake, Detective Saffold straightened her posture and attempted a smile.  “On a more positive note, that holomask I found led us directly to the person responsible for the attack on the transit center.” 

“So Greyson really did it?” Yang asked, and felt both relieved and heartbroken when Saffold nodded. 

“We’ll put out a press release in the next few days.”  This time using a more natural smile, Detective Saffold clapped Yang on the shoulder.  “Thanks for the lead.” 

With that, she turned and walked away.  

Yang watched her go with a frown, replaying the conversation and wondering what the woman meant by a ‘list’ she didn’t want to be on.  Intuition told her something was off, but she didn’t have enough information to formulate any theories.  She certainly didn’t have enough reason to suspect her colleague of more serious matters.

Seeing Blake’s troubled expression, she realized that she wasn’t the only one who disliked that interaction.

“I’ll keep an eye on her.”

She had hoped the response was reassuring, but Blake still looked concerned by the recent conversation.  And, when she walked into Yang’s office, her mood grew even more somber.  

Sensing the change in demeanor, Yang gave Blake a long look before closing the door and walking over to the desk.  The way Blake looked around the room implied that something was wrong.  It wasn’t a casual glance - it was a slow, methodical dismantling of every piece of furniture and knick-knack Yang owned. 

“What’s wrong?”  

The question brought that amber gaze to her, where she was then the subject of just as thorough of an inspection.  Finding whatever she was looking for, Blake eventually turned away.

“I’m just...remembering the dream Lyla put me through...”

Blake didn’t need to say anything more for Yang to understand.  Walking into their apartment last night had been the same thing - a flash of horrible memories that never happened.  That did nothing to remove the way they felt, or the way they stayed in her mind even after she understood it was all a trick.

But she was determined to move on, so she squeezed Blake’s hands and smiled.

“It wasn’t real.”

Looking down at Yang’s mechanical arm, Blake gently brushed her thumb against the metal plating before relaxing.

“You’re right.  It wasn’t real - this is real.”

“As real as it’ll ever get,” Yang joked before pulling Blake over to the desk and motioning her towards the chair.  Once Blake sat down, Yang took her own chair on the other side of the desk and sighed at the stack of memory chips waiting for her explanation of recent events.

“Looks like they already cut out my work for me,” she muttered while shoving the chips aside.

“I’m sorry...”

“Hey.”  Catching Blake’s gaze, Yang shook her head.  “No more apologies, remember?  We’re done with apologies.  We’re focused on moving forward, not making up for the past.”

From Blake’s expression and posture, she knew it was a difficult request to make.  Blake wanted to repent, grovel, or punish herself for her mistakes, but Yang wasn’t having any of that.  They’d already been through enough - more than enough.  Now, it was time to move forward.  To heal and rebuild what they once had.

“From now on, we’re focused on being honest and open, not on apologizing - ok?”

After a long, searching expression, Blake finally nodded and found a hint of a smile.  

“Ok,” she agreed.  “I’ll do my best.”

“And I’ll do mine.” 

When they finally shared a real smile, Yang relaxed and felt her inner sun return.  She knew they had a lot of work to do, but that wouldn’t stop her from giving her all.  No relationship was perfect, and no person was perfect.  What mattered most was that they loved each other, and they’d already proven that they were willing to do whatever it took to protect one another.

“On the topic of moving forward,” Yang added.  “We need to figure out how to mark you as ‘not-dead.’”

“Oh...yeah, I suppose that would be important, wouldn’t it?” 

The dry response made Yang chuckle, taking comfort in the subtle humor Blake had perfected over the years.

“I think you probably need to go through the court or something...maybe Weiss can help us figure it out.”  As soon as Yang said the name, she felt a wave of reticence from across the desk.  “I’m sure she’ll help,” she added as reassurance.

“I know, I just...don’t think she’s very fond of me.  I’d rather not burden her any more than I already have.” 

“You won’t be burdening her - I will be.” 

“But it’s for my benefit...”

Tapping her fingers against the desk, Yang looked at Blake and - trying out one of the new skills she needed to learn - actually listened.

“You’re saying you want to figure this out without Weiss?” 

“If that’s ok with you,” Blake answered.  That was nearly the end of it, but then she added, “I don’t think I’m comfortable asking her for anything more at the moment.”

