Caught in the Crossfire

Beneath Penelope’s feet, piles of sand slipped between her toes, the warmth falling all over her body. She could feel the wind passing off the ocean and into her hair, bits of the salt stinging the inside of her nose. It seemed so strange that it had been so long since that fateful day in the London square, and so much had happened since then.

Everything was different after the loss of some of their friends and partners in crime, but they were all moving forward, taking it one day at a time. Liam made things so much easier for Penelope, because he was always there for her when she needed him. He took some of the burden off of her shoulders and did his best to help clear her mind, even as impossible as it seemed.

Penelope knew that Liam felt just a guilty as she did, but he never let her in on it. He would lie awake at night, looking up at the ceiling, while he rubbed small circles in Penelope’s back. He still hadn’t opened up to her about his guilt, but she knew he felt it, and he channeled that guilt in a way completely different from her.

Behind her, Penelope heard the sound of soft footsteps padding against the sand, coming to a stop right next to her. She turned her head to find Liam looking down at her with a small smile on his face. Whenever she left the apartment they shared together, she always went to the beach, and he’d always follow after her to make sure she was safe.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he said, that familiar smirk on his face.

Penelope chuckled at him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest and could feel his heartbeat beating steadily against her. He felt so safe and so warm that all Penelope could do was smile.

She trusted him with her life, and there was no one she’d rather be with. It seemed so strange that they had gone from only knowing each other through texts to living in an apartment together, but it was a happy change and one she wouldn’t change for the world.

From the strap on Liam’s belt loop, his phone began vibrating, a straight signal from one of the watch towers Penelope had installed. He pulled the phone from his side and looked down at the screen. On it was the figure of a man, busting into a small bank just outside of London. He looked like a kid who didn’t know what he was doing, but it was a crime nonetheless.

Liam’s eyes passing between his phone and Penelope, he looked at her with a smile.

“It looks like we’ve got another mission.”