Xiumin had been right.

When they showed up at the HQs half an hour later – having spent some time to catch with Ken, hear his updates about the business and giving advice on how to handle Xiumin – the entire building was silent.

Lily observed in quiet surprise as Xiumin leaned down to get his eye scanned and then, a thumb print to verify himself before speaking into the intercom device. ‘It’s Xiumin… and Lily.’

The intercom crackled. ‘Hey Lily,’ Chen’s cheerful voice floated out, making her smile. ‘You’re looking good.’

Lily started, before catching sight of the security camera fixed above their heads. She waved at it, smiling when laughter rang out. After his pseudo-death and consequent coma, it was a relief to hear his voice.

Nostalgia hit her hard in that moment. This building, these people... she’d missed them all.

‘I hope you’re looking better than you did the last time I saw you,’ she commented, making Chen laugh in delight. Xiumin, on the other hand, looked like he’d swallowed something sour.

‘Stop flirting and open the door,’ he snapped irritably.

Lily suppressed a smile at his obvious jealousy, ego well . It was neither the time nor place for this kind of thing, but she couldn’t help the delight that s through her at his reactions. Served him right. 

‘Wait a minute,’ Chen’s voice floated out. ‘Let me just…’

There was a whirring sound before the doors clicked and Xiumin pushed one open. ‘Come on.’

Lily glanced at the doorway as she entered, the heavy bolts placed all over and the security cameras lining every corner. ‘What’s with all the security?’

Xiumin glanced up at the cameras. ‘D.O’s paranoia got the best of him and after last time, he feels completely justified.’

Lily nodded. Seeing how Kyra had... well, died, for a lack of better term, she supposed he was justified. ‘And you guys just went with it?’

Xiumin smiled. ‘It’s a lot better than it originally was – he’d installed trip alarms on every threshold and everyone kept getting locked out of their rooms, the living room and the kitchen, so Suho stepped in and forced him to be more reasonable.’

Lily giggled, easily able to imagine D.O going nuts with security. ‘Bet Mei and Tiffany didn’t respond well to it.’

Xiumin nodded, a half smile tugging his lips. ‘Neither did Tao or Sehun, since they couldn’t sneak anywhere without getting caught.’

Lily smiled and glanced around her, nostalgia building up inside her. The layout was the same, the wide open set up quite appropriate, in her opinion, for the rowdy Legends. There were tiny changes here and there, and they reached a pair of glass doors that she didn’t remember from before. ‘This looks new…’

‘Hospital wing,’ Xiumin explained. ‘Since none of us can be treated elsewhere. And after Chen… well, Suho thought it’d be a good idea to invest in a clinic.’

Lily swallowed. ‘Rose and Leo…’

‘They’re here.’ Xiumin confirmed, holding the doors open for her. She stepped in the corridor and glanced around, nervousness building inside her. It looked more like a ramp, the sort she’d seen in the Trauma and Emergency section of hospital where Rose had stayed.

‘Lay used a lot of his healing on Leo, so he’ll probably be out of it for a bit longer, but Rose might be awake.’

Lily nodded. ‘I’d still like to see him first.’

Xiumin lead the way to the room at the end of the corridor, right next to what looked like the operation theatre.

Lily’s heart was beating in as she slid the door open, peering inside, not sure what to expect. Tubes and pins stuck to him, the heart monitor’s beep beep a constant sound in the background, just like Rose?

A sigh of relief left her when Leo came into view, his bed mercifully free of any tubing or heart monitors, looking fast asleep. He looked quite pale in the dim lamplight, but she was too glad to have him breathing to care.

Tears blurred her vision as she touched his face, skin warm under her fingers. A shuddering breath left her and she sniffed, feeling tension draining out of her. Heavens knew how she’d held it together since hearing something had happened to him.

‘Where…?’ she asked thickly. Lay’s healing left no marks, so it was hard to tell if he’d had any injuries.

