"Anya, come on. Is it really that big of a deal to clean the bathrooms?" Stephanie groaned with a roll of her blue-gray eyes. She pushed her tortoise shell glasses farther up her petite nose as her sister snorted in reply. It was closing time for the small convience store they worked at but the younger woman wasn't making it all too easy. She took the push broom and began sweeping. "The sooner we do all this, the sooner we get to go home."

"Then, since you know I'm going to make a big fuss over the bathroom issue until you give up, why don't you take the toilet troubles and solve the entire problem?" Anya suggested sweetly, still perched on the counter with a magazine strewed lazily across her lap. To say she hated the meaningless tasks of the convience store seemed to be a vast understatement, but her older sister had tugged hard on various strings to get her the position. She needed the money to finance her way through college. Being the younger sister always seemed to offer a great advantage when it came to the closing shift. She just batted her sweet baby blue-green eyes and Stephanie seemed to cave, hard.

"Ugh, you're so lucky you're my little Anya. Can you sweep while I clean the bathrooms, then?" Stephanie bargained, holding the broom out towards Anya who merely looked at it for a moment before grasping the handle.

"How about from now on, I sweep and you clean the bathrooms?" Anya replied, placing the magazine back on the counter before hopping down onto the floor.

"Isn't that how it always turns out anyway?" Stephanie sighed.

"True, but I like the officiallness of things," Anya teased lightly, wiggling her bottom half in an adorable manner as she adjusted her faded blue jeans. At twenty one years of age, she still seemed to have the heart of a child. And the adorable cuteness she exuded was sickening at some times, though it quickly curbed with her humor. Goofball seemed to be her universal name.

"Officiallness isn't a word," Stephanie retorted, walking over to the bathrooms. She made a face as she opened the men's first, just to get the worst over with. She groaned loudly at the stench and began quickly working. "Why do I let het get away with this everytime?"

"Because you love me!" Anya called from the front.

"JUST GET TO WORK!"

"Just get to work..." Anya mimicked in a high pitched voice, wobbling her head back and forth in a snotty manner. She immediately looked to the bathrooms, fully expecting to see her sister's sharp glare, but when nothing occured, a large grin formed on the impish girl's face. She seemed delighted, launching her upper body onto the counter to reach her small stereo system. She depressed the button to locate the radio and Ricky Martin's saucy song, 'Drop It On Me,' began to echo around the store. Smiling at the sexy latin based music, she grasped the broom and began to dance naturally, swinging her hips in a circular motion as she moved the brush along the scuffed floors.

As she danced and swept, she also began to sing and her sweet voice floated through the air. "Muevete duro, muevete duro/ Muevete duro, hey hey/ Tonight it's a special night/ To get you by my side/ I've been waiting all week long to get it on with you/ Sometimes we hit the floor/ Dance like we never did before/ I'm going to put it on you Boricua style/ Drop it mami/ Drop it mami/ Drop it on me, hey hey..."

Following the beats of the music, she moved toward the glass front doors of the convience store, never noticing the parked bus. Instead, too caught within her music to care, especially as the music started to charge her. Unable to help herself, she dipped low to the floor with the steady sway of her hips before moving upward to thrust her hips sharply to the beat. "Let the music take control, once we start you can't say no / Move your eyes and follow me and te muestro mi amor / Let me feel all tonight / While you whisper something / My hands on your hips to watch you give it all..."
But, when she turned with a roll of her hips to face the glass doors, all color left her usually creamy cheeks. She was faced with five men practically pounding on the doors. "We're closed!"

"Please, let us in! This is the only place around here that looked open and I think we're lost!" The tallest man replied, knocking again on the door. "Miss, please!"

"Anya, what's all the racket? Finally get that mob of zombies you wished for so you can kick ass?" Stephanie asked as she walked out of the now clean bathrooms.

"If it was a mob of zombies, do you honestly think I'd be arguing with them?" Anya snapped slightly with a huff of annoyance toward her older sister.

"Well don't get mad at me! I just cleaned the nasty bathrooms and--" Stephanie halted when she saw the five men at the front doors. Immediately going into her 'supervisor tone', called out to them. "Sirs, I'm sorry, but we're closed!"

"But I'm starving!" a platinum blonde whined, practically jumping onto one of the short men's backs.

"Please, we won't be very long. Just enough to get some food and to call someone so they can get us. Please?" a short Latino replied, who was almost falling under the blonde's weight.

"I'm sorry it's against policy," Stephanie replied, attempting to keep a strict tone as Anya ducked behind her.

"How much is that doggie in the window..." Anya sang softly into her sister's ear, resting her chin on her sister's shoulder.

"Anya, shh!" Stephanie whispered, trying not to laugh as the men continued to beg to be let in. "Look, I'm really sorry but I just can't let you in. If my boss found out, I would be fired on the spot."

"It's not like we're honestly going to rob the joint," a somewhat taller latino snarled, reaching into his back pocket to withdraw an expensive leather wallet. He plucked a thick stack of bills from it and practically smashed them against the door. "Overlook policy and let us the Hell in, we'll make it worth your while!"

"There's no reason to be rude!" Both the tall dark haired man and Stephanie replied at once.

"Damn..." Anya whistled, figuring no one could ever be scolded as harshly as she was.

"I apologize for my friend here. He's not accustomed to manners," the tall man replied, glaring at the latino.

"You... I... damnit..." Stephanie trailed off, biting her thumbnail as she debated within her mind. "You've got ten minutes once I let you in and nothing funny, alright?"

Anya's blue green eyes widned in horror, "Stephanie--"

"It's only for ten minutes... just don't tell Jessica about this," Stephanie interrupted, pulling away from Anya. She walked to the front doors and unlocked them.

*~*~*~*

"FOOD!" the tall blond exclaimed, running towards the snacks as soon as Stephanie stepped away from the door. "SWEET, PRECIOUS FOOD! How I have missed you!"

"Holy Hell," Anya whispered in surprise as he practically dove into the shelves, gathering several pounds worth of fat into his muscular arms. She just shook her head in sheer disbelief, stepping away from the doors and away from the men. Stuffing the broom back into its place, she hopped onto the counter and reached to turn off the radio. Seemed as if it'd be another late night.

"Remember, ten minutes!" Stephanie called over to him. The two latinos and shorter blonde went over to the same section, but in a more calm manner.

"Thank you, Stephanie," the reserved, dark hair man spoke, reaching to offer his hand to the older sister. "We're definitely not from around here and everything seems to be going wrong today."

"It's not a problem, really. I didn't want to seem like a wench or anything... I was just following policy," Stephanie took his hand and they shook. A small gasp escaped her lips as a little electric shock went down her spine.

"Well, you're officially my guardian angel," he chuckled.

"I hope it pays more than this job," she smiled, neither realizing their hands were still interlocked.

"That was the corniest line she's ever used," Anya suddenly announced, watching her older sister intently from her perch on the counter. She had never seen Stephanie quite so drawn to a man before. A strange man for that matter. And she found it interesting.

"Anya! Hush!" Stephanie moaned in embarrassment, covering her face with her free hand.

"I found it adorable, don't worry," he promised nonetheless, brushing a faint kiss to Stephanie's hand before venturing to wrangle what the women assumed were the younger members of the group.

"That line was horrible, Sis. Trust me," Anya replied, staying on the counter as Stephanie turned around.

"Yeah, but it got me a kiss on the hand..."

"I thought you were too busy for a love life."

"Nothing wrong with a ten minute fling..." Stephanie trailed, almost dreamily.

"Well, I hope it pays more than this job," Anya mimicked.

"Ha... ha... ha! Completely hilarious," Stephanie pushed on her sister's forehead.

"You're such an asshole!" Anya yelped in surprise as she attempted to grasp the counter before falling off backward. Just merely hanging upside down, she did a backward flip to land on her feet. She immediately brushed off her hands on her faded and torn blue jeans, frowning with hurt. "I could have just died!"

"I knew you were going to show off and do a backflip. Calm down," Stephanie rolled her eyes, turning to watch the tall man attempt to calm down the energetic and whiny blonde, pointing at his expensive watch.

"Twenty bucks if you can guess who they are," Anya offered, leaning over the counter with an impish grin. She passed through emotions as if they were small pieces of candy. Nothing seemed to phase her for too long. She blamed it on a short attention span, but it was an endearing quality.

"Five guys wanting to get some food?" Stephanie replied, raising a light eyebrow. They didn't remind her of anyone specific.

"Uh-huh," Anya sighed as she reached for her magazine, motioning toward the front cover. "Five rich band members wanting to get some food."

"Holy. Shit. No fucking way!" Stephanie shouted before she could stop herself. The men in her store were the same men on the magazine. The Backstreet Boys.

"Real tactful there, Ace," Ana grimaced as the five men immeditely glanced their way. "It's time for her medication, don't worry!"

"Anya! I don't take medication!"

"Might as well now, because they think you're mental--"

"No, they're going to think I'm psychotic when they watch me strangle the life from you--"

"Holy Hell," Anya breathed as several sharp pops echoed from the back. She hurriedly scrambled over the counter before her older sister could catch her, slightly thankful for the disruption. "I'll go get the popcorn!"

"That's not popcorn... wait here," Stephanie quietly ran to the backroom.

"She never let's me do a damn thing," Anya slightly huffed within the normalcy of the younger sibling syndrome. She had been raised within Stephanie's overpowering shadow, but that shadow was more protective than envious. Stephanie was like her pseudo-mother at times, which seemed to make Anya more impulsive than she normally would be. Frowning with hurt, she circled back to collect the money from the drawer, noticing the men filing back to the cash register. "Find what you needed?"

"After how many fights with Blondie? Yes, we finally have," the tall dark hair man replied as they placed all their items on the counter.

"Shut up, Kevin," the blonde growled. "Don't embarrass me in front of our private dancer."

"You did that all on your own by running in here screaming about food like you've been starving for days," the taller latino snickered.

"I personally found you adorable," Anya challenged the taller latino as she glanced toward the blonde with a sweet smile. She had taken pity on him, deciding his was the scapegoat of the group. When he actually blushed, she hurriedly keyed in the necessary items.

"AJ did pretty good by shoving money against the door. Too bad no one wasn't out there to steal it--"

"Bri, I swear to God--"

"Would you three behave?' the shorter latino interupted with a heavy sigh.

"I think next time I'm locking them in their hotel rooms," Kevin added as the total was rung up. He pulled out a wad of bills and handed them to Anya.

Anya opened the cash drawer and simply stared in bewilderment at the expensive bills. Being a small convience store, she really didn't have the necessary items to make change. Blushing with embarrassment, she pulled out her drawer and heaved it into her hands. "Can you excuse me for a moment? I have to go back to our Security to get your change..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. They're the only bills I've got," Kevin apologized as the tall blonde ripped into a bag of chips, stuffing his face.

"I'll be right back," Anya nodded and hurried towards the other backroom where their security guard, Denny, was stationed to watch surveilance cameras and make change for the cashiers.

"She's pretty damn hot..." she heared one of the men rasp as she fumbled with the doorknob.

Anya rolled her eyes as another firm blush settled into her cheeks, finally freeing the door. "Denny, you're going to have a heart attack when you see the kind of change we have to make--"

Only, Anya's words were short lived as she stepped into a dangerous situation. It took her only a moment to realize there was an extra person in the room. But it was too late as a sleek black gun exploded a heavy bullet into the beloved security guard's chest. He toppled over the desk and landed with a sickening splat on the floor, his light blue uniform saturating quickly with blood. All logical reasoning left Anya as she watched bubbles of air frothing with blood at the guard's mouth before he suddenly went still. The sound of the gun had been deafening as she stared at the intruder in horror, finally throwing the heavy change drawer at the man so she could scramble for an exit.

"Get back here!" the man grunted, lunging to trip Anya. His foot caught hers and she slammed into the wall with a grunt. He grasped her long curls and pulled her close to him, pressing the gun to her temple. "If you move another inch, I'll shoot you, I swear to God!"

*~*~*~*

Stephanie didn't really know what she expected to find as she crept to the back inventory room where the popping sounds had occured. If anything, she just expected it to be the local children throwing stones again. Or perhaps it was another bird trapped because it had flown through the open window. The possibilities seemed endless as she carefully turned the door and slowly eased it open. She moved to turn on the lights, but hesitated when she heard the dinstinct muffling of two male voices. Squinting sharply in the darkness, she noticed two lumbering figures squeezing through the windows. And her heart stopped as she quietly closed the door, praying not to make a sound.

"Shit," she whispered, quietly running back to the front of the store. Her eyes went wide when she only saw the five men... but not her sister. "A-Anya? Where's my sister? Where did she go?!"

"She just went back to get our change," Kevin explained, not understanding why Stephanie was so pale. "We wouldn't dare of stealing anything if that's what you're thinking. We paid--"

"No, it's not that! I think I just saw two men breaking into the backroom! I need to find Anya--"

"GET ON THE FUCKING FLOOR! RIGHT NOW!" a rough voice roared as the door to the inventory room burst open, nearly being ripped from its hinges. The man didn't seem to care as he charged forward with his partner, guns poised at chst level in case anyone dared to move. His face was covered with a black hockey mask as he threatening pointed while continuing to scream directions. "NOW! GET THE FUCK DOWN NOW OR I START FILLING YOUR BODIES WITH BULLETS!"

