Night had fallen by the time Christian deemed it safe enough to escape the office building. Three men in the past few hours had come and gone from the basement, only sticking around long enough to drag the corpse of the man away, disinfecting the entire level so any potential evidence couldn't be found. He had shifted further along the vent, watching them through grates as they worked.

Dana never stirred, but she continued her rhythmic breathing, which was the only thing that kept Christian sane in the otherwise deafening silence. Moving an unconscious person from the vents proved difficult, but after a little maneuvering, he managed to get them both on the ground with minimal injuries. The shoe he had dropped in the stair well was gone. Christian chose to climb the stairs rather than risk being trapped in an elevator if someone was waiting in the foyer. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The entire building was dark, indicating it was empty for the night. A clock that hung on the wall of the foyer read 11pm.

It took a considerable amount of time to make it back to the hotel where Braxton was waiting with a stolen car. Christian received multiple questioning and accusing stares on the subway as he carried Dana in his arms. He couldn't bring himself to care about what it might look like to strangers, him carrying a beaten up girl, because he would be out of this state within the next few hours. Let them call the police. All that he cared about was getting Dana back to safety.

A red mustang sat hidden by the dark shadows of the alleyway running along the back of the hotel. Braxton leaped from the car and held the back seat door open so Dana could be laid down. After a moment's hesitation, Christian slid into the back as well, resting her head on his legs, tucking her hair behind one ear to keep it from covering her face. Braxton quickly hopped in the drivers seat, started the engine, and floored it.

"Took you long enough," Braxton complained as the car sped through an amber light.

"I had to be sure the place was clear before exiting."

"Smart." They went through another amber light, this time barely avoiding rear ending the back of a Toyota that was moving at a snails pace. "She looks like she's seen better days. We should stop at a pharmacy for supplies."

Their pharmacy run was quick, with each of them only grabbing the bare essentials. They were back on the road within minutes, no destination in mind, but knowing they needed to get as far away from the city as possible. Eventually, when the fuel light flickered on, they decided to pull into a motel for the night. Here they could dress Dana's wounds, get some rest, and figure out a plan.

The lady at the reception asked no questions, probably used to travelers checking in at all hours of the night. A single room with a double bed was all that was left, and it was smaller on the inside than they would've thought. Christian subconsciously checked all the windows, locking them and drawing the curtains before turning on any lights. There was a small bathroom on the far side of the room, a double bed in the middle, a mini fridge, TV, microwave, and a small round table with a single chair. It was a sad looking hotel room, but he had stayed in worse places.

Dana POV

She was floating on a sea of clouds, watching as the sky above changed colours, pinks and oranges flooding her vision. There was a gentle breeze that moved her hair, sending it spilling across her face. Her body was numb, in complete bliss. No pain, no worries, no violence. It was so easy for her to close her eyes and drift off into sleep.

A sharp sting woke her up almost immediately.

Dana's eyes flew open and - taking a few seconds to focus - instantly sought out the reason for the pain. Braxton sat beside her on an uncomfortable bed, leaning forward, a cloth covered in red liquid just inches from her face. Her head throbbed and her mouth was dry, though the pain on the side of her forehead outweighed any discomfort.

"You're awake," he said in relief.

"What are-." With such a dry throat, it was hard to push the words out, though Dana kept trying until she eventually managed to say, "What are... you... doing?"

"Well, you got a pretty nasty cut on your temple, so I was cleaning it. Also, good news! Your shoulder isn't dislocated, just very badly bruised."

Everything he said went in one ear and out the other. Dana couldn't focus on anything with her entire body feeling as if it had been run over by a car - or something bigger. The edges of her vision were fuzzy, making it hard to focus on any one thing. She heard a door open, and then someone else was standing beside the bed, not moving to sit down like Braxton was.

"How is she?"

It didn't surprise her that Christian's voice was as emotionless as ever. Ignoring the pain in her neck, she shifted her head slightly so she could look up at him. He was wearing all black, with two guns holstered at his hips, a hunting knife completing the set. Dana waited for her eyes to clear up before looking at his face. There was not a hint of worry or fear in his eyes, just the usual cold, calculating expression he always wore. Go figures.

Sighing, Braxton moved to stand. "Nothing critical, just some minor bruising and cuts. She's going to be sore in a few places for the next few days. They beat her up real bad, man."

At his words, memories came flooding back into Dana's mind. The large man had tied her down to a new chair, the bindings tighter than they were before. Her ribs were tender from where he had kicked her, making it difficult to breath for a little while. He went away for god knows how long before reappearing to question her. He asked her questions about Christian; his real name, where he lived, if Dana knew anything about his family. Her answers weren't satisfactory, so the man had began using physical abuse to get her to talk. Only Dana didn't know any information of importance, so the torture continued. Never once had she hoped for death, though the thought was tempting in that moment.

