Casandra McAllistar told herself that she would never join the military, or get involved with someone that had chosen to join. She grew up in a military family, and she never wanted to live that life again. No, she would stick with civilians. Her father was a high ranking official in the Army. Now, he was one of the Higher ups in the D.O.D., her mother ranked very high also, but she had been in the Marines, as a sniper.
Her parents had insisted that she get combat trained, so that she would be able to protect herself, if need be. She was proficient in hand to hand combat. Her father taught her how to throw knives. She still practiced with the knives, it was a great way to relieve stress.
Casandra was going for a walk, scouting for apartments for rent, when she saw a faded apartment for rent sign, in the window of a tattoo shop. It was her lucky day, she was told that her building had been bought, and the new owners wanted to tear the builing down for a new playground. She went into the tattoo shop. The man sitting in the tattoo chair looked up at her and smiled. She walked up to him.
"What can I do for you darling?" He asked her.
"I saw that you had a sign about an apartment for rent. Is that still available?" She asked.
He raised his eyebrows, studying her for a moment.
"You're looking for an apartment? What happened?" He asked.
"My apartment is being torn down to build a new playground. Is the apartment still for rent?" She asked.
"Yes, would you like to look at it to see if you like it?" He asked.
She gave a nod.
"Let me get the key. Hey, Christmas, watch the shop for a couple minutes." He called to someone over in the corner, at a table.
Casandra hadn't noticed him before.
"Sure." The man named Christmas said.
The man grabbed a key ring, and motioned her to follow him. She followed him through the shop, to a door. They went up the stairs, and down a hallway. He stopped at a door with the number 4 on it. He unlocked the door, and swung it open. He walked in, and she was right behind him. The walked into the living room. To her left was the kitchen, and to her right was a hall way. The Master bedroom was at the end of the hall. On the left was the first bedroom. On the right was a bathroom. She asked him how much a month he was asking for. He told her that it was five hundred, with everything included. She asked him why was it so low. He told her that the shop did great, so that the apartments were extra money in his pocket. She gave a nod. It was a beautiful apartment, and not that much money. She'd be a fool if she didn't take it.
"When can I move in?" She asked.
"When can you get me first months rent?" He asked her.
"How does tomorrow sound?" She asked.
"Perfect. If you need help moving anything just let me know. My name is Tool. If you ever need anything just come down to the shop." He told her.
She gave a nod.
"Cassie. Actually, if it's possible, do you have a truck or something that I can use to transport my stuff here?" She asked.
Tool grinned.
"Give me you address, and I can do one better. I will have movers come help you with the move." He told her.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"That's not necessary. I can move the things on my own, I just have transportation issues right now." She said.
"Don't worry about it, my guys are the best around, and won't mind at all, trust me." He told her.
She bit her lip. With people helping, it would get done faster. She nodded.
"Help would be great, thank you." She told him.
He laughed.
"Don't mention it. Now, why don't we go back down to the shop, so I can get your information from you." He said.
She nodded, and they headed down to the shop. She gave him her address, and then headed home. She stopped at the bank to get the first month's rent out, and then made her way to her apartment. She began the daunting task of packing. She'd work all night if she had to.
X*X*X
She got most of the packing done, then she caught a six hour nap, then got back up to finish the apartment. She was just finishing up, when there was a knock on her door. She opened the door, and her mouth dropped in shock. There were six men standing behind Tool. Their muscles were the size of her head.
"Hey darling, we are here to help you move. This is Barney, Lee, Toll Road, Hale Caesar, Ying Yang, and Gunnar. Where do you want us to start?" Tool asked.
"Living room." She told them.
"Get to work boys." Tool said.
They started taking things outside. Within three hours, they had everything out of her apartment, and into the new one. She handed Tool the first month's rent. She was surprised to find out that they intended to help her unpack everything also. She told them that they didn't have to, but they insisted. She let them.
She unpacked the master bedroom, while they did the other rooms. By the time that they had finished, she was exhausted. She went out into the living room, and found all of them finishing up as well.
"Cassie, would you like to come down to the shop and have some pizza with us?" Tool asked.
She was starving, so she accepted his invitation.
"Perfect. Let's go." Tool said.