Everyone did as they were told, though Stephanie kept her head up to look around for Anya.

"GET YOUR HEAD DOWN!"

"My sister! What have you done to my sister?!"

A gunshot echoed from the security room, causing Stephanie to jerk. The second man growled as he shoved the barrell of his gun into the top of Stephanie's head, pushing her toward the ground. "There's your fucking answer."

"Oh God, oh God, Anya. My Anya, you fucking killed her!" Stephanie sobbed into the tile, her entire body shaking.

"And if you don't shut up, you're next!" the first threatened, stepping over the men as he reached the cash register, noticing it was empty. "Where the fuck is the money?"

"Anya was going back to make change when you decided--"

"Damn bitch!" another voice interjected into the conversation as the security door slammed open. The man stumbled outward, his ski mask already pulled away from his face as blood pooled down the side of his face. Anya had managed to connect the drawer with his temple, seriously injuring the man. But her escape had been flawed as she was wrapped within the man's massive hold, a gun pressed sharply against her temple.

"ANYA!" Stephanie began to scramble to her feet in hopes to rescue the woman.

"Don't even fucking think about it," the second man growled, slamming the heel of his boot into Stephanie's back to sprawl her out on the tiled floor. "What the fuck happened to you, Ben?"

"Right when I was taking care of the guard, this bitch came in and threw the fucking drawer at my head," Ben grumbled, pushing the gun harder into Anya's temple.

"She's got quite an arm," the third man snickered, only to recieve a sharp slap from the butt of a gun upside his head. "What the Hell, Ernie?!"

"Go collect the money in the office, Jimmy," Ernie demanded.

"Didn't need to hit me," Jimmy grumbled, following his orders.

"Let her go! She's my sister, don't hurt her!" Stephanie begged, her head and back aching from Ernie's assaults.

"This one seems to have quite a mouth on her," Ernie groaned with obvious annoyance, crouching down to cup a dirty hand over her mouth.

"Got a mouth and an arm. It looks like these boys here are the only ones who know how to follow directions," Ben replied as he pushed himself and Anya further into the storefront.

Kevin immediately shot AJ a warning glare from his position on the floor, praying to God that the rebel would follow orders for once. The seriousness of the situation had caused them all to fall into their own states of shock. Nick even had fresh tears welling in his eyes as he kept his forehead planted firmly against the floor.

"You've got the money, why don't you just leave?!" Stephanie mumbled through Ernie's hand. When she didn't get a response, she quickly bit down on the filthy flesh.

Ernie immediately howled with pain as Stephanie actually tore a bit of flesh from his hand. He jumped upward and reciprocated the pain by smack the butt of the gun across her face. She fell hard to the floor as he jumped upward, cursing a violent storm of pain. He looked as if he might stomp the life right out of her, but noticed the way she watched the quiet young woman in Ben's arms. Grinning sadistically, he kicked Stephanie toward the counter and aimed his gun toward Anya.

"Don't. Leave her alone!" Stephanie begged, holding the side of her face he had struck with the gun. "I just wanted you to let her go!"

"I think we might have to stay a bit longer tonight, huh, Ben?" Ernie vowed, allowing his gun to trail against Anya's squirming body.

"I think so... I may have to use this pretty one to my advantage," Ben's hand trailed down Anya's side and back up her inner thigh, touching all the places he shouldn't as Ernie did the other side with his gun.

"STOP IT! You're scaring her!"

"You should have thought about that before you caused trouble."

Kevin couldn't even begin to describe the dark feelings of panic creeping into his soul as he sat numbly in the middle of the convience store while Jimmy was positioned behind the group's isle and Ben and Ernie spoke privately at the front. They seemed to be in a state of panic themselves, not nearly anticipating such low funds for such an expensive robbery and the dead guard in the back adding to the stakes. Stephanie seemed to have upset Ernie with her fericious bite, leaving the man baited for true revenge. They had toyed with Anya like a small mouse on a string, dangling her in front of Stephanie like some toy. It was painful to watch, especially now as Stephanie clasped tightly to her sobbing little sister. She seemed to be whispered softly into Anya's dark blonde curls, but Kevin couldn't overhear what she was saying. In fact, he didn't even want to tempt the group's anger by speaking aloud, knowing if they found out exactly who the boys were, there would be more at stake than one could imagine.

"Shh, you're okay now. I'm not going to let them hurt you again, I promise. We'll get out of this just fine," Stephanie soothed quietly, running her hand up and down Anya's trembling back. A long time ago, Stephanie made a promise that she would never let anyone or anything harm the younger woman and she intended to keep it.

"Denny's dead..." Anya whispered hoarsely as she curled her hands tightly into Stephanie's polo work shirt. Her beautiful face was blotchy, red, and wet as tears continued to rain down. Seeing the man die had profondly affected her in ways that she couldn't verbalize. The sting of pain and fear kept her body in a constantly state of awareness as her heart throbbed wildly within her chest. She feared she might die of a heart attack as she shuddered, feeling the wandering eyes of the gunmen practically burning away the layers of her clothing. She didn't know what he was thinking, but when he toyed with Stephanie and suggested to use Anya to his own advantage, she felt physically ill. "He's just bleeding... All over the floor, Phi. He's dead..."

"I know, Anya... I know... he didn't deserve to die, but God won't allow it to be in vain. There's nothing more we can do for him," Stephanie pressed kisses on the top of Anya's head, just wanting to calm her down. It was hard to believe this was even happening to them. In their town. At the place they work... she had to keep her sister safe, even if she had to die for her.

"I want to go home," Anya demanded softly, almost childlike. "Please, Phi, let's go home. Please? I want to get away from them. From their eyes, please..."

"Honey, if we could go home we would already be there. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise."

"Don't let them touch me again--"

"Ern, that will never work! Do I have to think of everything?" Ben growled, smacking Ernie upside the head who immediately cowered from the stinging pain.

"It was your bright idea who got us stuck with barely any profits and seven hostages! Along with a dead cop!"

"I told your stupid ass to wait until they locked up permanently. But no, you wanted to give the little girls a real scare and before I could tell you about the damn security guard, you were in the fucking window. I had no choice, so don't even start blaming me or I'll toss your dead body back in that office, too! You hear me?!"

"Yeah, arguing about what the fuck we're going to do is real smart!" Jimmy spoke up with a groan.

"I have no problem killing your ass, too!" Ernie turned and pointed his gun at Jimmy's chest.

"Don't fucking play, Ernie!" Jimmy yelped, stumbling back into a row of canned products. They knocked sharply to the floor, causing the hostages to jerk away with fear. But, Jimmy seemed preoccupied as he gestured toward Ben. "Would you tell him to get the gun the fuck out of my face? It's like he's got a fucking hard-on and he can use it on something else other than me!"

"Ern, come on. Jimmy has the sharpest shot and we might need it in case one of these little yuppies tries to make a run for it," Ben tried to reason with Ernie, who was breathing heavy. "Put the gun down, man."

"This whole plan has gone to shit!" Ernie cursed, wildly waving his gun.

"That doesn't mean we kill each other! Put the damn gun down!"

"Fuck you!" Ernie hissed, throwing Jimmy to the ground. He then stepped into the middle of the isle, directly aiming his gun toward Anya. "Let me start executing them, Ben. Starting with the pretty little blonde. No witnesses and we can high tail it out of here!"

"Oh yeah, that won't make things WORSE! Their bodies will get connected to us by the forensics shit and then we'll really be in deep! You're not killing anyone just yet, Ernie so put the fucking gun away!"

"Then make it worth my while!"

"I can make it worth your while, just give me time to think. Calm down, man. You'll get everything you want as long as no one else dies."

"I want that bitch to pay," Ernie seethed, pointing directly at Stephanie. "And I want her little sister, now, Ben."

"What are you going to do to her?"

"Whatever the fuck I want."

"Fine. Just don't kill her," Ben relented, which satisfied Ernie enough to lower his gun away from Anya, who was now clutching even tighter to Stephanie.

"Phi, you promised!" Anya whimpered sharply against her sister, overhearing every word exchanged between the trio. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly when she heard the steady fall of boots approaching. "Phi, please!"

"I'm not letting you go, Ani. He's not taking you!" Stephanie wrapped her arms and pulled Anya as close as she could towards her shivering body.

"Phi, please. I won't give you anymore trouble, I promise. Just, Phi, don't let him--"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM US!" Stephanie screamed sharply as Ernie snaked a hand around Anya's upper arm. The younger woman seemed to freeze in her sister's arms, causing Stephanie to practically yank her away from Ernie. She screamed as loudly, shrilly, and sharply as she could, planning to continue until the man left her alone. "SHE DIDN'T DO A DAMN THING TO YOU! GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU SICK FUCKING PERVERT! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER! NO! NO! NO!"

"It's because of you that I want her. Now, you can keep her if you want... but then I would have to put a bullet in her head--"

"GET AWAY FROM US! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!" Stephanie continued.

"Just for that I'm going to give Jimmy a turn, too," Ernie growled, grabbing a fistful of Anya's hair along with the back of her neck, yanking as hard as he possibly could. "And you know Ben is interested. Now let go, you dumb bitch--"

"NO! LET MY ANYA GO! SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! LET HER GO!" Stephanie scrambled up and began hitting Ernie with her fists, trying everything she could to free her sister.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Ernie barked, throwing Stephanie to the ground as he started to drag the sobbing Anya away. He was grinning madly as Stephanie practically crawled to get toward him, but he kicked her again. He was almost free when she started howling with sharp, piercing cries that caused all the men to cringe.
"She's going to cause a fucking riot, Ernie!" Jimmy howled, covering his ears.

"LET MY SISTER GO, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! LET HER GO! NOW! GIVE ME MY ANYA!"

"Let her go, Ernie!" Ben barked with sheer annoyance, destroying a display of items in search of duct tape to bind Stephanie's mouth.

"You said I could make it worth my fucking while--"

"Not right now! Someone is going to hear her!"

"I don't give a flying fuck!"

"LET MY SISTER GO! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!"

"You can have the bitch later, NOT RIGHT NOW!"

"GIVE ME ANYA!"

"ERNIE!" Ben barked, grabbing Anya away from Ernie's grasp. Before either could react, Ben threw Anya hard down the isle. Tripping over Nick's long legs, she crashed hard into the shelving, sobbing terribly in shock. And, as Ernie bent to grab the girl, Ben snatched the back of his collar and propelled him toward the back room. "Jimmy, watch them!"

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU BOTH, BITCHES!"

"Holy Hell..." Nick breathed in shock, unable to stop the tears from falling down his face.

"Calm down..." Kevin whispered as the store filled with an awkward barrage of muffled sounds. They could hear things being destroyed in the back room, which offered background nosie to the sobs from Anya and the hoarse screams from Stephanie. Knowing the tension was escalating in the lone intruder, Kevin crept toward Stephanie and eased his hands on her shoulder. "Your sister is okay, but you've got to calm down for me, okay? My friend is going to talk to her, but you have to keep your head. Please."

"H-h-he was going to take her because of me. Because of me! I have to protect my Anya," Stephanie whispered, her throat sore from screaming as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"And we're going to protect your Anya," Kevin promised softly, shooting a hard look toward his four friends, begging for someone to go over and help Anya. "But you have to calm down, otherwise we're all going to be in a lot of trouble."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Stephanie closed her eyes and tried to control her emotions as AJ crawled over to Anya. "I actually forgot you were all here. I didn't even think... I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Kevin promised as Stephanie actually curled into his arms without thought. It took him by surprise for a moment, but he held her nonetheless. He felt her bury her wet face into his strong chest, releasing the softest sobs. Gently, he rubbed her back, carefully watching AJ. "My friend, AJ, is going to take care of your sister, okay?"

"O-Okay. Thank you," Stephanie whispered, forgetting AJ's attitde before they were let in the store. She just wanted someone to be there for Anya until she was collected and calm.

~*~*~*~*~

AJ didn't know what he was thinking as he carefully approached the young girl that was admost the heavy clutter of the collapsed shelving unit. She was curled into a ball, just sobbing quietly as she trembling with obvious terror. He hadn't expected that he would be the one to check on her, his best friend Howie more opt to do so. But, when no one moved, AJ felt it was best for him to take the higher road. Not that he didn't want to talk to her, but he was afraid of looking like a fool. When he had first noticed her in the glass doors dancing, he had been floored. She was mesmerizing with the way her body moved to th fluid beats, her dark blonde curls playfully bouncing as she smiled with amusement. She was gorgeous to say the very least, but her smile had caught him instantly. She was warm and charming, despite the terribly frightful turn of events. And he was convinced that he couldn't live up to what her standards probably were.

"Hey... Anya, Sweetie, calm down. You're okay," AJ replied what he thought was lamely, reaching out to touch her delicate shoulder. "Anya."