The additional explanation was unnecessary, but Yang smiled regardless.  With that simple sentence, Blake proved her effort to be more forthcoming.  And nothing could convince Yang more that they made the right decision.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” she said, noticing Blake’s clear relief at the answer.  “She’s not that bad though,” she added.  “She’s kind of horrible if you meet her here at the station, but she’s pretty nice otherwise.”

“I can see that.  But I’d like to form a friendship with her that doesn’t involve her always helping me, or me getting her girlfriend’s apartment burned down.”

“Like she minds that one bit,” Yang replied with a chuckle.  “She swooped right in and offered Ruby a place to stay, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes sure Ruby’s apartment never gets rebuilt.”

“I don’t think Ruby would mind very much…”  Pausing mid-sentence, Blake raised her hand to cover a yawn.  

“Sorry I kept you up so late.”

Before Yang finished the apology, and before the yawn finished, Blake shook her head.

“Don’t be.  It was...nice.”

From the flicker of emotions in Blake’s eyes, Yang felt a flurry of adoration swirl through her chest.

“It was nice,” she agreed with a smile that grew the longer Blake gave her that look - that look of love and longing rolled into one.

‘Nice’ couldn’t even begin to describe what it felt like to spend the night together in their bed, in their apartment, after so much time apart.  It didn’t matter that they were exhausted, both physically and emotionally, from the events of the past few days - they stayed up through the night anyway.  

It was one of the best conversations they’d ever shared.  They’d always had great talks together, but this one...it felt like nothing stood between them anymore.  Everything, and Yang meant everything, was out in the open.  Secrets, insecurities, fears...they left no stone unturned in rebuilding their foundation.

“So…” Blake eventually said, glancing towards the stack of files on Yang’s desk.  “I should probably let you work?”

“Why don’t you hang out?”  Grabbing the first chip off the pile, Yang popped it into her computer and motioned for Blake to stay seated.  “I’m pretty sure you already know most of the details from this case.”  

Even though it was against protocol, Yang opened the file and showed Blake the first picture from a set of them.

“She didn’t have much with her,” she explained while flipping through the photos one-by-one.  “Daydreamer - that I might’ve smashed a little, her ID and three fake ones, two holomasks, two phones, her cane, and some weird cards with numbers on them.”  Yang tilted her head to look at the skinny ‘8’ on what looked like a playing card, then shook her head and pushed the images off the screen.  “But we’ll go over that once Ruby finishes her analysis.”

Her mind was too fried to come up with any theories at the moment.  She would let Ruby comb through each piece of tech and pull as much data as possible.  Once they had that information, their investigation could begin in earnest.

“In the meantime, we could use your side of the story.”

“Oh.  Right…”

“Don’t worry.”  Reaching forward, Yang set her hand on top of Blake’s.  “You just need to explain what happened as best as you can.  With your testimony, the sequence I pulled off her Dreamscape, and whatever Ruby finds, we should have a good case.”

“It’s just...going to take a while to explain everything.”

“If you want -”  After grabbing a pad of paper and pen out of her drawer, Yang pushed the materials across the desk.  “You can start writing things down.”

“You’re still using paper,” Blake teased while pulling the pad towards her.

“You know I’m old school like that.”

“Yet you make fun of my glasses…”  

When Blake playfully shook her head, Yang smiled and watched her start writing.  

It was hard to put into words how much she’d missed this.  Spending time together, even if it was writing down their stories after a stressful series of events that had them breaking into Taven Bishop’s bedroom, hijacking Daydreamer’s code, and flying around the city searching for Lyla.

They were better for it.  At least, that was Yang’s hope as she opened the first situation report and started adding her feedback.

The two of them worked in comfortable silence for quite a long time - Blake writing line after line about what she went through while Yang struggled through detailed justifications for every decision she made.  It wasn’t until inaction caught her attention that she looked over and found that Blake had stopped writing.  Now, she stared at the notepad with a frown.

“What’s up?” Yang asked, drawing Blake’s gaze her way.

“It’s…”  For a split second, it felt like Blake was going to say it was nothing.  She stopped herself, however, and shook her head.  “It’s just that...writing this down is reminding me of how much I put you through.”

Seeing the sadness in Blake’s eyes, Yang forgot about her work for now.  Instead, she walked around the desk and knelt in front of Blake’s chair.  Looking up into those remorseful eyes, she smiled and grasped Blake’s hand.