Tool ordered the pizza, and the guys started asking her about herself. She answered all of their questions, until the pizza arrived. That's when she turned the tables, and asked them about themselves. She asked them what they did for a living. They got very uncomfortable, and tried to change the subject. They eventually managed to make her forget about the question.
X*X*X
Tool had hired her in the tattoo shop, months ago, and since starting there, she had gotten close to all of the guys. They all picked on her, and playfully flirted with her. She would do it right back at them. Tool was the worst of them all, but that's how he always acted, whether it was with her or some random girl he had picked up. All of them had told her that if she ever needed anything, no matter how big or small, to not hesitate to call them up, and they would help her. She thanked them, and told them that she would.
One afternoon, she was returning to the shop, after shopping. The whole time that she had been at the store, she felt as if she was being watched. Every time that she would look, there would be no one there. She was starting to get creeped out. She got back to the shop. She called to the guys, to help her out.
"Did you buy the whole store?" Barney asked.
She rolled her eyes as she handed him the keys. He had let her borrow his truck to do her shopping.
"I waited until I had no food left. It didn't help that you guys are always eating at my place. I had to buy more of everything." She said.
Barney laughed.
They helped her bring the groceries up to her apartment. She felt like she was being watched again. She turned to look down the street, but nothing looked like it out of the ordinary. A hand touched her shoulder. She gasped, and spun around. It was Gunnar.
"Did I scare you?" He asked.
She gave him a smile.
"You just surprised me, I didn't hear you coming." She said.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
She gave a shrug.
"Have you ever had the feeling like you were being watched?" She asked.
He gave a nod.
"A time or two. Why? What's going on Cassie?" He asked.
She exhaled loudly.
"All through the store, it felt like someone was watching me, but I didn't see anyone, and just now I felt it again. Maybe I'm just being paranoid." She said.
"Maybe." He said, but he didn't sound so sure.
He looked down both ends of the street. He put his hand on her lower back, and led her inside.
"Why would anyone be watching you? Did you make anyone mad or something?" He asked.
"Of course not! I don't know why someone would be watching me!" She said.
He laughed.
They had gotten to her apartment, and she found the guys in the process of putting the groceries away.
"Thanks guys." She said.
"No problem Cassie, we help eat it, it's the least we can do, is put it away for you." Hale Caesar said.
She smiled brightly at him.
"Thanks anyways." She said.
She started helping put the stuff away.
When everything had been put away, they had started filtering out of her apartment. Gunnar had followed Barney out, saying, that he needed to talk to him about something. Lee was the last one left in her apt. She sat down on her couch, and exhaled loudly. Lee went to sit down next to her.
"What's wrong?" He asked her.
She shook her head.
"It's nothing." She told him.
He looked at her. She rolled her eyes.
"It's nothing Lee!" She said.
He raised his eyebrows at her.
"I don't even know if I'm right or not!" She said.
Lee sat back, put his feet up on the coffee table, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Tell me, and I will try to help." He told her.
She leaned into him, and sighed.
"I've had this feeling since I went shopping earlier. I keep thinking that I'm being watched, but I never see anyone watching me." She said.
"Are you sure that you didn't see anything out of the ordinary? Do you know anyone that would want you watched for any reason?" Lee asked.
She shook her head.
"No, just like I told Gunnar. I haven't made anyone mad at me, or anything." She said.
"Gunnar knows?" Lee asked.
"He was out there getting the groceries with me when I felt like I was being watched. I told him. He asked if I had made anyone mad at me too." She said.
"If you would like I could do a perimeter check before I leave, and make sure there isn't anyone skulking around out there." He told her.
"You don't have to do that, Gunnar is right down the hall. I should be fine." She said.
"I'll check, anyways." He told her.
She smiled.
"Thanks Lee. What would I do without you guys?" She asked.
He laughed.
"Crash and burn." He told her.
She laughed.
"Probably. So, are we still on for the knife match tomorrow?" She asked.
"Of course, on your lunch break. So, are you ready to lose?" He asked.
"I think that you've got that backwards, are you ready to lose?" She asked.
"I don't think that I'll be the one losing, I've been practicing since the last time." He told her.