"Don't touch me!" Anya sniffled with a sharp jerk, causing more things to crash down around her as she fell backward.

"Anya, it's just me! AJ. I'm not going to hurt you," AJ yelped as a can slammed on his thigh but he merely rubbed the spot as he reached for her again. "Come on, Baby."

"Baby?" she sniffled in disbelief, staring at him with an innocent bewilderment.

"Um... I was just trying to be comforting... you don't like being called that? I'm sorry--"

"No, it's okay..." she trailed with a shaky breath, not wanting to see him jump through so many hoops. She seemed to calm considerably as AJ's raspy voice coiled around her within his minty breath. Though, She continued to shiver despite the warmth of the store, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

"You're okay now, don't worry. The guys, your sister and I won't let anything happen to you," AJ took a chance and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Such a brave Backstreet Boy," she sniffled with a small, nervous laugh, just staring down at her trembling hands. Ernie had been extremely rough with her, not to mention when Ben sent her body flying across the floor. She had no doubt that she was a map of bruises, but was thankful that she wasn't a map of their sexual conquests instead. She was terrified of them. Too terrified for words.

"I've been working on it," he chuckled, feeling her scoot closer to his embrace without thought. He felt an instant attraction for the young woman and felt the need to protect her as much as her older sister was. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright..."

"Nothing is going to happen to you. Not with us and your sister here. We'll protect you," AJ began rubbing her right shoulder in an attempt to calm her more.

"Kind of wish you would have just kept on driving past this hell hole, huh?" Anya murmured after a period of uncomfortable silence, unable to concentrate on anything but his nimble hand working gently against her tense muscles. It was awkward to say the least, considering he didn't know a thing about her and he was famous to boot. But, Anya couldn't deny how good it felt nonetheless.

"Part of me does... but then another is glad."

"Are you freaking nuts?" Anya asked incredously, glancing up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"If we hadn't stopped here, I wouldn't have met you or seen you dance."

"Your point?" she asked bluntly.

"I'm glad we stopped."

Anya hiccuped softly within the calming storm of her sobs, continuing to stare out into the dark night. "I think I would have been happier if you had taken me with you..."

"When we get through this, I will," AJ blurted without a second thought, even though he did mean every word.

Anya's hiccups turned into a slight squeak of surprise as she finally caught his dark eyes within the reflection of her blue-green eyes. She study him carefully, obviously baffled. "What?"

"When we get through this... I'll take you with me... that is, if you want--"

"You don't even know me..."

"By the time this is over, I will."

"Aren't you supposed to be some gigantic asshole?"

"Um... wow. You're very bold, aren't you?" AJ raised his own eyebrow in wonder.

"Yeah..." Anya murmured, turning her gaze away from him as she turned her body in the same direction. "Didn't mean to offend you..."

"It's not your fault. I was an asshole a long time ago. When I was using drugs and drinking. I'm not like that anymore," AJ turned her back towards him.

Anya tensed dramatically. "What are you doing?"

"It's hard to talk to your backside instead of face-to-face."

"Most men like staring at my backside..." she trailed with remanents of her impish smile.

"I'm not saying I don't but... I like looking at your face much more," he chuckled, running a hand through her curls.

"You're scared to death, aren't you?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"I am scared... we all are."

"Fear makes people do odd things..."

"What do you mean?"

"You trying to get close to me, touching me, holding me, telling me you want to take me away with you. That's the fear talking. Almost like a primal need to reproduce before you die..."

"Anya, no. Even if this robbery never happened and we were just shopping here, I would be feeling the same way. It's not the fear."

"And you would have left in ten minutes, just the same--"

"Not without getting your number or convincing you to come with me."

"You are so full of shit it's ridiculous," Anya laughed softly, shaking her head in disbelief at AJ's insistance and perserverance in the issue.

"How am I full of shit when I'm speaking the truth? I'm attracted to you, Anya--"

"It just seems like an odd place and time to be confessing all this," Anya interupted softly as a loud crash followed by an opening door startled her. Without though, she launched herself into AJ's arms, burying her face within his shoulder as if she could disappear.

"All of you! Up! We've got to... redecorate this place to make it more secure," Ben barked as Ernie lingered behind him, his lip swollen and bleeding while Ben merely had a bruise on his cheek.

"You got all the money, why can't you just leave in peace?" Howie questioned calmly, almost too softly to be heard as the group seemed to comply with the man's wishes. Though, Stephanie immediately sought out her little sister, yanking her tightly into her embrace as she stepped into Kevin's arms.

"Don't worry, loudmouth. We're not taking your sister..." Ben trailed off as Jimmy pushed them towards the room that had just been trashed by his partners. "Yet."

"Don't even say anything," Kevin persuaded Stephanie, leading her and Anya toward the security office.
Only, Anya immediately tensed when she realized where they were going. She turned sharply, running straight into Ben with his gun raised. "Not back in there, please!"

"Would you rather be in there or out here with Ernie?" he merely replied, placing the gun to her forehead.

"Denny is in there dead," Anya answered softly as Ben pushed her backward with the gun pressed hard into the center of her forehead. She almost considered staying out in the store with Ernie and Ben, not carrying what they wanted to do with her, because she'd be insane with Denny's dead body staring lifelessly at her.

"Yeah, I know. I killed him. Now get your fucking ass in there," Ben repeated, giving one last push with the gun to propel Anya into the office.

Anya stumbled with the sharp push and slipped against the pooling blood, falling backward over her dead co-worker. She landed with a sickening splash against the floor and a crunch against Denny's stiffening body. Blood splashed against her, seeping deeply into her clothing and coaking her skin in a semi-warm wetness. She cringed in absolute horror, scrambling away from the body as she dry heaved painfully.

"Anya!" Stephanie rushed over to her blood covered sister and brought her into her arms.

"Don't you think you could give these women a damn break?" AJ muttered with disgust as Jimmy started poking the boys in the back with the gun to spur them forward.

"Did I just hear you say something?" Jimmy snapped, quickly hitting AJ with the butt of the gun hard enough to bring stars to his eyes.

"Damnit," Kevin cursed in shock as they were hurriedly piled inside. He went toward AJ, who lay sprawled against the floor in a daze. But, he couldn't allow the remaining words falling from Ben's voice to erase - That'll look good for when we start demanding ransom on these celebrities, Jimmy.

~*~*~*~*~

"AJ? Hey, J, how are you feeling?" Howie murmured as he gingerly shook his younger friend's shoulder, rousing him from an unconcious state. AJ released a sharp groan of pain, immediately reaching back to cup his hand over the bleeding head wound he had recently suffered from. He could barely make out the fuzzy lines of Howie's form, resting a shaky hand on his friend's face to assure he was still there. And, Howie frowned deeply as he glanced to Kevin. They had been placed in the broken security office for several hours as dawn slowly began to break within the cracks of the boarded window. Not much had been heard by way of the intruders, just some ringing telephones, laughter, and an occasional burst of arguments. Somehow, Kevin had managed to drape the odorous body from sight, though Anya stayed in a far corner to avoid all recognition of her and Stephanie's late coworker. Things seemed divided and Howie was at a loss.

"You're all blurry... it's hard to see you. And my head hurts like Hell," AJ lowered his hand from Howie's face and closed his eyes again in hopes to refocus.

"He has a concussion," Anya voiced softly from within her sister's arms, trying to ignore the sensation of drying blood coating her body.

"How did you know that?" Howie asked.

"He has the basic symptoms."

"Anya is going to school to become a doctor," Stephanie explained to the other men.

"Now we have a bright whipper snapper in the group, finally," Kevin attempted to joke, though he had never been quite strong in the humor spectrum of his personality. He feigned some sort of forced smile, leaning down to Anya like he might his daughter, if he had a daughter or a wife for that matter. "Can you take a look at him for me?"

"Why?"

"Because the rest of us have a medical background whatsoever. I would appreciate it if you would take a look at him," Kevin explained gently, wiping away the lone tear on her cheek.

"Phi... Let go of me..." Anya whispered.

"Okay..." Stephanie reluctantly let go of Anya and she stood, walking over to where AJ was still sprawled on the floor.

"You're proud of your little sister, aren't you?" Kevin murmured as he studied Stephanie. She had become increasingly pale as the hours passed, obviously drained as she continued to will herself to protect Anya. Even now her eyes were trained on the young girl, refusing to let her stray even a few feet. To say she was protective was an understatement in Kevin's mind.

"Very proud. She's been working so hard to put herself through school by herself. Our parents aren't exactly reliable... I always knew Anya was going to achieve everything she put her mind to."

Kevin smiled, "You always had to protect her because your parents couldn't, huh?"

"Yeah. I promised her I would never let anyone hurt her..."

"Why don't you come with me then, we'll keep everyone together and make it easier to keep your promise?" Kevin gently offered, reaching to fold his hands around hers. Since consoling her in the store's front, to say he felt a deep connection to her was easy. Despite the hysterics, he admired the strength of her convictions when it came to her little sister. That was something he shared when it came to the other four boys. He was the father-figure and desperately in need of a wife and mother-figure for his wayward boys.

"Okay," Stephanie quickly agreed, feeling that spark once more down her spine as their skin touched. He helped her up and they walked hand-in-hand towards the group.

"Phi... I need that mini-flashlight on your keys," Anya softly called, holding her bloody hand out toward her sister. She seemed to be in deep concentration as she straddled AJ's lap so she could better access his body. The wound on the back of his head was bleeding profusely and she worried about a serious contusion or possibility of blood leaking into the cranial cavity. The tip of her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth just a bit as she gestured toward Stephanie again while continuing her assessment.

"Hold on," Stephanie unhooked the keys from her belt loop and handed them to Anya, watching her already act like the doctor she was destined to be.

Anya mumbled a simple thanks to her sister as she reached to cup AJ's face within her hands. Gently, she called out to him as she stroked his fuzzy face. Since the start of their new album, he had grown a full beard, which Anya actually found quite handsome. She brushed those thoughts quickly away though. "AJ... Remember me? I need you to open your eyes for me so I can annoy your ass, okay?"

"Anya," he whispered, painfully opening his eyes and groaning as a light invaded them.

"I know it this is a pain in the ass," she soothed softly, continuing to gently stroke the side of his face as she removed the light source. His pupils were fixed and somewhat sluggish with reaction, signaling what could be a serious head injury. She exhaled softly as she tilted his head to rest on her shoulder, examining the back of his head, which obviously needed several stitches. "Oh, AJ..."

"It hurts, Anya..."

"I know, AJ. It'll be okay," Anya rubbed his back gently.

"I'm tired..."
"You've got to stay awake for me, though," she chided, ripping at the hem of her t-shirt to make a strip of cloth. She needed something to bind his bleeding wound with and she needed him to stay awake. "Ask me some questions or something..."

AJ held back a grunt of pain as she placed slight pressure against his wound. "I can't think of any... why can't I sleep? It makes the pain go away--"

"You might not wake up if you go to sleep," she interrupted gently as she wrapped the clothing around the wound, securing it as tightly as possible. "You've got a concussion to say the least... If not something more serious..."

"I might not wake up?"

"Right, which is why I need you to stay awake. Please."

"Okay..."

"Come on, think of some questions to ask me. If you're going to whisk me away after all this, you need to know things about me."

"Are you single?" AJ meekly attempted to joke as he continued to rest his forehead against her shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of her favorite perfume. He heard the nervous chuckles of everyone around him and he smirked faintly.

"Just for you," she laughed, continuing to rub his back.

"What about your family? Mother and father?"

"Our father left when I was a baby... Guess he didn't want to have two girls... Mother was never really a mother to begin with... Phi was my mother and still is..."

"So it's just been you and Stephanie?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't have it any other way," Anya looked over at her sister and smiled softly.

"How's our AJ doing?" Kevin voiced softly after stirring himself from the fitful slumber as a loud crash echoed from within the store. He jerked and Stephanie who had been curled into his embrace whimpered at the sudden change. Kevin gently brushed his fingers against her face while glancing to Anya, who was speaking softly to AJ as he lay his head gently in her lap. It seemed as if the girls had gravitated toward the men who adored them most, Nick, Brian, and Howie hovering silently as they attempted to sleep. It seemed as if it had been yeras since there were locked in the store, but it was probably merely hours. Whatever the case, Kevin couldn't help but worry as he held Stephanie and glanced to AJ. "J, Buddy?"

"I'm alright. I can actually see the gorgeous angel who's taking care of me and the pain isn't so bad..." AJ answered, wanting to turn and look at his eldest bandmate but knew there would be a consequence with pain.

"Shut up, Casanova," Anya chided softly, though she continued to gently rub his temples in a circular pattern to soothe away the man's pain. The task helped avert the attention to the blush deepening on her rosy cheeks. Several hours spent trying to keep AJ awake had made it easy for her to form a strong bond with him. Despite public persona, he was sweet and caring. He was everything she wanted in a husband, despite his past. But, no one could be perfect.

"You know you like my charm," AJ chuckled, giving her his trademark grin that seemed to make her heart flutter.

