He could feel the sweat of other people stick to him, the pounding beat in his ears making his body quake with the rhythm of music. Lights flashed over him in different colors, and even the floor seemed to be bouncing up and down with life.

All around him were people with their hands up, their faces plastered with sweat and hair, while the bass of the speakers boomed through the air. Everyone around him was living in the moment, everyone was glowing and dancing, their bodies packed together like sardines. They swarmed around him and waved back and forth, the heat penetrating his clothing and sticking to his skin.

But all he could think about was her.

"I don't understand why you have to follow me."

"Because I don't feel like you'll be safe in a place like that… I mean people are sketchy as is…." He replied, looking around the snow covered area for the headlights of a car.

They stood together in the snow and they conversed, her mother convincing him that he should stay with her at all times and to keep an eye on that boyfriend of hers. Ray made no motion to deny her request as he felt the same way about everything. He didn't trust her so called 'boyfriend' as far as he could throw him.

Assuming this guy is decent I may just leave her with him… but… I mean I can't STAY with her… she's with him… it wouldn't seem right.

"There he is!"

His eyes drifted to the car that raced towards them, skidding to a stop in front of them and sloshing snow all over Crystal's boots. She pouted for a second before turning to the window that rolled down, music blasting from the interior. Ray could see the face of a man much older than she was smirk at her and begin to speak.

"Hey baby, get in. We're gonna get the shit party started!"

Great.

Ray stepped forward, taking his keys out of his pocket. He motioned to his car that he had been leaning on with Crystal. The snow was slow this evening, only drifting down in flurries and occasionally building up here and there.

"So I'm gonna follow you okay?" Ray stated, leaning down to talk to the guy who was driving the car. The man spat on the ground and looked up at him, his eyebrow cocked.

"Who're you?"

"Name's Ray. You."

"Stephen. You in for the party?"

"More or less."

"Alright, but you better keep up! We take no prisoners!"

At that moment Crystal stepped up next to Ray, her hands in her pockets and a soft smile upon her face. Ray noticed that she was blushing a little under the pale moonlight.

"Let's go… I want to be there for the whole thing!" she whispered, clearly eager to get a move on.

Before she could move towards her boyfriend's car Ray took a hold of her arm gently and pulled her aside, much to her confusion. He gazed at her intently, his grip on her firm but gentle at the same time. He pulled her towards his car, far from her boyfriend's hearing range.

"Crystal, are you sure you're going to be okay with him? I mean… he just skid along the snow and it smells like piss in his car."

"You're just being sensitive." Crystal said hotly, jerking her arm away. She glared at him through the eyes that he began to adore. "He'll be safe. I'll be fine."

Ray couldn't get another word in before she was across the snow and gathered up in the car in the backseat. Ray sighed heavily, feeling the inside of his coat pocket for his car keys. The red car in front of him blasted with music as the tires skid across the slush and moving forward. Ray stationed himself in his car and began to follow Stephen's car, in the hopes that he would somehow convince Crystal that she would regret going to Pacha.

The moonlight was the only thing guiding Ray in his driving, save for a few lampposts that were lit across the highway. A few times he mentally checked his surroundings, and made sure that he was still pretty good on gas. He had filled up before he had met Crystal at the intersection across the street from the school where he met her. He didn't want to be stuck anywhere without any form of help whatsoever.

As he followed Stephen he began to realize that the area surrounding him wasn't exactly the safest place to be driving his Lexus. Shady figures wandered the streets while a few people shouted blasphemous words to one another and glass shattered on the ground. Ray swallowed.

Is this where that place is? Jesus… it's chaos out here.

Driving up to the building where the club was held, Ray decided to go the safe route and park his car in a nearby garage. His car may have been a lease, but he wanted to make sure that at least one thing of his got home in one piece. The garage wasn't all that far away, and when Ray paid he saw that the owner of the garage was an old man who had run the business for many years.

Nights, he told Ray, were where he made the most money.