“You did what you thought had to be done.  Maybe there were other options, but sometimes...sometimes you don’t see them right away.”

She immediately thought back on that moment in the apartment when she seriously considered ending someone’s life.  Maybe Lyla deserved it, but it wasn’t her place to make that decision.  

“We’re moving forward, remember?” she added.  Lifting her hand, she gently brushed several strands of hair behind Blake’s ear and smiled.  “We’re not going to let our mistakes define us.”

Blake thought about the response for a long time before nodding.

“We’re not,” she agreed.  And then she leaned down and captured Yang’s lips in a kiss.

Yang kissed back - at first tender and sweet and filled with every bit of love she felt tingling through her.  As the kiss continued, however, longing raced through her veins while Blake reignited the fire within her.  Standing up and setting one knee on the chair by Blake’s thigh, she pressed forward and deepened the kiss.  

Blake invited Yang into her space - she welcomed Yang in her space - and Yang wanted to be there just as much as Blake wanted her there.  She felt it in the way Blake’s hand wrapped around her neck and tugged her closer.  The way their lips moved together without pause or separation.  The way they breathed the same air and created sparks from nothing -

“Knock kno - oh.  Uh, sorry -”

Breaking away from Blake, Yang looked up and found Casey awkwardly backing out the door he’d just opened.  The office was suddenly a hotbed of embarrassment, as Casey stared at the floor, Blake straightened her hair and looked anywhere but near Casey, and Yang felt her cheeks threatening to burst into flame at any second.

“It’s - uh -”  Not knowing what to say other than ‘sorry, she’s hot,’ Yang shook her head and started over.  “Hey, Casey.  How’re you doing?”

“Been better.”  He met her eyes for a second before running a hand through his hair and looking at the wall.  “Been a lot worse too.”

“Don’t worry.  I’m sure Ruby can back up at least some of the charges.”

“I’m not worried about that.”  After shaking his head, he finally met Yang’s gaze.  “How are you though?”

“Tired but ready to bail you out of that hole you dug yourself.”  When he finally smiled, Yang shook her head at him.  “What were you thinking, giving her so many charges?”

“I was thinking...get her off the street as long as possible so that you can figure out a plan.”

The response was sweet and thoughtful, as expected.  When Yang glanced away from Casey, she found Blake observing him closely, likely trying to figure out if she trusted his intentions or not.  He put his job on the line trying to keep them safe - that was good enough for Yang.  Blake, however, was a little harder to convince...

“Thank you,” Yang replied with a grateful nod.

“Don’t mention it.”  After waving off her gratitude, he motioned towards the front of the station.  “But there’s a Mrs. Sawyer here to see you.  Want me to bring her back?”

Yang’s first response was a sigh.  She didn’t feel prepared for the emotional conversation to come, but she nodded regardless.  No point delaying the inevitable.  If a press release was already in the works, the woman deserved to know before the rest of the world.

“Sure, I’ll see her now.”

Casey nodded and took a step towards the door before turning to Blake.

“It’s good to have you back.”

After looking up at him for a second, Blake nodded and said, “It’s good to be back.”  It sounded like that was all she had to say but, when he turned to leave, she reached out to stop him.  “And...thank you.”

She didn’t elaborate on what she was thanking him for, but he nodded and smiled before heading off to fetch Mrs. Sawyer.

“I should talk to her for a bit,” Yang explained.  “Let her know what we found.  At least, as it pertains to her son.”

“I’ll wait in the hall.”  Gathering her pen and pad of paper, Blake stood up but paused before leaving.  “If you can...please let her know that he was exceptionally brilliant - the best in his class.  His only failing was that he believed too much in the power of dreams.”

“I’ll tell her.  The first part, at least.”

With a relieved and somewhat sad smile, Blake walked into the hall and sat on one of the benches on the far side of the hall.  She’d barely settled in when Casey reappeared, escorting Mrs. Sawyer to the office door before gesturing her inside.

Even though Yang knew it was only a dream, she was relieved to find that Mrs. Sawyer carried nothing but a small purse with her.  No boxes.

“I’m sorry to bother you again, Detective,” she said while extending her hand for a hasty handshake.  “But when I heard they arrested Dr. Webb, I had to know if it had something to do with Greyson.”

