Amber half-dragged, half-carried Cal through the rain-soaked streets, his body leaning heavily on hers. Every step was a struggle, his legs barely supporting him, but he forced himself to keep going, guiding them through back alleys to avoid being seen. His vision blurred, his body screaming in pain from the fight. He glanced at Amber, her face set with determination despite the fear in her eyes, and he felt a pang of guilt for dragging her into this.
By the time they reached his apartment, Cal's strength had almost completely left him. Amber fumbled with the key, her hands shaking. When they finally stumbled inside, she barely managed to get him to the couch before he collapsed, his breath ragged and uneven. She rushed to the bathroom, grabbing the first-aid kit, but when she returned, she found him hunched over, his body trembling.
"You know you're a lot heavier than you look", she tried to smile. To lighten the mood of even a little. It didn't help.
"I couldn't do it, Amber," he choked out, tears streaming down his face. "I thought I could protect you by keeping you out of this, but I almost got us both killed."
Amber knelt beside him, her hand hovering uncertainly before resting gently on his shoulder. "Cal, you did everything you could."
"No, I didn't!" His voice cracked with emotion as he slammed his fist onto the coffee table, forgetting his own strength and shattering the wood, the frustration and pain palpable. "I'm supposed to be strong enough to handle this, to protect everyone, but I couldn't. If you hadn't been there… I would've died. With you there you could've died. And he would've…" He couldn't even finish the thought, the memory of Henry's monstrous grin and his own helplessness clawing at his mind.
His tears flowed freely now, his body shaking with the sobs he'd tried so hard to hold back. Amber's heart broke seeing him like this—so vulnerable, so broken. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close despite the blood and sweat. He resisted for a moment, but then he collapsed into her embrace, his head resting on her shoulder as he wept.
"You're not alone, Cal. You don't have to do this alone."
His sobs subsided, but he didn't pull away, his breath still coming in ragged gasps. "I killed him, Amber. I killed him. I've never… I threw that punch to kill, and I did. I can't… I don't know if I can keep doing this."
Amber felt a chill run through her. She hadn't seen the moment, but she knew what it meant for him. He was always so careful, so determined to be more than just a violent vigilante. And now, he'd crossed a line he'd set for himself. "You did what you had to," she said softly. "He wasn't human, Cal. I—I could sense it. There was something inside him, controlling him. I broke the connection, and that's what gave you the opening. He wasn't just a person. He was like a puppet, a monster." The implication of a puppet master slipped both their minds for the moment. As though the thought would just add too much weight to the already heavy atmosphere.
Cal pulled back, looking at her with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "But I still… I could have done something else. I could have…"
"No, you couldn't," she said firmly, cupping his face with her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. "You saved us, Cal. You saved who knows how many others by stopping that thing."
He closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging. "I just… I can't do this alone anymore. I can't shoulder this by myself. I can't take another step."
"You don't have to," Amber whispered, her own eyes filling with tears. "I'm here. I'll help you. We'll do this together. I know what it's like to be born with abilities like this, the feeling that you could do more."
Cal shook his head, his voice cracking. "You don't understand. I wasn't born with these powers. I—" He hesitated, then forced himself to continue. "I tried to kill myself. In the bathtub. I cut my wrists open, and that's when I found out. That's how I got these powers."
Amber gasped, her heart aching for him. She pulled him closer, hugging him tightly. "Cal, I'm so sorry. But you're here now. You survived. And you're doing something good with this power, no matter where it came from."
He clung to her, his breath shuddering. "I was never this strong, mentally or physically. I just… I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this."
"You don't have to be strong all the time," she whispered, her voice fierce with emotion. "You're allowed to break down. You're allowed to lean on others. I'm here for you. We'll figure this out together."
For a long while, they stayed like that, holding each other in the dim light of the apartment. Amber didn't let go, even as Cal's breathing evened out and he slipped into a restless sleep. She gently laid him back on the couch, pulling a blanket over him. Then she sat beside him, watching over him as he slept.
The next few days were a blur of pain and recovery. Amber took time off work and school, pretending to be taking care of a sick relative. She stayed with Cal, nursing him back to health. His healing factor was slow, his body too exhausted to fully repair itself. He could barely move the first day, his hand a raw stump slowly regenerating. But she was there, feeding him, changing his bandages, staying by his side through the worst of it.
Cal fell in and out of consciousness, the pain and exhaustion pulling him under. But every time he woke, Amber was there, her presence a balm to his broken spirit. And slowly, bit by bit, his strength began to return.
On the third day, he managed to stand up on his own, his voice stronger as he tried to thank her. But she just shook her head, a small, sad smile on her lips. "Don't thank me, Cal. You'd do the same for me."
He nodded, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than usual. Then he looked away, his thoughts still heavy but his heart a little lighter. He wasn't alone. And maybe, just maybe, he could find the strength to keep going, not for himself, but for her, for Ryan, for everyone who needed him.