"Oh really? It's a good thing that I've been practicing too. You're going down Cassie." He said.
"I don't think so." She said.
"I guess we will just have to see about that. Now, I should get going, I have some errands I have to run. I will check the perimeter before I leave though." He told her, standing up.
She stood, and walked him to the door.
"Thanks Lee, I appreciate it." She told him.
"It's no problem. Hey, are you coming with us to the bar tonight?" He asked.
"Yeah, I guess that I could tag along." She said.
"Great, wear something cute. You're coming out with us, you need to look good. We don't want to be seen with you if you are presentable." He told her.
She rolled her eyes.
"I'll see what I can do about that. I wouldn't want to ruin your reputations." She said sarcastically.
They laughed together.
"Okay, I'll see you later then." He said.
"Bye Lee." She told him, getting up on the tips of her toes, and gave him a hug.
He held her tightly, then he headed out. She shut the door behind her, and went to make a quick and easy dinner. After dinner, she took a shower. She picked out a black dress, that stopped right above her knees, and had only one sleeve, that went down to her wrist. She decided to straighten her hair, and wear it down. She usually wore it up. She put some make up on, and slid her heels on her feet. Just as she was giving herself a once over, she heard a knock at the door. She grabbed her phone, and went to answer it. It was Gunnar and Lee.
She held her hands out, and slowly spun around.
"How do I look? Cute enough for you Lee?" She asked.
"Amazing." Lee told her.
She smiled.
"You look like a princess Cassie." Gunnar said.
She blushed.
"You're so sweet Gunnar." She said, getting on her toes, and giving him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek.
He smiled widely.
"Are we ready?" Lee asked.
"I'm ready, whenever you guys are." She said.
They headed down the stairs, and through the shop, and outside. The rest of the guys were waiting for them. Tool started cat calling her, and the others joined in. She blushed. Lee walked over to his bike, and grabbed a helmet. He handed it to her. She careffully slid it on, and got on behind him. She held on tightly, as he took off. She was still trying to get used to riding on a motorcycle with them, but it was taking a while. She was more comfortable on them, but she still had a little unease with them. She felt Lee laugh as she held him tightly.
About ten minutes later, Lee pulled in next to Barney. Gunnar was next to her in an instant, holding his hand for her to take. She took it, and he helped her off of the bike. She pulled the helmet off of her head, and handed it to Lee. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to fix it as well as she could. Both Lee and Gunnar held their arms out for her to take. Instead of chosing one, she chose both of them. Lee was on her left, and Gunnar was on her right. They walked in, and sat down with the others.
X*X*X
Cassie was drunk, and stumbling, but she was having fun. Gunnar took her home, at the request of Tool and Barney. She had her arms wrapped around his midsection, and he had his arm around her shoulders, helping her walk. Gunnar grabbed Lee's extra helmet, and put it on her head. He sat down on his bike, and helped Cassie on behind him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"Are you ready princess?" He asked.
"Of course! Let's go fast!" She said excitedly.
He laughed.
He headed for the apartment. She snuggled into his back as he sped for her apartment. They got there, and helped her off. She stumbled up the stairs, and he helped her walk to her door. They got it unlocked, and he helped her inside. She reached up, and hugged him. She suddenly leaned in, and kissed him.
"Cassie, you are drunk, you should get some rest. I will see you tomorrow." He told her.
"Fine. Good night Gun." She said.
He laughed at her nickname for him.
"Good night Cassie." He said.
He left, and she spun happily. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this drunk, but to be fair, she couldn't remember much at this point in time. She giggled at nothing. She kicked her heels off, and skipped to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her, when suddenly, someone covered her nose and mouth with a piece of cloth. It was covered in a sickly sweet scent. She tried fighting, but it was no use. She passed out moments later.
X*X*X
Cassie woke up, unable to move her arms or legs. She groaned, and opened her eyes. Her head was killing her. She shouldn't have drank that much with the guys last night. She squinted her eyes as her vision became clearer. She had no idea where she was. She looked all around her. It looked like an abandonded building. She looked down, and she was tied to a chair. What the hell was going on? She tried searching her memory for what happened. A fuzzy memory surfaced. She had just gotten to her room, and shut her door, when she was grabbed from behind, and then everything went black.
