Hi everyone. Firstly I want to apologise for the length of time it has taken me to update! This was really hard to write and had to do a couple of rewrites. I'm majorly busy at work at the moment with xmas and this may be the last time I update till the new year (i hope not) but we will have to see.

As always I want to thank nlech16, the freelancer seal, Alice's restaurant, Maria Cecilia Edvardson, Vayluh Arwen, ANguyen504, shes-the-proto-type and all the others who have reviewed and have added me to their alerts/favs. This is a bit more graphic than my last chapters as it is bringing in the second phase of the story. As always please let me know your thoughts and also if you feel that I should alter the rating on this. I don't think I need to, but let me know. Also this is long. Sorry! xx

I own none of the DC Comic Characters.

Birthday

The realisation that she was free and had nothing to do, hit Selina the moment she opened her eyes the next morning. She awoke a child. Carefree and young, with nothing accept another endless day spreading out before her. The trouble was she woke with her head aching and her eyes sore, from the restless night's sleep she had endured. Every time she drifted away, she saw the marks on Rene's arm and remembered the strange, haunted look on her face.

I won't be here, the older nurse had told her. Maybe she didn't want to be here, Selina wondered, the reasons for that making her shiver. She remembered Jack's icy words in the office yesterday.

"I think you'll change your mind." It had played over and over in her head, waking her from dreams and interrupting her inner monologues. Had he really had something to do with it? Jack was tall and strong, it appeared. But could he overpower a woman, years older than him? Selina argued, no. But then, if Rene had been caught off guard, if she hadn't been expecting it....it was possible. Selina thought over the amount of times Jack had caught her off guard, slipping into the room unheard and unnoticed. Creeping up on her when she was preoccupied, catching him staring at her from a distance. Selina shivered as she began to wake, her blurry eyes adjusting to the growing light in the room. In the bed beside her Suzie stirred, her fire red curls tangled on the pillow. The room was filled with the hushed sounds of other sleeping children, waking slowly from their innocent dreams. Selina wished that her dreams were innocent. A part of her wished that Jack had never came to Humberside. The other part of her seemed to warm whenever she saw his strange, lopsided face. If he had something to do with this, whatever his methods, Selina knew that he had done it for her. And she couldn't hate him for that.

"Happy Birthday, Selina!" a small voice whispered and Selina turned in Suzie's direction. She was smiling at her sleepily and Selina did her best to return the gesture.

"Thanks," she replied.

Birthdays were usually small affairs at Humberside but they were never left unmarked or not celebrated. The nurses liked to get a cake made and sometimes you came downstairs to find streamers dangling from the ceiling lights. There wasn't much money and there were so many children, which meant many birthdays. So of course, it had to be kept small. The television usually stayed on for longer in the evening and the dinners seemed extra special. The one thing Selina did remember from her old life was birthdays. She remembered pink balloons. She remembered sugar coated strawberries and ice-cream. And she remembered her father, singing to her when she raced out to the kitchen.

It was a time of smiles, laughter where for one magical day, everything was perfect. As she grew, Selina clung to those fragments of memory. It seemed that every day it became harder and harder to picture those moments. She couldn't remember her own mother's face. She remembered that she was fair haired, blonde like herself and she remembered the smell that clung to her like skin, a soft, sweet honey smell. Selina knew that the day would come when she would wake up and those images would be gone forever.

"Selina! Did you hear a word I just said?" Suzie's crisp voice broke her out of her day dream. Selina blinked at her and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," she replied. "What were you saying?"

Suzie stifled a yawn, stretching her arms over her head. Around them, others were beginning to stir.

"I said, Tony and me were talking about what we could do today for your birthday. Did you know that the Gotham Street Festival started yesterday? We could sneak into town and have a look?"

Selina folded her arms under the bed sheet, thinking wistfully of how exciting it would be to have a trip into Gotham's old town.

"I don't think Rene will let me do that. I've only just been let off of my punishment remember?"

Suzie leaned her torso out of the bed towards the other girl. "But Rene isn't here! Didn't you know? She left last night."

Selina bit her lip. "But still..."

Suzie rolled her eyes. "But nothing! You're free and they owe you. And it's your birthday."

