Ash's eyes shot open and instead of being greeted by a dark tunnel leading to a shining door, the forest greeted her. She could feel a heavy silence around her as she watched the pine branches sway in the breeze. There was something hypnotic about their gentle movement and Ash thought that she would be happy here in the afterlife.

But as the seconds ticked by, the peaceful silence started to recede. Her senses came back to her as her brain began to pick out a voice behind her and the pain throughout her whole body returned. Then there were hands around her arms, pulling her to her feet. She was turned around and came face to face with Zach.

Zach? She stared at him blankly as her brain fought through the last five minutes to try to cobble together what was going on.

"Zach," she whispered, her hands reaching out to touch his face then shoulders.

He was real. She watched his lips move but she could barely hear him over the ringing in her ears.

Her eyes moved past him into the cabin and a dark room and she started to remember. Zach and she had been kidnapped. He said he worked for the CIA. There had been a hulking man. Ash felt the details coming back, amazed at how almost dying had buried them under her final thoughts.

'I almost died!' she thought again.

Clarity swept through her mind. She had been kidnapped! She had had a gun to her head. The man? Where was he? She started to look around when Zach grabbed her face gently with his two hands, fixing her eyes on him.

"Ash," he said. "Can you hear me?" The ringing in her ears had lessened and she nodded at the sound of his voice. "Good," he nodded reassuringly. "Do you think you can walk?"

She lifted one leg, then the next. Pain shot up and down both with each movement but it wasn't enough that she couldn't walk. She nodded.

"Good," he said again, never once taking his eyes off of hers. "Can you take a few deep breaths?"

She did as he asked and as the air passed in and out of her lungs she felt another level of clarity as her brain received more oxygen than it had been getting.

"Alright," Zach said. "I need to look for a phone. Don't move and keep breathing."

She nodded as she took another deep breath. Zach disappeared back into the house and she continued to breathe deeply. Even though there was pain all over her body, she could feel her muscles starting to loosen.

She gently moved her head from side to side as she slowly moved her legs. She moved her head up and down and froze when she discovered the body at her feet. Her eyes darted to the face. It was the man who had almost killed her.

Or was it? She quickly took in the details of his face. It had the same scars and hair but something was missing.

She looked at the man's eyes, expecting the anger and cruelty she had seen before but there was nothing. There was nothing in the man's eyes because there was nothing left of this man. He was dead.

Suddenly it felt like she couldn't breathe. Her hands went to her throat as it felt like all the air was pushed from her body. She couldn't stop looking at the man's eyes now they were just blank glassy orbs.

Then everything inside of her began to fight to come out. She ran to the deck railing and threw up. Her whole body heaved violently as it emptied her stomach onto the dirt below. Even after her stomach was empty she kept retching, unable to control the tremors in her body as tears and snot ran down her face.

"It's okay," Zach said, appearing by her side, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "Breathe, breathe."

"I can't read his face," she gasped in between convulsions. "I can't...there's no...the man...he's gone."

Zach pulled her back from the railing and held her face firmly between his hands.

"Look at me," he commanded her, wiping her face clean. "What do you see? What emotions? What am I thinking?"

Ash's eyes darted in the direction of the lifeless form on the ground but Zach quickly shifted so she couldn't see the body.

"Look at me, Ash!" he said, raising his voice enough to make her jump. Startled, she focused on Zach. "What do you see?" he asked, his voice soft again. "Tell me."

For a moment, she was confused about what he was asking her to do but then she saw something in his expression. Concern. She recognized the lifeline he was throwing her and she grabbed onto it for dear life.

She slipped into something familiar as she studied his face and could feel her body begin to relax. It didn't take long to see that while he was worried about her, underneath he was calm and steady.

"What do you see?" he prompted her.

"You aren't scared or stressed," she said, her voice weak after throwing up. "You're composed." She tilted her head as she spotted something in the set of his jaw and the slop of his shoulders. "Even, comfortable."

It was the complete opposite of how she felt. She adjusted her shoulders to match his, wondering if it could bring her the calmness he was radiating. The feeling that settled over her was more numb than calm, but she welcomed it over the uncontrollable retching.

