For you my dear readers! I love you all!

I awoke slowly sometime later, each sense coming alive on its own. I set up and stretch, my back letting me know that it didn't appreciate the way I had fallen asleep. I groaned as it popped rather loudly. I slumped down into my chair and looked over to find Vincent still asleep. I sighed and rubbed my eyes and yawned. Hopefully he'd sleep for a bit longer.

I stood and turned around, intending to go to the bathroom but had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming as I quickly back peddled, bumping into Vincent's hospital bed. Variedy was standing just behind the chair I had been asleep in, just standing there, his hands at his side, his mismatched eyes watching me carefully.

"What the hell is your problem?!" I hissed as I glared daggers at him, god I wished my looks could kill.

"Too many to list." he said and then turned and went over to the love seat on the other side of the bed and sprawled out on it. I just looked at him in shock, god that guy has issues! I rolled my eyes and headed for the bathroom, trying to act normal. I made it to the bathroom and closed the door but I had to lean against the back of it to get my head on straight.

The guy had been standing right behind me for god knows how long completely silent! My heart was in my damn throat and trying to choke me. I swallowed loudly and took a deep breath. I've never met a person who unnerves me so much.

I shook myself and went to the bathroom. I checked my reflection as I washed my hands and decided I needed a change of cloths and soon, these were starting to look a little dirty. I sighed and headed back into the room to find Variedy with his head laying on the back of the couch and his eyes closed. I relaxed instantly, assuming he was asleep.

"Creep." I muttered as I took my seat back by the bed. Just then the door opened and a nurse came in carrying a try.

"Hi there." She said as she set the tray on the bed side table. "This is for Mr. Valentine to drink once he wakes." she pointed to the cup of juice and then a small plastic cup with two pills. "And these are his antibiotics that are to be taken with a full glass of water."

"Okay, thank you." I said with a soft smile. She smiled back and was out the door once again.

"I hope its real juice and not some water down crap." came a dry, hoarse voice. I spun around to find Vincent awake and staring up at me. I smiled a little as I reached down for the controls on the side of the bed.

"I'm gonna lift your bed a little, Okay?" I asked as my finger hovered over the button. He gave a small nod and I hit the button, raising the bed just enough so he could drink without spilling anything on himself. He closed his eyes for a moment and I could tell he was in pain even though he didn't make a noise. "Sorry, I know it hurts." I said as I lifted the cup of juice off the tray. His eyes opened and he glanced at me but said nothing as he took the cup into his shaking hands. He took a tentative drink, almost as if he expected it to hurt.

"You know, you don't have to stay. Variedy could do this." he said after he swallowed. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah I'll just bet he could. He'd probably put the cup on the other side of the room and tell you to crawl for it." I said as I watched the raven haired man take another sip. His eyes shot over to the sleeping man and then back to me.

"You shouldn't talk about people when they're in the room." he said.

"He's asleep." I said back as I set back in the chair.

"You know what they say about assuming things kid." came Variedy's voice. I jumped a little but then rolled my eyes. I turned in my chair to find him sitting up.

"Do you want to sit here and make sure he drinks his juice and water like a good boy?" I asked him and he snorted.

"No thank you. I'll leave wiping his ass to you, lover boy." I turned back to Vincent with a glare.

"Your stuck with me, deal with it." I said as I took the now empty glass of juice and handed him the cup with the pills. I got up and filled a cup with water and brought it back to him. He took the pills and drank all his water before he settled back into his bed.

"So chamber maid," he said to me and I glared "How long will I be here?"

"You go in for surgery tomorrow morning." I glanced over to Variedy but he was staring out the window. "From what I know, your going to need physical therapy but that's after you've had bed rest for x amount of days. Doctor Yanc hasn't said how long." He grunted in response and shifted in his bed, his eyes closed again and his jaw went ridged.

"Vincent?" I asked, my hand on his arm. He didn't respond, just kept his eyes closed and his body tense. "Want me to get a nurse?"

"No." he said through his teeth. I glance over to see Variedy watching him. "I'm fine."

"You don't have to be tough about it!" I said, giving him my 'are you crazy?!' face. His eyes came open and his body relaxed.