She heard a door open, and footsteps heading for her.
"It looks like the princess has finally woke up." A man with a Russian accent said.
She looked up at him.
"What do you want with me?" She asked.
He walked in front of her and smiled.
"Your father needs to be pursuaded to see things our way, and the only way that is going to happen, is if he thinks that you are in trouble. He will do what we want as long as we have you." He told her.
She frowned.
"You took me, to get my father to what you want? This is just perfect." She said.
"But it's very effective. We should be getting word from your father soon." He told her.
"Are you going to kill me?" She asked.
"That is up to your father. If he does what we want, then you should be fine." He told her.
"What time is it?" She asked.
He looked a little confused, but looked at his watch.
"It is a little after two. Why?" He asked.
"Just curious." She said.
Lee would realize that she wasn't at their knife contest, and get worried about her. That is, if Tool wasn't freaking out first because she didn't show up for work. Someone would come looking for her. She just hoped that her father didn't piss these people off before the authorities came to get her.
X*X*X
Barney and Lee walked into the church to find two men standing infront of the alter. They walked up to the alter.
"Church." Barney said.
"Barney Ross, and Lee Christmas, it's been a while, but I have a job for you." Church said.
"I'm sorry, but we have stuff we have to do, first." Lee said.
"My daughter was kidnapped! Church said that you and your team are the best, and will be able to get her back for me." The second man said.
"Guys, this General McAllister. His daughter, Casandra, was kidnapped by the Russians, because the General won't give into their demands. He was contacted early this morning, saying that they would torture and kill her, if he didn't do as they wanted." Church said.
"Please find her and bring her back." The General said.
Church handed them a folder.
"We will do our best." Barney said.
"Thank you." The General said.
Barney gave a nod, then he and Lee left, heading back to the tattoo shop.
"We should be looking for Cassie." Lee said, when they parked out front of the shop.
"Do you know who that was?" Barney asked.
Lee rolled his eyes.
"I don't care, this is Cassie we are talking about!" Lee grumbled.
They walked into the shop. The rest of the guys were already there, worrying about what had happened to Cassie.
"How'd it go?" Tool asked.
"We've got a job. Not just any job though. A girl was taken by the Russians, and her father wants us to bring her back. Her father is the Secretary of Defense. We have to get her back as quickly as we can." Barney said.
Barney set the folder down on the table, and opened it up. It gave them information on the guy that had kidnapped the General's Daughter, then on the General, himself, and then on the daughter. Surprise went throught the group, when they had seen the girl's picture. It was Cassie! She had never said anything about her father, and how high up in the government he was. Tool was going to stay behind, but all of the others headed to grab what they needed, and then headed for Barney's plane. They were going to find Cassie, and bring her back.
X*X*X
Cassie had no clue how long she'd been here. She was in so much pain. The men had hit her. If her ribs weren't broken, then they were at least bruised. Blood had fallen from her nose and mouth because they had hit her so hard. It hurt if she even thought about moving.
She suddenly heard the door open. She saw two men walk in. One had a camera. They were going to tape her getting hit, and send it to her father, to manipulate him. She tried refraining from screaming and crying when they would tape her, so it wasn't so hard on him when he watched it, but after a while she couldn't hold it back any longer. She screamed loud, and tears fell like a leaky faucet.
The one man with the camera stayed back slightly. He was already recording, even though the torture hadn't begun yet. The other man walked up to her. He put his hand under her chin, and made her look up at him. She spit in his face. He punched her hard across the jaw. He didn't break her jaw, but he had come very close to it. She winced, and spit out blood that had pooled in her mouth. He laughed at her.
"Scream nice and loud for daddy, he's watching you." The man said.
"Go screw yourself!" She rasped.
Both men laughed at her.
The man infront of her socked her in the stomach. She grunted in pain.
"Come on scream for me!" The man taunted her.
"I am going to kill you when I get out of here!" She told him breathlessly.
They laughed at her again.
The man put his mouth to her ear. Apparently, he didn't want the camera to catch what he was about to tell her.
"Sorry, but you're never getting out of here, at least not alive. Our orders are to kill you once we have what we want. We just told your father that we would release you so that he would do what we want. We lied." He whispered to her.