Stepping inside the building, Ray could hear the booming speakers from the floor above him where the party was being held. His ears perked at the sound of the music, the ceiling above their heads shaking with the pounding of feet on the dance floor.

"Hey!"

Ray's body turned to see Crystal and her supposed boyfriend step up to him, Stephen grinning from ear to ear with pride. Ray gazed at him evenly, narrowing his eyes slightly before seeing Crystal take a hold of Stephen's arm.

The light of the building was dim and as the three of them progressed onward Ray realized that the inside of the building wasn't as bad as the dance floor. The doors leading to the dance floor were open and guarded by two heavyset black men who wore sunglasses and suits. The two men stood at the ready at the door, their arms folded and guns pocketed in holsters at their hips. Ray pursed his lips.

"Here we are babycakes." Stephen said, dragging Crystal closer to the dance floor. "Alls we gotta do is check in our coats and we're in the free!"

"O-Okay!"

Ray watched carefully as they made their way through, checking their coats in at the nearby kiosk. His eyes wandered around the room, taking in the detail of the area. Upon doing so he noticed that only a few other coats were checked in and the woman who ran the kiosk didn't seem to be much older than eighteen or nineteen at most.

"Let's get going!"

Stephen's voice rang out against the stone walls, and as Ray walked towards them he examined Stephen's entire body. He had not gotten a chance to fully examine the man he considered his rival, and now that he had the opportunity Ray almost felt as if he should not have looked him over in the first place.

His hair was a mess of poorly dyed orange and red, his clothes reeking of both alcohol and cigarettes. The plaid shirt he wore over his faded white tank clashed with the washed out red pants he wore with dusty sneakers. Of course to complete his look Stephen had a few earrings to line his right ear. Ray had earrings too, but none of the skull and fake metal variety.

This guy is really her boyfriend? What makes him so popular?

"Let's go!"

On the dance floor he could feel every person up against him, his body screaming to be released out into the open air once again.

His pleas were all but faint.

His mind was on her and as he gazed around the flashing lights and the bustling people he saw a her petite figure looking rather confused and dazed as people pushed and shoved her around, Crystal nearly getting stomped on a few times.

Ray's eyes then darted around for her boyfriend's orange and red hair, in the hopes of finding him and warning him of the impending trouble Crystal was about to get into. The look of pure fear that struck her face was one he could not get out of his mind, and as he shoved past people he came upon Stephen, who was quietly having a beer with some other girls he was talking to.

"Stephen!"

Stephen turned to him as Ray pushed past a few more people and finally got close enough to talk to him. Stephen was holding a beer in one hand and his hand was on another girl's shoulder, a smile upon his face.

"Hey Ray what's up!" he shouted gleefully, slapping Ray upon the back. "Looks like you're getting a little fucked up yourself right?"

"Crystal's out there getting crushed to death!" Ray replied over the music. He shook his head back and forth frantically. "She looks like she could use some help!"

"Tell her I'm busy and that if she wants she can go upstairs to the ladies room."

Ray froze in his tracks, already feeling the blood boil within him. He took a breath and tried again, this time gently pushing the girl Stephen had his hand on aside.

"She's your girlfriend isn't she? Don't you think you should go out there and help her?"

"She'll be fine!"

"But-"

His words were cut short by the body tumbling onto Stephen and clutching him for dear life. Ray's eyes widened as Crystal stood up shakily, speaking to him.

"Y-Yeah Ray… I'm fine! You should learn to trust him more!"

His eyes narrowed at Stephen who was smiling down at Crystal. Ray grit his teeth and tightened his hands into fists, letting his rage simmer.

"You gotta lighten up man! She's a big girl!"

Ray said nothing in reply as Crystal spoke to Stephen shakily.

"Hey… listen I think I need some water… do you happen to have my water with you?"

"Huh water?" Stephen replied, clearly confused.

"Yeah… I asked you to get me some water before…"

"Oh that!" Stephen answered, scratching his unshaven chin. "Yeah well uh… I got thirsty see? And like… I had to get a drink you know? And I just didn't have enough to cover both of us… I mean I got you here right? And paid for your ticket?"