"It passes." he said but he wouldn't look at me. I opened my mouth to argue but my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out to see that Axel was calling.

"I'll be back." I said as I got up and went out into the hallway. I answered quickly, saving him form my voice mail. "Hello?"

"How is he?"

"Awake and being a stubborn ass hat." I said, leaning against the wall. "Variedy is here, scaring the shit out of me as best he can." Axel chuckled a bit and I felt myself smiling.

"Well thats good. If he's being an ass we know he's feeling better. As for Variedy there really isn't anything I can do about him hanging around. He's there to teach you but Vincent is suppose to over see the training so we're kind of at a stand still on that." I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

"Yeah well he gets on my nerves." I muttered.

"Hold on for a moment Roxas." I heard Axel speak to someone else for moment and then "I've got to go Rox, I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, later." I said and hung up the phone, possibly a little quickly. I had heard Larexen's voice on the other end. I let my head fall back, knocking it against the wall.

"Something's wrong with me." I groaned. I pulled my thoughts back from the dark edge they were teetering on and went back to the hospital room. I paused outside the door to listen for a moment but if they were talking I couldn't hear it. I pushed the door opened to find them both just sitting and staring at different parts of the room. Wow...how awkward. I thought as I took my seat back. I looked over at Variedy.

"Don't you have something else to do?" I asked, possibly a little on the rude side. He glanced over at me, his face blank but he said nothing. I quickly looked away, once again feeling very unnerved.

"Don't you have something else to do?" Vincent asked me. His voice was sounding a little better now that he had some water but he was starting to look tired again. I gave him a soft smile and his eyes went slightly wide. I reached over and lowered his bed so he was laying down again.

"Don't worry your pretty little head." I said "I'm here to take care of you." He seemed to get even more confused.

"The last time I saw you, if I remember correctly, you hit me in the face." he said.

"Yes, you remember correctly. But what you don't seem to remember or maybe no one has informed you, is that the next time I saw you, you were strapped to a chair and barely alive." I leaned over and pressed my lips to his cheek and continued on in a whisper. "I watched as they carried you out of that building, no more then dead weight dragging between Zexion and Marluxia. And all I could think was, that's Vincent. That's strong, silent, beautiful Vincent. The man who stood between Axel and me on several occasion, the man who I bent over in my shower for and begged him to..." I trailed off and pulled away, my eyes shimmering with tears.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked. I looked down into his empty eyes and felt as if I was staring into a bottomless pit.

"Because you need to know that there are consequences to your actions. I'm not the kind of person who can go through the things we've been through together and not feel something." I said, trying to get through that empty look, trying to see something. "I care about you." I whispered.

"Do us all a favor." he said, his voice empty. "And don't." I felt my face shut down as something broke inside me. I can't really say it was my heart because I didn't love this man, not in the least but something in me had really thought that he would be different after all of this. I felt a flood of emotions and then suddenly nothing.

I let my eyes go empty as I stared into his and suddenly his eyes weren't a bottomless pit, they were a mirror. Something flashed across his face but I was no longer there. I set back down in my chair and stared straight ahead.

Some people just can't be reached and Vincent was clearly one of those people.

"Roxas" came a voice, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned to find my brother standing next to me.

"Hey Cloud." I said, smiling but I could tell that it didn't reach my eyes. He looked between Vincent and I but then decided to drop it.

"I've just come to speak to Vincent. Could you excuse us for a moment?" he asked me. I wanted to feel angry at being asked to leave but I couldn't help feeling relieved.

"I'm going home. Variedy can take care of him." I muttered to my brother as I stood and headed for the door.

"If you wait out side I'll give you a ride when I'm done here." Cloud said but I shook my head.

"I'll call Demyx." I said.

"Roxas.." came Vincent's voice. I stopped in the door way but didn't turn around. I could count the number of time he had said my name on one hand, my hands clenched at my side. When he didn't say anything else I left, closing the door behind me. I walked a ways down the hall way and called Demyx.

"Hey Rox, what's up?" Came Demyx's voice after a few rings.

"I need you to take me home." I said, leaning against the wall.

