Her legs couldn't carry her fast enough, and AJ fell. Something warm and damp covered her leg and she glanced down. To her utter horror she saw that she was bleeding, and it was gushing from her most intimate spot. She heard a crash in the brush and her heart rate sped to overdrive, she clawed and stumbled, finding her footing, and rushing through the trees…

AJ felt her back hit the mattress, and a shadow loomed over her, she screamed, but a heavy body crushed the air from her lungs, she felt a hot mouth on her, violating her. AJ tried with all her might to push the man off her but it was no use, she was too broken to do anything about it. There was a sharp pain between her legs and she smacked at the mans face, clawed and kicked and swore…

AJ jerked awake, but she didn't scream, she didn't flail, she just laid there, the room spinning. She began to cry, hot salty tears and she curled into a ball, shaking violently. What had she done wrong in her life to deserve this to happen to her? Had she been bad? Was God punishing her for something done in a past life?

Slowly, and with a lot of pain, she pulled the blankets back, wrapped herself in a wool robe and padded downstairs. There was a soft glow of the kitchen light and AJ paused within the doorway, her tired eyes falling on Bobby.

It had been nearly six whole months since she had been released from the hospital, and the nightmares seemed to be getting worse and worse. She spoke to no one and when asked a question, she looked at them with pained eyes. AJ refused professional help and had withdrawn into herself so badly that she was looking pale, fragile and sickly.

Bobby looked up, his hand wrapped around a tall glass of milk; slowly he pushed a chair out with his foot, watching her take a seat. Watching her he knew she wasn't going to say anything to him, hell, Jack had been waiting for her to speak since she'd gotten back home. He spent most of his time with her, just sitting with her. Talking, but getting nothing out of her.

"Thirsty brat?" Bobby asked, but even though his words should have been harsh they weren't. He'd never sounded so gentle with her before.

She lifted her head a bit and took his glass that he offered her. Slowly AJ sipped the milk and then handed it back.

Bobby leaned forward and watched her more intently. He wouldn't say anything, he knew that she wouldn't answer.

"You know something, I can't figure out why this happened? I keep thinking that I did something wrong to deserve this…but I can't think of anything." AJ spoke softly, her voice cracking.

Bobby thought that he hadn't heard it at first, but then he watched her more closely. Did she really think she'd done something to deserve that? He cleared his throat, unable to figure out how to respond. He opened his mouth several times and then did the one thing that Bobby never did, he held open his arms for her, "Come here." He told her and AJ looked at him with a blank expression. Finally, impatient, Bobby reached forward and gripped her arms, "Listen to me carefully." He started, "You did nothing wrong, nothing to deserve to be treated like a piece of meat." He watched her face and realized something that made his stomach do a back-flip. Slowly painfully he released her arms, "Do you understand?" He asked roughly.

AJ hiccupped a sob and lowered her lashes, thus causing Bobby to curse, "Let me go get Jack, he deals with…sniffles better then me." Bobby began to stand but AJ's hand rested on his wrist and she was crying, worse then before.

Bobby didn't do the whole, woman crying thing…it was just awkward. He paused, half turning to look down at her with a 'why me?' look in his eyes. Embarrassed he bent, crouching before her and hadn't expected AJ to fling herself onto his chest. "I don't want to be alone." She sobbed and wrapped her arms around his neck for comfort.

That feeling, that realization stirred in the pit of Bobby's belly and he tried to ignore it. But the fact was, there was a blond bundle in his arms, and Bobby had to take care of that. Pressing his lips together he leaned downward, hooking his arm under her knees and sliding the other around her back. Without much effort his lifted her and moved out of the kitchen, slapping the switch with his elbow.

The large man carried the little woman upstairs, past her own bedroom an into his, he didn't know why he'd done that, only that he wasn't about to sit in a girly-ass room. He sat on his bed and tried to pry her off his neck but it was no use, AJ clung to him like a babe would cling to their mother's tit.

He sighed and awkwardly stroked her hair. "Relax. Stop balling." He muttered into her hair. He leaned back on his headboard, pulling a pillow up behind his back. He hoisted AJ onto his lap and just sat.

It was only when sunlight filtered through the slits in Bobby's curtains that he peeled his eyes open. The events of the night before crept into his mind and he looked down at AJ who was nestled in the crook of his arm, sleeping soundly, his stomach lurched.

"Shit."