Turning her gaze to Braxton, she muttered, "You... left me there."

His eyes flickered to the floor. "I had too, Dana. Christian didn't know where to find us and I-."

"They were asking me questions," she cut in.

"What kind of questions?" Christian asked with an unaffected tone.

"About you. Don't worry, though. I didn't have the answers they were looking for." Even though it was painful to do so, Dana shifted her head to look up at Christian once more. "So they punished me - tortured me."

"Dana, I-."

"This is all your fault."

Her words were filled with hatred and pain, though they were honest. The room was silent for a long time after that. Dana stared at the stains on the roof, not wanting to see Christian's face, knowing the emotionless response he would no doubt give was worse than if he were to get emotional.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Christian softly said, "I know."

Dana glanced up at him once more, surprised at the level of sadness in his tone. It was the first real emotion he has showed in the entire time they've been together. His face was still expressionless, set in its usual way. However, there was something glinting in his eyes, threatening to spill over if he dared to feel too much. That small sign of emotion squeezed at Dana's heart.

Sensing his cue to leave, Braxton announced he was going to find them something to eat, placing the cloth onto the bedside table before promptly leaving the room. Then it was just Dana and Christian - alone. She remained still as he rounded the bed, poured something onto the cloth and dabbed it onto Dana's temple. It stung like hell and smelt like a hospital. Must be some sort of antiseptic.

Neither said anything as he continued cleaning and dressing her wounds. Once the cuts on her face were dealt with, Christian shifted along the bed, hesitantly lifting her shirt off of her stomach. Dana watched his face for any change in expression, though it never happened. Only a small flicker of emotion in his eyes told her what feelings he was experiencing. He kept it all contained inside, and she knew, deep down, that it wasn't entirely his fault.

He pressed down gently between two ribs and Dana sucked in a sharp breath. This continued until Christian's hand was at the base of her bra, stopping short, probably not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. Surprisingly, even covered in bruises and scrapes, Dana was unafraid of his touch or the thought of him seeing her unclothed. Dana was angry and upset with him for obvious reasons, but she wasn't afraid of him. So she nodded at his questioning gaze and his hand moved further up, over her breasts and pressing down in places to see if there was any tenderness. Christian was quick to withdrawal his hand the second he was done checking for any cuts or lumps.

"No broken ribs, though one or two may be fractured." He announced the diagnostics of her injuries as easily as asking what was for dinner. "There are fresh clothes you can change into, and a shower through that door."

Nodding again, Dana attempted to prop herself onto her elbows, but fell back down when her shoulder screamed in complaint. "Yeah, no. I don't- I don't think I can do that alone."

"I'll assist you."

"Christian, that's..." Dana paused and took the time to assess him, letting her gut tell her what to do. No alarm bells were ringing, and a shower did sound amazing right about now. Plus, if she trusted anyone in this world to help her get into and out of a shower, it would be the person who just saved her life - even if he was the one who had endangered it in the first place. "Okay. Thank you."

Without asking if she could even stand, which she didn't believe would be an option, Christian lifted her off of the bed as if she weighted nothing. He then proceeded to sit her down on the only chair in the room, carefully watching to make sure she didn't fall forward while taking off her one shoe. Dana didn't even remember loosing a shoe. He then, very carefully, helped remove her shirt and jeans, leaving them on the floor as he carried her into the bathroom. She couldn't help covering her bare stomach with her arms.

He turned the shower on and waited until it reached a nice temperature before placing her in the tub, bra and underwear still on. Dana was thankful he didn't try to remove those items of clothing himself. She leaned back against the curved outline of the tub, relishing in the warm water hitting her stomach and legs. Black and blue bruises covered her thighs, and the sight of her battered body brought tears to her eyes. Little rivulets of red water swirled down the drain as the dried blood lifted off of her skin.

"Dana, are you alright?" Christian crouched down beside the tub so he was closer to her eye level.

"My body's too sore to wash myself, and I'm still in my bra and undies and I don't know where we are and I'm probably fired from my job and my parents are probably worried and-."

His hand brushed the hair away from her face, causing her to stop ranting and take a shuddering breath. "Would you like me to assist you with washing yourself?"

The abruptness of his question caused her to laugh, though she knew her reaction was due to the amount of stress and pain she was under. But she agreed, only because it was nice to have his company - and she really couldn't do it on her own. Dana's left shoulder screamed in agony each time she even thought about moving it, let alone actually trying to get the rest of her clothes off to wash herself.

"Promise not to look," she said softly.

"Promise," he said in answer.

