《 Skip a Beat 》

When the dust settles

Both partners stared at each other.

"This better not be heaven," Tina croaked eventually. "Because if so, I am majorly disappointed."

Theseus barked a laugh, and Tina smiled back. They were okay. They were alive.

His smile faded, and he was left staring back with a new spark in his eye. Tina's gaze travelled down to the floor.

"Did you get the files?"

"Yes. Yes I did." He held up the crusted black folders to prove his point. Tina nodded, still breathing unevenly.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, eyeing her split lip, the blood now trickling blood down her neck and staining her white blouse. Tina winced, but shook her head.

"I think I'm alright. You?"

"I'm fine."

Attempting to survey his surroundings now that more of the smoke had cleared, Theseus' eyes fell on the towering mountains of bricks blocking the entrance. Or, what had been the towering mountains of bricks blocking the entrance.

The explosion had burst a gaping hole through the centre of all the bricks. Now, it looked more like two enormous piles on either side of the cellar door, some scattered across the floor.

"Tina."

She shuffled to his side, peering at the hole created. Tina was grinning again, and she crawled to her feet, clawing her way up the wall until she was standing.

Reciprocating her movements, Theseus stumbled to his feet, his head still spinning. He saw Tina cringing again as she held the wall for support, and, probably noticing him staring, she quickly masked her pain with an unconvincing smile.

He returned it. They were both a little injured- there was no point in denying it- but they were alive. They had successfully completed the mission. Just the thought of them- returning the files to Travers, standing tall and proud as he tried to mask his surprise- brought a cocky smile to his face.

Reaching down to pick up the precious folders with his free hand, he slid his wand into his pocket. Theseus considered for a beat, then curled his arm around Tina, offering her a support. She gladly accepted it, and they steered around the stray bricks on the floor, heading slowly but surely towards the cellar door.

On the way, he took the liberty of undoing a couple buttons on his shirt- the building felt like the inside of a furnace. Although all traces of the charged magic in the air had disappeared, the temperature was still unbearable.

Tina paused just near the entrance, then bent down to pick something up. Theseus waited patiently, shifting his weight from foot to foot to help ease the aching. He heard a small gasp, then saw Tina slowly stand up, holding something in her hand.

"Tina?"

Now she turned to face him, mouth open in a small look of weakness and shock, if such an expression existed. Her hands were trembling, and when Theseus looked down, he could see why.

She was holding her wand- two dark, rich pieces of wood, slightly charred and battered, and snapped clean in half.

"Oh, Tina..." Theseus debated offering his sympathy, but she silently shook her head.

Her weak, sad smile clearly spoke: it's okay, though her eyes contradicted.

Pocketing the two halves of her wand, she let him slide his arm around her again, taking some of the weight off her legs. In return, she took the files from his hand so he didn't have to carry them.