Xiumin nodded at his chest. ‘We had to act quickly… so it left a scar.’

Lily pushed the covers down and in a breath at the puckered scar right above his heart. Her legs suddenly felt weak and she knelt, holding Leo’s hand tightly. ‘Oh God!’

Despite being healed, the skin was jagged and puckered, like something had torn through it.

 She’d seen Lay’s healing firsthand; he’d fixed Kai’s torn trachea without leaving a mark, healed Xiumin’s third degree burns so barely a sign remained. The fact that he’d been so messy with his healing said all there was to say about the severity of Leo’s injuries.

She sent up a quick prayer of thanks, kissing her brother’s hand fervently. He was breathing and alive, she couldn’t ask for more.

‘I’m sorry,’ Xiumin said suddenly.

Lily blinked blearily. ‘Huh?’

‘I promised you I’d protect your family…’ Xiumin’s voice was filled with regret. ‘If not for Lay, I wouldn’t have even known…’

Lily shook her head. ‘You saved him,’ she whispered, gripping Leo’s hand tighter. ‘Heavens know what might’ve happened if you hadn’t arrived on time, if you hadn’t done whatever you did. He’s alive, breathing, thanks to you. You have nothing to apologize for.’

Xiumin didn’t look like he believed her but let it slide. ‘I’ll step outside, let me know when you’re done.’

She nodded, turning back to Leo. Her brother was asleep, breathing rhythmic and deep, reassuring sounds that calmed her down. She stared at him unseeingly, mind preoccupied with Xiumin’s words. She wanted, for once in her life, to be petty and hold his breaking up with her – because she wasn’t his mate – against him. And she couldn’t deny the part of her that enjoyed seeing him suffer.

But he kept reminding her why she’d fallen for him in the first place. Xiumin was a good man, a decent person, someone who shared the same beliefs and values with her. He’d proven that time and time again in all the time she’d worked for him and dated him. That made holding a grudge harder than she’d thought possible.

‘What should I do, Leo?’ she asked, sighing and leaning her head against his bed. ‘You need to wake up, so you can talk some sense into me, yeah?’ Gently, she patted his head, pushing his hair back. ‘Minah’s worried sick about you; and Mom… well, she’s convinced someone cursed our family or something.’ She chuckled, wiping the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. ‘I’m going to see Rose now. You’d better be awake when I come back.’

She thought she saw his lips twitch but that could just be wishful thinking. Shaking her head, she turned and left.

…………………………………….

Rose woke up alert. One moment she’d been asleep and next, awake, completely aware of her surroundings, no drowsiness, almost as if someone had shaken her awake.

The events of the night were just as clear, everything that’d happened running through her head like a single, continuous reel. She sat up, grimacing at the feel of her dirtied clothes, stiff where the blood – Leo’s blood – had dried. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be out of these clothes, change into something, anything that was not coated in her brother’s blood.

Swallowing, she looked around, her eyes landing on the duvet resting on the bed. She eyed it critically; it looked big enough to cover her. Before she could act however, the door clicked and swung open, a familiar face peeking inside.

‘Rose?’ Lily’s voice was soft, gentle.

And that was all it took for Rose to completely fall apart. She didn’t even attempt to move, her face crumpling the moment her sister came into view, big, fat tears filling her eyes at an alarming rate.

She had a brief impression of surprise registering on Lily’s face before the dam broke loose and she started bawling like a baby.

Running footsteps ensued before arms wrapped around her shaking torso and she let herself go completely. She mumbled, trying to talk while crying and it all ended up in nonsensical hiccups that made no sense, even to herself.

But Lily never needed any words. Her sister hugged her tightly, combing a hand through her matted hair, picking through the tangles and scratching her scalp. It was achingly familiar, like a security blanket falling around her and for the first time in a long while, she felt safe. If there was anyone who could save her from herself, it was Lily.

She didn’t know how long she cried, just that she was absolutely drained when she stopped, beginning to feel light-headed, breath coming in shuddering gasps.