"Good," he said. "Now, We need to leave. It isn't safe here. Do you understand?"

She nodded and wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve.

"Come on," he said, taking her upper arm and leading her into the house.

He dropped her arm as he quickly grabbed something from a table and moved behind the door. Ash started to look around the cabin but Zach was back at her side before she could focus on any of the details. He slipped a heavy jacket on her then took her arm again and pulled her through a back door.

Then they were outside and Zach was leading her through the dense forest of trees. She didn't know where he was leading them but she didn't let herself think about it. She only focused on putting one foot in front of the other. She wasn't sure how long they walked before Zach came to a stop.

"Can you climb?" he asked, pointing upwards.

She followed his finger and looked up into a dense pine tree with branches coming out at every angle. She felt depleted to the point of feeling hollow but she trusted Zach.

If he said they had to climb then she would climb. She nodded and started looking for the lowest branch. He led her to the lowest one and offered his hands as a foothold to help her up onto the first branch.

"Climb as high as you can," he told her. "I'll be right back."

Before she could protest he disappeared back into the trees. She froze for a moment, wondering if she could really climb the tree without him, but his words came back to her, 'They weren't safe', and she started to climb.

Her hands were cut up from being thrown down on the floor and each rough branch she grabbed brought a new pain to them but she kept climbing. Her mind was only filled with one thought: survive.

She climbed until she heard a noise below her. She started to panic until she saw Zach was climbing up after her. He was climbing much faster and it only took him a minute to reach her.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"I had to cover our tracks. Keep climbing," he said, as he took the lead.

He led her further up the tree until they couldn't see the ground below through the branches. He looked around for a moment before he pointed to a thick branch.

"We can sit there," he said. "Wait and I'll help you up."

He pulled himself up onto a branch, settled back against the trunk then reached his hand out to her. She took it and he easily pulled her up. He swung one of her legs over the branch before he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her securely against him, her back to him.

She sank back against him and suddenly it felt like her body was made of lead. Her head fell forward like her neck could no longer hold it up and when she tried to move her arms, she couldn't.

"I can't move," she gasped in a weak panic. "I can't move."

She tried to move her arms again but only managed to wiggle her fingers. What was happening?

"Breathe, It's okay. It's just the adrenaline leaving your system," Zach said, his voice eerily calm.

"This is natural," he explained. "You need to rest. Just breathe."

Ash could feel his chest rising and falling underneath her and she used his steady rhythm to slow her own breathing. He gently lifted her head until it was resting back against his shoulder.

"You're safe. You can sleep. Sleep."

As Zach calmly reassured her, Ash could feel her eyelids getting heavy. Her eyes fluttered to stay open while the rest of her body sank deeper against Zach. Finally, she gave in and closed her eyes.

The last thing she was aware of was Zach saying, "This is agent Goode, ID number 0613875. I need to speak with Agent Hollis."

*********************************************************************

Wha-what? *blinks a few times*

Uh... I did not just faint over a dreamy swoon worthy man! He's fictional! That would be ridiculous and... and... and ridiculous! I did not faint!

I just... closed my eyes... for like two seconds. You know how it is.

Anywho, I'm guessing you're all conscious so that means you can share thoughts. This is the space to do so! 💬🗯💭

Is Zach elevated in attractiveness because he knows how to handle himself in a crisis and is protective?

...

Sorry, that isn't even a question, that should be a statement put in bold and all caps! HECK YES HE'S ELEVATED!! The man knows how to handle himself!

As someone who finds it stressful to leave the house, dang right it's attractive if a man can deal with a kidnapping, near-death situation like it's a normal Tuesday! You know he's going to be able to face anything.

Does this mean I'm in love with him?

The stupid questions I keep getting asked. *pssh* You know I am! (But shhhh don't tell Mason, he still thinks he has all of my heart. Also don't tell 875 either)

Okay! Now that it's been established that there's a new love in my life why don't show some love as well and vote, comment, follow!

Or do none of that and simply have a wonderful day, night, evening, morning, mid-morning, late afternoon, midnight, wee hours of the morning... just have a good day!