Selina doubted that Ally would see her point of view. When they went downstairs, it was like Selina had gone back in time. She sat next to her friends, eating with them and enjoying their jokes. She didn't need to run around after the younger ones, mopping up the spillages or wiping their gooey faces after they'd eaten. The freedom was almost exhilarating and she wished that Jack was here to see her enjoying it. He hadn't come down so far and didn't appear all morning, no matter how her heart jumped into her throat every time the dining room door opened. She did notice that Ally and Hayley appeared red faced and flustered, obviously suffering without the presence of Rene there to guide them. Even Jonah seemed unusually edgy. Suzie snuck off after breakfast to pester Ally for a pass into town, but Selina still didn't believe it was actually going to happen.

She was out on the front porch, huddling her knees to her chest for warmth when she heard footsteps beside her. She glanced up between the strands of blonde hair that kept blowing in her eyes, meeting Suzie's disappointed eyes.

Selina shrugged as Tony appeared at her side, throwing himself down on the steps beside her. He was wrapped up in his blue and white parka, a scarf firmly wound around his neck. He was wearing the same grim, unpleasant expression.

"So I take it she said no?" Selina prompted when neither said anything.

Suzie shoved her hands in her pockets. "Actually she said yes."

Selina beamed. "That's great! Why do you both look so miserable?"

Tony chewed on his bottom lip, his eyes dark with something more than disappointment. "We aren't allowed to go alone. Apparently we're too young."

Selina screwed up her face, the notion almost laughable. Humberside wasn't exactly the most favourable area of Gotham to live in, but most of the children born and bred here were fairly streetwise. They knew to stick to the busier areas and not to go off wandering alone. Ally or Rene had always let them walk around the block before and a short trip into the old town was nothing, it was a ten minute bus ride. And at this time of day, Gotham would be full of people. Selina realised too late that they were going to have a chaperone.

"Oh great," she muttered. "So let me guess....Jonah is coming with us?"

"I wish." Tony said under his breath as another pair of larger feet, shuffled into Selina's eye line on the porch steps. Jack flopped down beside her, his face expressionless and still but his eyes full of that familiar laughter.

"Surprise," he smiled lazily. "Many happy returns."

////

Ally had pressed five dollars into Selina's palm when they had been gathering their coats and scarves. She had touched Selina's blonde hair gently, her voice quiet and almost sad as she wished her a happy birthday. Selina had gazed up at the older woman and wanted to say sorry. She felt guilty that Rene had left so abruptly, leaving Ally with the stress of running the home. The ride into town was awkward. Jack had trudged along behind them as they walked to the bus stop, only a few yards from the children's home driveway. With his hands shoved firmly in his pockets, he cast wary sideway glances at Selina as they walked. On the bus, Selina was flustered and red faced when there was no room to sit by herself and seeing as Tony and Suzie had 'coupled' she was forced to squeeze in next to her strange friend.

She could feel his gaze on her face, as she deliberately looked in any other direction but him. She bit on her lower lip, dozens of thoughts, hundreds of things she wanted to say to him, threatening to bubble to the surface. She wanted to quiz him about Rene. A few seats ahead of them, she could see Tony and Suzie sitting with their heads almost touching, obviously whispering. Selina felt her heart sink, after she strained her ears enough to hear the words 'freak' and 'psycho' muttered in the same sentence. She could feel the heat coursing under her skin and desperately hoped that Jack couldn't hear them too.

When finally the bus pulled into their stop, she exhaled, jumping out of the seat. Tony was making his dislike of Jack perfectly clear and you could have sliced the air with a knife, tension between them was so thick. Tony shot him the occasional black stare, while Suzie, wide eyed and pale, just darted her eyes between the pair. She clutched at Tony's hand. Selina quickly realised that they just were not used to him, like she was. They were afraid of him.

The bus had pulled into a stop that was in the middle of Gotham's east end or the 'old town' as it was otherwise known. It was a busy shopping district, usually bustling with people. The buildings were old, worn and oppressive, the architecture looming and gothic, not unlike the impressive cathedral where the Wayne's had been buried. It was a mix of grey stone archways and cobbled pavements. It was a much nicer area than the dreaded Gotham narrows where Humberside was located, but still a million miles away from the sparkling 'new' town, with its monorail and metropolitan, minimalist designs.

