If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Behind Blue Eyes

Chapter 3.

The bathroom was elaborate. For a second or so Rose just stood there and marvelled how the black and white décor made the old fashioned tub stand out. It as evident someone had just used the shower as there was water on the wall tiles and on the floor.

Rose coughed as the images of a very naked blond man came to her mind. "Oh boy.." She whispered. "Get it together…" She quickly stripped off her bloody t-shirt, sneakers and jeans. With a quick look at the door she removed her bra and panties and then stepped into the shower.

Oh how wonderful the warm water was. She rubbed the dirt and blood away from her hair. The water turned pink, but soon cleared. Rose sighed in contempt. This feels so good; she thought and leaned her forehead to the tiles.

Rose closed the shower when her fingertips started to wrinkle. She quickly rubbed herself with a towel and got dressed. The shirt he'd given her was a bit tight on the chest, but hung almost down to her knees. No matter what she did, the shirt didn't fit very well. Finally she just shrugged at her mirror image and rolled the sleeves up a bit.

"I've looked worse." Rose muttered and was just about to slip into her sneakers when there was a knock on the door. She held the shoes in one hand as she opened the lock.

James hastily pushed her back inside the bathroom.

"What..?"

"Shhh." He shushed her with his hand over her mouth and nodded at the door. Rose frowned and was just about to ask for an explanation when she heard a loud bang from the other side of the door. James didn't give her time to think as he quickly opened the small balcony door and pulled her outside with him.

He looked around to find something, anything to help them climb, but saw none. Rose just stood there, frozen. What's going on? She tried to put the pieces together. Then he climbed onto the railing, pulling her with him and she finally gathered her wits.

"Whoa wait." Rose tried to keep her balance the best she could, but still had to lean to him for support. The wind whisked her wet hair to her face and glasses, making it harder for her to see, but she could still see that there was nothing below them but concrete tiles.

"What? Come on, there's no time to.."

"To what? What are you doing? This is what, the fifth floor?"

"Seventh."

Rose gave him a blank look. "Are you out of your mind or just extremely retarded?"

"Depends on who you ask?" He smirked. And without a warning pulled her to his side as he jumped of the railing.

Rose grabbed a handful of his shirt as they plummeted down towards the stones on the parkway. She screamed out in horror, and then her whole body jerked painfully as the freefall came to a sudden stop. Her shocked mind somehow managed to grasp the fact that he was holding onto the railing of a balcony, two stories below theirs, with one hand, as the other had a death grip on her waist. She could feel the cast on his wrist twist.

"Climb up." He grimaced.

Rose somehow managed to do as she was told. She scraped her palms to the stone tiles as she fell of the railing to the safety of the balcony. She could hear him pull himself up. Her legs felt like they were made out of wet noodles. He fell down next to her with a soft thud.

"Oh.. My.. God.." She gasped. "Oh my god! Did we just..?! What the crap...!" She stared at him.

James shrugged his shoulders as it would explain everything.

"We can't stay here." He said as he stood up, holding his hand out to help her up. She gingerly took it, hissing as her raw skin met his. He turned her palm up and frowned as he saw the blood trickling to the surface of her skin. "How did you manage to do that?"

"I.. You.. How..?" Rose stuttered and pulled her hand out from his grasp. She shivered; the adrenalin rush was dying down.

He pushed her behind him as he silently opened the balcony door. Luckily the room was empty.

Rose stumbled inside after him and slumped down to the nearest chair. "I'm not doing that ever again." She whispered. "Never again. Not in a million years."

"Are they after you or me?" He asked as he kneeled down on one knee in front of her, forcing her to focus on him.

"Who?"

He gave her a stern look.

"Probably me." Rose answered, and the frowned. "What do you mean after you? What did you do?"

"How good is your imagination?"

"Decent."

He smirked.

"So it wasn't a car accident?" She guessed.

"I didn't lie." He got up and walked to the open balcony door.

"Ha." Rose stood up. "And now?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I've done nothing wrong. I'm not a criminal, so it is possible that all this is happening because of something you did. So now what? What do we do?"

"There is no "WE" Rose."

"Oh, ok.. But you'll help me right, if it is me they're after?"

"I don't know if there is anything I can do for you anymore."

"What? You.. You could protect me."

"I'm not that kind of a man Rose."

"Sure you are. You did it earlier, why not again?" She took a hold of his hand. "I can pay you."

"You don't have any money."

"How do you…?" Rose bit her lip. "Please James, there is a possibility that someone is after me even though I haven't done anything wrong. I need your help."

"Here." He pushed something cold and heavy to her hands. "This is all the help I can give you." Rose looked down at her hands. He had given her a gun.

"But I..." When she looked up the only thing she saw was the empty doorway. He had left her.

"Crap."

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TBC