Rocking back and forth. The motion was soothing. The wetness from her tears scorched her flush cheeks and she bit her lip in attempts to stop the sob from breaking the quietness of the room. The hotel carpet was rough against her feet and the bedspread scratched her back as she brushed against it. Everything was too harsh; everything was too bright.

The fading light of day poured in from the window and life continued out on the street, the voices drifting into the room, oblivious to the despair she was in. Life continued on as her own broke before her. Her body ached from the combined force of the bruises and sobs. Her own drying blood was sticky on her body and she knew she should take a shower but it was as if she had lost control of her body and was unable to render it to move.

She had thrown herself in her car and driven to the closest hotel. The only good thing about LA was that no one asked too many questions. Cleaning herself up to look marginally presentable, she checked out a room and then flown to it, only stopping to grab her stuff out of her car. She had kept herself together up until then but behind the protection of the walls, she had fallen; fallen so far apart that she didn't know if she could put herself together.

The ache from the loss of her grandparents, especially her grandpa, hit her like a bunch of bricks in the chest. The looks of shock and disgrace on their faces replayed in her mind and she flinched, still feeling their effects. Then the image of Jay in bed with another girl added to the mix and it was just too much. Time to do some damage.

Erin scooted over to her bag, rummaging through the bag. She finally pulled out a skirt and a very skimpy top that would cover up her bruises but show enough skin to be effective. She quickly took a shower and got dressed, using some of her makeup to cover up any bruises that were still showing. She ran her fingers through her hair, leaving it wild. She heavily lined her eyes in charcoal kohl and put some hoop earring in.

Standing back, she looked at her reflection. She didn't even know the person she was seeing. They looked older, colder, than she remembered herself being. Grabbing her ID, door card, and some cash, she left the hotel room and hailed a cab.

Erin directed the cab towards the busier side of town and managed to find a club that looked pretty active and had no trouble getting in. She flirted her way into getting a few guys to buy her drinks, and by her fourth drink, she was relatively numb. So this is why dad drinks, she thought as she finished her latest drink, the alcohol burning as it went down but giving her a sense of euphoria.

She shimmied her way out onto the dance floor and did her best to dance but the effects of the alcohol on her empty stomach were against her, causing her to stumble. She landed against a chest, clutching on to the person's arms to stop her from face planting into the floor.

"Sorry," she slurred as she looked up at the man, his dark eyes running over her form. She felt a shiver run down her body under his penetrating gaze. She needed to get away from him, quick.

"It's alright sweetheart. You look a little tipsy. Maybe you should come sit with me for a while. I can get us into a private booth or something," the man said, his fingers caressing her arms as he held her.

"No thank you," Erin managed to say, sobering a bit.

"Oh come on baby, you know you want to," he said as he continued to pull on her. Erin struggled against his grip the best she could but couldn't pull herself free. Oh god, what am I going to do? Erin began to panic and tried in all earnest as the man continued to run his hands over her and pull her towards the back.

"Oh sweetie, there you are. I was looking for you," another man said as he walked up to them. Erin looked up to suddenly finding her mouth dry as she stared into his hazel eyes. His brown hair was slicked back and a silver necklace adorned his neck. He was chewing on a toothpick and he winked at her, silently telling her to play along.

"Hey honey," she slurred, still trying to get away from the guy holding her. She didn't know who this other guy was but there was something in his eyes that told her she could trust him.

"She with you?" the first guy asked gruffly.

"Yeah. Now take your hands off my girl."

Erin suddenly found herself free from the man's grip and felt herself crashing towards the floor. Her rescuer caught her without any effort and held her against him as the other man walked off.

"Thank you," Erin mumbled, holding onto him. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"No problem," he said while he helped her stand up, his hands resting on her hips. "The name's Leon."

"Erin."

"It's not safe being out here by yourself. Guys like that will take advantage so be careful," he said as he led her over to a bench and helped her sit down.

"What about you?" she asked letting go of his arm.

"I'm different. I was taught better than that."

"That's nice to know," she slurred slightly. Erin suddenly felt sleepy and leaned against him as her eyes began to droop.

"Hey, looks like you're falling asleep on me. Is there anyone around here you're with?" Leon asked shaking her lightly to get her attention.

"Huh? No, I'm not here with anyone. Just me, myself, and I," she answered, giggling softly before falling silent and starting to nod off.

"Hey, wake up there. You have to help me get you home," he said shaking her again.

"Not home, don't have a home. Was sent away. All alone," she mumbled sadly. "He told lies. She told me to leave. So disappointed. He hurt me," she continued to ramble on and Leon sat confused, trying to make sense of her fragmented sentences.

"Where are you staying then?"

"Hotel. 21st street. Econo Lodge," she forced out, her brain having a hard time remembering. Now that the information was out, she fell back against him, her energy depleted for the moment.

Leon debated on what to do. The chick was obviously drunk and she wasn't here with anyone, so there was no way she was going to make it anywhere on her own; but she wasn't his responsibility. Looking up, he saw the guy from earlier staring at the dozing girl in his arms and the look he was giving her made up his mind: he was taking her back to her hotel.

He gathered her up in his arms and pushed towards the exit. The cool night air seems to rouse her a bit and she began to start walking a bit, stumbling every once in a while. He finally directed them towards his car and settled her in. Something nagged at the back of her mind as she saw his car but her mind was fuzzy and she couldn't figure out what it was trying to tell her.

"Wrong side, I can't drive," she said, giggling at the idea. "No driving for this girl."

"It's a foreign car. Steering wheel's on the other side," Leon explained, pointed towards the steering wheel. She looked at it as if it were the most bizarre thing she had ever seen. He smiled at the confused pout she wore, her features set in a puzzled expression.