"This isn't exactly what we had planned for you today," Suzie's tone was disappointed as they climbed off the bus. Tony had stalked off ahead, leaving Jack to stare after him, his half smile amused. Suzie pulled Selina closer, taking her wrist.

"We were hoping it was just going to be the three of us," she explained, casting Jack a glance over her shoulder.

Selina tried to smile. "It's Ok. It's nice that we are out of the house!"

Suzie suddenly looked sheepish, her face becoming blotchy. "I don't think Tony wants to be around him."

"Really? You think?" Selina laughed quietly, but Suzie looked serious.

"Do you mind if we go off on our own? I think it'll spoil things if we force them together all day."

Selina suddenly felt that pinch in her chest. It was her birthday and Suzie was suggesting dumping her so that she could be by herself with Tony. What was Tony's problem anyway? It wasn't as if Jack had even said anything to him!

Selina sighed. "Can't you give him a chance?" she leaned closer to her friend, keeping her voice low. "I mean he isn't that bad....once you get to know him. I know he's a little different."

Suzie screwed up her face at the suggestion. "Tony won't do that."

Now Selina felt heat under her skin for a different reason. She was becoming angry, frustration building inside her.

"Well, we can't let Tony be unhappy, can we? It's only my birthday after all!" she snapped and regretted her words. Suzie's eyes welled up, but Selina folded her arms and looked away.

"You better go. He's waiting for you," she muttered bitterly. She heard Suzie sniff as she stalked away and for the first time ever, she hardened herself to it.

Why couldn't they give him a chance? Selina turned around and saw him leaning against the bus stop pole, his arms folded across his chest. His hair was much lighter in the sunshine and she hadn't noticed before, how pale his skin was. But then he had been bandaged up for a long time. She could see the puffy lacerations that curled up at either side of his mouth, the shadow from his brow making his eyes appear hollow and unhealthy. Selina trudged towards him and he met her gaze.

"Looks like it's just you and me," she shrugged and he mirrored her gesture.

"They don't want to be around me," it wasn't a question. He still managed to sound, thoughtful, careful as he spoke, like he was selecting his words. Selina swallowed and motioned for him to follow her.

"They don't know you," she replied. He lifted his eyes to hers.

"Neither do you," he muttered and Selina exhaled in frustration.

She bounded towards him, grabbed his shirt sleeve and roughly pulled him into the alley way behind the bus station. She was surprised at herself and also surprised that he had given in so willingly. When they were off the street, she turned to him.

"I want to talk to you about what you said to Rene yesterday," she said and he rolled his eyes.

"And what would you like to know?" he mocked her. Selina flushed, as he took a step nearer. She momentarily lost her cool, her foot slipping over a cobble and she leaned against the wall for support. She let out a breath.

"You did something to her....didn't you?" she whispered, shock coursing through her, unable to believe she had said it out loud. When he didn't reply, just licked his lips nervously she pressed further.

"Look, I won't be mad....and I won't say anything! I know why you did it."

He lifted his eyebrows, amused. "Do you?"

Selina blinked. "Well...." the words caught in her throat. Although she couldn't bear to say the words 'I think you did it for me' out loud, there was nothing else she could think of to say. Something about the way he was looking at her was making her come undone at the seams. She realised that she couldn't face the humiliation of saying it and then him laughing at her.

"Yes," she answered simply. "But no matter what your reasons...you shouldn't have done it."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't try and help you ever again."

"It's not that Jack! You just can't go around...threatening people, because you think they're wrong."

Just then he pushed her shoulder roughly against the wall and she winced in pain. He leaned his head nearer to her.

"No, I think you're wrong match girl," he hissed through his teeth. "Bad people hide behind sweet smiles. She made you think that you were being punished and you accepted it because you trusted her. She had to be exposed."

Selina shuffled out of his grasp and blinked up at him. "Ok. Look, let's just forget about it. It's my birthday after all."

Jack put his large hand on her shoulder, guiding her back out of the alley and into the bustling street. He walked slightly ahead, throwing his head back and winking at her.