From the unconcealed hope shining in the woman’s eyes, this conversation would be harder than Yang thought.  Regardless, she motioned for the woman to sit across from her desk before sitting in her own seat.  Once Casey closed the door, granting them privacy from any passersby, she leaned forward and tried to come up with the best way to phrase what she needed to say.

“Let me start by saying...this won’t be easy for you to hear.”  When Mrs. Sawyer’s expression fell, Yang took a deep breath and wondered if maybe she should gloss the situation over.  But the woman clearly wanted answers, and she would hear the news in a few days once the press release went public.

“I’m sorry to tell you this,” Yang said.  “But Greyson was responsible for bombing the transit center last year.”  When tears instantly sprang into the woman’s eyes, she rushed forward to stem the tide.  “But it wasn’t his choice.”

The added sentence caught Mrs. Sawyer’s attention.  

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice quivering with hope while her eyes swam with unshed tears.

Sighing at the question, Yang glanced into the hall and found that Ruby had arrived and was now talking with Blake.  Blake’s gaze flitted to Yang every few seconds, however, most likely checking to see how the conversation was going.  

“Mrs. Sawyer,” Yang said, lowering her voice and leaning across the desk.  “You’re going to hear a lot about your son in the next few months, but I want you to listen to what I have to say, because this is the truth.  But I need you to keep this information to yourself - at least, until we wrap up our investigation and send out another release.”

Even though Mrs. Sawyer looked confused by the request, she was determined to figure out what happened to her son.  And when she nodded, Yang continued.

“Greyson was responsible for the blast,” she repeated.  “But it wasn’t his decision.  He was manipulated into it - brainwashed through his dreams.  He wasn’t in control of his actions at the time.  That doesn’t change the circumstances, unfortunately, but when the news tries to paint him as a villain - know that it isn’t true.”

“He was...brainwashed?  But...how?”

“It’s...complicated.”  Thinking about the Daydreamer and the information Blake had shared about how it worked, Yang didn’t feel confident explaining the situation accurately.  “It happened through the work he did at Dreamscape - cutting edge technology that fell into the wrong hands.  I think we’ve caught the person responsible - I know that doesn’t bring your son back, but...I hope that’s at least some consolation...”

After she trailed off, unsure of what else to say, the two of them sat in silence for the longest time.  

At first, it looked like Mrs. Sawyer didn’t want to believe it.  It looked like she might storm out of the room or yell at Yang for speaking such unfathomable lies.

Instead, she raised one shaking hand, wiped a tear from her eye, and met Yang’s gaze.

“Do you know why?”

“Because he was brilliant,” Yang replied with a sad smile, feeling her heart break when another tear was brushed away.  “Because they needed someone with his mind.  I’m sorry...but please know that your son wasn’t a bad man.  He was just...an unfortunate pawn in a much larger game.”

Mrs. Sawyer nodded, then let her gaze drop to her lap and remain there.  Yang heard the sniffles and watched the teardrops fall, but she waited for the woman to respond.  Whatever Mrs. Sawyer needed, she would try to help with.  She understood that this would take time to digest, and even longer to accept, and she was willing to wait for any questions.

“He always said he wanted to change the world…” Mrs. Sawyer whispered before looking up, and Yang’s heart broke a little more when she saw the woman’s eyes swimming with tears - tears that would only fade with time.  “If he was used...and that’s what cost him his life…”  Pausing when her lip trembled, Mrs. Sawyer hastily wiped away a tear before taking a deep breath and straightening her shoulders.

“I’m glad no one else has to go through this, and I know he would be glad too.  The pain ends here.”

In a single sentence, Yang felt the resiliency of the woman sitting across from her - a mother who’d lived through what no parent should have to live through, but whose focus was now on ensuring no one else experienced what she had.

“The pain ends here,” Yang repeated with a small nod.  The weight behind the statement reverberated through her chest as Mrs. Sawyer nodded once, clutched her bag in her hand, and stood up.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done, Detective.”  Offering Yang one last handshake, the woman shook it with determination and finality.  “You believed me when no one else would.”

“It’s...kind of my job…” Yang replied, but Mrs. Sawyer shook her head while heading to the door.

“I’ll never forget the kindness you showed me.  Thank you - for everything.”