"If it wasn't for my torn t-shirt and the blood oozing out the back of your head, I might consider you did this just for attention," she teased with a faint roll of her eyes as she covered his so she wouldn't be tempted to drown in him.

"Well, he did get his foot run over that one time... I was always convinced he did it to get more attention from the fans," Kevin joked, which made AJ actually smile.

"And did the dance with the tire get you your dream girl?" Anya tempted, allowing him to peek faintly at her when she cupped his face.

"No... it took a concussion to have that happen."

"AJ--"

"I'M TAKING THE LEAD, BEN, AND YOUR JUST GOING TO HAVE TO FUCKING ENJOY IT!" Ernie's voice interupted as there was another loud crash followed by heavy footsteps practically running toward the security office.

"Oh shit!" Stephanie jerked awake and reached out to pull Anya towards her when the door was bust open and Ernie stumbled inside. "Anya, get over here!"

Anya yelped in shock as AJ sat up just in time before he was dumped from her lap. Stephanie didn't seem to care however, forcing Anya behind her and Kevin, pressing her tightly to the wall. "Phi--"

"Give me Anya. Now. She's expected for a little... get to know each other meeting out in front," Ernie interrupted, walking to Kevin and Stephanie. "NOW!"

Kevin frowned as Stephanie clutched tighter to her little sister, knowing she'd die before giving up Anya. "What is so important about torturing her? She's still like a kid--"

"Oh, it's just because Anya is a nice piece of ass... and because it tortures her sister when I do anything to her," Ernie grinned, pulling out his gun.

"Please just take me," Stephanie pleaded, her voice catching sharply. She could hardly breathe as tears started to race down her cheeks, realizing there'd be no way to save her sister from this sadistic behavior.

"I don't want you. Fucking ugly skank. I want Anya and I will do whatever I have to in order to get--"

"NO. She's just a child, leave her alone!"

"Then I'll make her into a woman, don't worry," Ernie promised, stepping on Kevin and latching a firm grip on the young girl.

"NO! LET HER GO!" Stephanie tried to push Ernie away.

"Stop testing my patience, bitch," Ernie seethed, hitting her across the face with the gun as hard as he possibly could. It immediately loosened Stephanie's hold on Anya, giving him the opportunity to grab her into a suffocating hold. Immediately, he pressed the gun to the center of her chest, using her as a human shield while AJ stumbled to his feet.

"AJ, no! Don't do anything, he could kill you with the next hit to your head!" Anya burst, forgetting about herself.

"ANYA! NO!" Stephanie screamed, her cheek was bleeding from the strike.

"Don't," Kevin demanded, reaching for Stephanie before she could launch herself at the man dragging her fighting sister toward the door. Howie, Brian, and Nick continued to call for Ben or Jimmy, anyone to help with the situation. But, Ernie's plan seemed uniamous between the hungry men.

"NO! I'm not letting him take her!" Stephanie pulled away from Kevin's grasp and ran towards Ernie, adrenaline flowing through her body. "LET GO OF MY SIS--"

There was a sharp blast of sound that echoed within the small room as the scent of burning gunpowder invaded their nostrils. And Stephanie dropped. Hard.

~*~*~*~*~

Anya released a horrified scream of anger mixed with hurt as Ernie threw her into the center of the three gunman. She had watched with baited breath as a bullet from the man's gun exploded into her sister's flesh, causing her to fall. She could only remember the look of death o Denny as Ben had fired his fateful shot. So, devastation wrapped around her aching heart as she hurriedly pushed herself into a standing position. Without the slightest hesitation, she threw a heavy punch into Ernie, knocking him against the ground. The gun spilled away from his hands and she released all her anger against his pudgy flesh. Tears of anguish spilled as she screamed and punched, wanting him to die. "SHE WAS THE ONLY THING I HAD LEFT IN MY LIFE YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME! BEN! JIMMY! THIS BITCH HAS GONE CRAZY!" Ernie cried out, attempting to get himself away from Anya's fists but with no success.

"She's a fiesty little thing..." Ben chuckled, amused by the small woman practically demolishing such a hefty man.

"It's not funny! I'm supposed to be on top of her, not the other way around!" Ernie growled, finally grasping Anya's shoulders and pushing her up hard.

"I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!" she sobbed, writhing terribly in an effort to dig her nails into his flesh so she could continue to beat him.

"If I do, you're coming with me. It was because of you that your sister got protective and shot. So don't blame me," Ernie replied, somewhat calm as he pulled his hand back and slapped her hard across the face.

The slap was more powerful than Anya had anticipated, causing her to fall back against the tiled floor. She immediately reached to cup her aching face, feeling blood smear against her trembling fingers. She continued to sob for the loss of her sister, her blue-green eyes blurred with heavy tears as rounds of laughter could be heard around her.

"Need some help, Ernie?" Ben cooed with amusement, reaching down to grasp the girl tightly, yanking her arms back so she couldn't lash out, motioning for Jimmy to clean off the counter.

"You were the one that wanted her first, asshole," Ernie seethed.

"True, but I wasn't the one she was just beating the shit out of," Ben continued to laugh as he easily lifted Anya up and onto clear counter, pinning her there.

"Fuck you," Ernie growled as he grasped her arms, holding them above her head as Jimmy reached to grasp her fighting legs. Ben smiled at the ease of having his two friends present, merely having to pin her thighs open as he stared down at her. Each would take turns.

"Let go of me, you fucking perverts. I'm not your blow-up doll!" Anya shouted, using all her strength trying to get away.

"The harder you fight, the worse it'll hurt, Sweetheart," Ben cooed as Ernie leaned to press a hard kiss on her mouth. Her screams died against his thick tongue while Ben took the pleasure of shredding her clothing to merely pieces, exposing her flesh for all their pleasures. "You could really enjoy yourself if you'd calm down."

"NO!" Anya screamed as loudly as she possibly could, attempting to buck against him. The coolness of the counter and the sound of his pants being unbuckled sending sharp waves of terror across her entire body. Heavy gasps of sobs choked within her throat as she screamed pathetically for Stephanie and for them to simply stop.

"I warned you, Anya. The more you fight... the more this is going to hurt. I could make it feel so good, but either way I'm going to enjoy this," Ernie boosted himself onto the counter and ontop of the pleading and crying woman.

"And don't worry, Darling, we'll all have our turn," Ben promised as Ernie roughly took what he had been wanting all night, shattering whatever innocence Anya had left in such a bleak and heartless world.

~*~*~*~*~

Nick watched in horror as his four older friends crouched over Stephanie's broken form, watching blood billowing from the somewhat large wound in her abdomen. Ernie had shot her without consequence as she attempted to save her sister one last time. It seemed hopeless as Kevin pressed down hard on the wound to stop the bleeding, unable to keep the teras from falling down his face. Nick had first noticed Kevin's attraction to Stephanie when they entered the store. He had been charming in hopes to ellicit some kind of return in his emotions, which Stephanie had eagerly bought into. But, whatever could have possibly came from the change encounter was lost as she lay bleeding on the floor while her sister's screams echoed from outside.

"Is she dead?" Nick whispered, covering his ears to block out Anya's voice.

"Howie, check for a pulse," Kevin ordered, feeling the blood seep through his fingers and onto the floor below Stephanie. He tried to see if her chest was rising, but his vision was blurred with tears.

"O-Okay," the second eldest stammered, shakily bringing two fingers to the side of Stephanie's neck. He closed his eyes to forget the whiteness of her skin and the listlessness of her body, praying for the slightest pulsation. And, he found it. Weak, but steady. "It's there."

"Thank God," Kevin breathed in relief, but it was momentarily when he looked down and saw the blood. "I need one of your shirts, my hands aren't doing anything to stop the bleeding."

"Mine's probably the biggest," Nick mumbled, giving Kevin his shirt without complaint. He just continued to stare at Stephanie, wondering if he would have been willing to die to protect any of his friends.

Kevin grasped it and immediately pressed it down onto the wound. The fabric seemed to soak up the blood, but he didn't know if it would stop on its own before she bled to death. "God... does anyone know what to do?"

"I barely watch enough ER to figure out what the Hell you're doing..." Brian murmured with a skittishly nervous laugh.

"I... shit... she's going to bleed to death and it'll be my fault because I can't remember first-aid--"

"Just keep pressing on the bullet wound," Howie decided, continuing to feel for her pulse while he watched the distinctive rise and fall of her chest.

"Should we try to wake her up?" Nick asked, trying to block out the screams from Anya.

"I wouldn't even know how to go about doing that..." Howie trailed, glancing up to see AJ leaning on the wall by the door. It was almost as if he were listening to everything happening in on the outside, no matter how painful. Frowning, Howie called to him, "J, come back here."

"No..."

"Please, come back here. There's nothing we can do for Anya right now except pray... do you know how to wake someone up who's unconscious?"

"Howie--"

"J, it doesn't help her to torture yourself over it. Now, please--"

"I could have stopped him!"

"And be on the floor with Stephanie? That still woudn't help Anya right now."

"I said I would protect her!"

"AJ, you barely know her--"

"I don't care, I promised! Just like Stephanie promised!"

"AJ, it's not your fault. Don't take it so personally, please--"

"I can take it personally--"

"This is Anya's sister. If she dies, Anya dies. Standing there and arguing isn't going to help either one. Do you understand me?" Kevin interrupted the two latinos, his eyes bloodshot as he pressed hard against Stephanie's abdomen.

Howie winced, "Kevin, I'm sorry--"

"I know, but I need everyone's help, including you, AJ."

"What am I supposed to do?" AJ murmured as Anya's screams muffled into painful sobs.

"Do you know how to wake someone up who's been unconscious? Or maybe anything about gunshot wounds?"

"Just because I used drugs once doesn't mean I'm the how-to guide on guns and shit..." AJ trailed in disbelief, finally shuffling away from the door.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just asking for something. Anything! Please."

"I don't know anything about this, Kevin," AJ stressed as he knelt beside the rest of the group. He reached over to help apply pressure to Stephanie's abdomen, deciding the more pressure the better to stop the bleeding. He said nothing more or less about the situation, just physically helping his older friend.

Soon they all fell into a tense silence, the only sounds coming from the two sisters. Brian had his hands clasped together in prayer while Howie and Nick looked down at Kevin and AJ.

Minutes seemed to pass like hours, slowly moving within Stephanie's ragged breaths and Anya's calming sobs. All hoped seemed completely lost as the door was suddenly flung open. AJ immediately jerked away as Howie took to helping Kevin, watching Anya being roughly pitched into the room. Somewhat incoherent, she landed into a crumpled, nude form on the cold floor. The door immediately snapped shut and she curled into a protective ball, completely aware of only what had happened to her. And she sobbed softly at the newfound pain tearing through her bottom half.

"Anya! Oh, Anya!" AJ rushed over to Anya, stopping in his tracks when he saw the state she was in. He reached over and touched her shoulder. "Oh my God... Anya, it's me."

"Please, don't," she whimpered pathetically, pulling sharply away from AJ's gentle touch. She curled tighter into a ball, aware of her nude form. The embarrassment and shame radiating from her heart was unimaginable. Each man had taken to her body as if it were his own personal place of pleasure. None cared that she had been a virgin, nor that they had torn her deeply within her womanhood. Mixtures of blood and various fluids continued to leak from between her legs as she buried her bruised and bleeding face. She needed protection from the outside world. Any kind of protection.

AJ's heart broke at the sounds of her sobs and pleads, but he knew she could save her sister's life. "Anya... I know they hurt you more than anyone can imagine. But we need you. You need us. Stephanie needs you--"

Anya seemed to break into more painful sobs. "She's dead and it's all my fault--"

"No, she's not dead! She's alive!"

"Please, leave me alone--"

"Anya, she's alive. She needs you. All we're doing is pressing a t-shirt down on her stomach, we don't know anything else or how to wake her up--"

"My Phi won't leave me..."

Anya sniffled softly as she stared down at her sister, hurriedly wrapping long pieces of ripped t-shirt around her sister's bleeding abdomen. She shifted uncomfortably with the pain cramp against her lower half from the repeated sexual assaults, but tried to ignore the memories. AJ had already given her his baggy t-shirt and boxers as means of clothing, which she was extremely thankful for. But she continued to say nothing, knotting the long pieces of material around the blood t-shirt. The t-shirt Kevin had demanded initially had managed to control the bleeding somewhat, but now Anya was adding to the barrier. There was nothing she could possibly do without serious medical equipment, just doing her best to prevent Stephanie from bleeding out. Her sister needed a hospital, immediately.

"Is she going to be alright?" Brian finally broke the silence as they all watched Anya take care of her older sister. It seemed useless just to sit and watch, but there was nothing else they could do. None had the experience in medicine like she did.

"She needs a hospital," Anya whispered softly, allowing Stephanie's head to rest in her lap. Softly, she delicately brought her fingers through Stephanie's sweaty locks. She hummed a familiar tune that Stephanie always used to sing to her, ignoring the bloody bands of material. She saved the desire to sob over her sister's bloody body, deciding she'd just imagine that they were home. Safe.

"But what happens if we can't get out of here for a couple of--"

"She's going to live," Anya interupted stiffly, actually offering a hard glare oward Brian. "Don't say otherwise and don't even think it..."