Ray could see the hurt in Crystal's eyes as she stood with her head down to the ground and nodded quietly.

"So you can get your water at the bar! I'll be over here."

Crystal stood in front of Ray for a few more seconds before going back into the crowd. Ray followed in after her hastily, nearly throwing people out of his way in order to catch up to her.

This isn't good… he's not taking care of her!

At the end of the sea of people Ray found Crystal slumped over in a chair at the bar, her face red and her eyes dim. The heat of the dance floor rose up to meet him as well, Ray feeling a bit parched. He pushed his way towards her and sat down next to her, coming close and holding her up to him.

"Hey! Hey are you alright?"

Crystal's eyes moved slightly to see him, her words whispers.

I can't hear what she's saying!

Slamming down on the table, the bartender quickly retrieved the two bottles of water Ray asked for, Ray nearly ripping the tops off to make her drink. He poured the liquid into her mouth carefully, speaking to her at the same time.

"You're gonna be okay. You just got a little dehydrated… that's all."

Rocking her in his arms he kept talking and talking, his inner mind doing nothing but praying that she was going to recover from her state of dehydration. He had never seen her slumped over before, and his heart nearly stopped from the thought of him losing her in the club scene.

Soon however, his methods of reviving her worked, and she slowly sat up, chugging the water down hastily. Ray let her go finally and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her react in a proper manner.

"Crystal, are you alright?" he asked, still screaming over the speakers of the club.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I needed that water though!" Crystal's eyes widened as she dug around in her pockets, screaming to him.

"I don't know if I have money on me! I was depending on Stephen to-"

"I got it."

"What?"

"I got it I said!" Ray patted his pocket and nodded to her, speaking back to her calmly. "I handled it, don't worry about it. I can cover for you."

"Oh! Thank you." Crystal sat back down on the chair and drank some more water, red forming on her cheeks.

"Listen Ray," Crystal finally said after a few minutes of sitting next to him. "You didn't have to pay for me. I'm pretty sure that I could have-"

"Stephen should have gotten you that water." Ray cut her short, his eyes narrowing in anger. "He shouldn't have done that to you."

"If he needed something then I can't blame him… I mean it's HIS money after all and he DID pay for me to get in."

"Yeah, but it's your safety on the line."

Crystal adjusted her shirt and flipped her hair back, her glasses shimmering in the bright neon lights of the club. Ray could read the annoyance on her face, but his heart was set. She glared at him through her brown eyes and fixed her earrings.

"You should mind your own business Ray!'

Ray's eye twitched.

"What! If it wasn't for me you'd still be passed out on that chair!"

"I'm going back out there!"

Taking her bag with her and stomping away, Crystal reentered the crowd, Ray watching as she got lost in the sea of people once again. He sighed heavily, and shook his head, running a hand through his long hair and ordering a shot for himself.

He cracked his back and adjusted his hair, relieving himself in the urinal. Ray yawned a little, stretching and listening to the sounds of people talking outside the porcelain bathroom walls. The quiet room was only penetrated by the yelling that suddenly came from the hallway across the bathroom, Ray hearing Stephen's voice ringing in the hallway.

"Man we got fucked up man!"

Great… that guy again.

Ray adjusted himself and washed his hands, not bothering to listen to Stephen's incoherent words that spewed from his mouth.

"Yeah man… we gotta like… yeah…"

Ray snorted to himself, taking out his hair from the ribbon that he had and brushing through his hair with a comb he had. He was halfway done brushing through his hair when his ears perked and he stood still, listening.

Did… did he mention Crystal's name?

"Yeah man… I wanna see if I can get another this year."

"How many does that make for this year?"

"Alone? About forty… something or odd. It's over thirty I know that!"

"Wow man… you fucked forty girls?"

"Yeah man! Little Steph's been everywhere!"