"Well we better celebrate then hadn't we?" he half smiled at her. Selina walked up quickly beside him, not wanting to get lost among the hoards of bodies that were moving quickly among them. Selina wondered at how quickly Jack's mood could change from being malevolent to jubilant in mere moments. The sounds of the street festival greeted them as they walked closer towards it and Selina wondered dismally, if Tony and Suzie were already there.

Selina had never been to the festival before. It came yearly to Gotham Old Town and was nearly always talked about for weeks afterwards. As they approached, Selina smelled a strange mix of candy and cooking meat, making her tummy growl in anticipation. The streets were lined with coloured tents and stalls, something different going on in each one. Some were just typical carnival games, like the wacky wire and duck shooting, others were exhibits, or stalls selling exotic perfumes and oils. The streets were packed and Selina had to squeeze in-between the heaving bodies, gasping as children much taller than her, bumped her and shoved her out of the way. She lost sight of Jack and for a brief moment panicked. Then she felt him grab her shirt sleeve.

He pulled her so hard against him that she bumped him. He leaned closer to her.

"Thought you were trying to lose me for a minute there, match girl," he joked and she threw him a sardonic stare.

"Lucky for me, you're always right behind me!" she shot back. His face broke into a grin and she blushed, smiling back up at him.

They seemed to lose a few hours just wandering among the hundreds of packed stalls. Selina bought some cotton candy and shared it with Jack. The sun on his face seemed to be doing him good. He looked healthier and less tired, even only after a couple of hours.

She was having fun. The afternoon had flown by, the bright autumn sun disappearing and the sky becoming an orangey pink. To her dismay, she had spent her whole five dollars. They had played the wacky wire three times and Jack had unsuccessfully tried to win her a goldfish. Selina was hungry and knew that more cotton candy wasn't going to cut it.

"I'm starving!" she complained. "And I wanted to see the trapeze show."

Jack ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth, his eyes glinting. "Why can't we do both?"

Selina sighed. "It's getting late...I don't have anything left. We probably ought to get home now anyway?"

Jack made a noise that sounded like a snort and pulled her along past the stalls. The streets were finally emptying, everyone tired and keen to get home before dark, which Selina knew that they ought to be doing. But the other part of her was curious as to what Jack was up to.

The Trapeze tent was at the end of the street before the road opened up onto one of the main roads into Gotham City centre. Beyond that the streets emptied into the dockland area, a poor, under privileged area of Gotham, famous for its knife crime and armed robberies. It was a stripy orange and yellow tent, only big enough to hold about forty people. Selina read the board as they approached and saw that the show was due to start any minute and it was two dollars each to get in.

She stopped and Jack halted. "What's wrong?" he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Jack....we really should get home. I don't have any money to get in anyway." There was an odd, sick feeling building in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong and she felt the need to get as far away as possible.

Without waiting for her to stop him, Jack gripped her hand in his and looking warily around him ducked around the rear of the tent, pulling her roughly behind. Selina's heart thudded frantically as he lifted the tent flaps and wriggled under, his feet the last thing to disappear. He lifted the flap and stared at her angrily.

"Get in here!" he hissed and she gasped, the thrill of doing something bad and the sick fear building inside her urging her under. She crawled in and he pulled her into a crouched position beside him, the dirt gathering under her nails as they crawled along behind rows of seating. The tent was still filling with paying customers, unaware of the two trespassers sneaking their way behind them.

Finally he stopped.

"Here's good. Can you see?" he whispered, leaning so close that his hair touched her face.

"Yeah," she whimpered. "But Jack....we shouldn't do this!"

"How else were you planning on seeing the show?" he asked casually. "Now wait here!"

She seized his wrist. "You are not leaving me here!"

"Do you want to eat or not?" he asked again, as if he were asking what time it was. How could he be so casual about what they were doing? She watched in horror as he scrambled away, his large feet disappearing under the tent flap. Ten unbearable minutes later, he returned and she exhaled in relief. And her stomach growled in happiness at the sight of the two large hot dogs he was carrying. He shoved it roughly in her hand and didn't meet her gaze as he tore into it, hungrily.

"You stole them," she pressed her lips together thinly.

"You're a genius," he jibbed. "I thought you were hungry?"

