Liv thought she would fall right to sleep as she leaned back against Ezra, but when he started to talk, she found it wasn't hard to stay awake.

"Well, this wasn't how I saw my night going," he said, almost as a laugh.

"Really?" she mocked.

"You didn't plan on getting locked in a panic room?"

"No. My plan had just been breaking out of an elevator, taking down a huge eastern European man and throwing fire off the roof. This panic room this really throwing a wrench in my night."

Liv laughed loudly and it felt like it took a huge weight off her shoulders.

"How about you? Is this what your Wednesday nights usually look like?" he asked.

"No. Tonight has been much more exciting. Usually, I just throw fire off the roof."

She smiled has his deep laugh filled their small space. She pulled free of his arm and turned so she could see him. She leaned back against the adjacent wall and un-tucked her legs, resting her them over his.

"I have been wondering what the burnt spots on the sidewalk outside the building were from," he said.

She proudly raised her hand to accept full responsibility. He grinned and she liked how it softened everything about him. She smiled back, realizing that even with the night they had been through, this wasn't the first time she was seeing him smile. It was a sight most people in the office hadn't seen.

He raised his eyebrow questioningly at her gaze and she returned it with a teasing smile. "The biggest surprise of my night has been you."

"Me?" he laughed in surprise.

She nodded. "If someone had told me I would get stuck in the middle of some sort of heist and Ezra Lexington would be the one to help me, I wouldn't have thought this is where we would end up."

"Do I seem so helpless?"

"No. I thinking more along the lines of you being a team player."

"I manage teams all the time. That's practically my whole job."

She smiled as his argument proved her point. "Managing a team isn't the same as being part of a team." He started his next argument but she cut him off. "You didn't even know my name," she laughed. He stuttered for a moment before he snapped his mouth shut. He couldn't argue against that. He started to look guilty but she waved it away. "Don't worry, I won't lose sleep over it. Besides, after tonight it's clear you make an excellent team member."

He accepted her compliment with a small nod.

"I could be nice. I should be nicer," he corrected himself. She looked at him curiously. The statement didn't ask for an answer and she remained silent. "I mean, there might be some foundation for what everyone says about me."

She narrowed her eyes at his use of qualifiers. She was sure the possible 'foundation' for the gossip was solid concrete. He tried to meet her scrutinizing look head-on, but when she smiled, he couldn't hold it. He gave a reluctant smile as he dropped his gaze.

"Fine, I give them plenty of reasons to talk," he said. She didn't disagree with him.

Tommy let out a loud snore and they both looked at him. He had been so quiet, Liv had almost forgotten he was there. When she turned back to Ezra, there was a pensive look on his face as he looked at nothing.

"I'm not a superior jackass just for the sake of being one," he said.

A snappy reply jumped to Liv's lips, but she bit it back. Even though the statement had seemed funny, there was something serious about.

He turned his gaze on her and she could see there was a touch of regret in his eyes. "I wasn't always like this. In fact, the secretaries can rest easy knowing that my mother taught me the basic manners of saying hello and thank you. But, lawyers aren't known for their hospitality or their manners. They're known for being cutthroat."

He smiled like it was a joke, but he wasn't joking. He reached for her hand and took it in both of his. He turned her palm up and his fingers danced along it lazily.

"It didn't take me long to realize that making friends would only get in the way of rising to the top, and most of the people didn't actually want to be my friend." He smiled sardonically. "You can only get stabbed in the back so many times before you figure out how to wear armor."

He seemed to get distracted by her hand for a minute before he looked up at her, a wry smile on his face. "But I don't want your pity."

"Good. I'm not giving it," she smiled teasingly.

His eyes brightened in surprise, and his smile warmed. "Okay, maybe I wanted a little."

"Well in that case..." She forced a serious expression onto her face. "After much deliberation, the court has found the defendant..." pausing dramatically, "not 100% guilty."

"What? You can't do that."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't. It's either guilty or not guilty."

"This is my courtroom," she motioned to their tiny space, "and I can give whatever verdict I want."

"Fair enough. I guess its better than just guilty." He raised his hands in concession.

She grinned mischievously. "I'm sure you get enough pity from all your model girlfriends."

This got the biggest laugh out of him. "My what?"

"Come on," she teased, "everyone knows you only date models."

He kept laughing and shook his head. "That is probably the most outrageous rumor I've heard."

"What about how you graduated college at fifteen?"

"That's completely true," he answered flatly.

"Liar," she said, giving him a gentle shove.

He caught her hand in between his. "I don't date models," he said. "I actually don't date at all. It turns out that when you work eighty hours a week, outside of work you really only have time to sleep."

"Sleep," she said longingly, following up with a yawn as if she had planned it. "Sleep is a glorious thing."

She couldn't believe she was still awake. She had been ready to fall into bed when she had tried to leave the office before everything fell apart hours ago. She wasn't even sure how long it had been.

"What time is it?" she asked.

Ezra pulled out his phone. "Almost four AM."

"No!" she cried. "I won't have time to get home and sleep before I have to be back here at eight."

He chuckled. "I think our boss will understand if you need a personal day."

"I guess," she yawned. "He will probably have bigger issues to deal with. We might not even have an office after tonight." She looked at the heavy metal door. "What do you think is going on out there?"

He looked with her and they both fell silent as they listened. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Even if the police raid the building, it would be hard to tell what was going on."

He nodded. They listened for a few more minutes. A few times they thought they could hear someone shouting, but the door was too thick to let anything get through clearly.

Liv found with the silence she began to feel sleepy. She yawned and slowly moved back into her original position, leaning back against Ezra. He wrapped his arm around her. She fit perfectly against his side and she let her head fall back onto his shoulder.

"Liv?" he said quietly.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled.

"You said your dad was a police officer," he asked quietly.

"He is." The image of her dad dressed in his blues brought a tired smile to her face. "My whole life he has taught me little lessons. I loved learning all he had to teach, but never imagined I would actually have the chance to use the skills."

"Well, I'm glad you had them. We wouldn't have made it out of here if it wasn't for you." She started to balk but he stopped her with a gentle squeeze. "I'm serious. I would have been the idiot who walked up to the fake security guard and got myself caught within the first half-hour. We made it this far because you kept a level head."

"That might be true," she ceded. "But I had my own moments of freaking out that you had to talk me out of. Tonight, was a team effort. I wouldn't be here without you either."

"I guess we needed each other."

They lapsed into silence and Liv could feel her eyes growing heavy with sleep. After a minute, Ezra rested his head on top of hers and she could hear him yawn. She yawned herself and closed her eyes. "Maybe we should try to stay awake," she said sleepily. But she was asleep before she got a response.

The next thing she knew, she was awoken by a burst of bright life. Before she could process what was happening, there was a figure standing over her.

Her hand jumped to the gun resting on the floor beside her, but she stopped as her eyes focused on the man. He was covered in black from head to toe, and across his chest in big letters was the word "SWAT".

**********************************************************************

Oh my gosh! They're having a moment! Way too cute! *swoons*

Yes, let's focus on the 'moment' and not the fact that they were rescued.

Rescued shmscued they are in love and now there is proof!

You're ridiculous!

Yes, but I know this about myself and accept myself for it and so I'm fine with myself for this. 😁

Say myself one more time

Myself.

🙄

What do you think about it all?

Vote, comment, follow or else there is a chance they still might die! Bum bum Bummmmm!