Fuck her… fuck her?! That's what he wants to do to her? He wants…

Ray tied his hair back up quickly and ran outside, his heart racing with nerves as he saw Stephen and two other men retreat back into the club. Ray swallowed hard, controlling his anger and his rage.

So that's what you want huh? You sick…

Making his way back inside the club Ray was bombarded with the pounding of heavy music in his hears. He shoved his way through the crowd hastily, nearly throwing some people aside in an effort to find Crystal. He scanned the tops of all the heads in the area, calling out her name.

The lights were dizzying and his head was beginning to pound with a headache when he finally bumped into a small girl that felt rather familiar against his chest. Looking down upon the confused girl he grabbed her wrist and dragged her past the crowd again back into the outside, Crystal fighting him with all her might.

Once outside in the white hallway he led her down to the common area where a few chairs and a couch lay in quiet, waiting to be used. Crystal finally broke free of his grip and the two glared at one another.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Ray!"

"Crystal," Ray stated quickly, stepping closer to her. "Crystal I overheard Stephen talking out there… he wants… he wants to do… THAT… to you."

"'That'?" she parroted, cocking her head.

"Yes! He wants to do that to you!"

"What's 'that'?"

"You know… he wants to… like…" Ray struggled for words, his hand rubbing the back of his sweaty neck. "Like… have …. Have sex with you!"

"What?"

"I overheard him! In the bathroom! That's all he wants!"

"Why should I believe you?" Crystal shot back, standing her ground. "Why should I believe that he said that? Maybe you're jealous of him and how cool he is!"

"Cool?" Ray stated, crossing his arms. "The last person I would want to be in the world is THAT dickbag. He hasn't treated you right since we got here! Don't you see?"

"What I see is a jealous person!" Crystal shook her head, moving back from him. "Maybe if you would just give him a chance then you can see that he's really sweet and nice!"

"Crystal he dumped you to go off with four other girls!"

"What if he was just talking to them?"

Ray growled and rubbed his temples, feeling his heart sick with anger.

"Look, let's just go home okay? My car is out in the garage and I-"

"I'm not going back with you!" she yelled, her eyes fiery. "I'm not going back because I'm not dating you I'm dating him! And he's supposed to take me home!"

"Yeah, to BED!"

At that moment the sound of a punch against a wall interrupted them, Ray and Crystal turning to see Stephen and two other men standing before them. Ray straightened his back and stepped in front of Crystal, glaring.

"What do you want?"

Stephen smiled and spat on the ground, stepping closer to Ray.

"Whatever do you mean Ray?"

"You know damn well what I mean you horny bastard." Ray snapped, growling at him. "Don't you dare touch her."

"Ray what's gotten into you?" Crystal asked from behind him, looking up at the both of them.

"Yeah man, what's wrong with you?" Stephen asked, sneaking around Ray to grab onto Crystal's arm. "She's coming home with me… you heard her." he sneered.

"Don't you take her anywhere!" Ray grabbed the girl back and held her close, growling at him. "She's not gonna be your forty whatever number!"

"What?" he heard Crystal's little voice and Ray looked down softly.

"Is that true Stephen?" Crystal asked quietly now, gazing at Stephen. Her body began to tremble in Ray's arms and he pressed her close to him, wanting to protect her.

"I thought you told me you were a virgin… like me."

Stephen sneered and spat again, speaking harshly.

"Yeah so what? I screwed forty other girls… you're no different than any of them!"

"You lost the bet man!" one of the other men said. Ray exchanged looks between Crystal as the men in front of them swapped hands of money, Stephen dishing out a few bills.

"I thought you said you had nothing left!" Crystal cried, her body moving forward. "I thought you said you were out of money!"

"Yeah, I'm not wasting a single dollar on you." Stephen replied plainly, rubbing his neck. "See I made this bet with my friends here that I could screw at least fifty girls in one year… well I made it to like.. forty five or something. So you were gonna get me the money I needed to buy all sortsa stuff… like porn mags and more cigs…"

At this point Crystal had nearly slumped in Ray's grip, Ray keeping her up with his single arm alone. He gazed down at her softly as she gasped and pressed herself closer to him.

