T met the four of them in the parking lot of Cleo's building. His face grim he knelt in front of Cleo, "I'm not going to ask if you're okay, little miss, I know the answer to that. I'm sorry we let you down, but we will make that bastard pay, I promise."

Cleo held his gaze and nodded once before throwing her arms around his neck. He gripped her back tightly, dropping his head to her shoulder. "It's not your fault T, I should have been more careful", her voice was muffled by his jacket. His grip on her tightened for a beat before he pulled back from her. Holding her at arm's length he smoothed her hair down before standing, "It's time to go. Cleo you ride with Axel, I'll take Han and Minho. Don't interact with each other until you're on the plane. If the police call, Cleo, this was a planned vacation. You wanted to get away from everything. You haven't seen or heard from Jason since the night he originally attacked you, understand?"

Cleo nodded. Han looked back and forth between Cleo and T, "I don't understand. What's happening?"

Cleo glanced at Minho before returning her gaze to T. "They're giving us all an alibi. As long as the police don't know you were here, there's no reason for them to think you were involved with what happened to Jason."

"Minho let me see your hand."

He extended his right hand out to Cleo. The skin above his knuckle had split and the swelling was rapidly increasing over his entire hand. "You'll need some ice and bandages when we get to the airport. Maybe x-rays at some point to make sure nothing is broken." She looked up at his face, "You'll need to come up with a story for the injury as well to tell the company."

He held her gaze, giving no indication he had heard her. Cleo looked to Han who stepped forward, putting a hand on Minho's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll come up with something."

Axel checked his watch again, "Guys we really have to move."

Cleo couldn't sleep on the plane. She was sat at the window seat, leaning her forehead against the plastic interior of the plane. To her left Han was passed out, head tipped onto Minho's shoulder. Minho didn't seem tired either. He hadn't spoken much since taking a seat, he'd given Han the occasional smile and nod but otherwise kept his gaze forward at the headrest in front of him. His right hand was cradled in his left, the swelling had gotten significantly worse, purple bruising mixing with the redness.

As the flight attendant came around offering drinks Cleo requested a small bag of ice, "my friend accidentally caught his hand in a door". She returned with an ice pack and some gauze. Doing her best to keep from disturbing Han, she wet a napkin in some water and cleaned his knuckles before wrapping his hand in the gauze. Before releasing his hand, she held it for a moment, catching his eye "Thank you". She tried to convey as much emotion as she could in those two words. She didn't know what would have happened if they hadn't arrived when they did, but she felt certain he'd saved her from a worse fate.

Minho didn't seem to know what to do with her gratitude. He gave her a small smile and a nod before returning to staring straight ahead. As the pilot announced their descent overhead Cleo felt her heart speed am I doing?She really hadn't thought this through. Getting on the plane seemed like a simple solution at the time, but now what was her plan? She trusted T and Axel to handle police and keep Minho out of it, but she didn't know where that left her. The reality of her situation began to sink in, and uncertainty clouded her mind. She watched out the plane window, the city lights flickering far below becoming clearer. An unfamiliar skyline filled her window. Their flight touched down in São Paulo as the sun peeked over the horizon.

The three of them took a cab to the hotel, Cleo slumped low in the middle seat between the boys. Han and Minho exchanged occasional glances over the top of her head, their concern and anxiety palpable within the car. Cleo finally spoke up, "Have you… I mean have either of you spoken to Chan yet?"

Han grimaced while Minho responded, "Not personally. T called him on the drive to the airport, he's… upset."

"That's an understatement…", Han muttered under his breath. Cleo groaned and hid her face in Han's shoulder, Minho glared at Han who shrugged "What he was pissed!"

Minho raised his eyebrows and looked at Cleo and back to Han pointedly. Understanding dawned on Han's face, quickly followed by horror as he looked down at Cleo. "Oh god, Cleo, no! He's not mad at you! It's T and Axel he's pissed at. He cussed T out for most of the drive before making him swear to make things right."

When Cleo didn't raise her head from his shoulder Minho reached over, putting a finger under her chin and tipping her head to face him. He spoke gently, but firmly "Listen to me. No one is mad at you, no one blames you. The only person at blame here is Jason and we will make sure he pays."

The taxi pulled up to the Hotel entrance and the three of them got out, Cleo swiping at her eyes as surreptitiously as possible. The lobby was silent, it was too early for anyone to be up and about just yet. They crossed the tile floors to the elevator, Han hitting the button for the 11th floor. He gave Cleo a reassuring smile, "I doubt anyone is around. I think Chan and Felix left about half an hour ago to get ready for a talk show. Chan said their room was yours if you wanted it, but you're welcome to stay with us if you prefer…"

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to an empty corridor. "Thanks Han, I appreciate it, but I think I'd actually like to be alone if that's okay."