"I'm sorry, it's just..."

"Look, we're all scared and under a lot of stress. We can't let it break us apart," Howie spoke up.

"She's my life," Anya murmured, running her fingers against her sister's face, willing her to wake up. Even if it was just for a moment. So Anya could show Stephanie that she was safe.

"And God won't take her away just yet. It's not her time."

Anya refused to meet any of the men's gazes. "I know."

"Isn't there a way to wake her up?" Kevin asked, biting the inside of his cheek as he held Stephanie's hand.

"I don't want to hurt her just to wake her up."

"Oh..."

"The more she stays still, the better."

"Why isn't she awake to begin with?" Nick questioned honestly.

"She probably fainted from shock..." Anya murmured.

"Is there anything else we can do for her?"

"I don't have any materials or equipment... she needs a hospital."

Kevin exhaled a shaky breath as he briefly brought Stephanie's limp hand to his lips. He had felt an instant attraction to Stephanie when she scolded AJ just hours before. Something about her had caught his eye. Not just her beauty, but the way she carried herself and how perfectly her hand fit into his. But,that seemed ridiculous now, considering how much pain Stephanie was suffering from. He just wanted to get her to the hospital, immediately, willing to buy her way out. "How long does she have?"

"As long as she wants to fight," Anya whispered.

"I'm not... going anywhere... just yet," a voice wheezed softly.

"Phi..." Anya whispered with relief, immediately bending down to layer her clammy forehead with kisses. "You're awake."

"I heard our song and I knew you were okay," Stephanie smiled softly, reaching up to run a hand through Anya's curls.

"I'm better than okay," Anya promised with an adorable sniffle.

"I tried... I tried to stop him, Anya--"

"You did," Anya interupted softly, denying that anything malicious had happened to her. She repressed the feelings, smiling at her older sister with a forced spark of confidence. "You did stop him."

"How did I? He was dragging you out of the room when he pulled the trigger."

"You did, Phi."

"I don't understand..." Stephanie trailed off. She tried to shift and cried out when pain flared through her weak body.

"Just rest," Anya pleaded, biting hard on her bottom lip.

"Oh God, it hurts," Stephanie whispered, closing her eyes for a moment to blink away the tears.

"I know, Phi--"

"The guys... are they alright? AJ was hit in the head," she interrupted, opening her eyes again.

"We're fine," Kevin answered quickly, pressing another gentle kiss to her hand. Leaning over her so she could see him, Kevin smiled handsomely. "We're just worried about you."

"I'll be doing cartwheels in no time," Stephanie smiled back, cupping his cheek.

"I have no doubts," Kevin chuckled with approval. "And I think after this I might just need a vacation... Here..."

"Really? You'd stay here for awhile?"

"A vacation with a beautiful girl seems perfect after all this," Kevin agreed. "If you want me to..."

"I want that... more than anything," Stephanie sniffled, the held back tears falling down her pale cheeks.

Kevin frowned with confusion, "What's wrong--"

"There's absolutely nothing wrong. You... you called me beautiful. You want to take your vacation here with me... you could have anyone you want--"

"And I want you."

"That's why I'm crying... Oh, Kevin..."

"Oh, Lord," Anya grimaced, shaking her head in disbelief. "Got a bullet lodged in her stomach and she's more concerned about a man--"

"A man who wants to be with me, Anya. Me," Stephanie looked up into her sister's blue-green eyes.

"There are more important things to be worrying about, Stephanie--"

"Anya, please... I don't want to think about that right now."

Anya looked as if she might fight against her sister's wishes. The defiance emblazoned in her shattered blue-green eyes was a dark tide of brewing emotions. Yet, the thickening waves simply crashed within side her heart as she stiffened her posture in defiance. "Fine."

"Anya, don't be like that--"

"I'm not being like anything, I'm respecting your wishes."

"Anya--"

"Kevin can take care of you now, just don't move the bandage. I want to try to sleep or something," Anya blatantly lied as Kevin cradled Stephanie protectively within his arms. Hurt that she wasn't needed, Anya stood to brush off AJ's boxers, awkwardly walking away from the situation because of her own personal trauma.

"Damnit... I hurt her feelings..." Stephanie whispered, cursing her stupidity as she watched her little sister curl into a ball on the floor.

"She's just stressed, we all are," Kevin soothed.

"I always end up hurting her when I'm supposed to be protecting her."

~*~*~*~*~

"Kev, what are we going to do? Anya won't say much to anyone, Stephanie's getting paler by the minute and we haven't heard anything from the three Stooges for hours..." Brian asked softly as both the women were in restless slumbers.

"I..." Kevin exhaled a long, painful breath as he slightly adjusted himself along with Stephanie. She twitched within the shuffle, but Kevin gently carressed her shoulder to calm her back into some kind of uncomfortable silence. For the first time in years, Kevin was lost. He wasn't sure what they should do. He had heard sirens over the past few hours, though now he was starting to believe it was merely his imagination.
Dark Angel Sing: Howie decided to speak for Kevin, and the best was the truth. "There's not much we can do. The window is borded up, the door is locked and they smashed all our cell phones--"

"And we had a bet going that these celebrities were dumb assholes, Ernie," Ben interupted as the door was thrown open and dozens of cans came flying out of no where. They slammed heavily onto the tiled floor along with other food supplies, jarring Anya from her light slumber. Immediately, she yelped in fear at the sudden appearence of the three rapists, pinning herself tightly against the wall and closing her eyes.

"Don't worry, Baby. We're still tired from the workout you gave us earlier," Jimmy quipped as he tossed in some towels, water and personal products along with a first-aid kit.

"You realize you're a gigantic asshole, right?" AJ snarled with defensive contempt, moving in front of Anya to shield her away from the men. It disgusted him the way they immediately leered at her upon entering, sick smiles plastered on their faces. Even Ernie was wearing Anya's tattered bra as if it were some medal of honor

"Oh and you're a complete saint. Fucking drug addict, alcoholic and probably sex addict to boot," Jimmy continued.

"At least I didn't have to force the women into having sex with me--"

"Do you want another crack in that skull of yours? Because I can do it with no problem--"

"AJ, sit down," Kevin quickly ordered, fearing the implications as Jimmy raised the butt of his gun.

"Smart man. At least he knows when to stop," Ben made Jimmy lower his arm.

"Thank you," Kevin murmured.

"Holy... Ern, you didn't manage to kill the bitch afterall. She's still alive!" Jimmy exclaimed as he watched Stephanie peek her eyes open and gasp.

"She's got more lives than a fucking pussy," Ernie snorted, bending down to meet eye level with Stephanie.

"Kevin," she whimpered.

"Ernie, stop torturing her," Ben groaned.

"She deserves it--"

"Ernie, stop it."

"Well, let me give her a gift then," Ernie sighed with annoyance, reaching into his back pocket to produce Anya's torn underwear. He grinned sadistically as he dropped them into the older sister's lap. "I love the smell of her, Sweetheart."

"You... you... Oh God..." Stephanie stammered as she looked down at the underwear. It was the duckie print she had bought Anya for Christmas. "You're sick--"

"I'm keeping the bra for personal reasons," Ernie quipped, standing up with his missions successfully accomplished.

"Did it make you feel like a man, knowing that you raped an innocent young woman? She was a virgin for God sakes! Waiting for her fucking wedding night!"

Ernie seemed to become charged with Stephanie's disgust, smiling wider as he glanced between his two friends and then to the pretty little girl pressed tightly against the far wall. "She was pretty damn tight, huh, boys?"

"Tightest I ever had--"

"Jimmy, just shut up. Ernie, the bitch isn't going to live anyway, just stop the bullshit," Ben interrupted. All that ever happened when Ernie challenged the protective sister was screaming that made his ears ring painfully.

"I just want her to know how thankful I am for her recommending such a sweet piece of ass. Little Anya was the best I ever had and I'm always going to remember her, just like she's always going to remember us. And, it's not like you didn't get your rocks off with the girl anyway, Ben. So admit it."

"Ernie--"

"Why don't you three stop bickering like children and tell us what you're planning to do," Kevin snapped as Stephanie began to quiver in his arms from the news she just received.

"I don't think you're in a position to be making demands, old man," Ben growled.

"Then why did you come in here?"

"To be kind and actually give you ungrateful assholes some food--"

"Kind... kind is far from this after shooting someone, raping someone, and possibly fracturing someone's skull."

"You--"

"The police said if they're harmed, we're fucked, Ben," Jimmy hissed in shock, reaching to grasp the leader.

"So that's why I heard sirens... you called them. What was the deal?" Kevin continued.

"None of your damn business--"

"It concerns all of us, the Hell it isn't our business."

"If you manage to keep your mouth shut and that whore quiet, I might actually let you walk out of these doors without a scratch on you, hero," Ben snarled, walking out of the room without another word spoken.

"I'll see you later, Angel. I've got this to keep me company," Ernie cooed, holding out Anya bra once again with a sickening smile before following Ben.

"Look, we're getting a shitload of money if you Backstreet Fags stay alive. So keep your mouths shut!" Jimmy quickly replied before locking the door behind him.

~*~*~*~*~

Everything had slowed into a dark silence as the minutes dragged on and the light of the sun moved into the soft glow of moonlight. Police sirens could be heard as lights flashed around the dim room, but no one said a word. The three gunman were in the process of deliberating with the police and no one wanted trouble. Especially Kevin. He just wanted Stephanie and AJ to get to a hospital and to finally forget the fiasco. Then he would worry about justice.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shiver and intense coughing fit from the injured woman in his warm embrace. The fight between the two sisters still seemed to be brewing because Anya refused to do anything; she merely told Kevin what to do, claiming that he was the one taking care of Stephanie now.

"You awake again?" Kevin murmured within the darkness, brushing his hand lightly over her sweaty locks. Every minute that seemed to pass only placed Stephanie at a further disadvantage, making him uneasy. He was willing to do nearly anything so she could be taken to the hospital.

"I keep getting this chills and it hurts my stomach which makes me cough," Stephanie whispered, wiping her mouth on the collar of her white t-shirt.

"There's not much I can do about it except keep holding you till we get you to a doctor," Kevin explained with a sad smile, though Stephanie probably couldn't see it.

"I know... are you cold?"

"No... Why?"

"Something just doesn't feel right. Besides the fact that I have a hole in my stomach--"

"What am I supposed to do?" Kevin interupted gently, baffled by her declaration. Though, Anya seemed to be listening, wincing slightly within the darkness at her older sister's admittance to a lone symptom.

"Kevin, I don't know. I'm just telling you because you're the only one who is listening," Stephanie snapped, grimacing as a new pain ripped through her.

"I'm sorry--"

"It's not your fault. I... I..."

"You?"

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't gotten shot, I could have thought of some way to get us all out of here."

"I doubt that."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything happens for a reason. Like, what would have happened to you two women if us guys hadn't been here? It could have been a thousand times worse... And, you can't turn back time... Can't wallow in guilt, not when we have to get out of here safe and sound."

"I just want us all to get out of here alive," Stephanie sighed but regretted it as she fell into another coughing fit, shivering hard.

"You've got to calm down," Kevin sighed, pulling her closer to his thick chest for support. He wanted her to calm down.

"It hurts," she whimpered, burying her face in his t-shirt.

"I know it does... And I'm so sorry..."

"When Anya is awake... can you tell her what I said about being cold and the coughing getting worse?" Stephanie whispered, her breathing became slightly even again. "She's not talking to me."

"I'll make sure to tell her," Kevin promised, though he knew that Anya was already listening, though she feigned a look of slumber. The young girl may have denied the trauma that had happened to her just hours before, but she was already shutting down because of it. Condemning herself into a silent hell.

"I love her so much. Could you tell her I'm sorry, too?" her eyes began to droop again. She was only staying awake for short periods of time now, the blood loss making her weak.

"I'm sure she knows."

"I wish... she would talk... to me again... I..." she didn't finish her sentence as she fell asleep.

Anya shifted uncomfortablely within her corner, trying to forget her sister's delicate words. It was obvious that Stephanie was at the beginning of starting an infection since fluids from her intenstinal tract were mixing with the other tissues of her body. They were meant to be contained within vital organs, but since some had been damaged... A good dose of antibiotics could help Stephanie, but, again, Anya needed a hospital first. Exhaling softly, she tugged hard on AJ's shirt so it covered her completely. She felt like a sticky mess as pieces of Ben, Ernie, and Jimmy continued to coat her. She had done her best to forget, but everytime she closed her eyes, images surfaced just as quickly. Her entire body ached from the assault as she pressed her hands tightly against her temples to alleviate the thoughts. But they persisted. And it caused a swift bubble of nauseousness to bubble against her throat, making her gag sharply.

"Hey... are you alright?" AJ spoke softly, placing a hand on Anay's shoulder. He had been dozing off and on as it grew dark, but he heard a noise from Anya and awoke.

"Fine," she mumbled swiftly against her hand, trying not to gag again as she attempted to pull away from AJ's warm hand. She hadn't realized he was so close to her.

