A/N: To stars amoungst dust; Reno knew the man in the hotel behind the counter because he kicked him in the head in Chapter 5. The man was acting strange, and trying to stop them from leaving. Thanks a lot for asking :)

Sooo, here's chapter 17. As I've worked out, there will be two more chapters left now. I'm almost certain :) This chapter has some more sexual stuff in it, so be warned. Nothing to graphic though.

Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 17

He looked so unbelievably innocent laying there, hugging his own jacket, snoring slightly in his sleep. He had obviously been so tired when they arrived in Room 105 he'd just collapsed on the bed and fallen instantly asleep. Elena, on the other hand, felt slightly more self-conscious about the fact she'd not seen a hairbrush, let alone a shower for near a week. She made her way to their ensuite bathroom and turned on the shower, allowing it to heat up. While she waited, she looked briefly in the mirror, instantly regretting it. Her skin was dull and covered with dirt and blood, and her hair was greasy and matted. 'Well…' she thought as she tried to run her hand through her hair. 'At least we're out of that place…'

Elena quickly slipped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower, gasping slightly at the sudden hot water trickling over her body. It was like a whole weight was being taken off her shoulders and she felt instantly relaxed as she let the water run through her hair; to feel so relaxed after spending a week witnessing such horrors as the two Turks had was bliss. Despite this feeling of release, she couldn't get rid of the worry at the back of her mind that she had for Reno. He seemed all right, sleeping off his terrible experience in the next room, but he had been hurt so much, and there were still things he wasn't telling her… hopefully he would come clean, and put Elena's mind at rest.

As she rinsed the last of the soap and dirt off her hair and body, Elena could swear she heard movement in the next room. Her heart beating, she stepped out of the shower, not bothering to switch it off yet, and wrapped a towel securely around herself. Despite the hot water used to wash it, her hair still felt uncomfortably cold on her neck. She shook it slightly in an attempt to rid it of the excess water and walked forwards, intending to check on Reno in the next room. Just as she reached the door however, someone opened it before she could.

"Reno!" the blond gasped as the redhead appeared in the doorway. "You frightened me."

Reno contrasted greatly with the clean interior of the bathroom. He was still covered in dirt and dust, and there was blood on his face. More than anything else, he looked absolutely exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Elena asked when Reno didn't say anything.

"Yeah…" the redhead muttered a reply and smiled slightly. "I was just wondering what you were doing… but I guess I just got my answer…"

"Yeah… just, you know… showering…." Elena stuttered. Why was it so difficult to talk to him all of a sudden? She had never felt more awkward in her life, but she had never felt like that around Reno before. And why was he staring so much? His gaze was definitely flitting up and down her form. It was only as she looked down that she remembered she was only wearing a towel, and a short one at that. The hem of it brushed delicately on her thigh and her bare legs and arms were still dripping wet.

"Nice." Reno suddenly smirked and Elena cursed herself as she blushed heavily. She had completely forgotten how much of a jerk Reno could be.

"Shut up." Elena muttered picking her clothes up off the floor.

"Hey…" Reno said so elusively it caused the blond to look up from what she was doing. His smirk had changed to a vaguely familiar expression; but it was a strange one. "Don't get so worked up… it was a compliment." He was deadly sincere; Elena could tell.

But why would he be so sincere? Obviously, he flirted with people all the time, but he always had that cocky, boyish smile on his face when he did so. But not this time… she had thought that what happened in the cell was just a comfort thing… although she had enjoyed it. Every touch the redhead had made; his hands had been everywhere… but he surely didn't mean it?

Elena didn't even realize as she dropped her clothes on the floor again. Reno was walking towards her, his eyes heavy. His strange expression intensified as he got so close she could feel his warm, sweet breath on her face. He was too close now, and he leaned down slightly so his lips brushed hers. Only for a second though before he put his arms around her and kissed her. It was passionate just like before, but it was gentle, like nothing Elena had ever experienced before. As their tongues touched, it made her whole body tingle and she put her own hands on his waist, desperate for more. It felt strangely comfortable in his arms, so comfortable that she was struggling to make the mental note of moaning at Reno later about putting dirt on her after she had just showered.

After a couple of minutes, Reno pulled away, and it took Elena a moment to come back to her senses. She only just became aware of the shower still running behind her; she should really turn that off. Reno, on the other hand, had different ideas. He edged her gently towards the shower, and as Elena caught onto his idea, she decided to get in touch with her impulsive side again and she quickly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it off his shoulders. She felt a pang of guilt in the bottom of her stomach as she saw the recent cuts on his stomach, but she hastily undressed him, until he was standing in just his boxers, when he dropped Elena's towel off her. She could see his Adam's apple move as he swallowed shakily. Slowly, the blond finished stripping him, and they both stepped automatically into the shower.

Every time he touched her, her spine shivered, despite the hot water, and she leaned in, desperate for more. It didn't take long for the redhead's hair to become saturated as well, and there were soon droplets of water dripping down his face, neck and collarbone. It didn't take long for the dirt and blood to wash off his body, leaving his delicate porcelain skin in its usual condition, ignoring the raw cuts and bruises that scattered his body.

It was the second time they had made love, but it was just as special as the first. Elena wasn't sure why it was happening; she had always thought of Reno as a womanizer, but come to think of it, she'd never seen him with another woman, not properly. But why was he picking her? Was he a lot deeper than he always let on to everyone else? Although none of this bothered her while her and Reno were locked in an embrace, but she was finding it difficult to keep the thoughts out afterwards. She and Reno had dried each other in silence, and Elena had dressed herself while Reno slipped into his boxers and left the room. Elena ran a brush through her hair, still thinking about the mysterious redhead in the next room, and suddenly became aware of how tired she was. She hadn't noticed before, it was like she suddenly dropped; maybe it was Reno, maybe it was the realization off all she'd been through the past few days. Whatever it was, all she wanted to do was sleep.

As she walked into the other room, Reno was already laying down on the bed. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow, but Elena wasn't sure if he was asleep or not. She approached the bed slowly until she was close enough to see his eyes flitting back and forwards underneath his eyelids. She was so certain he was awake, but she didn't want to disturb him for some reason. He just looked so… beautiful was the only word Elena could think of. As quietly as she could, she slipped into the bed beside him, and shivered slightly as he reached and put his arm around her. He didn't say a word, but Elena knew what he meant. He was saying thank you; he was saying sorry; he was saying 'Thank fuck we're outta there.'

A/N: It's surprising how long this actually took me to write. I don't know why :) I keep writing little bits at a time these days, because I've got so much work to do. Also, I've been suffering with a depressive disorder for a while now, the roots of which are still unknown, so I have an excuse for my writing being so bad :)

Hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think :)