"I can't right now but I'll send Zexion, is that alright?" I leaned my head back against the wall and let out a deep breath. For some reason I really didn't want to leave...

"Actually, it's alright. My brother is here I'll get him to take me." I said after a short pause. Demyx hesitated for a moment and I thought maybe he would push it.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything." he finally said.

"Thanks Dem, sorry to bother you." I muttered.

"You're never a bother. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright bye." I said before I hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket.

Okay, so I wasn't going home but I defiantly wasn't go back into that room right now...I looked up and down the hall way and decided I'd just make my way back to Vincent's room. I started off down the hall way back the way I had come this morning. I managed to find the door that led to the non-hospital part of the house but I didn't recognize much.

I stopped, looked back at the door I had just come through and then down the hallway. I had two options, I could either suck up my pride and go back or I could continue and probably end up lost...hmmm.

Pride cometh before my fall.

I headed down the hall way for a ways and listened for voices, hoping to find a busier section of the manor but I couldn't hear anything.

"Let's hear it for sound proofing instillation!" I grumbled under my breath a bit before I finally just chose a door and pulled it open. What was behind door number 1? A stair case. Up or down? I could vaguely remember coming upstairs on my way here so down it was.

As I descended down the stairs I could finally hear voices, possibly on the landing at the bottom of the stair case. I leaned over the railing and glanced bellow to see the tops of several heads...tops of 3 very formidable looking heads. I pulled away from the edge as I was suddenly hit by a very obvious, highly over looked fact.

I was in a manor that was controlled by the Mafia, unescorted and a stranger to most of these men. I was so screwed.

I quickly made my retreat back up the stairs as silently as I could but of course my life is never that simple. I pushed opened the door that I had come through (or thought I had) and came face to face with two more males both very large and very scary looking.

"Who the hell are you?" one asked, stepping forward and reaching for my arm. I froze in place for a moment, a deer caught in head lights but then I unfroze and shot off down the stairs. My heart was in my throat as I thundered down the stairs; the two men behind me shouting out after me. I probably could have made it past the three at the bottom if the two behind me hadn't gotten smart.

"Hey! Stop that kid!" one yelled and I knew I was done for. I tried to dodge around the three stunned men at the bottom but one managed to reach out and snag my arm.

"Whoa, whoa, where you headed kid?" the man asked, chuckling as I fought to get free.

"Let me go!" I hissed as I looked up at him and met cloudy grey eyes. He glared back at me and bared his teeth.

"Feisty little thing." he said as he jerked me closer. I immediately stopped struggling but kept myself standing at arm length from him.

"You really don't want to do this." I said giving a forced smile. The others had come down and formed a circle around me and grey eyes. He looked me up and down in a very intrusive way.

"Oh but I do." he said with a sneer. I rolled my eyes and tried to look unafraid. Hopefully they couldn't hear my frantic heart.

"What's your name pretty boy?" one of the other guys asked. He was tall and bean-poll skinny with huge scar running down his right cheek. I guess to him everyone was pretty boy...but I didn't make that comment, I swear I'm not that stupid.

"Pretty boy?" I said with a raised eyebrow and a lot of attitude. "Does my name really matter? Will it some how make me more of a person to you? Will you suddenly not want to gang rape me at the bottom of a stair case?" Grey eyes jerked on my arm and I stumbled a bit before he casually back handed me across the face. I stared, stunned, at the wall.

"The attitude isn't cute anymore." he said. "What's your name?"

"Roxas." I said and looked up just in time to see recognition flash across one of the guys face. He nudged the guy next to him and for a moment I thought maybe they'd help me out. But that hope was quickly squashed when they slowly backed up and then slipped out of the door that was a little ways over from us. "You might want to follow your friends." I nodded toward the door.

"Why would we want to do that?" Grey eyes asked. I thought about that for a moment, did I really want to throw Axel's name out there? What kind of consequences would that bring me? I didn't know which side of the 'marriage' these guys fell on, if they were Larxene's men then saying Axels name would probably get me killed...hmm...Well I was here as Vincent's lover technically and he was suppose to be in charge...

