Warning: This story my not be suitable for young readers. At some point in chapters there will be mature content that some parents may not find suitable for their children to read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I only claim my OC's Ana and Issac and of course the plot

Chapter 15:

He jumped over Spencer's crumpled form on the floor hurrying to catch up with Ana. It was strange to see her so upset, granted he could understand to a certain degree, but at the same time in his mind she was overdoing it. Calling out to her as he opened the door she turned to look at him from the bottom of the stairs. There was a fire blazing in that gaze, but he couldn't help not noticing the fear in them as well.

"Ta-ta!" Issac called out reaching for him.

He reached for the little boy out of reflex only to watch Ana step back. Dropping his arms to his sides he put his hands in his pockets and stood there staring at her. Issac continued to cry calling out for him, it tore at him to see the kid like that however he stood there waiting for her to make a move. After a couple moments he watched her put him down and he ran to Tala as if running for his life. When he picked Issac up the little boy wrapped his arms tightly around him as if he, Tala, were the only person in the world who could keep him safe. She stood there rubbing her arms and looking around. The woman wasn't crazy he knew that. It just seemed like she was panicking because she didn't know how to react properly about Issac having been in danger.

"Its ok." he replied "We made a mistake. It won't ever happen again."

"No. That's a lie. He always said that too."

Behind him he heard the footsteps of Bryan coming outside. It wasn't difficult to tell him apart from the others. The man always walked with a confidence unlike anyone he had ever met. There was always a rhythm to his walk that announced how deadly he could be if angered the wrong way. He hadn't seen Bryan like that in a long time, but with Ana behaving strangely it was clear his childhood friend was on edge.

He turned around and walked halfway up the steps handing Issac over to him. Putting on the fakest smile in his life, he explained that she just needed to get some fresh air. Silver eyes narrowed at him, but his friend simply nodded and went inside. After the front door had closed he turned his attention back to her and sweet talked her into putting the bags she had down on the porch. With every ounce of charm he had, he talked her into walking down the street side by side. Keeping his hands in his pockets the whole time they walked in silence for a few blocks.

"You think I'm crazy don't you?" she asked him breaking the silence.

"No." he chuckled "But I commend you on being able to rock an old pair of Ian's cargo shorts with a…uh.. I'm guessing a hand me down T-shirt that Spencer got tired of?"

He watched her stop to look down at the faded video game shirt. It had the symbol and words for Call of Duty when it had first came out.

"Baggy clothes are comfy."

She looked like a child desperate to win a debate.

"They make me feel safe."

That one made him raise a red eyebrow at her. Apparently alcohol was a really good relaxer for her, because when she wore that outfit to the club a few days ago…yeaahh he wasn't gonna touch that subject.

"Look. Nobody knows anything about your past, but this whole thing about feeling safe and stuff, it needs to stop. Whether you realize it or not you are safe with us."

She laughed a little and walked ahead not wanting to look at him.

"Ian doesn't have a gun safe." she told him

"Not a real one. He considers the basement his gun safe because that's where he works when the shop is closed."

"Its not a real safe." she snapped

"I don't think this is about that. I think this is about you and the nightmares you've been having."

She stopped walking to look at him with surprise. He had been quiet about it ever since she had hit her head. Every night she would toss and turn. Occasionally, she talked and screamed in her sleep. Usually he was already there so no one else could hear or be woken up. It was strange how it happened around the same time every night and most nights it was the same scene playing out.

Always around one in the morning she would toss and turn. Her body would jerk as if she were being hit by someone. Most times she would cry out 'No' or 'Stop'. A couple times he had walked in and woken her up only to be slugged or she fell out of bed in fear trying to get away from him. It bothered him that he reminded her of someone bad, but at some point in everyone's lives you come across an individual who reminds you of someone you REALLY do not like.

"I don't wanna talk about it." she said looking at the ground.

"You will one day." he smirked. "I finally told Bryan about a couple months ago and I finally stopped sitting alone in the dark in my room."

Those green eyes bore into him again and he couldn't stop himself from admiring those blue flecks again. They added a flare to her. In a way he somewhat wished her eyes were completely blue just to see what it would look like. The mixture was a tease and made him curious.

"Ya gavaryu po ruski (I speak Russian)"

She spoke to him in his native tongue and it knocked him for a loop. Not once did she let on she was Russian and none of the other guys had said anything about it either. Truth be told he found it somewhat hot.

"Eto ochin kharasho (Its very good) " he told her back.

She grinned at him.

"Where were you born?" he asked.

They had made it to the park. The lights were beginning to come on as dusk began to make the sky darken. Sunshine turned from a bright yellow to a dull orange and purplish color above. It was his first time here. He wasn't a park type of guy, but it was nice while empty.

"Borovichi" she answered as she sat on a nearby swing.

"Ah. The lumber yard."

Ana looked at him and he found himself chuckling at her again.

"Sorry. Something the guys and I made up about that place when we visited it one time."

"My father worked in a lumber yard. The pay sucked. He had gotten in trouble so finding work was tough and when he did get a job the manager would pay as little to him as possible since they had taken mercy enough to hire him."