"You lied to me…"

"Yeah and? Not like you ain't got any secrets either miss musician weirdo!" Stephen yelled, stepping forward. "You act like you all big and high and mighty just cause you get all A's and you played in front of big crowds well you ain't got shit!"

"That's enough!" Ray roared, his voice booming over Stephen's. He set Crystal down softly upon the chair that was next to them and stood up, glaring at Stephen.

"You don't know one thing about her!" he said quietly, his blood boiling and his nerves pulsating with rage. "You don't know what it's like to be her… you don't care her about her at all you low life. You just wanna screw her and be done with it. Well… not today. I won't allow it."

From behind him he could hear a little surprised gasp come out of Crystal's breath. Stephen snickered back at Ray, stepping towards him.

"Look, palie, step aside and I'll let you off easy, alright?"

Ray pursed his lips.

"I don't think you understand." Cracking his knuckles, Ray spoke again. "I'm not letting you leave here intact."

Stephen backed away a little, a sweat forming on his brow. "You think you're hot shit huh? Well…" Stephen snapped his fingers and smiled, the two men by his side whipping out pocket knives from their pants.

"Get 'em."

Dodging the knives left and right, Ray's hand connected with one man's neck and with very little effort Ray rolled the man onto the ground, pinning him under his foot and disabling his knife.

Taking the knife for his own, Ray focused his attention back to the other man, who came at him from the side. Ducking down quickly and using the man's momentum against him, Ray rolled the man on his back and side kicked him into a nearby wall. The man groaned in pain and stood up, Ray on top of him already with a swift kick to the torso. Once again Ray pocketed the newly acquired knife and left the man to bleed upon the floor.

The man who had once been down on the ground now came back up and tried to punch at Ray directly, Ray catching his fist and cracking his wrist to the right, causing the man to break out into a holler of pain. Once the wrist had been cracked, Ray used both his hands to palm thrust the man into the other wall, the man collapsing beneath his weight easily.

Standing up gracefully, Ray let his emotions simmer down before he made eye contact with a very beet red Stephen, who in turn charged at him with all his might. Before Stephen even touched Ray he was upon the floor gasping in agony, as Ray had ducked his punch and slid his leg under Stephen's ankle, catching him off guard and landing him chin first on the ground.

Ray cracked his neck a bit and looked back down at the wriggling man on the floor, who was spewing blood from his nose down to his chin.

"Now, like I was saying, she's not going home with you."

Crystal was shaking on the chair as Ray approached her, getting down on his knees to speak to her.

"Are you alright?"

All he could hear were hiccups coming from her as Ray's heart softened. He came closer to her, his nose practically in her hair. He smelled her beautiful scent and immediately he felt his anger melt away. Softly, he spoke to her.

"I'm going to take you home."

She looked up at him momentarily, her eyes full of tears and her hair matted against her cheeks. Ray nodded at her, extending his arms and wrapping her around him.

"Hold on."

She obeyed him and he picked her up, carrying her in his arms. She was so light to him, and as he walked he could feel her face pressed against his chest in gratitude, Crystal sniffling and hiccupping. Ray breathed in deep and caressed her hair as he walked out with her, heading to the coat check. Her hair was soft in his fingers, his heart calm and his body moving on its own practically. He wanted to take her home, feed her hot soup and tuck her into bed.

"You're okay now. Trust me."

The club was bustling with people as usual, but the air in the room seemed a bit off. Ray's eyes narrowed in wonder as he got their coats, a security guard approaching him rather drastically. The lights were not flashing on and off as they should have been and only when people began to move against him did Ray realize that the music was not playing either.

What's going on?

"We need to evacuate the premises." The bodyguard caught his attention as Ray moved past a few startled onlookers and out into the street, the two bodyguards holding the doors open for everyone to get out.

"What happened?" Ray asked, wrapping Crystal up in her coat.