"I'm Vincent's lover." I said. This did not have the desired effect I had been hoping for. Grey eyes smiled and I knew I was doomed.

"I'd heard he was screwing someone now, thought maybe it'd help him get the stick out of his ass." he said and he let me go but I was still trapped by the three that were left. "Clearly you aren't pleasuring the Robot right." He took a step forward and I pressed myself against the wall.

"You really don't want to piss Vincent off." I said, my voice starting to sound a little shaky.

"From what I hear, he's still in the hospital bed and unable to walk." Grey eyes said and suddenly I was pinned to the wall, his huge hands pinning my wrist above my head.

"Variedy isn't in a hospital bed!" I said, my voice a bit on the high side. Grey eyes froze, his hot breath on my neck. I looked at the other two and saw fear flash in their eyes.

"Why would he care what happens to you?" Grey eyes said. I gulped and struggled to think around the panic, if I can just get the other two to leave I could maybe fight my way out.

"Vincent is his best success story, anything Vincent values, Variedy will value." I said, it sounded good. Sounded like something Variedy would say. The other two glanced at each other and began to back up. Yes!

"Uhh, yeah we're gonna opted out of this one Rike." Bean pole said and then they were gone. Rike (Or Grey eyes) simply grunted.

"Cowards. I'm not afraid of that crazy bastard." he said and I felt his tongue drag across my neck. I wanted to vomit. I felt myself sliding into panic mode but I had to hold myself together. Come on Roxas! I hissed at myself as I squeezed my eyes closed as his hands started groping. You can do this!

I shifted my foot slightly, then with a swift lift of my leg I slammed my foot down on his in step. And it would have worked great, if he hadn't been wearing the hardest god damn boots ever! He chuckled and his hand went under my shirt. I couldn't help it, I whimpered and my mind was slipping down that dangerous road to panic. My breathing picked up and my heart had relocated to my ears.

I glanced around frantically, looking for something to help me but there was nothing. I started to struggle against the hand that was holding my wrist and bucked my hips, anything to get him away from me. This of course, only seem to encourage him. His free hand found one of my nipples and I lost it.

"Let me go!" I yelled and started to thrash without direction or purpose. He had to use both hands to hold my wrist and his knee went between my legs, pinning me to the wall. With his hands above my head and preoccupied with my wrist it was my one opportunity. I reared back and slammed my forehead into his.

Now I don't care how many times you've seen people do that shit in the movies, it fucking hurts like a bitch. It did make him let me go and stumbled back holding his head but I was also holding my head and whimpering. I managed to get myself together and dart around him. I got about half way up the stairs when I felt his hand around my ankle and I went down, hard.

I managed to catch myself on my arms and tried to find something to hang on to but I was drug back down the stairs. I flipped over and shot out my free foot and it connected with his nose. I felt it break and I had all of three seconds to enjoy that before my ass came into contact with the floor.

"FUCKING BITCH!" He yelled as he held his now bleeding nose. I scrambled to my feet but didn't try to run this time, I knew I wouldn't make it up the stairs and who knew where that door led. I put my back to the wall and crouched, ready to attack.

He came at me in a blind rage, probably the only thing that saved me. He swung his right fist at my face and I ducked but his left took me in the stomach, knocking out my breath. I fell into the wall and he came at me again. I took another punch to the stomach and then while he was bracing for another one I shot out my left fist and hit his already broken nose.

He screamed and stumbled backwards. I know, dirty thing to do but the guy had at least 150 + pounds on me, there was no way I was gonna win by fighting fair. I wiped my lips and my hand came away bloody. Great. I started to inch my way around him, headed for the door, deciding I'd take my chance with whatever was beyond but he turned around faster then I would have given him credit for and grabbed a hand full of my hair and suddenly I was the one screaming as he dragged me away from the door.

He let me go and I scrambled to my feet only to be knocked back down to my knees by a blow to my stomach. I felt the vomit burn up my throat seconds before I hurled. He grabbed my hair again and jerked my head up making me stare into his bloody, angry face.