"So I just imagined you gagging?" AJ raised an eyebrow, sitting up on the cooling floor to take a better look at her.

"A dream--"

"Wouldn't 'nightmare' describe it better?"

"I'm fine," she insisted, cupping both hands against her mouth as she hacked significantly against the sharp heaves of her stomach.

"You're in denial--"

"What the Hell would you know about anything?"

"Because I tried to deny that I was depressed, only that denial led into drugs and alcohol and meaningless sex and... I think you get the point..."

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, finally getting her stomach under control.

"I always said that, too."

"You're not like me, okay?"

"How would you know?" AJ questioned honestly, gingerly reaching out to tenderly rub her back. He didn't know what possessed him to push Anya so hard, but he was honestly worried. He hated to see a woman in that much pain.

"You may have had problems in the past, but you have the perfect life now. Millions of girls who love and scream for you. Four brothers. A mother who would do anything for you. What have I had?"

"An amazing sister who got shot for you. Five guys who will protect you when she's not able. A guy who right now is trying to comfort you but you won't let him."

"An amazing sister who is finally falling in love for all the wrong reasons. Five guys who live thousands of miles away. And a guy who will be high tailing it thousands of miles away as soon as those front doors open and police start swarming for a rescue."

"Oh... so because we're famous, that means we will never have meaningful relationships? Brian's married and has a little boy at home. He and his wife make it work because they love each other. If Kevin and Stephanie really love each other, they'll make it work, too. And as for me... I am not hightailing it out of here because I want to be with you."

"You--"

"Just met you today. Who cares? Brian met Leighanne at a music video and they fell in love right then."

"Right..."

"Don't you believe in love?"

"It's not that--"

"Or is it really because I'm not just AJ McLean, but that I'm AJ McLean... the Backstreet Boy?"

Anya scoffed. "Get off your high horse before you break your neck, how 'bout it?"

"You don't know what it's like. Every single girl I've ever dated only dated me because I was a Backstreet Boy. I thought you were different."

"I don't care who you are."

"Then why don't you believe me when I say that I have feelings for you? Or that I want to help you with what you're going through?"

"Because I'd rather get out of this when emotions aren't so damn high and razor edged. All the adrenaline is surfacing within our systems, like a temporary high. You may see me as like the last girl on Earth for you kind of deal... And I don't want to invest in some fantasy..."

"You don't know how I see you because you never asked me."

"Because there's no reason to--"

"When I saw you dancing, I thought I was looking at an angel. You are so damn beautiful. You have a great sense of humor and you're protective of the people you care about. I felt, feel, saw and see all this before and during this Hell we're going through."

Anya softened for a moment, turning away from the wall she was staring at. And, for the first time since she had been returned to the group, she met gazes with another person. Her blue-green eyes were watery with unshed tears as she studied him, trying desperately to find some flaw in his raspy words. But, true to his style, AJ was flawless. "...Thank you..."

"You're welcome. Anya... I know you don't want to believe those things happened to you out there, but--"

"AJ, please. I can't. Not right now."

"Anya--"

"Nothing happened."

"But you were ra--"

"No!"

"Anya! It happened!"

"Shut up!"

"You can't deny it happened!"

"No! It didn't!"

"Anya, they--"

"Stop it! Just shut up!" Anya hissed with a frightened demand, clamping her hands against his mouth. Her blue-green eyes widened in terror as the moonlight cast against them, reflecting the pain. "You don't know!"

"You can't pretend it didn't happen," AJ muffled against her hand, finally pulling it away and bringing her into his arms.

"Don't--"

"If you don't want to talk about it, fine. Just let me hold you. I haven't seen you sleep once and you need it."

Anya sniffled hard as she attempted to wiggle away from him, honestly ashamed that her body was reacting in delight to his touch. She cringed at the thought of lust, shaking her head furiously. "Please--"

"No. I'm not letting you go. Just calm down, Anya. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't want held--"

"Yes you do."

"AJ--"

"Anya."

She looked as if she were ready to strike him as means of defense. But, after a long stance of hard glares, Anya seemed to soften first. AJ had been the first man in her life that was actually stern with her, not allowing her over zealous nature to overpower him. So, she slowly relinquished the idea, simply burying her somewhat wet face into the crook of his bare neck while she trembled violently.

"Shh... it's okay. It's going to be okay," AJ whispered, gently rubbing her back as they rocked silently on the floor.

"I just want to go home," she murmured softly against his skin.

"I know. We all want to get out of here and we will. I promise."

Kevin exhaled a slow breath, doing his best not to move for fear of waking Stephanie from her light slumber. The day had quickly passed, falling into the mid afternoon. Not much could really be heard outside except the howling of contineous sirens. Kevin could only hope that salvation was mere hours away, especially as Stephanie continued to decline drastically. She was feverish and writhing despite her sleep, letting Kevin know that she needed advanced medical treatment. But, he was powerless as he watched over his friends, his eyes naturally drifting toward AJ. Anya seemed permanently melted within his embrace, her pale face buried against AJ's bare chest for obvious protection. Sobs could be heard intermittantly from the young girl, but she stayed silent and very still.

"Dear God... let us all get through this... please..." he whispered, biting hard on the inside of his cheek as tears prickled his light green eyes. In the distance, he could hear a conversation which seemed to showcase Ernie's impeccable negotiation skills, a sarcastic comment coming from Ben. The more the sirens wailed, the more they seemed to argue and break apart as a group, which could make their plan of a clean escape backfire.

"Would it be terrible of me to pray that they shoot one another?" Brian mumbled softly, continuing to clasp his hands in prayer as he rubbed the cross necklace his son had given him for Christmas.

"Not at all, Bri. God knows what we're going through... He'll understand," Kevin replied, watching his cousin for a moment. He had a wife and son at home. There was no way Kevin nor God was going to deny him the right to see them again. It wouldn't be fair.

"I hope..."

"Just keep praying, Cousin. Just keep praying--"

"Look, if God gets us out of this thing, I'll be the first to bathe myself in Holy Water and roll around the church screaming his name. But, damnit, we need to get out of here," Nick interupted with a dark frown.

"And how do you propose we do that in a borded up room, Nick? AJ has a concussion and Stephanie is developing an infection. How are we going to get them out while batting those three out there who have guns?" Kevin was quick to respond, keeping his voice low and even.

"I don't know, but we've got to be able to do something, Kevin!"

"Shh! For crying out loud, Nick, keep it down!"

"Or what?!"

"Or you could wake up a sleeping woman," Stephanie groaned, opening her eyes to the loud argument.

"Smooth, Nick," Howie sighed.

"Like she wasn't going to wake up anyway," Nick grumbled, folding his arms over his chest."You all fight a lot... more than me and Anya..."

"Sorry," Kevin mumured against the top of her head, noticing that Anya still refused to speak, holed within her own personal dungeon.

"It's not your fault," she sighed and coughed loudly, covering her mouth.

"I'll try to keep them quiet."

"They don't have to be quiet just because of me... I keep having weird dreams when I sleep anyway."

"You need to sleep--"

"Kevin... please. When I get tired again I'll rest... just let me stay awake for a little bit longer. It's lonely in the darkness..."

"Okay... Just stay still, please..."

"I will," Stephanie's head looked up at the borded window, where the sun was desperately trying to peek through. "We survived the night. Have you heard... anything?"

"Them yelling at each other..."

"Oh... are there any blankets in here? I'm cold."

"I dont know..."

"I'll check the locker and cabinets," Howie volunteered, standing up as he stretched his aching back from sitting so long.

"Second locker from the left," Anya volunteered softly.

"Thanks, Anya. Is there anything else we would need in here?" Howie asked as he opened the locker door.

"Um..." Anya trailed softly, her mind really not focused on the tasks at hand. She was too far gone within her own pain, shifting uncomfortably against AJ in attempts to get him to release her. "I'm not too sure... Sorry..."

"It's alright, I can check," Howie gave AJ a look as to not let Anya go as he scrounged for blankets and anything else. Soon he came across a large box of dried fruit and water bottles along with the blankets.

"I can help him," Anya whispered, squirming to get away from AJ as her entire body throbbed with the pain of her ravished form.

"He'll ask for it if he needs it," AJ objected, keeping his gentle hold on her. "Just relax, Anya."

"I can't--"

"And how do you expect to get us out of here and keep those hostages, Ernie?! By fucking magic? Those cops are going to promise a lot of shit that they're not going to give us! We should just take the money and get the fuck out of here!" Ben's voice echoed throughout the store.

"WITHOUT THEM WE'RE AS GOOD AS DEAD!" Ernie hollered back, overpowering Ben's disgruntled attitude.

"WILL YOU TWO STOP ARGUING?! YOU SOUND LIKE A FUCKING MARRIED COUPLE!" Jimmy tried to put his two cents in.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, JIMMY!" they screamed in unison as loud crashes erupted with their obvious scuffle.

"I wish they would kill each other and get over with it," Nick muttered under his breath as the rest cringed from the sounds.

"I don't know whether the desperation is a good sign or not..." Howie voiced softly.

"They're too idiotic. I mean, look at their situation. One man dead, another with a concussion and a woman with a gunshot wound to the stomach. They don't have much of a choice what to do."

"Take the money and haul ass..." Anya murmured softly.

"Exactly," Nick agreed.

"WE'RE GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, BEN! YOU HEAR ME?! THEY'RE THROWING THE MONEY IN HERE IN A FEW HOURS, THEN WE'RE TAKING A BODY SHIELD AND LEAVING! YOU HEAR ME?! THAT'S FUCKING FINAL!"'''

There was a sharp pop of the gun.

"Damnit, Ernie!" Ben howled.

"I'm sorry, Ben, but I'm in charge."
~*~*~*~*~

"C-C-Cold..." Stephanie whimpered in her sleep, though she was covered with a heavy fleece blanket while the others were put together to make a large make-shift bed for the others. After the last heated argument from the outside, it had grown eerily quiet, which they all took was a good sign for the moment.

"Stephanie?" Kevin murmured softly in surprise, barely hearing her call out with a freezing pain. He had been lost within his own world, hoping that Ben had bled to death, though he had no idea what his gunshot injury consisted of. Never would Kevin wish anything malicious on another person, but this was life and death now. He couldn't stand to make a bargin.

"I'm c-c-cold... and it h-h-h-hurts..." she repeated, shivering heavily as she peeked her eyes open. The office had grown dark once again, and she could see the others sleeping restlessly.

"I know--"

"M-M-Make it s-s-stop."

"I can't--"

"I'm going to d-die..."

"No, you're not!"

"I'm not s-s-s-stupid. I have a f-fever and I'm c-cold. I lost bl-blood and stuff is i-in my body that shouldn't b-be."

"Anya said stuff is leaking out of your body that shouldn't be--"

"I'm d-dying."

"We're going to get you to a doctor."

"K-Kevin..." she trailed off, which made her start coughing again.

"I promise that we're going to get you to a doctor," Kevin soothed, holding her as close was possible without hurting her further. It was terrifying to hold a dying person within his arms. To feel her cool, clammy skin despite the raging fever. To feel her shiver and hack with a powerful burst of air that could knock down a building. Yet, he was clueless as to how to help her. And, Anya was in no state to help.

"I'm scared," Stephanie whispered, wiping the blood off her palm as she leaned back against his chest. "What if I d-die? A-Anya will be alone and I c-can't protect her."

"You're not going to die."

"Kevin--" she was interrupted by the door slamming open.

It took only a few moments for everyone to be jarred awake was food was thrust into the room. Tin cans landed with heavy thumps, causing everyone to sit up sharply. Anya looked most terrified as she sat up between the four men, furiously rubbing her swollen, teary, emerald eyes in order to clear her vision. Only, it was nothing that she wanted to see as Ernie bent down to grasp her roughly by the upper arms. He gave one firm yank to pull her to her feet before she realized what was happening and he planted a sloppy kiss to her lips.

"They brought the money, Sweetheart. We're leaving!" Ernie declared proudly.

"NO! A-ANYA!" Stephanie managed to scream, trying to get up and protect her sister. "SHE'S NOT Y-YOURS!"

"Sit down!" Kevin demanded, pulling sharply on Stephanie to keep her from going anywhere. She was in too serious of a condition now to put up any fight. And, Kevin was powerless as Ernie started to drag Anya toward the door. He knew what would happen when Ernie reached the door. The money would be taken and Anya used as a human shield. And, if she wasn't shot dead, she would be taken as a hostage in their sick and perverse pleasures.

"ANYA! NO! N-NO, NO, N-NO! G-GIVE HER BACK!" Stephanie begged, tears streamed down her cheeks as she reached out for her younger sister.

"You can't keep her," Ernie laughed as he pinned Anya's arms tightly behind her back, keeping the pistol poised at the tender flesh of her throat. He could hear the soft sobs muffling against Anya's throat as she tensed, biting hard on her bottom lip to keep composed. But, she already knew what he was planning as her lower half throbbed with the previous assault. "You'll be dead in a few hours, Stephanie. It's better that I take her with me. I'll take good care of her."