Han showed her to Chan's door and Minho handed her the key card. She hugged them both before opening the door and entering the room. With the door shut behind her she exhaled a shaky breath, surveying the room in front of her. There were two full sized beds, Cleo spotted Chan's laptop right away on the bed closest to the door. His suitcase was open at the foot of the bed, black clothes folded neatly inside. Felix's bed was made but his suitcase was thrown open, bits and pieces of clothing and accessories spilling out. Cleo set her bag next to Chan's and quickly stripped out of her clothing. She couldn't even remember what she packed, let alone what she was wearing. The next hour she spent curled on the floor of the shower, the hot water turned on as high as it would go. The heat blistered her skin, but she barely felt it, numbness radiating from inside of her.

By the time she exited the shower the tips of her fingers had pruned, and her hair clung in tendrils to her face. She padded to the bed where she'd left her suitcase but at the last second pulled a sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants out of Chan's bag, wrapping herself in them instead. She curled up on the bed, pulling the sweatshirt up to her nose and breathing in deeply, a warm and woodsy scent surrounding her. Cleo lay there, trying to sleep. Despite being surrounded by Chan and Felix's belongings she felt utterly alone. Fatigue weighed heavily on her, the events of the last 24 hours replaying in her mind. She closed her eyes, reminding herself that she was safe. Eventually, Cleo succumbed to the exhaustion, her mind drifting into a sleep so deep she didn't dream.

Chan and Felix stood in the elevator facing the doors as it ascended the 11 floors. Felix shifted his weight from side to side, glancing nervously over at Chan every few seconds. Chan's jaw was clenched, his arms crossed tightly in front of him.

"Chan, maybe we should…"Dingthe doors slid open and Chan was out of the elevator before Felix could finish his sentence. With a sigh Felix followed close behind, catching up to him outside the door to their hotel room.

"Chan!", Felix grabbed his hand as he went to swipe the room key. Chan whirled around, opening his mouth to chastise Felix but, thinking better of it, he shut his mouth and ran a hand over his face.

"What, Felix?"

"It's just that, I think we need to be calm when we see her. She's been through a lot and we don't want to make it worse! Han said she was worried you were mad at her. You can't go in there upset and scare her."

"Mad at her? Of course I'm not mad at her. I'm going to kill the bastard that hurt her though."

"I understand, trust me, I agree with you. But you can't go in there like this or you'll scare her. You have to calm down."

Chan exhaled loudly before turning away from the door. He leaned his back against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting. He hid his face behind his hands, barely stopping them from shaking. His shoulders sagged as he took several deep breaths. "Felix, I don't know what to do…", his voice cracked.

Felix's heart broke at the sound. Chan sounded so defeated and exhausted. Felix hesitated before putting his hand on Chan's shoulder. "I don't know what to do either," he knelt next to Chan "but we'll figure it out together."

Chan nodded before holding a hand out to Felix who helped him up, pulling him into a hug as he did so. After releasing each other Chan clapped a hand on Felix's back before unlocking the door. The two of them crept quietly inside, the lights were out, and the room was dark. As they turned into the room Chan stopped short, raising a finger to his lips and waving Felix back to the door. On the bed curled up into a ball was Cleo, clearly in a deep sleep. They tiptoed back the way they came, closing the door softly behind them. Instead, they made their way to Han and Minho's room to see if they wanted to get food and discuss the plan moving forward.

"Well obviously she'll stay with us for the rest of the tour?"

"I agree but we have to decide what we will tell the company. They're not just going to let her be seen with us."

"Fuck the company, I'm not sending her back alone."

"Chan, no one's saying we'd send her back, but we have to find a way to get the company on board or they're going to force her out again."

Chan squeezed the can he was holding tightly enough to crumple it. He, Han, Minho, and Felix were gathered around the small table in Han and Minho's hotel room. Food was spread out between them and they'd been trying to come up with a game plan for Cleo.

"Should we tell the other guys what's going on? They're going to ask a lot of questions when they see her…" Felix looked at Chan.

It was Minho who answered, "Absolutely not. Cleo will decide if or when she wants to tell them what happened. Until she makes that decision we just tell them she's here to stay for a while." He glared at each of them in turn until they all voiced their agreement. Once he was satisfied he continued, "The solution is easy. We hire her."

The other three stared at Minho. "JYP won't just hire her like that?"

"Not JYP. Us. Stray Kids. As a group we hire her, give her some bullshit title like Tour Liaison or Special Assistant to the Idols or whatever. We don't give JYP a choice."

Chan looked thoughtful. "You know, that might actually work."

Felix and Han looked excitedly between Chan and Minho, "So that's it right? We tell the other guys we're hiring her and get them all on board and then we take it to management as a done deal!"