Hunger took over and she dug into her food. She scooted herself into a cross legged position, as the show began. She sat mesmerised as the music started and the performers came out into the small, sandy arena. One after the other, they performed fantastic, daring sets, soaring through the air as though they weighed nothing. They balanced from the highest poles, falling jaw droppingly close to the ground, earning wild applause from the audience. Their costumes glittered in the dim light of the tent and Selina felt like she was up there with them, swinging with such skill and precision. One false move and they would come crashing to their deaths. Once or twice she darted her eyes at her strange companion, her face growing hot when they looked at one another. She tried to ignore the way he looked at her, as though he was prising her apart with his eyes and having a good thorough look in her head.

The show was winding to a close when Selina noticed the boy staring at them. She stiffened, darting her eyes away, as though he wouldn't see her that way. He was older than them, around sixteen or seventeen she guessed. He was black haired, his skin a dirty olive colour and by the state of his clothing she wondered if he worked for the travelling festival. He must have seen them crawl in and she wondered how long he had been staring at them. She elbowed Jack's shoulder.

"I know," he whispered in her ear. "I saw him a minute ago."

Panic exploded in Selina's chest. She felt sweaty and uncomfortable, her stomach muscles curling and contracting in fear.

"We should go!" her eyes filled up and Jack nodded.

"Just follow me, Ok?"

Breathe, breathe, she hissed to herself as she crawled on her hands and knees behind him. Fresh air filled her lungs as he hauled her to her feet, the tent flapping shut behind them. They were in the alley way and the sky had turned from orangey pink to red. The relief of being out of there washed over her, but it didn't last long. Jack gripped her fingers with his, tugging her along. To her dismay they were walking further into the alley and not in the direction of the street they had come from. The air was thick with the smell of salt, the docks becoming a reality as they walked quickly, Jack unrelenting with his pace. Her heart beat frantically against her chest wall.

"Where are we going?" her voice cracked with tension and Jack threw her a black look.

"Just don't look behind you...he's following us."

Selina choked and ignoring his warning, she tossed her head back to see the dark haired boy in pursuit. She saw now that he was much bigger than them, his shoulders broad and strong from years of labour. His strides, long and purposeful seemed to be gaining on them. His eyes locked with hers and what she saw in them frightened her. Swallowing she edged closer to Jack. She made the mistake of looking back again, what she saw causing a horrified shriek to come from her mouth. A knife glinted in the boy's hand as he pulled it from his coat pocket.

"Oh...Jack..." her breathing became panicked and shallow.

The seconds she took to open her mouth and scream were endless and seemed to play back to her in slow motion when she thought about it later. Those precious seconds were all it took for the larger boy to gain on them. Jack howled in pain as the boy seized a tuft of his blonde hair, his teeth gritted as he threw him back, his spindly body smashing against the wall with a sickening thud. Jack dropped like a limp rag to the ground, the breath literally knocked out of him and Selina watched in terror as he lay on the ground gasping and writhing. The boy sneered, his face dirty and ugly, drawing back his body, readying himself to kick, but Selina grabbed his thick, greasy hair in her hands, screaming for all she was worth. The boy, crying out, brought up his knee and thrust it into her stomach. Air whooshed out through her mouth and she fell back, cracking her skull against the hard, cold ground.

He stood above as she stared, half dazed up at him.

"You little rats," the boy sneered. "You think you can just take and steal from us whenever you choose? You think you're better than us?"

Selina wanted to say that no, she never thought that for a moment, but no words would come. It felt like all her insides had come apart, her breathing was erratic and fractured. In her star dazed state, she saw him turn and make towards Jack again. The boy grabbed Jack by the collar and punched him, the smacking sound of fist against flesh making Selina gag. Her legs were numb and she tried to sit up.

"Jack!" she screamed, the sound twisted and odd in the darkening alley way. Wouldn't someone hear them? Wouldn't someone help them? Suddenly she thought of Mrs Wayne. Was this how she felt the night she died? Cold, alone and frightened. Watching as her husband was shot only yards from her.