"YOU BASTARD! YOU COWARD! YOU CH-CHICKENSHIT! I HOPE YOU BURN IN H-HELL!" Tears streamed down Stephanie's cheeks as she looked at the boys. "WHY AREN'T YOU D-D-DOING SOMETHING?! HELP H-HER!"

"If I burn in Hell, your sister will be coming right along with me," Ernie continued as the boys maintained a strong silence. Each seemed clueless as to how to intervene without causing further harm. And, Ernie loved the havoc of the situation. "Because no one else wants her."

"I DO! SH-SHE'S MY SISTER! A-ANYA! PLEASE, D-DON'T!"

"I want her more," Ernie promised with a sly wink, motioning toward the bra still wrapped around his neck.

"Fuck a-all of you! I-I'm going to l-lose my sister and you d-d-don't care!" Stephanie screamed at the five men sitting on the floor, including the one that was holding her.

"Just put Anya down," AJ muttered toward Ernie as Kevin battled against Stephanie's fierce protectiveness.

"And what makes you think I'm going to listen?" Ernie laughed.

"Because I want her more than you ever will and I have no problem making you listening," AJ threatened."Almost convinced me," Ernie promised, moving to step out the door with his prize. "I'll remember that, though. Promise."

"Put. Anya. Down."

"Or?" Ernie tempted.

"Or you will wish you never grabbed her."

"Don't be stupid," Ernie laughed. "I've done more than just grab her body, Son--"

Erine was quickly interrupted as AJ stood up and slammed a fist into his jaw, which made him immediately let go of Anya to grab his face.

Anya fell hard to the floor in shock as AJ tackled the lumbering man. Without any consideration for his well being, he began to pummel Ernie's body. His thick fists showed no mercy as AJ raged against everything that had happened to Anya underneath the cruel man's hands. And, she watched, shell shocked as someone's arms lifted her. She tensed, thinking it might be Ben or Jimmy taking care of Ernie's business. But she heard Howie's voice. "I got you."

Anya heaved a soft sob as she attempted to help, "But AJ--"

"Just let him do this. He'll be alright," Howie held her close as Ernie tried to push AJ off him as the blows became more fierce.

Anya's blonde brows furrowed in disbelief as she shook with obvious fright. She had never seen AJ so animated or fierce during their length of stay. It was like a vicious beast had lept out of his body as Ernie whimpered for some kind of relief. "Why?"

"Once AJ begins something like this... defending someone he cares about... he won't stop until he's finished."

"He's going to get hurt--"

"Get the fuck off me!" Ernie grunted, pushing AJ off him. Anya screamed as his body thudded against the wall and he fell to the floor.

Howie stared in disbelief as AJ went limp, the butt of Ernie's gun locating AJ's skull once again before he bounced off the wall. He felt his entire body freeze with sharp fears as Ernie started to crawl toward the door as Jimmy locked it. The man would need to nurse his wounds as another plan was formulated. But, Anya didn't care as she broke away from Howie, falling onto her knees as she cupped AJ's face in her hands. "AJ? AJ? Please... AJ?"

"Is he... is he breathing?" Kevin spoke as Stephanie stopped fighting his grasp.

Anya bent closer toward AJ's face, pressing her fingertips against his lips. She felt a faint puff of air, but had to reassure herself. She pressed her cheek to his face, feeling the distinct rush of air. Heavy tears gathered against her already blurry eyes as she sniffled softly. His head injury had already been serious, two more blows could have been life threatening. All because of her. "Y-Yes... But, please, AJ... Just wake up for a minute..."

"Try that sternum r-rub," Stephanie whispered.

She truly didn't wish to cause him any pain, but knew it was probably her only option. Carefully, she pressed her knuckles into the center of his ribcage, though her lips softly connected against his as she did so. Almost as if she wished to breathe her life into his. "Please, AJ..."

AJ groaned against her lips as his eyes fluttered open. "Anya."

"Please don't move," she murmured toward him, leaning up slightly to catch his dark eyes. "You got yourself into enough trouble because of me already."

"I had to. I couldn't let him take you."

"AJ..."

"I care about you, Anya. And I promised to take care of you and protect you."

"Thank you," she whispered softly for only him to hear, leaning down to brush her lips delicately against his own.

"You're welcome," he whispered back as she kissed him once more.

"And don't you dare do anything that stupid ever again," she warned as he reached to intertwine their fingers, resting their meshed hands against his heart.

"I won't, because now they know they can't take you."

"...I owe you..."

"Just be with me after this, that's all I ask."

"Be with you?"

"Be with me."

"Is he okay?" Kevin voiced loudly, breaking up the sweet moment.

"For now... We'll talk about this later," Anya promised AJ, brushing her fingers lightly against his forehead. "Just rest..."

"You'll be here when I wake up?"

"I promise."

"Just stay here," AJ murmured, pulling Anya closer as he went silent, the pain getting the best of him.

~*~*~*~*~

Anya chewed worried on her thumb as she continued to stare down at AJ's lifeless form resting on her lap. It had been several hours since he last head injury and hadn't woken up since. Blood had seeped through the boxers he let her wear from the two wounds; making her worry. He was growing sicker as the minutes passed. And every second added a percentage in his chances of never waking up again. She could hardly contain the tears crossing down her cheeks as she smoothed her hand over his bruised cheek bone. He didn't even know her, yet he had risked his life for her. Now she would be left completely deserted as her sister rested near death along with him.

"What are we going to do? We've got to get out of here!" Nick repeated what he had said hours ago.

"Go ahead and break down the door, then," Kevin murmured dryly.

"Oh, and get hurt like these two dumbasses? Hell no--"

"Shut your damn mouth, Nick."

"At least they were noble," Anya whispered with obvious hurt, glaring sharply at Nick with a sharp disdain. More hatred reflected in him than those who had hurt her.

"More than we can ever say about you. Would you get shot for someone you care about? Or your skull cracked by the butt of a gun? No, because you're too selfish," Howie added on, reaching over to sharply smack Nick upside the head.

"Not to mention we could selfishly blame you for this whole fiasco, considering you were the one whining to stop for food," Kevin growled.

"But we're not selfish like you, Nick. So we're not going to blame you," Brian added.

"Whatever, doesn't change that shit went down," Nick scowled.

"Do you not even care that AJ might never wake up?" Anya voiced softly.

"Excuse--"

"He's your bandmate. Your brother. And all you're complaining about is getting out of here. If AJ doesn't get medical help... he might never wake up. And you don't care."

"What the Hell are you talking about?" Nick murmured wiwth soft surprise.

"He's bleeding like crazy from his head wounds and his eyes are dialated. The pupils are fixed. He's got serious head trauma, you fucking asshole," Anya seethed, gently continuing to stroke the side of AJ's face. "There's swelling in his brain that isn't able to be released. Which leads to permanent brain damage. Brain cells don't regenerate."

"You're shitting me--"

"I'm going to medical school, dumbass. I know the repercussions of an untreated head injury.'

Nick's skin waned with disbelief as he turned to Kevin like a lost child. "Kevin--"

"She's telling the truth."

"But, AJ--"

"Is badly hurt."

"And it is all my fault, isn't it?

"Nick--"

"It's my fault," Anya interupted.

"What? Anya, don't blame yourself. AJ would have gotten hurt either way," Howie shook his head.

"Not Stephanie, though..."

"You don't know that. Ernie's unstable, it might have happened--"

"It's my fault," Anya insisted.

"No it's not!"

"It'll be my fault when I'm left all alone, too," Anya whispered, glancing away from AJ to find her sister still curled in Kevin's arms. Her breathing had leveled into shallow breaths as her skin continued to pale. She had managed to stop the signifiant flow of blood with her bandaging, but that was nothing compared to the blood probably leaking into her insides. Anya dreaded the thought of her older sister dying.

"You won't be alone--"

"She's the only person I have..."

"But neither one are going to leave us, Anya... they're too strong to give up."

"You don't even know her..."

"She's lasted this long, hasn't she?"

"Yes--"

"Then have faith."

"But--"

"Have faith," Howie stressed as there was a sudden shattering of glass. Everyone jerked in fear as AJ and Stephanie continued to lay limp, pops of gunshots echoing throughout the room. Anya cringed in shock, immediately curling closer to AJ's body for some kind of protection. And the door splintered sharply by a heavy force.

"Holy shit!" Nick yelped as he, Brian and Howie covered their heads. The dust settled and a surge of voices filled their ears.

"It's okay! We're here to help!" a soothing voice called.

Anya was in a sheer daze as she stepped out of what had been her prison for at least two days. Everything was covered in a thick haze within her mind, unable to tell the time of day or even the date for that matter. But, what mattered was that she was free. The officers had swept into the building with great force, firing bullets into the three men who had caused her such terror. Now, each was being pushed into a black body bag while she, Howie, Nick, Brian, and Kevin stood outside with itchy wool blankets draped around their bodies. Paramedics were already inside working on AJ and Stephanie while officers attempted to question the others. Anya seemed mute, though.

"Look, we've been stuck in that Hell hole for how many days? Can you please just leave us alone for two seconds?" Kevin finally snapped, getting tired of the redundant questions and the urgent need to relieve what they went through.

"It's just best to get the details while they're fresh in your--"

"They're dead, it's not like you're going to prosecute them."

"Leave us alone."

The officer looked as if he might fight the request, but he reliniquished the thought. Shaking his head sadly, he put away his small notebook. "I'm sorry for the trauma you had to endure. We'll be getting your friends to the hospital as soon as possible and we'll do whatever you need us to do."

"Thank you," Kevin nodded as the man walked away to give them a moment alone. Thankfully, the press was blocked out so it was a somewhat private moment.

"What happens now?" Nick murmured after a thick period of silence.

"We pray for Stephanie and AJ. There isn't much else we can do..." Brian trailed off, rubbing his cross again.

Nick looked as if he might object to the suggestion, but his thoughts were pushed aside as AJ was wheeled out on a stretcher. Several pieces of equipment were already attached to his stripped body as one paramedic held the IV bag above his head, rushing beside the others pushing. Foreign words were shouted as he was quickly loaded into the ambulance without another word, careening down the road.

"What... what did they just say? All I heard was words that are like twenty letters long--"

"Don't get riled up," Howie interjected as Anya continued to just stare at the ground, practically oblivious to her surroundings.

"But--"

"It's not going to do any good, Nick," Brian agreed softly.

"How are we getting to the hospital, then?" Nick actually relented.

"I imagine the police will drive us..." Brian guessed as another gurney was wheel out. This time, Stephanie was strapped to the boards. The machines strapped her to were the same as AJ, though more varieties of medications were being pumped through her IV start. It was obvious that the paramedics were leery of her situation, hurriedly piling her in without saying a word, just hollering to get the lights and sirens going.

"That can't be good..." Brian voiced, though Anya just watched in sheer shock.

"You think, Frack--"

"Stop it," Kevin quickly intervened, trying to tell himself not to get overly worried. Paramedics didn't diagnose patients. They simply cared for them until reaching the hospital. She would be fine. He promised himself that she would be fine. And, he wouldn't think anything different as another EMT approached the group."Is anyone here hurt?" he asked.

"Well... Anya, she was... the men... they..."

Anya glanced up from her trance like state when she heard her name connected with the captors. She noticed Kevin gesturing toward her with obvious embarrassment, causing her to cringe. She had done her best to block the pain of the gang rape, but it seemed impossible with everyone staring at her. "I'm fine--"

"Come on, we need to check you out," the paramedic gently took hold of her arm and pulled towards another ambulance.

"Get the Hell off me!" Anya seethed in shock, yanking away sharply.

"Ma'am, please. You need to come with us--"

"Hell no!"

"Ma'am--"

"I don't want you touching me!" she shrieked, ripping away from the stranger when his hand accidently slipped against her waist as he tried to calm her. She immediately stumbled backward, landing hard on the pavement. But she didn't seem to care as she heaved ragged breaths, throwing herself into a panic attack as she clawed at her skin, just wanting to catch her breath.

"Anya! Anya, stop!" Howie bent down and tried to stop her from making her skin bleed as Kevin ordered for a female paramedic.

"I don't want him touching me!" she breathed hard, attempting to push Howie's hands away as he tried to clasp hers.

"Okay, he's not going to touch you. He won't touch you, he didn't know. Just calm down! Calm down for AJ and Stephanie. Please."

"I--"

"Anya? My name is Nicole. Can you come with me, please?" a woman about ten years older than Anya interrupted softly.

"Nothing happened," Anya mumbled somewhat defiantly, never matching Nicole's gaze. She just stared at her hands intertwined within Howie's, trying to concentrate on something, anything, to make her forget.

"Alright, but I still need you to come with me."

"No--"

"I don't know a lot about what's going on, Anya... Or about what happened out there... But I do watch a lot of SVU when we're touring... I think it's important for you to go to the hospital and get checked out. To make sure you won't get sick or anything. Because, Stephanie is going to need you well and healthy," Howie attempted.

"Stephanie's going to need me?"

"She needed you the whole time we were in there but you thought different."

"Stephanie's never needed me in her life--"

"You're sisters. You always need each other."

