The light turned green and I forced my eyes back to the road.
Traffic thickened as we got closer to the city, the highway clogging with afternoon commuters and delivery trucks. I merged lanes carefully, avoiding any sudden movements that might jostle Jace awake. He needed the rest. Needed whatever peace he could steal before we walked back into the fire.
The city skyline came into view, glass towers catching the afternoon light.
I glanced at Jace again and found his eyes open, staring out the window at the familiar streets sliding past. “You're awake,” I said.
“Yeah.” His voice was rough, groggy. “How long was I out?”
“Couple hours.”
“Fuck. Sorry.”
“Don't apologize. You needed the rest.” I kept my eyes on the road, navigating through traffic. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit.” He shifted in his seat, winced. “But I'll live.”
“That's the goal.”
He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “You ready for this?”
“No. But we're doing it anyway.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up fully. “What's the plan?”
“Get you home. Get you settled. Then we talk about what comes next.”
He didn't argue. Just nodded once and went back to staring out the window.
I pulled into the parking garage of his building twenty minutes later and killed the engine. For a moment, neither of us moved. Just sat there in the sudden quiet, staring at concrete pillars and expensive cars, neither of us ready to cross the threshold back into our regular lives.
Jace sighed but he looked at me smiled. “Home sweet home.”
I reached over, squeezed his hand once. “Come on. Let's get you upstairs.”
I helped him out of the car, steadying him with a hand at his elbow when his leg protested the movement. He was limping worse than he had been at the cabin but he gritted his teeth and moved anyway, stubborn as ever.
We made it to the elevator, rode up in silence, and walked down the hallway toward his door. I had my hand on his lowerback, supporting him without making it obvious, and felt him tense as we got closer.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just...” He trailed off, jaw tight. “I don't know. Feels weird being back.”
“It'll get easier.”
“You don't know that.”
“No. But I'm choosing to believe it anyway.”
He almost smiled. Almost. Then he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.
The second it swung open, I knew something was wrong.
Voices. Movement. The smell of takeout food. And then?—
“Surprise!”
Jace froze in the doorway, and I looked past him to see half the fucking team crammed into his living room. Rook sitting on the arm of the couch, Callahan bouncing on his toes near the kitchen, O'Rourke leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and a small smile pulling at his mouth. Cho was there too, and a couple others I recognized from practice.