Once they were all in agreement Han and Felix took off to inform the rest of the group. Chan was clearing the table when Minho stopped him. "You need to figure out what you want from Cleo."

"What?" Chan turned to face Minho, his face a picture of confusion.

"She's willing to lie for us. Chan she's refusing to acknowledge what happened because she knows if she reports it I'll get in trouble and it will bring Stray Kids bad press. I don't have to tell you again what that… bastard… did to her" Minho's voice shook with anger, "but the first thing she thought of was our reputation. She needs someone to put her first and if you can't do that then… you need to let her go."

Chan absorbed Minho's words for a moment before responding. "I don't know how this happened Minho but she means a lot to me already. It's not just some crush, it's something more. I just can't explain it and that scares me."

Minho's facial expression softened as he watched Chan wrestle with his feelings for Cleo. "Look, I get it, probably better than anyone. Love sneaks up on you and hits you when you least expect it. Even when you try to deny it…" he sighed. "But Cleo needs someone to prioritize her for once, especially now. Can you be that person for her?"

Chan ran his fingers through his hair. "I want to be. I really do. I just don't know if I know how. Stray Kids has been the only important thing in my life for the past six years. Until I met her it was the only thing I cared about."

Nodding along, Minho said "And you've been the best leader we could ask for, but if you want to see this through for her you're going to have to change your priorities and understand the repercussions that could come from that."

"I won't let her down," Chan looked up, meeting Minho's gaze "and I won't let down Stray Kids either. There has to be a way for this to work out so everyone is happy."

"If anyone could figure it out, you could Chan. No matter what you do, you're still the best leader I could ask for. But if you tell anyone else I said that I'll deny it."

Chan stood with a chuckle. "Your secret is safe with me. I should go check on Cleo and see if she's awake or hungry." He turned to leave but before he could open the door he stopped. "and Minho… thanks. Not just for listening but for what you did for Cleo. I don't think I could ever repay you."

Minho threw a half full water bottle at him in response. Chan ducked quickly before exiting with a laugh. In the hallway Chan tried to hold onto the feeling of optimism he'd found in Han and Minho's room as he crossed the hall to his room. He knocked lightly before poking his head in "Cleo," he called softly "are you awake?"

No answer. Chan walked slowly into the room, Cleo was curled in the same position as when they'd checked on her earlier. The room was dim, the only light coming from a lamp in the corner of the room she must have left on. Chan sat down on the bed next to her and reached out a hand to gently wake her. The second his hand made contact with her shoulder her eyes shot open. She scrambled away from the touch, pushing herself up the headboard until her knees were folded into her heaving chest.

Her sudden reaction startled Chan. He withdrew from her quickly, concern etched on his face. "Cleo, it's just me," he spoke softly, "you're safe here."

Cleo's eyes darted around the dim room before focusing on Chan's face. Her eyes were wide and every muscle in her body was tensed to flee. It took a moment for her to register Chan's presence before relaxing slightly. Her body remained folded in on itself, but her eyes relaxed a fraction.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Chan apologized, moving to sit on the other bed a safe distance away. "How are you feeling? Hungry?"

Cleo took several deep breaths. "I'm fine. Not hungry, no." her chin settled on her knees as she turned her gaze forward again.

Chan examined her closely. She was still in his clothes, and she must have showered because her hair dried haphazardly from sleeping. Her skin looked paler than usual, the shadows under her eyes more pronounced. "Can I sit next to you?" he asked as gently as he could, keeping the yearning out of his voice. She was right there, right in front of him. It felt surreal he needed to touch her to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Her eyes darted to him and just as quickly returned straight ahead. She gave a quick nod and he stood slowly, moving to the spot next to her on the bed without any sudden movements. He settled in next to her, leaning back on the headboard and leaving two inches between them. After a few heartbeats Cleo leaned into him, the second she felt his warmth her body relaxed and settled into his. Slowly, he lifted his arm and placed it around her, holding her tightly to him. They stayed like that for a while, Cleo breathing in as much of his scent as she could and Chan thanking every star in the universe that she was there and in his arms.

Cleo lifted her head to peer up at Chan "Where's Felix and everybody else?"

"Ahhh, Felix is spreading the news of our new hire."

She stared back at him in confusion, one eyebrow arched. "Who'd you hire?"

With a grin Chan looked down at her "You!"

Cleo was pretty sure she was supposed to respond but her brain had stopped working. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she shut it with a snap. Chan continued to grin at her "We thought it was the easiest way to make sure you could stay with us for the tour."

Cleo continued to stare. "And JYP and Chul agreed to it, just like that?"

"Well… not exactly. JYP didn't hire you. We did. Stray Kids. You're going to be our newest Tour Liaison or Special Assistant or something."

She burst out giggling at that. "You want me to be what? Your secretary?"