She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. They were going to kill her. She took a deep breath, and turned her head, and bit his ear. Hard. She bit a piece of his ear off. He screamed. He put his left hand up to his bleeding ear, and slapped her across her face with his right hand.
"You fucking bitch! I will kill you for that!" He threatened her.
He went to hit her again, but the guy with the camera grabbed him. They could hear gunshots coming from somewhere in the building. The man that had been hitting her, spoke to the other man in Russian, and then left in a hurry. Cassie looked up at the guy with the camera, and spit out the other man's ear that she still had in her mouth.
"He told me not to kill you yet. He wants that honor, but he did say that I could have my fun with you before he did." He told her.
He set the camera on a desk, pointing at her, then walked up to her. He had a sadistic smile on his face. He began hitting her, and she couldn't take it any longer, she let out a blood curling scream. Hit after hit she screamed. He was laughing like a maniac. Blood was flowing from her nose, mouth, and from cuts on her face. Her vision was going in and out of blurrieness.
She closed her eyes tightly when she heard gunfire in the room. When the gun stopped shooting, she opened her eyes, and who she saw made her cry in joy. She was saved!
"Gunnar? Is that really you?" She rasped.
She saw him give her a smile.
"It's really me princess, I will get you out of here." He told her.
She smiled.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
"Your father." He told her.
"My father? I don't understand." She said.
"Hush, we will fill you in when we get back to the plane." He told her.
"Who else is here with you?" She asked.
He freed her hands and feet.
"You'll see." He said.
She couldn't stand on her own. She was too weak, and in too much pain. He carried her bridal style, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Thank you Gunnar." She whispered.
"Anything for you princess." He whispered to her.
She closed her eyes, and let him carry her to safety. She could hear guns being shot in the background. She felt Gunnar stop after a moment, and him talking to someone. Her head was spinning so much that she couldn't decipher what was being said. She suddenly felt a hand on her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes. She smiled at Lee.
"Lee! You guys found me!" She whispered.
He gave her a nod.
"Of course we did." Lee told her.
"Gunnar, go and get her to the plane, we will be right behind you. Lee you go with him for back up." She heard Barney say.
"Barney is here too? Did everyone come to get me?" She asked.
"Of course we did darlin', Tool would have killed us if we didn't." Hale Caesar said.
"Get going you two!" Barney called to them.
She felt Gunnar start walking again. He was trying to be gentle with her, but she was too beat up, and every step that he took hurt her. She wimpered in pain and he kept apologizing to her.
When they got onto the plane, he tried setting her down, but she clutched onto him.
"Don't let me go." She told him.
She whimpered in pain as he took a seat. He held her gently in his lap, his arms circling her protectively.
She didn't know how long they sat there for before the rest of the guys joined them. But the voices got louder and closer to her.
"Cassie? Can you hear me? It's Barney."
Cassie opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"Hey, you guys don't know how glad I am to see you!" She told him.
He smiled at her.
"I know. Can you do a favor for me? Can you stay awake? You've lost a lot of blood, you need to stay awake for me." He told her.
She frowned.
"I'm so tired Barney. Can't I take just a little nap?" She asked.
He shook his head.
"No, please just stay awake, we will get you to a hospital as soon as we get back, but until then, try to stay awake." He told her.
"Okay." She said.
He smiled.
"That's my girl." He said.
He turned away from her.
"Keep her awake as long as possible." She heard him say.
She looked up at Gunnar, who smiled down at her. She felt the plane start, and then it took off. Gunnar started asking her questions, to keep her talking, then the rest of the guys started talking to her too. Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and they had noticed too. Whenever her eyes would close, they would talk loudly, or shake her, to get her attention back on them. It worked for a while, but then she lost the battle. Her eyes closed and no matter what they did, she didn't reopen her eyes.
X*X*X
Cassie slowly opened her eyes. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she realized that she was in a hospital room. She frowned, and looked around. To her right, sleeping in a chair, and holding her hand was Gunnar. She smiled, and squeezed his hand. He lifted his head and gave her a wide smile.
"You're finally awake princess! You had us all scared there for a minute." He told her.
"How long have I been out for?" She asked.
