Arno spent the whole night up on the roof, lost in his own memories.

Jacob and he weren't close, not by any stretch of the imagination. However, after most had shunned him for his relationship with Evie, Jacob had been one of the only ones who stood by him.

He'd even saved Arno's life once.

*******Flashback*******

Arno was a dead weight at Jacob's side.

Missions didn't always go as planned, that was just a hazard of the job, but this one truly caught them by surprise.

No comms.

No backup.

And Arno had been shot in the side.

Jacob crept around the corner of a nearby building, using the shadows to his advantage as he half-walked, half-dragged Arno to the bac of the alleyway. "Never again." Jacob hissed, easing Arno to the ground, who groaned in pain, "Keep pressure on that wound."

"We should keep going." Arno gritted out through his teeth, "The guards- "

"You're in no condition to keep moving, and I can't carry you for much longer." Jacob knelt next to his friend, tapping on his earpiece, "Nothing…. We need backup and they give us crappy comms like this."

He pushed himself to his feet, pacing back and forth, trying to think of a way out of the mess.

If Arno kept bleeding out the way that he was, he wouldn't make it…. But Arno couldn't walk anyway and he certainly couldn't climb to safety.

"Jacob- "Arno suddenly whispered, a desperate fear creeping into his tone, prompting Jacob to make his way back over.

And then they heard the dogs.

Muttering every curse word he knew, Jacob grabbed Arno and pulled him further into the shadows, hoping the smell of the rubbish would keep them hidden from the dogs.

As they raced past their hiding place, Jacob couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Alright." He whispered, "We should really get going now."

"Oh, you don't say?" Arno rolled his eyes.

"The sarcasm is not appreciated." Jacob moved away from Arno, intending to check the coast was clear, only to for someone's grip on his clothes to stop him.

"Don't leave me." Arno sounded a little scared now, the blood loss and shock clearly getting to him, "Please, don't leave me alone."

"Mate, I'm not leaving, I promise." Jacob frowned, "I'm just trying to find a way out of here." He glanced out of the alleyway, "There's a car not too far away, which I can probably hot-wire."

"You- You've hot-wired a car before?"

"No… but how hard can it be?" Jacob gently removed Arno's grip from his clothes and moved away, "I'll be right back."

Trying to appear confident… like he owned the world, he made his way over to the car, smashing the window and opening the door.

Thank god it was one of those older models with no alarm.

Getting to the level of the car seat, he pulled at the wires and stripped them, using his clothes to stop himself from getting electrocuted. Twisting the two wires together, he pushed on the gas pedal, hearing the roar of the engine.

Jumping out and leaving the door open, he ran back over to the alleyway, where Arno was slumped over, breathing shallow.

"C'mon." Jacob hissed, kneeling to pick Arno up as best he could with one arm under his knees, and another under his arms, "I'm not leaving you alone, so you don't get to leave me alone."

The only reply was a weak groan.

"I'll take that as a 'I'm not going anywhere'." Jacob carried him to the car as quickly as possible, hearing the dogs getting closer. "Let's get out of here."

****End Flashback****

They'd managed to get out, if only just, and Arno spent over two weeks in the Healer's wing, with Jacob as an almost constant companion next to Elise.

Thinking back, Arno couldn't remember if Jacob was ever praised for his quick thinking.

Maybe if he had been, this wouldn't have spiralled so badly out of control.