Christian's eyes remained locked with hers as Dana leaned forward as much as she physically could so he could unclasp her bra, tenderly pulling the straps down her arms until it was free, tossing it onto the floor of the bathroom. Even with the warm water from the overhead shower, the skin on her breasts prickled against the open air. Keeping his gaze focused on Dana, his hands moved to the sides of her hips, where he slipped his fingers under the fabric there. Dana shifted her weight a little so he could slid the underwear down her legs. He threw it onto the floor, not once turning away from Dana.

Closing his eyes, he stood to retrieve a loofa and some soap from the bathroom basin. Dana didn't see him open his eyes until he was once again crouched down beside her. She saw some sort of emotion hidden in the depths of his eyes, though her pain was too great for her to really focus on what it could be. Dana remembered their conversation all those days ago, where Christian had confessed his feelings for her, which is what had gotten them into this mess. Yet, she found that when she thought about it, her anger towards him wasn't as strong.

"I won't touch you in certain places," he announced, bringing her mind back to the present.

Dana shifted slightly, not wanting to slip down further in the tub. "I trust you, Christian."

That emotion she saw in his eyes only flared in response to her words. His expression remained neutral, though with each steading breath, Dana thought she could see what he was truly feeling beneath his inability to express himself in the way normal people do. Squaring his shoulders and leaning against the edge of the tub, Christian used one arm to prop her forward so he could scrub at her back. His touch was feather light as he moved the loofa down across her chest, not spending too long on her breasts before scrubbing her stomach. Dana hissed at the stinging pain caused by the soap running over the cuts on her arms.

When Christian moved to lower the loofa, that's when Dana grabbed his forearm to stop him. "I can wash there."

"Oh. Right."

Leaving her too it, he sat back until she was finished, then moved down to scrub her legs and feet. It probably would've tickled if it weren't for the pain coursing through her body. Christian grabbed a cup from the small kitchenette in the room so he could run water across her shoulders, getting rid of any soap residue the shower water couldn't reach. Dana relished it how good it felt to have the warm water trickling along her back.

While she was propped up in more of a sitting position, Christian's arm securing her in place as he continue to pour water over her skin, she couldn't help but watch his face. He was concentrating extremely hard on not looking directly at her naked body. She felt safe, calm, and taken care of. Thirty hours ago, when she had been tied up in a basement, Dana had felt such strong resentment towards him. This was all his fault; the reason she was currently battered and bloodied in a bathtub in a shady motel off the freeway. His relentless fixation on her caused this mess, and her life was in danger because of it.

Only, so was his. Christian had risked his life countless times, again and again, to ensure her safety. He had come back to New York for the girl he cared about, and, for that, Dana couldn't justify hating him. It was someone else who had done this too her. Someone who wanted to get to Christian by using her as leverage, and it wasn't fair for either of them. None of this was fair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, unsure if he would even be able to hear her over the running water.

But his entire body froze, eyes flickering to meet her own as tears slipped down her cheeks. Christian gently leaned her back against the tub and placed the cup on the floor. His eyes held hers for longer than they have ever done before, indicating how focused he was on her in this very moment.

Dana released a shaky breath, soft sobs making her voice unsteady. "I'm sorry for not believing in you. For-for doubting you'd pro-protect me. I'm s-so sorry."

"It's alright, Dana," he replied.

"No. It's not!" Her sudden outburst had Christian lowering his eyebrows in confusion, the first real emotion she's seen on his face since she woke up. Dana was upset and angry and in pain, so nothing stopped her from releasing every emotion she was currently experiencing. "I hated the fact that you had gotten me into this mess. I could've been killed. I was tortured! All because you happen to like me, Christian. And that shouldn't happen! You can't help who you like, but now, because of...of this, we're in trouble. I hate that this is happening and I hate that I blamed you for it!"

"This is my fault, Dana."

Using the remainder of her strength, Dana sat up and leaned forward, catching Christian off guard. She pressed herself against the edge of the bath, hoping he wouldn't move back. Christion remained where he was as she planted a kiss on his lips, gentle at first, but eager for more when she felt how incredibly soft his lips were. Her ribs screamed in pain, and she had to withdrawal, sinking back into the tub. Dana's cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing heavily.

Christian opened his mouth, though no words came out at first. Eventually, he started with, "What-," before a knock sounded on the bathroom door. Without another glance in her direction, he moved to block Braxton from being able to open the door. Instead, he slipped out into the room, firmly closing the door behind him. His wide eyes and the slight red tinge to his face was something Dana couldn't get out of her mind as she leaned her head against the wall and concentrated on breathing through her pain.

I'm still flooded in and unable to get into my office building in the city -_- So, you get another chapter! Yayy