"Whatever," she said before resting against the headrest and closing her eyes. Leon quickly got in the other side and started up the car. He headed towards her hotel and parked in their lot about 10 minutes later.

Turning off the car, he looked over at her; she was curled up in the seat, her auburn hair fanned around her. Quietly, he got and then opened her door. He picked her up and then realized his dilemma: he had no clue which room she was in.

"Hey, Erin, wake up for a second," Leon whispered, setting her down on the bonnet for a second as he nudged her awake.

"Five more minutes," she muttered and snuggled closer to him, seeking out his warmth.

"In a second. I need to know what room you're in and your key," he holding her face up with his hand.

"Room 34," she said struggling to relay the information.

"Key?" he requested. He felt his eyes widen as her hand dipped into her shirt. It stayed there for a second before pulling out the plastic card key and giving it to him. She looked up to see his slightly shocked expression and smirked at him.

"No pockets," she explained before her eyelids shut again. "You know, you smell good," she commented, leaning against him, her speech still somewhat slurred. Leon chuckled and picked her back up.

He found the room and opened it, the door shutting behind him. He looked around the barely touched room and settled her on the made bed. He pulled off her shoes and then left to the bathroom, returning with a glass of water. He set it on the stand next to the bed and then stared down at the girl. She looked young, just about 18 or so. A ping of familiarity ran through him but he brushed it off. It wasn't like he was going to see her again.

Sure that he had done all he needed to do, Leon turned and began to open the door. A small whimper caught his attention and he looked around, trying to find the source. He looked down at Erin to find her trembling and tears were beginning to leak out from underneath her eyelids.

"No, please don't," she mumbled, her voice pleading as her body began to jerk. Leon dashed over to her and began to shake her awake.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up," he called again and Erin's eyes snapped open, looking around frightened. "You were having a nightmare."

No I wasn't, the words silently sounded in her head. The image of her father ready to strike her surfaced in her mind just as Leon raised a hand and she flinched away. Leon halted his hand and then slowly lowered it towards her face and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyes searching hers to find out what had scared her.

"I'm fine," she replied as shivers began to rack her body. Leon helped settle her underneath the blankets. Leon pulled the comforter up to her chin and waited till she looked like she was asleep before turning back towards the door.

"No, stay, you smell good."

Leon turned at the slurred speech to see Erin with one eye open. He took a deep breath and figured he wasn't going to be able to leave till she was sober. He'd have enough experience dealing with drunken people to know that it could get very ugly and he rather keep her content than stir up trouble.

"Alright. I'll stay," he said pulling over a chair and sitting it next to the bed.

Keeping one eye open, Erin tried to grab for his hand and after several attempt she finally grabbed it.

"There's room in comfy bed," she said stringing the words together. With what little strength she had, she pulled on him. "Chairs aren't comfy."

Leon sat down on the bed and then reclined. Erin instantly latched onto him and took a deep breath.

"Night," she mumbled.

"Night," Leon whispered, promising himself he'd leave as soon as she fell completely asleep.

Somewhere between watching Erin and the clock, Leon had dozed off. He yawned and stretched out to find his movement restricted. He glanced down to see that Erin still had a grip on him and was slowly coming out of her own slumber.

Erin shook her head and instantly regretted the movement. She closed her eyes and tried to stop the pain that was thundering behind her eyes.

"No sudden movements would be good," Leon commented at her groan of pain. Erin's eyes snapped open and locked onto him. In a moment of blind panic she almost pushed him away when the events of last night washed over her and she subtly let go of him and tried to sit up. The change of equilibrium caused her to sway a bit and Leon reached for her.

"I'd be careful. I don't know how much you had to drink but I'd be careful not to get up soon, you might make yourself sick."

"I don't feel sick. Just thirsty and big headache," she replied holding one hand to her head.

"Here." Leon reached over and handed her the glass of water.

"Thanks," she said as she took the glass and sipped at it, the liquid soothing her dry throat. "Um, thanks, for last night I mean. That guy really scared me and I don't think I'd be doing so good if you hadn't shown up or taken care of me, so thanks," she rushed out in one breath, blushing under his scrutiny.

"You're welcome," her answered back. An awkward silence permeated the room and Erin stared down at her glass not sure what else to say or do.

"Shower," she blurted out, her eyes widening with the way that it could be interpreted.

"What?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she clarified. "Then I'll take you to breakfast, you know, as a thank you."

"Sure, breakfast sounds good," he replied, giving her a smile.

Erin slowly got out of the bed, wary of her movements. She felt Leon's eyes on her as she grabbed a change of clothes and her other toiletries. She let out a breath of relief as soon as the bathroom door closed behind her. The after taste of alcohol in her mouth made her run for her toothbrush and scrub her mouth. She then shed her clothes and got into the shower.

Confusion over the situation ran through her and she felt exhausted. What the heck was she doing? She had some strange man in her hotel room and now she was going to take him out to breakfast. True, she owed it to him since he'd taken care of her and whatnot. She remembered the other man from last night and shivered when his leer reappeared in her mind.

This man, Leon, was different though. He almost reminded her of Jay… She'd have to be careful. Take him out to breakfast and then that was it. No dates, no exchanging phone numbers; nothing. There was no way she was going to allow herself to be sucked into a relationship again and not with someone that so resembled her last mistake. Leon was laid back and mellow; everything that Jay had been.

But he's different, isn't he? her mind argued. Erin almost growl in frustration and vowed that breakfast was all it was going to be, just a thank you breakfast and then drop him like a rock. But why, oh why, do I have a feeling it wasn't going to be that way?

Once again, sorry about the lateness. My stories just don't want to write themselves. Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think!