"I'm going to rape you again and again." he seethed in my face. "Then I'm going to drop your broken body outside of that god damn bastards hospital room." I spat in his face and I was happy to say it contained some vomit and a lot of blood. He snarled and his fist connected with my jaw and I was vomiting again. I rolled over out of his reach and clumsily got to my feet. He got to me before I could make a move and had me by the shirt, his right fist cocked back ready to fly.

I looked up when the pain didn't come to find a hand wrapped around the cocked back fist. I felt a very, thin, very painful smile stretch across my face as Rike's face went pale.

"You really shouldn't have touched him." Came Variedy's voice and a second later a loud snapping sound echoed in the stair well followed by Rike's screams. He crumpled to the floor and I managed to stay standing with help from the wall. Variedy looked over at me and then reached up and touch his ear. "I've got him, stair well seven doors down from the HW"He glanced down at the crying man at our feet and then back to me. "Not bad." was all he said before the door flew opened and Axel was there followed by my brother and Leon.

"Oh man." I said looking down at Rike who was glaring at me. "You are so screwed." Axel took one look at me and I saw the flash of rage and I was so glad it wasn't directed at me.

"Leon, Cloud, get him up." he said, his voice barley suppressing his anger. Variedy took me by the arm and pulled me out of the way as my brother and Leon bent over the crumpled man and took an arm each and pulled him to his feet. Axel came over to me then and gently took my chin. I tried to look away but once I met his green eyes I was stuck. He brushed his fingers over my jaw and my busted lip and I flinched, I saw the explosion in his eyes, seconds before Axel turned. He had Rike by the throat, his long fingers digging into the soft flesh as the other man clawed at the back of his hands.

"Do you know who this is?" Axel asked him gesturing to me. Rike nodded best he could and Axel dropped him, once again he crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees. "Who is he?"

"Vincent's lover." He said and Axle foot shot out, kicking the other man in the chest. Rike gagged and rolled onto his side, clutching his chest. Axel squat down next to him and jerked his head around so that he was looking at me.

"This is Roxas Strife." Axel said. Cloud came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Cloud's little brother." I saw the fear in Rike's eyes intensify. "Vincent's pretend lover." Now I saw confusion in amongst the fear. "Vincent is the cover story." Axel purred and he jerked the mans head back even further and bared his teeth. "Roxas is mine." he snarled.

"I..I.i..." Rike started stuttering. Axel stood and placed his boot on the man's elbow.

"You touched what is mine." the red head snarled. He lifted his leg and brought his boot down on the mans elbow. I looked away, buried my face in Clouds side as Rike's screams once again filled the air around us.

"I didn't know!" he screamed in between sobs, over and over again. There was another sickening crunch and more screaming. I clenched my hands into fist in Clouds shirt.

"Rox, your the only one who can end this." Cloud whispered to me. I shook my head but took a deep breath and pulled away from my brother. I turned to find Axel kneeling next to Rike, cradling the man's hand in his and slowly bending his fingers backwards. I gulped as I felt vomit start to inch its way back up my throat.

"Axel." I said but he didn't look up, just continued breaking the dying mans fingers. I moved toward them and dropped to my knees beside Axel. I gently took his hands from Rike's and laced my fingers with the red heads. "I'm fine." I said but talking was painful because of my bruised jaw. Acid green eyes met mine and I knew it was over.

"Variedy." Axle said as he stood, pulling me with him. He tucked me under his arm and I slid my arms around his waist.

"Yes?" Variedy asked.

"End him." he said, his lips against my temple. I looked down at Rike as I heard the cock of Variedy's gun and saw the flash of gratitude just before the shot rang out and his eyes went dead. "Have his body removed and taken to the dinning the hall." No one questioned him as Axel turned and started up the stairs, taking me with him.

We didn't speak the whole way back to the hospital room. Axel set me down in the chair next to Vincent's bed (who was watching us silently) and went back out into the hall way. He came back in followed closely by a nurse who imminently came to me and started to examine my face.

"Poor thing." she said before she went over to the cabinets and started pulling out supplies. "Here" she said and patted a rolling stool that was next to her. I got up and moved over there, all the while very careful not to look at the clearly pissed off red head. I sat and let her wipe at my face with a wet cloth, I hissed a bit when she got to my lip but other then that made no noise. She examined my lip a bit.