With a parting smile, she turned and hurried towards the exit of the department.  A uniformed officer quickly joined her side to escort her out, but she hardly gave them a glance.  She kept her eyes forward and her head held high.

While Yang followed to the door and watched the woman walk out of her life, inspiration blossomed in her chest.  The result of this particular case might not have been what either of them wanted, but seeing that strength and resiliency made it worth it.

“How did she take it?”

Turning towards Blake, Yang let out a shaky breath and attempted a smile.

“Pretty well.  I think...she’ll be ok.”

Blake’s guilt was palpable at the moment, but Yang took her hand and gave it a squeeze.  Once they had some privacy, they could go over Blake’s feelings about the situation.  For right now, however, she turned towards Ruby and remembered their other pressing matters.

“Tell us you have something.” 

“I have something,” Ruby teased before elaborating.  “She thought she was smart using a second phone, but instead she created a trail linking everything together.  There’s a ton of encrypted messages to go through, and I haven’t even started on her cane yet.”

“What’s in her cane?”

“The question is what isn’t in her cane,” Ruby replied with a shake of her head.  “High-grade tranquilizers, medications, and what I think might be a modified version of a Dream Disk.”

Blake raised her brow at that discovery.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah.  Built right into the handle.  I’m totally stealing some of the tech for your arm,” Ruby told Yang before continuing.  “She also had a ton of files saved on it, and I’m guessing some of them are pretty important.  And I’m basing that off of the deci-level security on top of some crazy rotating passcodes and this awesome cipher that changes every time you guess wrong -”

Realizing she was getting too technical, Ruby waved her hands.  “Basically, I can already prove instigation, so we’ve got her on one charge.  Plus, I have a treasure trove on her cane to sort through, and that’s without getting the interns involved.”

Yang sighed in relief at the response.  With Ruby confident in at least one of the charges, Lyla was facing some very real jail-time.

“You’re getting the interns involved?” Blake asked, her brow furrowed at the idea.

“She communicated with them frequently, so yeah.  At least one of them has to have information that will help.  Plus, don’t you think they deserve to know their lives got royally messed with?”

When Yang and Ruby looked at Blake, she haltingly nodded before looking at the floor.

“If you need someone to explain what happened...in terms they might better understand…”

Blake didn’t fully expand upon the offer, but she didn’t have to.  She was offering to stand in front of the people she’d lied to, used, and put in harm’s way.  She was offering to take responsibility and face the people whose lives were changed as a result of her actions.  Doing so would take a tremendous amount of courage, but she was willing to do that because she wanted to make this right.

Nothing made Yang more certain that this would work - that they would work.

“We’ll let you know,” Ruby said, glancing at Yang before smiling at Blake, who still wasn’t ready to make eye contact with them.  “I haven’t found anything on who she might’ve been working for though.  Still lots to go through, but nothing’s sticking out.”

“That’s why you’re getting round-the-clock security for the foreseeable future,” Yang added, kissing Blake on the temple while Ruby nodded.

“Definitely.  I’ve already flagged you as extremely important, so don’t do anything illegal - eyes will be on you everywhere.  And we’ll send support home with you.”  Ruby grinned at the comment and elbowed Yang in the side.  “Plus, I’m upgrading that super old lock you have so no one bypasses the security again.  I can’t believe you went so long with the same lock - you didn’t even change the passcode!”

Blake finally looked up at the comment, and Yang glanced that way out of the corner of her eye.  

“I was...waiting.”

“Yeah, well, don’t wait anymore,” Ruby huffed.  “I upgrade my security every week.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re a little nutty,” Yang teased, smiling when Ruby rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.  They all knew Ruby went overboard when it came to security, but her job forced her to see all of the different ways people scammed each other these days.  Honestly, Yang was surprised she managed to keep the same keypad as long as she did without Ruby pitching a fit.  Unless Ruby had known the reason why she never changed it...

The thought disappeared the moment she spotted a familiar face approaching them.

“Incoming.”  

Nudging Blake’s side, Yang nodded down the hall, where Weiss had just turned the corner and now strode towards them.  As usual, two paralegals flanked her - looked flustered and harried beyond belief - while she put the ‘power’ in ‘power skirt.’  The other officers in the hall gave her a wide berth, knowing better than to get to close and risk a vicious scolding.

