I was never an okay cook. Not at all a masterchef. I remember trying to fry an egg once and ending up frying the pan. I won't count my job as my biggest achievement. If anything, it was that I had the good fortune to take care of my mother when she fell ill. I remembered that I taught Sage how to bake bread. I never got to taste the ones she'll make. Wonder if she burned her first batch. Never got to ask. Mom is well now. Thank God for that. May she live long. My dad too. Does he remember how he scolded me when I spilled ink on his shirt? He never got the stain out lol. May... Jae... Sage... Ray... Nina... Wanted to meet them all. My room at Jae's ! Damn.. Ah well...

They say your whole life flashes before your eyes when it's your time. It certainly did the moment I heard that gunshot. And the fact that I had time to worry about it all meant that I was still alive. For the time being. I even had time to worry about Yang Guo. Ah.. Yang Guo!! No no no no! I haven't even kissed him properly-

The next moment I felt something heavy fall on me, taking the grasp of my arms and dragging me roughly across the floor. The hands thrust me towards someone who clutched at me tightly while the tiny room filled up with a confusing cacophony that made me want to cringe. I didn't even have the chance to open my eyes to look at what happened in those ten seconds. I'll be damned if I allow the bastards- excuse me- to capture me without kneeing their balls. So I raised my leg viciously.

Which was grabbed tightly, making me unable to move.

How dare this guy lay hands on me. I could tear the meat off his hands. I was that furious. Just as I was about to open my mouth, a voice whisper yelled in my ear amidst the commotion, "Alexandra, stop struggling!! It's me!"

"L... Li ge?"

The arms relaxed around me, and instead went on to push my head down.

"Don't raise your head." He hissed. I managed to nod. "Damn you, savage girl... I had a hunch you'd go for that move."

"You stopped me in time, so no harm done." I said sheepishly. "I need better ideas though. Ones that my attackers won't be able to guess." I ducked my head as a volley of hearing impairing shots rang out. "What if it was them instead of you?"

"Let's figure that out later, shall we?" He spoke, voice shrill with anxiety.

The noise of skimmerish filled the room. I didn't even know who were there. Judging by the sounds and shouts, there were far more people inside than there were before. And they sounded skilled in combat. I was still being held down by Li ge, so I could only listen hard and guess. Since we weren't chained up or shot down yet, I guessed that Yang Guo's men had finally arrived.

"The scroll, Li ge-" I whispered, almost crying. He sighed.

The noise subsided as quickly as it had risen, leaving only a few voices speaking, among which, Yang Guo's was prominent, giving instructions and reports. I finally raised my head.

The first thing I saw were men in black holding guns, aimed at those that, I suppose, were Jake's men. He was nowhere to be seen. The police intermingled with them, taking control of the situation... handcuffs clicking and chains clanking all around. My eyes fell on Chen Shing right beside us who was, God bless him, clutching something across his chest.  I let out a moan of relief, seeing the aged bamboo sticks peeking out.

It was over.

"Alex....?" Yang Guo's gentle voice washed over me. I had no strength left to answer as Le ge released me, allowing him to take me in his arms. I buried my face in his shirt, absorbing his warm strokes on my back.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worried. I nodded. "You're not speaking. What happened?" I felt him move, checking me over for any injury.

"I'm alright." I spoke weakly. "The scrolls are safe."

"Unbelievable." He muttered, hugging me close, while I took slow deep breaths.

"That's her." Chen Shing said. I felt Yang Guo's body vibrate with a snort. It didn't sound jovial though.

I allowed myself two minutes of healing bliss in his arms before sitting up to have the first proper look around. Except for the Reverend, accompanied by two monk brothers attending to him, a few of Yang Guo's men and a couple of policemen, the chamber was empty. It looked like none of Jake's men remained. "So, what happened?" I asked Yang Guo

"My men arrived just in time." He said, and sighed. I purposefully avoided that accusing gaze. "It took them time to take out all the men who were holding the monks as prisoners. The temple was surrounded. One wrong move and they'd have all rushed in here."

"Is it over now?" I asked.

"It's over." He answered.

"Thank the lord." I released a deep breath. I was still trembling a little, and felt glad when Yang Guo sat down on the ground, pulling me closer. He was warm. I leaned my head on his shoulder, grateful to him for not saying anything.

"Miss?"

One of the policemen approached me. "Are you alright?" I nodded. He smiled. "You were very brave." He said, "This country will be highly grateful to you. You are more suited to join the force than the Library." He grinned at me.

I smiled at him. "Thank you." I said, then chanced a glance at the face above me. "But I think I'll be court-martialed before even joining."

"Eh?"

"Never mind." I sighed. "Can we leave here? I don't want to stay here anymore." I pleaded to Yang Guo, trying my best to look like a damsel in distress. It didn't change his expression, but he got up, pulling me up with him.

"Will you be able to walk?" He asked sarcastically. I glared at him, then strode out in a huff, closely followed by the rest.

°=°=°=°

The cool night breeze hit my face.

I paused to breathe it in, closing my eyes. It felt kind of surreal after the tense hours spent cooped up inside with death threats hanging over our heads.

We could breathe finally, free of the tension that had coiled up inside us while being held at gunpoint. The instant relief brought with it a wave of fatigue and I swayed. I would have fallen if not for Yang Guo who caught me and held me securely.

"You're still not fully recovered from the drug effects." He spoke quietly. "Come." Before I could even open my mouth to protest, he swept me off my feet... er... literally,  and carried me to my room, before putting me down on my mattress and taking off my shoes.

"I'm alright." I said. He didn't answer, focused on making me comfortable with pillows behind my back. I watched him draw a sheet over my knees, tucking it in, then fetching me a glass of water. I sighed.

"I'm sorry."

He nodded, his face devoid of smiles, and held the glass to my lips. I drank it all, thirstily, then gazed at him as he wiped my face with his handkerchief.

"Are you mad at me? I asked in a small voice.

Yang Guo sighed and shook his head. "I should be. But I don't feel like it." He gazed into my eyes seriously. "I'm just thankful that you are alive."

I lowered my head to gaze at my hands, but he curved a finger under my chin to lift up my face to his. "Don't turn away. I plan to look at this face a lot from now on. My job gives me less time than nine to five office hours." He leaned in to touch his lips to mine lightly. "Let me just recover from the scare."

"Would a hug help?" I asked gently. He paused, then nodded and leaned in.

Resting my head on his shoulder, tucking into his neck brought a sense of belonging somewhere. There was a home back in Canada. Here was a second one. He smelled of a safe haven. An assurance that the danger was really over. That we could finally breathe.

Herein lies my cosmos. The warmth my medicine. The heartbeats my lullaby.

I realized that I had spoken that aloud when he hummed back, tightening his arms.