He rolled his eyes "No nothing like that. You can do whatever you want. We just wanted to present them with an 'official' title so they're less likely to push back about you being here."

Cleo laid her head back on Chan's chest. "If that's what you guys think is best than that's what I'll do. I don't want to be a burden."

Chan sat up straighter, jolting Cleo from her position. He turned her head, so they were face to face. "You are not a burden Cleo. When will you understand that I want you here? That we all do?"

The look in Cleo's eyes was more than Chan could bear. She looked so lost and alone. He leaned in slowly, giving her enough time to move away if she wanted. When she didn't, he pressed his lips gently to hers. Before either of them could relax into the kiss the door to the room burst open. "Cleo? Chan? You in here?"

Felix had come running into the room, stopping short when he saw Chan and Cleo on the bed. The two of them separated, guilty expressions on both of their faces. Felix looked between the two, grinning conspiratorially, before hopping onto the bed next to Cleo. He engulfed her with a hug before she could say so much as 'hello'. She buried her head in his blonde hair, taking in the smell of sunshine and flowers. Sandwiched between Felix and Chan, Cleo felt at home for the first time in years. "Did he tell you? Are you in?" Felix's voice was muffled by her shoulder.

Cleo laughed and pushed him off of her so she could see his face. "Yes, he told me. And yes, if that's what you want I'd love to work for you."

"YES" Felix punched at the air, his grin nearly splitting his face in two. "Welcome to Stray Kids!" and he buried himself in her arms once again.

The following day was their last "free" day before their final show in Rio. They'd be moving on to New York after that to start the American portion of the tour. Cleo knew the rest of the guys wanted to say hello to her, but she wasn't sure she was up to it just yet. Chan saw the look on her face when Felix invited her to Hyunjin's room and was quick to shut it down. She also thought he must have spread the word because they were left alone for the rest of the night. She hoped no one was offended, Chan told her they hadn't explained her sudden appearance because they wanted to give her the choice of what to tell them. While she appreciated that the choice was hers she was sure the other four were confused by her sudden appearance and refusal to leave the room; she just couldn't bring herself to leave the safety of Chan's bed.

As the night went on she thought she might have a hard time falling asleep, having slept all day, but within minutes of Chan shutting off the overhead lights she felt herself drifting off. It was warm wrapped in Chan's arms, his rhythmic breathing behind her acting as a gentle lullaby rocking her to sleep. Felix hadn't returned yet and despite planning on waiting up for him she was swiftly overtaken by unconsciousness.

No.

No, please.

Stop.

Leave me alone!

"Cleo? Cleo wake up!"

Her eyes flew open. Sweat covered her skin, the sheets clinging to her. Her blanket had twisted up and become caught in her legs. A light flared from her left. Her heart felt like it was going to fly out of her chest. It wasn't until Chan shifted in front of her that she was able to see his face. She pressed a hand to her heart, begging it to slow down. "I'm sorry. Oh god. It's nothing. Just a nightmare."

She glanced to the other bed, relieved to see it was still made, Felix must still be with Hyunjin. Looking back at Chan she recoiled from the concern on his face. "It's really nothing Chan. Just a bad dream. I'm sorry I woke you up."

He continued to stare at her, the skepticism evident on his face. "Cleo it's okay. I'm here for you, you don't have to pretend to be okay."

Cleo took several deep breaths, feeling her heartrate begin to return to normal. "Just… can I have a glass of water please?"

She'd barely finished her sentence when he leapt from the bed heading towards the water bottles in the mini fridge. He returned quickly with one and handed it over to her. She had to focus all her attention on keeping her hand steady as she brought it to her lips and took several large gulps before passing it back to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, honestly I- "

There was a soft beep and the hotel room door opened. Felix tiptoed in, standing up straight when he saw they were awake. He must not have noticed anything amiss because he grinned at the two of them before crawling into bed on Cleo's other side. Chan tossed a throw pillow at him. "Oi, you have your own bed you mooch. What do you think you're doing?"

Felix ducked behind Cleo, feigning injury when the pillow bounced uselessly off his chest. "Cleo protect me!"

She couldn't help but giggle at the display in front of her. Chan looked at her aghast as she shrugged. "There's enough space for all of us. We'll kick him out if he snores?"

Felix popped up behind her, sticking his tongue out at Chan before making himself comfortable again. With a sigh Chan laid back down on his side, lifting his arm to allow Cleo to fit herself back into his embrace. Felix wrapped himself around Cleo, reaching over to tug on Chan's earlobe. Chan slapped his hand away "Mate I will kick you out of this bed so fast…"

His voice was stern, but Cleo could feel him smile into the back of her neck. Cleo held Felix a little tighter as she willed herself to sleep. Sandwiched between them Cleo fell back asleep, this time into a blissfully dreamless state.