"Someone snuck a gun in… somebody got shot. We need everyone to leave immediately."

The clock ticked on the wall quietly as she lay in his bed, Ray watching her shuffle around a bit. The pale moon was just barely into the cycle of the night when Ray had bought her back to his place, and even now when she rested he could only vaguely remember what he had seen back at the club.

The apartment he had was enough for two people, and he only used the room for when he felt he needed time away from Tyson and his friends. The rooms were well taken care of, and Ray always paid his rent ahead of time. Since he owned an apartment here and in China, he could move freely about the two of them.

The night was moving onwards and Ray's mind drifted back and forth between what he heard at the club and what happened between Crystal and Stephen. Ray had not been fond of that man and he was right. Stephen was no man for Crystal… she was too kind, too sweet… too…

Beautiful.

He sat next to her on the bed, merely gazing out at the stars in the night sky and thinking. His hair was still done up and he had not taken off any of his clothes in the rush to get her into a better place. He had taken her mother's warning and stowed away some pajamas and extra toiletries in case something like this occurred, and seeing her in her pajamas made him realize just how fragile she really was.

She's so small… and… I can… hear her breathing.

Her breaths were low and in sequence, his heart mimicking that very same breathing pattern. His eyes were soft now, his hand drifting over to her body and stroking her back and forth, and his affection clear.

I have to…

A small murmur woke him from his mind and his eyes focused as she rolled over to face him, Ray turning red.

"Are you alright?"

She gazed up at him before nodding softly and pursing her lips. Ray swallowed, almost blushing in shyness as he spoke to her.

"Do you need anything?"

She shook her head softly at him, Ray smiling in relief and finally letting his nervousness rest. He stood up and placed a cup of water beside the bed before gazing down at her through his golden eyes, his heart beating with a new sensation.

A small hand came down upon his backside and he stopped, Ray feeling someone behind him rub up against him. Ray froze to his spot, and soon he could feel the soft soothing touch of a woman trace up to his neck and undo his hair, letting it fall all around him.

He held onto her hands gently, and as he undressed himself he could feel her nervousness beneath him. Slowly he undid his shirt and took off his pants to leave only his boxers. His body felt revealed in the subtle moonlight, his eyes glancing to see the hands move up and down his arms with wonder.

With caution he moved around to her, wrapping her in his arms and softly laying her down upon the gentle bed, their bodies touching and pressing together warmly. He could feel her warm breasts against him, and his hands ran down her thighs and back up to her neck where he pulled her in close and then shied away, afraid to go any further.

She pulled him close as well, her head nuzzling against his chin and Ray falling prey to her soft touch. He breathed in her scent and he could feel himself calm with peace. His fingertips lined her sides and he pulled the sheets over them as his mind mulled over everything that happened.

We had to get out… I'm glad that we didn't get caught in the crossfire… or that we didn't run into any big fire… I wonder who started the shoot out? I'm just glad… I'm glad I'm here with her… that I got to save her in time…

"Thank you…"

Her voice startled him from his trance.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you…" her voice was gentle, soft. "For everything."

He felt her fall asleep in his arms and all at once he felt every emotion inside of him boil up and out of him, coming in heaps and heaps. Ray pulled her close to him and wrapped himself around her, pressing her against his chest and digging his nose into her hair. She truly was grateful to him, and he to her.

They had found each other in a very unlikely place, and they had worked together to grow. He finally felt at peace with her, he felt as if he knew everything and could do anything.

With you… I feel like I'm suddenly human again… like I'm not just… here in this place… like I have a purpose… everything I do… is for you.

Your eyes… your lips… your hair… even when you yelled at me I knew… I knew I wasn't just making it up in my head… when we had hot chocolate together… I knew… I knew everything… I just… I couldn't make it up… I couldn't make out what I was feeling… and now… now I know…

Everything we've been through… your music… your teachings… your tea cup… the club… everything… has led until this moment… where I can finally feel at home in your arms because that's where I want to be… that's all I want to know… right here in your arms…

I am home.