Percy eased himself into a hot bath, the stinging sentation he got was less painful than it had been. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms round them, giving a deep sigh as he pressed his face into his knees. Now he had noone, Alice had turned her back on him so now he didn't have a friend in the world. Everyone on the mile hated him. He was constantly plagued by nightmares and always felt dirty no matter how much he washed. All he wanted was for someone to hold him and tell him everything would be ok.

He was fed up of feeling worthless and feeling like a victim, he really liked Alice even though he wasn't very good at showing it, but Alice had obviously lost all feeling for him so he desperatly wanted to get her out of his mind. So he got dressed in his smartest suit and headed out for the evening.

As Alice passed Percy's house on her way to work that evening to make up for walking out that morning, Alice sat there stuck in traffic gobsmacked as she saw Percy excorting what looked like a scantily clad lady of the night into his home.

Alice was filled with jelousy, even though they had never been offical she had felt they had got close and there had been a possibility they would become a couple. But seeing Percy with his arm round that working girl, she concluded she
hadn't meant as much to him as she had thought, or meant as much as Percy had meant to her. The traffic started just as her anger bubbled, she wiped angry tears away from her eyes and put her foot down.

Percy shut the door behind them as they walked into the bedroom, the girl turned and wrapped her arms round him.
"Don't worry darlin' I'll make you feel good" Percy shuddered, he wished she'd stop talking, it was hard enough knowing that he'd paid for her without her having that typical prostitute vocablary too. Percy turned the light off hoping that it'd make the situation easier and he was too self concious of his height and stature without a nice suit or his prison guard uniform. The woman pushed him onto the bed, his heart beat quickened at being roughly manhandled. She pulled off her dress to show a corset and suspenders and straddled him.

Percy began to panic, this was something different he felt powerless and vulnerable under her, he went to touch her breasts only for her to scold him and pin his wrists to the bed above his head. No he thought he didn't like this, he was restrained he couldn't move. Flashbacks flashed through his mind of being restrained and powerless as Wild Bill brutally assaulted him. Suddenly he was back there again, Percy panicked and trashed around violently, knocking the woman onto the bedroom floor. She swore loudly as she crashed to the floor.

She stood up and saw Percy sat with his back pressed against the head board hugging his knees almost hyperventilating.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She gasped outraged, "God I'm so out of here" She huffed throwing on her dress and collecting her bag "Give my condolences to the next woman you end up with, I hope she can deal with your crazy" The woman said hastily leaving the house. Percy stifled a sob and hid his face with his knees.

After her shift Alice stormed into her house fuming with anger, she began to wonder which was the real Percy. The kind, sweet man he'd shown her or the egocentric asshole. He'd told her that the latter was the mask but now she was beginning to doubt. She felt bad for leaving Percy to it, part of her knew that when it came to it Percy couldn't look after himself, but it was his own fault for being so ungrateful. Or at least that's what she tried to convince herself of. Alice cursed herself for allowing herself to get close to Percy, she should have taken the personality had first shown her as fact and kept away from him. If she had then she would never have developed feelings for him and this wouldn't hurt so much.

Alice frowned with confusion when she next went into work and saw all the guards grouped in a huddle gossiping.
"What's the news guys what's going on?" She chirped sounding happy but she could see the serious expressions on their faces.
"Alice can I talk to you in the office for a moment" Paul asked taking her arm, his face was serious and full of concern.
"I...sure Paul what's going on?" Paul kept silence and lead her in to the office until they were in the office and he closed the door behind them.

She sat in a chair and looked up at Paul for an explanation.
"Paul you're scaring me, what's going on?" Paul gave a deep sigh and ran a hand over his mouth, he had no idea how Alice would handle the news.
"It's Percy..." Paul sighed.
"Now what?" Alice sighed with irritation "Nothing to do with me anymore, I don't want to know I've washed my hands of him"
"I'm surprised it took you that long but it's more serious than that"
"Oh God what's happened?" Seeing the look of concern on Pauls face told her it was serious and knowing that she couldn't pretend that she didn't care about him anymore.
"He...he's in the prison infirmary" Paul sighed rubbing his eyes with one hand.
"What!...How, Why what happened?" Alice gasped.
"Well washing your hands of him didn't last long did it" Paul chuckled, he knew that Alice cared about him no matter how much she denied it. "It was Wild Bill somehow he managed to get or make something sharp"
"Oh my god, is he... is he ok?" She gasped terribly worried.
"He's alive what condition he's in I don't know" Alice put her head in her hands and sobbed. This was all her fault, she had washed her hands of him, had let him fend for himself if she had stuck by him then this probably would never have happened.
"Oh God this is all my fault, I need to see him, I need to see if he's ok" She sobbed.
"Go see him, it's ok I'm sure we can manage without you for a while" Paul said soothingly, putting his hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him tears streaming down her face.
"Are you sure?" She sniffed, Paul smiled and nodded. Alice smiled and leapt to her feet, wrapping her arms around Paul "Oh thank you, thank you so much I'll be as quick as I can" Paul smiled and hugged her back but secretly rolling his eyes at how she could care for someone like Percy.