He began rubbing her hand.
"A week. You fell into a coma from the loss of blood." He told her.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"A week? What happened? How did you guys find me? How did you even know where I was?" She asked.
He looked down at the floor for a moment, then looked back up at her.
"Your father contacted someone who knew how to get ahold of us. He had us go and get you." He told her.
"But why would they come to you?" She asked.
He locked eyes with her.
"We never told you what we did for a living. We are mercenaries. Soldiers for hire for whatever is needed." He told her.
"Mercenaries? Really? How lucky did I get? I think that it might have been fate that led me to Tool's that one day. Thank you so much for saving me Gunnar. They told me that they were going to kill me." She told him, squeezing his hand.
He brought her hand up to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. She blushed and smiled.
"We were all very worried about you. Everyone has stopped by to see you, while you were sleeping. Your father has been by several times too. Why didn't you tell us that he was the secretary of Defense?" He asked.
"It never came up." She said.
He gave a laugh.
She was beginning to get tired again. He must have realized this. He put his hand to her cheek, and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
"Get some more rest now, you need to get your strength up." He told her.
She smiled, and placed her hand over his.
"Stay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked.
"Of course." He said.
She closed her eyes, and let the darkness over take her once more.
X*X*X
Once she had fallen back asleep, Gunnar quietly slipped out into the hall and began dialing numbers. The first call that he had made was to Tool's. He was lucky enough to get all of them at one time. Tool put it on speaker, and Gunnar told them all of the good news. Barney said that he would inform Cassie's father, and then they were all heading to the hospital.
The doctors had kept Cassie for another week, just to make sure everything was okay, and that she was ready to go home. The guys all stopped in everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Gunnar only left when he was made to. Lee was there in his place though. Sometimes they would crash in her room overnight. The others came in sporadically. Her parents showed up a couple times, but they both had to get back to Washington.
On the day that she was released, Gunnar showed up, with the doctor, and a wheel chair. Gunnar told her that Barney had let him borrow the truck to bring her home in. She asked him where the rest of the guys were. He said that they were waiting for her to return. She managed to get dressed on her own, but she couldn't manage walking all the way to the car, hence the wheel chair. Gunnar helped her into the chair, and pushed her towards the exit. A nurse accompanied them outside, so she could bring the chair back. They got outside, and she smiled. The guys were all waiting for her. She gave them all hugs, and then Lee and Gunnar helped her into the passenger's side of the truck. Barney got behind the wheel, and the rest of the guys got on their bikes. Barney started the truck and headed for the tattoo shop. They talked comfortably the whole way. She thanked him for going after her, and bringing her back. He told her that she scared them, but he was grateful that she was okay. He told her that Lee had killed the Russian that had taken her, so she wouldn't have to be afraid of him coming after her again. He also told her that Lee and Gunnar were worried twice as much as the others. They were the maddest, that they both cared for her deeply. She blushed dark red. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
They got to the tattoo shop, and Gunnar and Lee were right there, ready to help her. She glanced at Barney, and he was smiling, and shaking his head slightly. She let them help her out of the truck, and into the shop. Tool came up to her, and she hugged him.
"Gunnar, take her up to her apartment, she needs to rest." Tool said.
Gunnar helped her over to the stairs. He gathered her into his arms, and picked her up. He carried her up the stairs, and down the hall to her apartment. He unlocked the door, and carried her inside. He shut the door, with his foot, and carried her back to her room. He laid her down on the bed, and tucked her in. He was about to leave, when she stopped him.
"Will you stay for a while longer?" She asked.
He gave her a smile, and sat down on the bed next to her. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and looked down at her.
"I will stay as long as you want me to." He told her.
She smiled.
She patted the bed next to her, and he laid down with her. He put his arm under her neck as she rested her head on his chest. Her hand was resting on his chest too. He wrapped his hand around hers, and kissed her fingers.
"I just don't want to fall asleep alone." She whispered as her eyes shut.
"Don't worry, I will be here when you wake up, I'm not going anywhere." He told her.
"Thank you Gunnar." She mumbled as sleep began to overpower her.
He kissed the top of her head.
"Sweet dreams princess." He whispered to her.
She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.