"It's a tough place to live in. I got stuck to a metal pole one time in the dead of winter because the guys triple dog dared me to hug it naked."

She laughed that time out loud. It was a melodious sound he enjoyed thoroughly. Rarely did she laugh like that and he was thankful they were alone so that he could be the only one to enjoy it. He didn't care it was selfish. Everything else about her already had to be shared. He noticed then that he had absentmindedly started pushing her on the swing. They were weird together and he liked that too.

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The feeling of the evening air felt wonderful to her skin as she moved forward and backward on the swing. His hands were gently pushing her, every time his hands touched her it sent a chill down her spine. This gentleness was all too familiar. This was how things had been once before. Her mind wandered off as she thought of a time long ago when her parents had been happy and she had been happy. She was home fresh from school quickly changing from her school uniform into some comfortable street clothes. Upon entering the kitchen her smile faded as her parents looked sadly from one another to her. She stood there confused, asking them what was wrong. It was then that a tall well dressed man had entered the room smiling a smile that made her afraid. Behind him she noticed a boy around her age, just as well dressed as the tall man. It was clear this was a business meeting and she turned to leave just as quickly as she had entered the room.

Another man appeared out of nowhere and the business man looked at her father and spoke in a language she had not heard before. Her father then stood proudly and shook the man's hand. A briefcase was handed off and then she was dragged from her home never to see it again.

Without knowing she had dug her heels into the ground stopping Tala from being able to continue pushing her. Instead of pushing her he was now rubbing her back. She had spoke aloud and he had heard. Children being sold for money was more common than most people realized. Not saying it was popular in Russia just saying it was something that happened everywhere. There was an underground thing that went on worldwide where parents sold their kids into adoption for money and others did it for drugs and others it was too gruesome to speak of. In her case her parents had sold her because they were so poor and making another child was easier than being able to afford the bills at that time. She had had a little brother and unlike her he could carry on the family name.

Fingers snapped in front of her and she blinked to see him staring at her. He was trying to get her to stop thinking about it, but it haunted her everyday. Snapping wasn't going to change the past, but how she lived now could provide a better future that made it seem like a dream.

"It was Issac's grandfather that bought me. His son had seen me walking home from school and wanted me to be his friend. They were on a business trip and his father not only had money, but enjoyed spoiling his son. The man's wife had died two years before and his son was lonely. He bought me so the boy would have a female companion because his father was only interested in purchasing women off the street for one night flings. I was raised in that big house and taught English. The boy was nice and we got along great, but as I lived there longer I realized I was meant to be more than a friend. I was a servant around the house."

She watched his blue eyes watch her. It felt like he was looking into her soul. He had stopped her from talking.

"Its getting late. We should get back. I want to hear this, but I don't know if I'm strong enough not to go out there and find the people who have hurt you and not hurt them back."

The two of them headed home. She was glad he had stopped her from talking. Her heart had felt like it was going to burst from her chest. All the events of the day were just wacky and nothing made sense, but this moment in time. She looked at him walking next to her. His head was held high and he looked ahead as if his mind was processing things and scanning the area around them. She felt safe and she liked that. That comfort around him. It was the same way she had felt after she had been living in her new home for almost a year. The comfort she had felt before the drugs and before the abuse. There was a calmness with the other guys that she felt but when it came to being alone with Tala, she just wanted to crawl up next to him and stay there. She felt bad that she had hit him a couple times, but when she first woke up all she saw were those blue eyes and it terrified her.

When they got home Issac was asleep and she went to her room without another word. The little boy was sleeping quietly in his crib and she put her pajamas on and climbed into bed only to awaken in a cold sweat a couple of hours later. She looked around the room then got up to check on her son. The house was quiet and she looked at the beside clock to see that it was almost two in the morning. She was cold and rubbed her arms feeling vulnerable for some reason. Walking to a corner of the room she cut on a little night light and then crouched in the corner next to it. It had been a long time since she had done this. She couldn't understand why she was acting like this all over again. After awhile she could feel herself dozing off again. Her eyes were too heavy to open as a pair of arms picked her up off of the floor, without thinking she gripped someone's shirt and relaxed after inhaling that strong masculine scent she favored. It wasn't a cologne it was natural. The arms laid her down onto her bed and released her from their hold. A click sounded signifying the night light had been turned off again and then her covers were pulled over her. As the footsteps began to leave the room she sat up abruptly and reached out to grab a wrist. The person stopped in their tracks.

"Don't leave me." she pleaded.

She knew who it was and what she was saying. He didn't say anything just came back over to her. Moving over she made room so that he could lay next to her. As he laid down she couldn't help but scoot close to him and hold his t-shirt in her hand again. The last thing she thought was that he smelled of snow and winter. It was a nice smell it really made her feel safe and at home.

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He lay there next to her until he knew she was fast asleep. There was no way he was going to sleep next to her. Everytime he tried to get up her grip on his shirt tightened. It was going to be a long night and Tala was sure he would not sleep.