Rule #21: Induction is not deduction

Saera was the first to wake up the next morning.

It was a momentary blur of trying to recognize her surroundings before she calmed down, after seeing Mark's picture in a frame.

Her body stilled when she realized she was pressed up against Mark but after taking catching her breath, she settled back down. He was on his side with his left arm was tucked under her neck and his right arm was swung around her waist and she was curled perfectly into the heat of his chest.

Her face was buried in his neck and he felt so soft and warm that he felt like a pillow. She hugged her arms and scooted even closer to him. relishing in his warmth.  

It was good.

She didn't have a nightmare the whole night and it was comforting to have someone next to her to hold when she got scared.

She was grateful that he humoured her.

She lifted her head up and blinked at his sleeping face. He was quite handsome while he slept. His hair fell over his eyes and his lips were parted in soft breaths with his face pressed against the top of her head.

She dropped her head back down on his arm and stared off into space. Last night's events came flooding back.

It wasn't just the images of her corpse that scared her. It was the thought that Mireu's death was a result of her own actions.

She had to live with that knowledge for the rest of her life, because even if she killed The Collector with her own hands, it wouldn't bring back her best friend.

It just didn't feel real. It still didn't sink in that she'd never see Mireu again. No more birthdays, holidays, getting married, having kids, Saera wouldn't see her at all.

Her mind couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was gone forever. Not just for vacation, but forever.

She was just ripped from her life.

All she could do was imagine all the different scenarios that would've kept Mireu alive if Saera hadn't opened her lying mouth.

She thought of all the chances she had to back out but didn't.

Even after helping Mark, how would she move on? What would she do with her life after The Collector?

That wouldn't fix everything else she'd done.

She grunted softly and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase the images and thoughts, but her soft sound was enough to disturb Mark's sleep.

He winced and groaned before shoving his face deeper into her hair as he floated into consciousness.

She closed her eyes just as he opened his. She felt him shift a little before his face peeled away from the top of her head. She figured that he was trying to remember why he was in a bed with her.

She felt his quick intake of breath and the way his body stiffened for a second before he relaxed. He rubbed her back gently, making her stomach swim before his touch was suddenly gone.

She opened her eyes when she felt him move away and saw him sitting up, with his arms stretched out while rotating his wrists.

He rolled his shoulders a few times before looking over at her. He did a double take before grimacing, "Did I wake you?"

She shook her head and voiced out a soft, "No."

Mark felt a small weight come off his shoulders when he heard her voice. He was worried that she had gone mute from last night.

He shifted to the end of the bed, "I'm going to wash up."

Saera blinked at him before trying to sit up, but Mark stopped her, "Just stay in bed. God knows you could use the extra sleep."

"Thanks." She said quietly while clearing .

She tucked herself back under the covers before taking his pillow and hugging it so that she'd have something to hold on to. She watched him grab a towel and an extra set of clothes before walking out of the room and into the bathroom.

Once he was gone, she fell quickly into a sleep until she was shaken awake 45 minutes later.

"Get up." Mark said as he leaned over the side of the bed.

Saera winced and buried her face against the pillow until he started shaking her again. "Saera, seriously, wake up for me. Just for a second."

She groaned and opened her eyes and glared at him. His lips twitched in a measured smile before nodding his head. "Go wash up and meet me in the kitchen."

-----

"You made…breakfast." She stated blankly as she looked at the dishes that were set out on the table.

Mark rubbed the back of his neck, "It's nothing fancy, I didn't have a lot of time…or ingredients, but I think it should suffice. I normally don't make breakfast for people so go easy on me."

Saera nodded gratefully, unable to muster up a smile, "Thank you."

Mark pointed to the door, "I'm going to go to work."

"You're not staying for breakfast?" She asked softly with a light frown.

Mark's lips parted before feeling bad, "I won't be there for long. They know that my hours are going to be different with you." He saw her face fall with guilt and quickly gave her a smile, "But it's great that I finally get to come home before it gets dark."

Saera gave him a small nod but she knew he was lying.

"Don't open the doors for anyone since I have my own key. I have movies, video games and a laptop, go nuts and try not to get too bored."

Saera nodded and watched him hesitate by the door, "I'm not a glass doll Mark, I'll be fine for a few hours."