Unlike usual, however, Weiss caught Ruby’s gaze and smiled.  Then she broke away from the paralegals, who continued down the hall without her.  And next, to fully break from their normal routine, she walked over to Ruby and kissed her in the middle of the hall.

“Woah.”  Stepping away from the sudden display of affection, Yang shared a surprised glance with Blake and then laughed when several other officers whistled at the pair.  It was only then that Weiss released Ruby and stepped away, but only a half step while reaching down to hold Ruby’s hands.

“Uh, hi?” Ruby asked with a silly grin on her lips, confused but thrilled by what just happened.

“Hi.”  

The response was simple, but the two dorks couldn’t stop beaming at each other.

“Is this ok?” Ruby finally asked while clutching Weiss’ hands.

“Yes, because I just resigned.  My cases were reassigned - I’m done.”

Yang’s brow shot up at the revelation, which was just about the last announcement she would ever expect to hear, but Weiss beamed as if it was the best news in the world.

“Are you serious??” Ruby asked.

“Yes.  I’m not spending another second pretending I’m not madly in love with you.”

This time, Ruby threw her arms around Weiss’ neck and pulled her in for a kiss.  When this one quickly grew longer and more passionate than the first, Yang stepped away to give the two some space.

“Well damn,” she said with a delighted laugh.  “I did not see that coming.”

But Ruby looked happier than Yang could ever remember seeing her.  And Weiss looked like she couldn’t get that coat hanger out of her mouth, even while Ruby kissed her.

“Yang.”

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Yang turned and smiled at Blake.

“They’re cute, right?”

After glancing at Ruby and Weiss, Blake nodded, but her eyes said she had heavier topics on her mind.

“What is it?” Yang asked, forgetting Ruby and Weiss entirely while focusing on Blake.  First opening her mouth, then closing it once more, Blake eventually shook her head and smiled.

“I just wanted to tell you...that I’m really grateful.  For you and Ruby and Weiss, but mostly grateful that you’re willing to give me a second chance.  I don’t deserve it…”

“Wait,” Yang interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the incoming apology.  “I just want to hear one thing.”

While Blake waited, Yang took a deep breath and said the words she’d held inside for so long.

“I love you...more than anything.  And if something like this happens again, I don’t want you to be afraid to tell me.  I don’t care how big of a mistake you think you made, or how dangerous you think it might be.  I’d rather face death together than spend any more time apart.  So...can you promise me that, no matter what, we’re in this together?”

After looking at Yang for several long seconds, Blake nodded.

“I promise.”

Accepting the words and the genuineness behind them, Yang pulled Blake into a firm hug.

“Good,” she whispered in Blake’s ear while weaving her hand through long, black hair.  Feeling Blake return the hug - the two of them melding together in the way they always had - Yang melted into the sensation and heard a content sigh slip past her lips.  

“I’ve missed you so much...”

“I’ve missed you too,” Blake replied, pulling Yang tighter.  “I’m never leaving you again, I promise.”

After all they’d been through, Yang still believed.  She still believed that they were meant to be together, forever.  And she still trusted that Blake felt the same way.

“You guys!”  Finally pulling away, Yang found Ruby gesturing towards one of the video monitors in the hall.  “Check it out.”

The four of them regrouped in front of the monitor, where the newscast played a recap of Lyla’s arrest.  The drone footage showed Casey and Redd marching Lyla out of the building and putting her into one of the police transports while Yang trailed behind.

“Hey, I look pretty good on TV,” she said, and grinned when Blake laughed at the comment.  Weiss rolled her eyes, of course, but seemed to have difficulty coming up with a biting response while Ruby’s arms were wrapped around her waist.

Immediately following the video of Lyla’s arrest, however, came an excerpt issued by Dreamscape Industries.

“Wait, Ruby, turn it up.”

Weiss made a soft noise of protest when Ruby hurried over to the screen, but Yang paid her no mind while listening to the official statement.

“ - is no longer employed by Dreamscape Industries,” the announcer read as the written statement appeared on the screen.  “This was an isolated incident, and we’re fully cooperating with police to ensure justice is served.  In the meantime, Daydreamer will launch as planned.”

As soon as the statement ended, the video cut to shots of excited kids waiting for their new devices and a montage of new environments available for download.