‘I-I’m... s-sor-ry…’ she hiccoughed, not daring to look at her sister. If Lily was here, that meant she knew that Leo had been injured, because she had attacked him. She felt tears filing her eyes anew, scared of Lily’s reaction. Lily had always been more than a sister to her, and she couldn’t begin to imagine what she would do if Lily…

The thought didn’t finish before she felt gentle hands cradle her face, tilting her head up. She kept her eyes low, not wanting to see reprimand, anger, rejection on her sister’s face.

‘Look at me,’ Lily said. Rose shook her head, biting her lip to stop from crying again.

‘Rosie…’ Her childhood nickname. It made her heart hurt. ‘Look at me, baby.’

Blinking rapidly, she glanced at her, dropping her gaze instantly, shoulders curling in on themselves in an unconscious gesture.

‘I’m not angry,’ Lily answered her unasked question, reading her like a book. ‘Neither is Leo or mom or Minah. We know you didn’t mean it, it wasn’t you.’

‘But…’ The easy forgiveness wasn’t easy to swallow. ‘L-leo almost d-died…’ she choked out. ‘I nearly killed him!  

‘But he didn’t.’ She felt more than saw Lily move and sit in front of her, still cradling her face but now, forcing her face towards herself. ‘And whatever happened, it’s not your fault.’

Rose’s reaction, naturally, was to bawl even more. Lily clucked her tongue before pulling her into another hug, tucking Rose’s head under her chin and rocking them back and forth. ‘Hush now…’ she muttered, rubbing her back comfortingly. ‘It’s alright, everything’s going to be alright, I promise. I’m here now.’

And maybe it was stupid, but Rose felt her heart settle, like that was all the reassurance it needed. And she hugged her sister back so tightly, it felt like she might break her. But Lily didn’t protest, and Rose didn’t let go until all the tension had drained out her and she laid her head in Lily’s lap, forgetting about her matted hair and soiled clothes.

For the first time since Lily’s arrival, Rose looked at her sister properly. Lily looked pretty much the same as she’d done before leaving, pretty – prettier than Rose ever was, even at her best – some stray hairs coming loose from the bun she’d tied them in; her skin had this pinkish sheen to it, almost as if she was running a fever.

‘I missed you,’ she muttered blearily.

Lily smiled down at her, though it looked a little forced. Knowing her sister, Lily was probably trying to hide her own feelings and pretending to be alright for her sake. She smiled, feeling her eyes slip shut as exhaustion finally caught up to her.

……………………………………….

Lily didn’t start avoiding touching people until after she’d left Oulphesden.

With everything that had happened at that time – the battle with Evil, Kyra’s demise, the Legends’… deaths, there was no other way to say it – and her break up with Xiumin, whom she’d very nearly lost in the battle, his abdomen cut up and guts spilling out… she’d been hurting too much to notice.

Oh sure, she was happy. Happier than she’d ever been, with Rose finally waking up, getting better and Xiumin… though he’d been so cold with her, he was alive, alive, and that’s what mattered, even if it hurt to breath.

It hurt to do everything anyway. It hurt to not wake up next to him, the side beside her cold like his frost. It hurt not to see him and not kiss him, to not feel his touch when they were close. It hurt to be in the same room but not talk to each other.

So… maybe it did hurt to hold anyone, to hug and be hugged by her siblings, it hurt when Tiffany and Raina joked around with her. But it hurt anyway, so she didn’t notice.

But it didn’t stop hurting even when she moved away. In fact, it hurt even more. When she accidentally brushed against the lady in the bus, when she shook hands with her new landlord. She ignored it, too worn out to care.

It wasn’t until a fortnight or so later that she decided to get the bite mark on her neck checked. She’d seen it before, of course; had even touched it, remembering the last time Xiu- he had touched her. But after she’d cried herself out, angry at herself for still hanging on to someone who’d only been toying with her, it’d occurred to her that the bite mark looked quite inflamed.

