Lucian stayed quiet through most of the back-and-forth, still riding the aftershocks of everything that happened. The second Zac shut the door, Lucian finally let himself breathe. Hearing Zac praise them made something warm flicker in his chest. He managed a tired smile. [color=gold]“We’re alive, so… I’ll take that as a win.”[/color]

When Morgan asked who was going where, and Levi suggested splitting up, Lucian’s stomach tightened. He didn’t interrupt, not at first. He just stared down at his hands. They had just reunited, and now they were going to split up again?

But he pushed through it.

[color=gold]“If we do split up,”[/color] he said quietly, [color=gold]“I want to be on the team going after Alias. I… need to make sure he’s okay.”[/color]

He glanced up then, blue eyes a little more determined than before. [color=gold]“But Levi’s right. Nobody goes alone. Not now. Not ever again.”[/color]

A long, tired breath slipped out of him. Almost without thinking, he began to sing. A song his mother used to sing to him at night.

🎶[color=gold]A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams, you will lose your heartache
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams, and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true[/color]🎶