"Well it won't need stitches." she said as she turned my head to the side to examine my jaw. She touched it and I flinched away. "Can you open your mouth?" she asked. I opened my mouth very slowly and then closed it. It hurt but not to bad. "It's not broken. Anything else hurt?" She asked me. I lifted up my arms and showed her where I fell on the stairs. She poked and prodded that for a moment. "Well you'll be plenty bruised up for a while but nothing to serious. I'll get you an ice pack for your jaw." She patted my knee and went out the door. I glanced over to find Vincent staring at me. I gave him a blank face before I turned to look at Axel.

I opened my mouth to say something but he held up his hand. Just then the nurse came back in and handed me the ice pack and left again. I gently placed it to my face, wincing a bit.

"What do you think you were doing?" Axel asked, his voice carefully controlled. I glanced over at Vincent and then away from them both.

"I was just trying to get back to Vincent's room. I was tired of sitting in here." I mumbled as I shifted the ice pack.

"Tired of sitting in here?" he asked, his eye brows raised. "I had to practically drag you out of here last night." I felt my face burn with embarrassment and I kept my eyes away from Vincent.

"Yeah, well he's better now." I muttered.

"Vincent, what happened?" Axel asked and I finally looked over at the raven haired man. His eyes slid to me for a moment before they went back to his boss.

"Nothing." he said and my jaw dropped open. He was lying to Axel?! Axel looked to me and I quickly closed my mouth and didn't make eye contact.

"Nothing?" he asked and I could tell he was losing his patience fast. "One of you will tell me what happened or I will be forced to do something regrettable." I looked at Vincent to find him staring at me and I almost dropped my jaw again. He was waiting for me to say something...would he follow my lead or call me out if I lied?

"Nothing happened. He just pissed me off is all." I said, staring at Vincent. "I had romanticized him and was disappointed when he didn't show any kind of appreciation for my worrying over him." Axel looked to Vincent who simply nodded.

"Fine, whatever. But the two of you have to act as lovers, that means -Roxas, that you can't leave this room. You are worried about him, you have to help him get better. And that means -Vincent, that you have to play to this as well." Axel said and I was finally starting to get a little angry.

"How are you okay with this?" I asked as I stood from my chair, ice pack in my hand, forgotten. "You know that I care about him, why are you forcing me to spend time with him?" Axel looked at me for a moment and I saw something flash across his face but it was gone before I could identify it.

"If I could find a way to get you two a apart, I would. But right now this story is working for us." he said and then his eyes were burning into mine and I was frozen in place. "Do you love me?" he asked.

"Yes." I said and I took a step toward him but he held up a hand and I stopped.

"Do you love him?" he asked, gesturing toward the hospital bed and I was shocked into silence for a second.

"No." I said, searching his face.

"Do you know what I'd do to you if you did?" he asked and his face was dead serious. I felt tears leak down my cheeks and my mouth opened and closed for a moment.

"How could you accuse me of loving someone else?" I asked as I took a step toward him but he stepped back and my heart squeezed painfully.

"I have to ask Roxas. These past few days have been rough for us all but you genuinely caring about Vincent bothers me more then I care to admit." he said and I watched as his face shut down into it's blank mask.

"You did this." I whispered, glaring at him. "You sent him to me!" I said, waving my ice pack toward Vincent. "You told him to pretend to be my lover! The fact that you think I could sleep with someone and not have some emotional connection to them shows how highly you think of me!" I hissed.

"I know what I did." he said and he turned for the door. "Come with me." He held open the door and I glared at him. What the hell was his problem?!

"Where?" I asked.

"To the dinning hall." he said. I hesitated and looked back at Vincent but he was staring at the ceiling, his red eyes unblinking. I turned back to Axel and followed him out the door, I hesitated in the door for a moment as I watched Axel continue off down the hall.

"Don't be stupid." came Vincent's voice from the room behind me. I glanced back to find him watching me.

"Stupid is all I know." I said with a sad smile as I set the ice pack down on the counter by the door. I closed the door before I hurried after the red head. I followed him through several hallways, not really paying any attention. He stopped in front of a large set of doors and turned back to me.