She’d been worried that she’d let an infection fester so long – her feverish state made sense after looking at it – so she’d sought medical counsel. Her doctor’s reaction had been to get her admitted but when the nurses tried to put the cannula on her, she couldn’t bear the touch, crying out in shock.

Thankfully they’d been very understanding and prescribed her high-dosage antibiotics instead. It hadn’t helped. She hadn’t felt any better, except in less pain because of the painkillers.

A thorough discussion of her symptoms ensued, and they’d concluded that she’d probably been experiencing similar symptoms ever since the battle. But had been much too busy and much too hurt to notice.

Well, she had no choice to but notice it then. They’d done several tests, with a lot of painkillers and local anesthesia to the points where she would be touched. Her reports had been clear and objectively, she was in fine health, if a little low on iron. 

Ultimately, her doctor had decided to give her painkillers to help manage the pain, and sedatives for sleeping, so she could go about her life. It wasn’t ideal by any means, but she could hardly reveal anything about the Legends.

That was the only thing that made sense to her. Xiumin’s bite should have faded but it hadn’t. Though it looked quite… well, like a huge hickey, it barely hurt – except when someone touched her, or her imagination/memories got out of control, in which case it throbbed. She had no idea what it meant but she’d decided to blame Xiumin for it, just like she was doing for so many things.

She’d been worried about Rose and Leo already, when she’d found that her brother – that big, loving oaf who thought he was impervious to danger – was still in Oulphesden, a potential target for Evil to manipulate Xiumin, by threatening her family. It wouldn’t matter to Evil if she wasn’t Xiumin’s mate, he’d still hurt them. And what Leo had told her about Rose, sounded like Evil was already doing that.

She’d already decided to go back to Oulphesden because what was the point of staying away from her family and friends if they were being targeted anyway?

And then, she’d received the phone call. Alarm bells had started ringing on seeing Xiumin’s number – yes, she was stupid enough to still remember it – had shown up on her screen. And his words, the careful way he was phrasing everything to keep her from panicking… that had been the last straw.

In her hurry to get there though, she’d missed her medicine. And then, impulsively rushed in to hug Rose. She couldn’t just stand there while her sister cried, her pain be damned.

It had been easy to push it all away when she was holding Rose while she sobbed wretchedly. Rose might’ve been possessed – both by Leo and Xiumin’s accounts – but the person breaking down in front of her was her baby sister. And Lily had to comfort her, she simply had to. 

Except, it backfired. Her doctor had warned her about the effect of overusing painkillers and the resulting cycle of rebound aches, but she’d remembered it too late. Touching Rose certainly didn’t help either.

She waited until she was sure Rose was deep asleep before gently shifting her head off her lap and standing, so she could adjust her into a more comfortable position.

But the moment she lost contact with Rose’s body, all the discomfort and pain she’d pushed away in the heat of the moment came back with a vengeance. She gasped in pain, vision darkening and instead of standing, she crumpled gracelessly to the floor.

Her entire body was burning up, skin tingling like thousands of ants crawling inside her, an itch bordering on pain shooting through her entire body. Her hands flailed around, trying to grasp something cool, anything to soothe the burns.

‘Lily!’

Her ears buzzed, everything sounding faraway. She tried to speak but a pained whimper left instead, and she curled into a ball on the floor, hoping the pain would just stop.

‘Lily, what’s wrong?’

Her body felt like it was literally set on fire. Her ears had begun to whistle at that point, consciousness fading in and out and then, she felt arms lifting her up.

The abrupt movement, combined with the almost jarring sensation of coolness was the last straw and then, mercifully, she out.

……………………………………

A/N

Hello everyone

I had been meaning to update on Chen's birthday, what with us sharing Zodiac signs and he being one my biases and everything. But life gets in the way. So, here you have a slightly belated update. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you guys think.

Bye bye