Scars Of Time

Now Flightless Wings

Present Day

The team emerged from the Lifeboat. Agent Christopher asked, "What happened?"

Lucy had begun explaining the events leading up to their return to Agent Christopher, including the surprise of seeing Mata Hari again.

Without waiting for Christopher's dismissal, Flynn brushed by them and headed towards the infirmary. He had to know if Tenley was still in the bunker. He needed to know that they had succeeded in keeping her from disappearing from his life. He needed to see her with his own eyes.

He rounded the corner into the infirmary. His eyes scanned the room. No one was in there. His heart stopped beating for a moment. A pit formed in his stomach. Fear began to form in the back of his mind as he wondered if somehow they had failed and Tenley wasn't a part of the team anymore.

He turned, marching towards the bathroom. Upon entering it, he found it empty as well. His heart sank as he padded down the hallway towards his room. His mind raced as he questioned what had taken place during that mission. He wondered if there were more sleepers present than they realized. He questioned if Emma had something to do with their failure.

He opened the door to his room, closing it behind him. He sighed heavily as he turned. His eyes fell upon a familiar frame in his bed. Blinking the confusion away, he noticed that it was Tenley. She had curled herself up on his bed. She was still asleep and hadn't heard him enter.

He furrowed his brow, wondering how she could sleep through the bunker's alarms. The closer he got to her, he had spotted the headphones in her ears. A smile formed on his lips. He knelt next to his bed, studying her face for a moment. She seemed peaceful laying there. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew that she would want to know that he was back.

He reached out and gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Her eyes flew open. She studied his face before sitting up quickly. She ripped the earbuds from her ears, tossing them aside. She slid into his arms, embracing him tightly.

His arms wrapped around her tightly. He tried to stay on the balls of his feet, but the force of her jumping into his arms had knocked him backward to the floor. She hadn't let go of him.

He whispered, "You had me worried, Nine."

She pulled back to look him in the eyes. Tears had already started to roll down her cheeks. "I had you worried?"

He nodded. "I went to see you in the infirmary, but you weren't there."

Embarrassment washed over her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's just...I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again...and I needed to be close to you, so I...I came in here..."

He smiled at her. "It's okay," he told her. "I'm here." He wiped the tears from her face, whispering again, "I'm here...and so are you."

She pulled him into another strong hug, sighing a breath of relief. He nuzzled into her neck, placing kisses along the nape of her neck.

Tenley leaned away from him, studying his face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Flynn silenced her with his lips. He slid his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. He sought to conquer her lips until she released complete control over to him.

It didn't take long before she had surrendered to him completely. Both of them had realized during this mission, just how much the other meant to one another. The two of them deepened their kiss, almost as if their lives depended on each other for survival. There had been a heat growing between them as they sat entangled with one another on the floor.

With each searing kiss, the closer to the edge of desire the two became. Neither one of them wanted to stop, but they both knew that if they went over that edge, there would be no coming back.