Ignoring the rest of the broadcast, Yang turned towards Weiss.

“Are they doing what I think they’re doing?” 

Thinking through the situation, Weiss frowned at the screen for a long time before finally nodding.

“They’re throwing her under the bus.  Next, they’ll cut all ties, downplay her role, and make her seem less powerful than she was - anything to make sure the public doesn’t turn on them.”  After pausing for a second, Weiss shook her head.  “This will make holding her easier though.  You won’t have Dreamscape’s attorneys breathing down your neck.”

“But if they were behind this...why abandon her?”

“Because she got caught,” Blake answered with a frown.

The answer made sense.  If there was some bigger conspiracy, their goal wouldn’t be sacrificed to save one person, especially if Lyla had already served her purpose.  If Lyla hadn’t just tried to kill them, Yang might actually feel bad that ‘the cause’ had abandoned her so easily.

Holding Blake’s hand, Yang sighed - in relief, since the day had gone better than she could’ve hoped for.  Blake was back, and Lyla had very little chance of leaving.

“So...what do we do now?” Ruby asked. 

“I’m going to try to find a way to better protect Daydreamer.”  Blake turned towards Ruby with a hopeful expression.  “I might need your help finding a way to implement any changes.”

“Happy to help!”  Ruby probably wouldn’t stop smiling for the next month - not with how thrilled she looked to be holding Weiss’ hand in the middle of the hall.

“I guess I’ll...figure out what I want to do next,” Weiss added, looking confused more than worried about her next great endeavor.

“I can help you with that too!”  Leaning over, Ruby kissed Weiss’ check before pulling away with a smile.

“And you?” Blake asked softly, meeting Yang’s gaze with a smile.

“I’ll do what I always do - catch bad guys.”

“I can definitely help you with that,” Ruby replied while giving Yang a high five and big grin.

“Basically, Ruby helps us with everything,” she joked.  She expected Weiss to protest that claim - instead, Weiss looked at Ruby and beamed with pride.  

“That sounds about right.”  Turning fully towards Ruby, Weiss held her hands and smiled.  “But even heroes get hungry sometimes.  Can I take you out to lunch today?  Or are you busy?”

“Never too busy for you!”  When Weiss raised one brow in disbelief, Ruby shook her head.  “I mean, sometimes I’m kinda busy, but lunch sounds awesome!  Wanna go right now?”

“Sure.”  While Weiss stepped towards the front of the building, Ruby turned back to Yang and Blake.

“We’ll see you guys later!  Message if you want us to bring you anything.”

With Ruby and Weiss walking away, hand-in-hand, Yang shook her head and chuckled.  

“This is a big step for them.”

“They deserve it.”  After watching the pair turn the corner, Blake nodded.

“How are you feeling?” Yang asked, realizing there was so much more they needed to go through.  Blake seemed to understand the situation too, and thought long and hard about the question before answering.

“Relieved, for now.  But I know they’ll come after me eventually.”

“And we’ll be ready for them.”  Yang felt confident in her response, and in their ability to prepare for whoever was still out there.  With her, Ruby, Weiss, and the entire department on Blake’s side, they would catch the mastermind behind this plot and bring them to justice.

Thankfully, Blake also seemed to believe.  At least, that’s how it felt when she smiled at Yang.

“I’d rather prepare here with you than spend another second apart.”

The response filled Yang with happiness - because she believed it.  She felt Blake’s determination to include others on the thoughts and worries running through her head, and she believed Blake’s intention to never run again.

“That’s good,” she replied with a grin.  “Because it sounds like Ruby assigned me to be your personal security for the foreseeable future.  I’m not leaving your side.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

With a nod and a smile, Yang extended her hand to Blake, who willingly took it.  “I hope you’re ok hanging around here for a while.  Looks like I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

When Blake laughed and leaned closer, Yang willingly accepted the familiar, warm presence in her space.  She knew they had a long way to go and a lot of details to figure out, but this felt...normal.  At least, as normal as their lives would ever be.  She could choose to focus on the past - to stew on the mistakes and ‘bad’ decisions that were made - but that wasn’t who she was or who she wanted to be.

They had the ability to forgive, forget, and rebuild trust in one another, and that’s exactly what she planned to do.  Because at the end of the day, they were all human, and the best they could do was shake it off, put on a smile, and keep moving forward.