The boy, satisfied with the mess he had made of Jack's bloodied face turned his attention to her. Paralysed, her body unwilling to obey her mind, she was unable to fight back as he seized her shirt front and pulled her torso off the ground. Almost in slow motion, Selina saw his fist coming towards her, his own bloody knuckles slamming cruelly into her cheekbone, rendering her senseless from the pain that coursed through her. The sound it made was hollow and deep and her head cracked back against the ground. He repeated it again and Selina knew she was going to die.

But that would have been better than what was to come. Letting her fall back, lifeless and half crazed with pain, he straddled her waist, his cold, meaty hands sneaking up her shirt front. She felt him touching her, his stale breath in her face as dimly she became aware of his fingers prising their way up her vest.

She choked, her eyes darting wildly from side to side. His fingers pinched and squeezed her tender flesh, in an act that instinctively, she knew shouldn't be happening to her. This wasn't supposed to happen to her now. She was too young.

His breathing deepened and she saw his eyes darken. "You take what you like and you think you never have to pay," he whispered too close to her ear and she gagged, thinking he might actually kiss her. "But you always have to pay a price for what you take."

He lifted his weight off her momentarily and numbly she saw he was fiddling with his belt. Wide eyed, she tried to roll but the pain in her head was too blinding.

Move, you have to move, a voice was screaming at her. Too late his weight pressed down on her again, his hands, becoming hot and clammy, moving along her legs. He roughly tore at her jean belt and suddenly she kicked into action. He leaned his hand against her windpipe, almost as if he was going to push right through to the ground and she struggled and writhed for breath. Cold air hit her legs and she realised her jeans were gone, feeling them slipping around her ankles. His hands were toying with the waistband of her underwear and his fingers went where no one had ever gone. She made a gurgling noise as scorching pain, a new type of pain ripped through her. She didn't think she had ever felt like this. Her body writhed beneath him, wishing that she would just die.

Suddenly he stopped; he lifted his head and roared, his eyes wild with agony of his own. She saw blood splatter like paint against the wall. Jack was riding his back, the knife in his hand. Selina watched in horror as Jack brought his arm back and plunged it as deeply as he could through the boy's thick garments. Jack's face was deadly, his eyes totally black and soulless. The boy threw him off easily, sending him rolling into a trash can and was on his feet, heavy and unsteady, heading through the alley back in the direction he had come.

Jack stared at her on the ground and Selina wriggled back into her pants, shame and horror coursing through her.

"Get up!" he hissed through, teeth tightly clenched. Jack turned on his heels and tore off down the alley after the boy.

Selina sat up, the fear of him leaving her alone giving her new strength. She tried to run, but her insides hurt. With gritted teeth and painful tears streaking her face, she half ran, half hobbled after Jack who was running like the wind. It felt like her chest was breaking in two, her lungs straining against her beating heart. Finally they were back among people, among the street performers and the music and it seemed like what had just happened in the alley way was a dream. Jack was standing in front of a large, dirty white caravan, the bloodied knife dangling from his fingertips.

He turned to look at Selina who had caught up and she saw that he had wiped the blood across his face, probably by accident but she had never felt more afraid of him or more thankful for him. If hadn't of been there...

"He went in there," Jack nodded to the caravan. "If he comes out I'll kill him."

"Jack..." Selina swayed on her feet then dropped to the floor. She heard him saying her name, over and over before she passed out, the pain too much for her to handle any longer.

////

When she woke up, to her relief and surprise, she was in the white room. The lights were so bright that she blinked until her eyes adjusted, as she slowly, slowly became aware of her surroundings.

"Jack...." she whispered. There was a noise like a chair scraping across the floor and someone was above her. She smelled the familiar perfume.

"Oh...Selina!" Ally wailed her hands warm on Selina's bruised face. "Oh my poor Selina....thank goodness you're awake."

Ally threw her head over her shoulder and looked at someone who had appeared in the door of the white room.

"Jonah...she's awake!" Ally was crying. "Jonah...I thought we'd lost her."

Jonah's haggard, lined face appeared over her. "Selina," he whispered his eyes watery. "Selina."

"Are you alright?" Ally whispered to the man, who as far as Selina ever remembered had never shown emotion.

"I'm Ok....Jesus Ally...."

"I know," she reached out for his hand and they held each other's while she lay there still trying put her splintered thoughts back into the jigsaw they had become.

