It had been quite a few weeks since Inej and the others had wrapped things up with Van Eck and Pekka Rollins. The streets of Ketterdam had felt oddly quiet in the time since, and the infamous Kaz Brekker was itching for a fight.

Inej smiled to herself at the memory of him that morning. He had been sitting behind his desk, recounting some heist from before she had joined the ranks of the Dregs.

That was when she broke the news.

Later that day, Inej would be boarding her ship with her new crew and taking to the seas to bring down slave ships.

She could have sworn his face had fallen, and that his eyes had shaded. He looked as close to being sad as he could get.

He'd made her promise him something, though. He made her promise to meet him on the roof of one of the buildings bordering the harbor.

She'd agreed in a heartbeat, then hurried to her room to pack her bags and load them to her ship.

The Dregs were celebrating her time among them, all of them drinking and toasting to her joyously. She smiled at them, talking among her friends, her found family, for hours. And then it was time to leave.

She took her usual route to the harbor, practically flying over the rooftops, and she realized, almost sadly, that this could be her last time in this city.

Don't think like that, Inej, she scolded herself. She would be back.

She had reached the roof of the building Kaz had asked her to come to. He was facing the sea, his black coat billowing around him with the soft ocean breeze.

"Inej," he said, as if he could sense her behind him.

"Kaz," she said, stepping to his side. He didn't look at her, but she gazed at him. Those cold, brutal eyes that always seemed to draw her in were so focused on something in the distance.

"You have to go?"

She nodded. "I wasn't meant to stay in this city forever."

"Maybe you were." If she didn't know Kaz, she wouldn't have noticed the desperate lilt in his voice. Her heart ached; she didn't want to put him through this, but she couldn't throw away everything she wanted to accomplish just for him.

"Maybe," she agreed. "Which is why I'll be back to visit. And you can always write to me, Kaz. You know that."

"I'm selfish," he said. "I don't want you to leave."

"I wouldn't expect selflessness from the Bastard of the Barrel," she joked, but neither of them found it particularly funny. In a quieter tone, she said, "You'll be alright without me."

He didn't say anything. Of course, he didn't say anything. He'd done his fair share of begging her to stay to no avail already. No matter how close she held Kaz to her heart, she couldn't throw away everything for him.

"Inej," he said, finally turning to face her. He held out a gloved hand. "Do you want to dance?"

Shocked, she didn't know what to say.

He continued gazing at her, then lowered his hand. She was going to protest, to tell him she would, when he pulled off those black leather gloves and placed them gently in his pocket.

She extended her hand to him this time. Ever so slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing hers.

Kaz sucked in a deep breath, his eyes flitting closed. But Inej waited.

When he finally steadied himself, he took her hand in his. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, and he rested his other hand on her waist. The contact between them sent sparks through her.

They stepped together, falling into a slow rhythm. His eyes stayed glued to hers, never once drifting away.

He tipped her back, supporting her as he did. She laughed slightly, and he sighed happily.

"I never thought there would be day when I would have to say goodbye."

"I put my life on the line in every single mission you sent me on," she pointed out. "Those could've been goodbyes."

"They weren't, though." Kaz closed his eyes. "Your silly Saints believed in you. They wanted you to make it this far."

"No, Kaz. I believed in myself."

"I know, Inej."

They stood still for a few moments, letting their arms fall back to their sides. She missed his touch, but she knew the boundaries between them and she wouldn't push them.

"I have to go now, Kaz Brekker."

He didn't say anything and she took that as her cue to leave. She started to shimmy down a pipe when he said, so soft she could hardly hear, "I'll wait for you to come back to me Inej."

Smiling to herself, she slid to the ground and headed towards her new life. But she knew there would always be family here waiting for her. Family she could never replace.

Goodbye for now, Kaz Brekker.