He nodded and gave the apartment a once over. "Call me if you need something or if something happens."  

"I got it."

Mark gave her one last look before walking out the door. Saera gulped when he closed the door and timidly sat down at the kitchen table. She stared at the eggs and pancakes in front of her and poked at it.

She was sure it tasted fine, but she couldn't find it in her to stomach anything. She forced herself to take a few bites and she knew she would've enjoyed it if was any other reason.

She got up and spent the rest of the afternoon slowly exploring Mark's apartment. There wasn't much to it other than a few pictures of him and his friends in his room.

It was interesting seeing him with a group of people that made him look relaxed and at ease. She could recognize Jackson but the rest of the boys were new faces.

Considering that he was a senior detective, he probably didn't have a lot of chances to goof around and act silly, he was play an authority role and he needed to be respected.

So it was fresh, seeing him smile and laugh, even in pictures.

A sudden pang hit her in the chest as she set the photo down.

She would never be able to take pictures with Mireu like that again.

They two of them had a few pictures but after things got busier and bills started to pile up, they never had the time to hang out, just as girls.

She grabbed a blanket off the bed and walked out of the room.

She wondered what else in her life she was missing out on.  

-----

Mark came back to the apartment a little later than expected but it was still earlier than any time before. He opened the door and immediately saw the glow of the television lighting up the otherwise dark room.

He walked further in and saw the television running with the sound on mute. He went  to the couch and saw Saera stretched out, asleep, with a blanket up to her chin.

He tossed his jacket aside before lifting her legs up and sitting down and setting her legs on his thighs.

He felt like . She looked so lonely, miserable and small. He wished he could let her spend time with Youngjae, but it was too risky and he knew she'd never risk his life like that.

But that didn't make him feel any less guilty.

Mark propped his arm on the arm rest and leaned his head on it before sticking the other hand under the blanket and clamped it over her shins.

Saera jerked awake and looked around in panic before her eyes landed on Mark. She sighed and relaxed. She was about to pull her legs off his lap, but he forced his hand down, making  her stay like that.

"How was your day?" He asked pleasantly while facing the TV.

Saera watched his profile, curious about his casual question before sighing, "Boring. I didn't do much."

Mark winced, "Sorry about that. My apartment isn't the most fun place to be."

"It's okay. You could've dropped me off at a theme park and I probably wouldn't have had any fun either." She said while staring up at him.

He chuckled lightly and turned to look at her, "How are you holding up?"

"Not well, but better than before." She replied shortly.

Mark nodded, "It's hard but at least it's a start."

"Does it get easier?" She asked softly.

Mark tilted his head back, "No, I don't think it does, but as time moves on, you'll find the energy to keep moving forward. You'll realize that there is so much of your life that you don't want to let pass you by while you dwell in the past."

Her heart flipped when she felt Mark's palms sliding up and down her calves, methodically massaging them while he talked. He leaned back on the couch and got comfortable while repositioning her legs on his lap.  She was always amazed when he'd break off into these deep, philosophical tangents.

It was rare, but she liked them none the less.

"How was your day? Did you make any progress?" She asked, abandoning the TV show all together to listen to him.

Mark took a deep breath before mulling it over. Saera narrowed her eyes before sitting up, "Mark, if we're going to work together and if I'm going to stay with you to work on this case, then I deserve to know everything that you know. I don't need you kiddy gloves."

"Fair enough." He said while absentmindedly her calves, "We found CCTV footage of a man picking the lock to the bakery and walking  up the stairs. He picked the lock to your apartment as well and dropped it off before leaving."

Saera leaned up, "There's supposed to be something bad with that."

"There is. We didn't catch his face once." Mark said regretfully.

Saera's eyes widened as she put everything together, "He knew. He knew we had cameras up. He knew what to avoid."

"Exactly. Which means th--"

"That he was in my store. The bakery has the most cameras and the ones in front of my house can be spotted from down the hall." Saera breathed out.

Mark nodded, "He might not have known about the ones in front of your apartment, but you're right, he would've seen the cameras before he entered the frame and made sure to block his face with a hat once he saw it."

"Who else knows about the cameras?" She asked.

"You, me, Youngjae, Jackson, Mireu, the CCTV