"Follow my lead." he said as I stopped just in front of him.

"What are you up too?" I asked, my eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Guaranteeing your safety." he said "Try to look distraught and scared." He pushed opened the doors and we were greeted by the sound of a very busy dinning hall. Axel started through the room, taking the center aisle and I followed close behind, sure to keep my eyes down cast as much as possible. The room was full of long tables set up in rows and each table held a hand full of men each. As we made our way through the level of noise dropped off and then started up again but in a soft murmuring sort of way.

Once we were in the front of the room Axel turned to face the tables and I cautiously took a step so I was partially shielded by his body.

"Good afternoon." Axel said and the room quieted down almost instantly. "As I am sure all of you have heard by now, Vincent is awake and on his way to a full recovery." This was met with a scatter of happy murmurs. "As you may also have heard, Vincent's lover is staying here to help with his recovery." At this, the room went silent. Axel grabbed my arm and pulled me out from behind him.

"This is Roxas." He said as his eyes scanned the room. "It is needless to say that he is under Vincent's protection but since Vincent is not able to protect him, he is now under my protection." Once again this was met with a ripple of murmurs. "If." he said and the murmurs stopped, "Any one lays a hand on him, the punishment is death." I heard a loud thump and I glanced behind us to see that Rike's body had been brought into the room by Variedy and Leon. I closed my eyes and looked away as the room went absolutely silent.

"And not just death." Variedy said as he stepped forward and scanned the room. "Death by me." A very chilling silence met this statement and I knew that I was safe from these men. No one would be dumb enough to cross this psycho's path.

"You've been warned." Axel said as he placed his hand on my back. "Let's get you cleaned up." he said to me and lead me back through the room. Every pair of eyes was on us as we went through the doors and back out into the hall. Axel led me back to the residential part of the manor and to Vincent's room.

I went straight to the bed and set on the edge, my mind numb. Axel went to the console of computers and started them up.

"Thank you." I said with out looking over at the red head.

"For?" He asked.

"For the protection." I muttered, staring at my hands. He just grunted and I glanced over to find him watching one of the screens. "Why do I have to stick around here?" I asked.

"Because Larxene is poking her nose into the situation. If she catches wind of something wrong with our story she will take it to the lawyers." he said his voice distracted as he watched the screen.

"So this is forever?" I asked, sounding a little upset.

"No, just until she is more then 9 weeks pregnant." he said and he finally looked over at me. I felt my heart squeeze and my stomach go into knots at being reminded. I bared my teeth at him and prepared to be pissed but he shut me up. "After 9 weeks I can ask for a paternity test." My shoulders sagged and I hunched over, my elbows on my knees. I felt the tears break through as I covered my face with my hands.

"Fuck!" I hissed through my sobs.

"Hey," I heard Axel say and I felt his hands remove my hands from my face. I looked up to find him kneeling in front of me, searching my face. "It's going to be okay." he said. This man had to be bipolar.

"You don't know that." I whispered. "What if it's yours?"

"It isn't." he said and I saw in his eyes that he truly believed that. "I've already told you, we haven't slept together recently."

"Do you know who she's sleeping with?" I asked as I laced my fingers with his.

"Marluxia." he said and I felt shock radiate through me.

"Really?" I asked, sounding doubtful.

"He's one of them anyway." he said as he stood and sat next to me on the bed. Silence fell between us as we set on the bed, just the side of our legs touching.

"I don't love Vincent." I said after a while. I looked over at him to find him staring at me.

"I know you don't." He reached out and touched my cheek. "But you're the only person who makes me doubt myself." I felt a small smile tug at my lips.

"Is that a good thing?" I asked and he gave me a soft glare before he pulled me into a tight hug. I laughed a little as I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his shoulder.

"Someday, it'll be just you and me." he said softly, his lips pressed to my shoulder. "I'll get rid of her and I'll be able to shout to the world that you belong to me." I felt my self smile like a fool into his shoulder and I squeezed him tightly.

God I wanted to believe that. I needed to believe that.

The million dollar question...

Should I believe that?