"Rene is back, she's on her way up now," Jonah's tone was warning and in her daze Selina saw Ally's face pale.

"Oh god this is my fault!" Ally scolded herself. "I let them go out. I was so preoccupied with all the chores..."

"This isn't your fault," Jonah promised her, his voice unusually soft and gentle. Another set off footsteps entered the room and both of them fell silent. Selina saw Rene appear at the foot of the bed, her face twisting in revulsion as she took in her appearance. Selina wondered how bad she actually looked, to provoke a reaction like that.

She ran her tongue cautiously along her lip, which felt puffy and swollen; when she tasted blood she stopped. It hurt to breath. It hurt to move her eyes. Her face suddenly felt like it had grown another part, like she had been mashed in two.

"What the hell happened to her?" Rene's voice was like splinters under her skin.

Jonah and Ally looked frantically to one another.

"It's my fault," Ally choked. "I let them go out to the fair. Someone must have cornered them. Rene...we think....we think she's been assaulted...sexually."

Rene's eyes were cold. "Have you checked?"

Ally stared at her open mouthed. "Well, no. But her pants were torn and loose and....Jack said it was what happened. You should see him Rene, he's covered in blood. If he hadn't of been there...."

Rene snorted. "If he hadn't of been there, this probably wouldn't have happened."

Jonah and Ally exchanged glances across the bed. "He brought her home. He did what he could for her." Jonah's voice was protective and soft. "It looks like whoever did this got him pretty bad. His face is unrecognisable."

"Hmm. His face was bad enough to begin with. So....now what to do." The older nurse seemed to be talking more to herself than to them. Her face was white and strained, her eyes avoiding Selina's.

"We should call the police," Ally stated. "If there is someone who came to town with the fair then they should know about it!"

Rene laughed and the sound made Selina's bones shiver. "Call the police? Are you insane? They'll be in here asking all sorts of questions. They'll want to know all about him and his...face. Not to mention where you found him Jonah. No, no. It's too risky."

Ally's jaw dropped. "Rene...we have to call the police. She could have been raped!"

"We don't know what happened to her!" Rene snapped her voice tense and cruel. "We can't have the police poking around in here, don't you understand? Clean her up; treat her, down there, whatever needs doing. She's a child....she'll bounce back."

Jonah stood, the chair scraping loudly across the floor. "You can't do this, Rene."

Rene stared defiantly back at him, daring him to oppose her further. "I just did."

Selina felt hot tears stinging her cheeks, running into her mouth.

"Jack," she whimpered. "Where is he?"

Ally stared down at her, visibly shaken. "Uhh. He's fine sweetheart, I promise. Please try and rest. I have to take care of you now."

Selina closed her eyes. It was so easy to slip away. She felt like she was floating, but she suspected it was something to do with what Ally had injected her with. All the pain, momentarily was gone. When she slept she saw trapeze artists flying through the air and she saw with them, soaring, swinging, her blonde hair flying wildly behind her. She wasn't in that alley, cold on the ground, wishing for death to claim her.

Someone was shaking her in her dream and reluctantly she opened her eyes. Jonah was above her, too close, his face too near. She screeched and he automatically recoiled.

"Selina it's me! It's me!" he soothed. Her body stopped its trembling and she relaxed as he pulled her into a sitting position. The room was pitch black, and she leaned against him, his breathing in time with hers.

"Selina....you have to wake up!" Jonah tried to coax her awake. She blinked and willed the dizzy feeling to go away. She saw his nervous face in the half light of the window.

"Selina....its Jack."

Suddenly, she was awake. Just the sound of his name wrenched her from her daze. "Jack..."

"He's gone," Jonah was trying to get her to stand. "He's gone and I have to stop him before he does something stupid."

Selina let her legs hang limply over the side of the bed. "What do you mean...gone?"

Jonah wrapped his arm under her arms and half supported, half dragged her across the polished floor. Her legs hurt and wouldn't support her, she was like a broken doll in his arms.

"You have to tell me where he went Selina!" Jonah hissed in her ear. "We have to find him. Jesus Selina... you have to help me find him!"

Let me know your thoughts. Happy Christmas Everyone!

xxxx