Fancy still returned to her apartment every so often; Styxx would pay all of her bills, allowing the girls to save up their money for other necessities. He paid off Boo's bills as well; the girls were family, after all.

Fancy was waiting for Styxx when a group of men spilled from the bar and sauntered over to where she and the other girls usually were. "Hey there, little girl, how much are you?" one of the men shouted to Fancy.

She glanced at him over her sunglasses. She gave him an uninterested once-over. "Not up tonight," she responded, bored.

He grabbed her wrist. "Well, you are now." His friends roared with laughter.

She glanced up the street, panicked. The girls had left, and Styxx wasn't due for another hour. He was usually early, but still. What could happen in that hour… but these guys terrified her, even though they were offering to buy her services. She didn't want them, though; she didn't want anyone anymore. She wanted to be worth Styxx. "Release me. Now." She was proud of how steady her voice was.

He yanked her into a darkened alley. She fought him, but no one noticed. His friends covered them completely. He threw her against a wall, then started yanking, tearing at her clothes. She started screaming, and he shoved a bandana in her mouth. She gagged. Tears soaked her cheeks as he forced her legs apart. She sobbed, trying to fight him away. He hit her so hard across the face that her head spun. In the lull that she was rendered disoriented, he shoved himself into her. The pain of it woke her immediately, and she screamed out.

Styxx heard Fancy's scream, even though it was greatly muffled. He broke into a run to where he was supposed to meet her and found the place empty. He heard another scream; he turned to the alley where drunken men were laughing at something in the alley. He tried to shove past them, and one turned and swung. He dispatched them all quickly, then turned to Fancy and the other man. She looked at him, her eyes swimming with tears. The man thrust into her again, and she cried out, her eyes clenching shut.

Styxx yanked him away from her, slamming his fist in the man's face. "You will not touch another woman without her consent," he growled, accentuating each word with another punch. Once the man was unconscious, he flipped open his phone and called the nearby police department, then the hospital. The police and an ambulance were there in seconds.

"Who do we arrest, bossman?" one of the police asked.

"The unconscious ones," Styxx responded. He reached out to hold Fancy, but she flinched away from him so violently he was startled back a few steps. He watched her look up at one of the policemen, then quickly away.

"Hey, we don't have to do anything!" the man said. "This is her line of work!"

Styxx growled at the man. "Arrest them now, Bowen, or I will see your badge turned in."

"But she's a-"

"She's my girl. She was waiting for me. She's been off the market for a month and a half. And that man raped her while the others watched and cheered him on. No. That isn't her line of work." The lethal anger in his voice immediately shut the man up.

Styxx turned to Fancy, who was being treated by the paramedics. Tears continued to course silently down her cheeks, and Styxx's heart clenched in anger that these men would be so cruel as to tear her down to that level. He slowly walked up to her. "You okay, babe?" he asked softly.

"No. I never will be, not again. I… that's…" she broke down again, shaking with terror. "I was so scared, Styxx," she breathed. "So scared and so helpless. I… I… I can't process it. I'm terrified," she wept.

His heart clenched with her pain. He sat next to her, his arms open. "May I?" he asked.

Her eyes welled up again, and she leaned into him. He gently wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. She sobbed into his chest, trembling. "They won't hurt you again, Fancy," he murmured to her. "No one will ever, ever touch you again without your consent."

She looked up at him, her green eyes swimming with tears. "But that won't get rid of the memory."

Pain flashed in his eyes at the one thing he couldn't do. Tucking her head under his chin again, he said, "No, it won't. And I'm so sorry. If I'd only been… if there was a way I could've… I know that pain too."

She bit her lip to keep from sobbing. "Acheron?" she whispered.

He nodded.

"I want to talk to him."

He knew what she meant. "I'll call him as soon as possible."

She nodded, and they sat in silence until the men had been dragged into cars and hauled away, and the paramedics released her. Styxx wrapped Fancy in his jacket, and held her close to his side as they walked to his house. Anytime anyone passed too close, Fancy flinched and cringed into Styxx. They made it to his house quickly, and he led her to the bathroom. "Clean up, shower off, and Acheron and I will be waiting for you. Take your time, and I'm only a call away."

She nodded, her tears slowing. He left her to clean, and called Acheron.

"What do you need?" Acheron answered on the first ring, his voice groggy.

"It's Fancy," Styxx responded softly. "She… there were five of them… and I didn't get to her in time… she's terrified… she wanted to talk to you."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Fancy was raped?" Acheron asked finally, his voice low.

"Yes."

Acheron appeared before him, his swirling eyes pained. "She's cleaning up right now?"

Styxx snapped his phone shut and nodded. Fancy came out of the bathroom them, wrapped in a terrycloth robe. She saw Acheron immediately and mouthed 'hi'. Acheron nodded to her and flashed clothes onto her.

She nodded her thanks. She pinned Acheron with a pained, fearful gaze, all the more intense by the comprehension in her eyes. "It never lessens, does it? The pain?"

Acheron shook his head. "Never," he breathed.

Her jaw trembled, and she sank to the floor, sobbing. Acheron immediately went to her side and helped her to a seat. "Stay here with Styxx for a while," he murmured to her. "He'll keep you safe. Stay away from people for a little while. Tell Boo what happened, and give her permission to tell the others. I'm only a call away if you need me. It'll take a while for you to return to working order, but don't rush it. Take your time. You will be able to operate normally soon enough. If you need anything, anything at all, just ask."

Fancy nodded. "Thank you," she breathed, her tears still flowing strong.

Acheron nodded, stroking her hair back from her face. "Take care, Fancy. No one can hurt you here."

She nodded. "Say hi to Tory for me," she whispered. She kissed his cheek.

Acheron nodded sadly. He stood and flashed away. Styxx approached her. "Do you want to go to bed?" he whispered.

She nodded. He took her hand and helped her to her feet, then immediately released her. She looked to him. "Stay with me?" she asked.

His eyes softened. "Of course." He helped her to her room, touching her only when it was needed. She lay down on her bed, facing him. He sat in the chair next to her. She reached out to him, taking his hand in hers. "Hold me," she whispered. "Please. I feel like I'm worth something when you touch me."

Styxx lay next to her then, pulling her into his arms. He stroked her hair, following it all the way down her back. She was trembling fiercely. "I need to call Boo," she whispered.

Styxx nodded, pulling out his cell and handing it to her. She dialed Boo's number with shaky fingers. The phone immediately went to voicemail, so Fancy knew Boo was working. She left a short message. "Boo, it's Fancy. I'm staying with Styxx for a while. I was…" she broke off. "Boo, just call me back when you get the chance." Her voice broke. She hung up and handed the phone back to Styxx.

Styxx held her close, letting her cry. He didn't say a word as she slowly drifted to sleep in his arms, still trembling slightly. He called the Dark-Hunter stationed in New York. He answered on the first ring.

"Styxx. It's been a while," said Dimitri Romanov.