"But--"

"Please, Anya, let's get you to the hospital and make sure you're okay."

"...I don't want to go by myself..."

"One of us will come with you," Brian offered softly.

"AJ's my best friend, I can give you all the dirty details on him," Howie offered, gently squeezing her hands with a playful excitement.

"Okay," Anya cracked a small smile as she nodded and stood up. "Let's go."

"The officers will give the rest of us a ride," Kevin informed, passing Howie an overly grateful smil.

"See you there," Anya replied as she, Howie and Nicole climbed into another ambulance.

~*~*~*~*~


Anya shifted uncomfortably as she emerged from the examination room in a pair of hospital issue scrubs. She had been through a grueling rape examination and felt completely drained of any bit of self confience that might have stared to spurt when the rapists were shot. But, like every person who had stepped into the examination room said, she needed to get it done. Samples were taken and she was assessed. She would have to make a routine follow up for several months to assure that no sexually transmitted disease had been acquired. Pain medication was ordered because of the severeness of trauma to her genitals from the repeated rapes. They would also send her to a therapist along with a special gynecologist for further assessment because of the severe damage. What had been most helpful was Howie sitting at the head of the examination table. He had kept her calm as the proceedures continued and he saw nothing. It was soothing and she forced a somewhat thankful smile when she noticed him waiting patiently in the hallway.

"Hey. Long time no see," he joked softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards the waiting room.

"You really didn't have to do that," she returned, allowing him to pull her close into his friendly embrace. She naturally tensed underneath his control, but relaxed within the soft tones of his voice. Howie was only there to comfort her and help her. He'd never do anything to harm her.

"I know. I did it because I wanted to. I honestly consider you one of my friends and it was the least I could do," Howie pressed a kiss to her temple as he rubbed her back.

"And now you know all those intimate details of my life," Anya attempted to joke, though it still stung her.

"We won't talk about that unless you want to."

Anya swallowed the lump building in her throat, gingerly rubbing the back of her neck in attempts to alleviate the stiffness. "...Thanks..."

"You're welcome," Howie replied as they reached the waiting room where the other men were sitting and waiting.

"Anya... Hey..." Kevin trailed with obvious surprise, boosting himself instantly when he noticed the young girl. Reaching out, he drew her into a protective embrace, thankful that she was at least okay. They hadn't heard any word on Stephanie or AJ, though Kevin assumed that Anya would only be able to recieve the news on Stephanie. Hospitals were funny that way.

"Hi..." Anya answered in surprise.

"How are you?"

"Fine... I guess..." Anya replied as they pulled away. She looked towards Brian and Nick, seeing they were still somber and afraid. "No word on them yet?"

"No... But they wouldn't give us any information on your sister anyways..." Kevin trailed, afraid to even think about the condition Stephanie was facing. He had so many vivid dreams of attending her funeral that he feared it was a preminition. He would have rather dreamed about their first date. "Did they treat you okay?"

"As best as they could with all the tests. I'm fine," Anya shrugged, walking past Kevin to sit in a chair in the corner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kevin questioned with confusion, glancing to Howie.

"They're not pleasant tests. We'll just leave it at that, Kev."

"Is she going to be okay, though?" Kevin asked, considering Stephanie's fierce protectiveness over the young girl. If something bad happened when Kevin promised to take care of Anya... He couldn't even begin to think of the ugly consequences that may occur...

"Yeah, of course. She just needs to keep checking in with the doctor and consult a therapist to deal with it all..."

"I really hope they didn't give her anything..."

"Kevin, she's sitting in the room. Don't talk about it."

For once, Kevin looked like the scolded child. "Sorry."

They were quiet for what seemed like hours, Anya not speaking to anyone until a shuffle and clearing of a throat interrupted the groups thoughts. They looked up and saw two doctors.

"I need to speak with Anastacia Lord about Stephanie Lord," one announced.

"And I need to speak with you other four concerning Alexander McLean."

~*~*~*~*~

Kevin exhaled a shaky breath as he stood from the uncomfortable plastic chair to greet the doctor taking care of AJ after Howie had made the intial greeting. He wasn't sure that he wanted to hear what news that the man had brought, especially considering the seriousness of AJ's condition. He was afraid that AJ would never wake up again and they would face another list of heavy complications. As if their weekend hadn't been bad enough. And, noticing Stephanie's doctor off to the side caused his stomach to cramp with pain. He didn't want anything malicious to happen to the girl, because he felt something strong for her. But, he attempted to focus, finally holding his breath. "We're ready."

"Should I go get something to drink?" Anya whispered uncomfortably.

"No... Anya, please stay. AJ cares about you and you have a right to hear about his... condition," Kevin swallowed hard as Nick and Brian came forward to greet the doctor as well.

Anya nodded with a soft compliance as Howie guided her into a warm embrace. He seemed to understand her need to be held and smiled hopefully toward the doctor. The older man seemed to understand, flipping briefly through his variety of notes.

"My name is Dr. Hoffman, I'm the chief neurologist that evaluated your friend. Seems Mr. McLean suffered three different traumas to the brain. The first was in the back of his skull and caused a deep laceration that needed repaired. The second was toward the side with another deep laceration that needed repaired. And the third caused a deep linear crack within his skull. To say he suffered a severe concussion is mildly putting it. From the trauma, blood started to accumulate, adding pressure to the brain. There was some mild brain cell death, but nothing that should profoundly affect him. I had to drill a hole into his skull in attempts to allieve most of the pressure. He was also intubated to make it easier to over oxygenate him, which will also help with the pressure. We have a tool in his cranial cavity monitoring the pressure right now..."

"Umm... I'm sorry... can you put that into English?" Nick asked, actually being polite as he watched Anya's skin pale at the news.

"Your friend is a very sick man," Dr. Hoffman attempted to explain with a soft sigh. "He's been unconcious since he arrived, which is due to the pressure accumulating in his brain. If I can continue to release the pressure, then there's a chance that he'll wake up. Since he has so many breaks in his skin and the skull fracture, there's a chance of developing a severe infection known as bacterial meningitis. I have him on high doses of antibiotics to prevent the occurence. Until then... I really can't say either way..."

"So... it's on God's hands," Kevin whispered, placing his hands on Nick and Brian's shoulders as they stood in silence.

"That's correct. It's between Him and AJ now. I can only do so much on my part."

"Can we see him?" Howie murmured, obviously mournful of his best friend's condition. He had been through everything with AJ and it seemed disrespectful not to wait by his side till he awoke.

"I'd rather not, at least for tonight. He's in the ICU and resting comfortably... Besides, you've been through enough tonight. I suggest you rent a room, rest, and return tomorrow."

"Alright... will you call us if there's anything new?""Of course."

Kevin stepped to give him a list of their cell phone numbers, most of which had actually been salvaged from the crime scene. And, as he did so, Anya stepped off to the side to speak with her sister's surgeon privately. No one was offended by this, knowing it was an intirely different scenerio. They just waited patiently as the neurologist excused him, practically studying Anya for any cues. But she was masked in stone as she slowly stepped back toward the group, wringing her hands.

"Anya? What did they say?" Howie asked softly, rubbing her back.

"My poor Phi," Anya whispered, rubbing her tired face with sheer exhaustion. If having to battle with her sexual assault wasn't enough, but now she had to deal with her very sick sister.

"She's not... she didn't--"

"No!" Anya blurted.

"I'm sorry. But... what did they say?"

Anya held her breath in order to collect her emotions, glancing up at Howie with vacant blue-green eyes. "The bullet did a lot of damage inside her abdomen. It practically burst her gallbladder, which she had to have removed. The internal bleeding was terrible. They had a lot to repair and had to infuse several units of blood. On top of it, since her intestines were knicked, the fluid inside leaked out and several infected her abdomen. They have her on tons of antibiotics, but she's really sick... Really, really, really sick..."

"Oh, Anya... I'm sorry..." Howie continued to rub her back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"If she can beat the infection, she'll be okay," Anya mumbled against his shoulder.

"She will, we've just got to have faith, remember?"

"I remember..." Anya promised, holding still for once.

"Can she... do they allow visitors right now?" Kevin spoke after a long period of silence, rubbing his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. To hear that two people he cared about had a chance of dying scared him.

"She's in ICU... They said I should go home and I can visit tomorrow..."

"So it's only family," he nodded before continuing. "Why don't you stay at the hotel with us? We can find one close to the hospital."

Anya shook her head, "I just want to go home--"

"Then could we go home with you?"

"Excuse me?"

Kevin mustered some kind of smile, though it looked to be more of embarrassment than silliness. It had been a blunt reaction, but he felt a strong need to protect the young girl. He didn't want her home alone, not after what had happened to her. He was afraid she might do something foolish or something horrible would happen without Stephanie there to protect her. It was what Stephanie would have wanted. "We're not hard to keep happy. Hell, Nick's like a dog. Feed him and give him a place to sleep at he's content. A home just sounds really nice right now."

"Why?" Anya murmured in confusion.

"We've barely been at home lately and the hotels are just... cold and bare. A home is warm and inviting. Something I think we all need after what just happened."

"It's not lavish..."

"It doesn't matter."

"But--"

"If you don't want us to, I can't force you."

"That's not what I meant..."

"It's okay--"

"I just don't think it's going to be up to your expectations or maybe... I don't know... I mean, if you want to stay at our house, I'd be more than happy to make sure you're comfortable--"

"We didn't grow up rich and famous, Anya. The homier, the better."

"Are you sure that's what you all want?"

"More than sure."

"Then I'd be happy to offer our home to you guys. It's the least I can do after everything..."

"We'd be happy to take it, too," Kevin promised as each man leaned to give her a hug of thanks, assurance, and hope.

Kevin didn't exactly know what he was feeling as he walked down the long corridor to Stephanie's room. She had finally been transfered into a surgical unit from the ICU. She had stabilized quite well and the doctors were continuing to do everything in their power to fight the ravaging infection in her abdomen. So, he honestly didn't know what to expect as he reached her room. He could only hope for the very best for the woman who had enchanted him so. And, taking a deep breath, he said a quick prayer and stepped inside.

His breath seemed to catch in his throat as he stood in the doorway of her room. Machines beeped and hissed as tubes were connected to her body in every way possible to give her a chance to live.

He suddenly wished that he had paid more attention to Anya when she was speaking about the medical portion of Stephanie's condition. But, his thoughts only drifte to the future and what he could possibly plan with the woman. He only knew that she was breathing on her own as he sat next to her bed and reached for her cool hand. He noticed the faint drips of perspiration gathering against her temples, a signal that the infection hadn't cleared yet. "Oh, Stephanie..."

He half-expected her to respond but was denied as the machines noises filled his ears instead. Everything seemed so cold and empty in the room as she laid there, her feverish body dampening the sheets. The nurses had already come in three times to change the sheets overnight.

"Y'know... There's no reason that you shouldn't be awake..." Kevin trailed off, more trying to assure himself than scold Stephanie. "I know you're tired and you're fighting the infection... But..."

As he trailed off, there was a slight pressure on his hand and he looked up to see her eyelids fluttering. "Stephanie?"

"It's not nice to yell at a sick person," she slurred, fighting away from the darkness and to Kevin's soft voice.

"I wasn't trying to--"

"Even when I'm sick I can do great guilt trips," she interrupted, giving a tired smile as she peeked her eyes open.

Kevin softened immediately, rubbing her hand with great affection. "How you feeling, Darling?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"It feels like there's a fire throughout my body and the coal are in my stomach," she replied, biting her bottom lip as she felt sweat run down her cheeks.

"The antibiotics are going to help that."

"I know, Anya always said that they-- Anya. Oh my God, Anya! Where is she?! Did they take her? Anya!" she attempted to get out of bed. She had to see if her little sister was alright.

"Calm down!" Kevin grunted in surprise, pushing her back on the bed in attempts to wrangle her. "Anya is just fine!"

"I tried to protect her. I tried to protect everyone! I need to see my Anya," Stephanie sobbed as her protests grew weaker.

"Stephanie..." Kevin trailed in surprise, not expecting such a sharp whirlwind of emotions.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about--"

"But I failed."

"No, you didn't. Anya is safe because of you."

Stephanie sniffled hard as Kevin leaned to gently embrace her. She welcomed his warmth despite her fever, resting her chin against the crook of his shoulder. It had been so long since someone so strong had held her. She had been the strength behind her family. The shoulder for Anya to lean on, though the younger girl protested it. But, thinking of her sister causd another variety of emotions to sweep through. "Where is she? Where's my Ani? So I know... I want her... God, they really hurt her, didn't they?"

"She's visiting AJ right now... but yes, they did hurt her. She's pretending like it never happened," Kevin whispered, kissing her sweaty temple.

"I thought it was just a nightmare I had..."

"I wish it was, Baby."

"She..."

"She'll be okay."

"I didn't protect her."

"You did everything you could.""If I did such a thing, she wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Stephanie, don't blame yourself. You're so sick..."

"I deserve this."

"No."

"Yes--"

"I'm not going to argue about this with you," Kevin sternly interupted, pushing her back against the bed to fully rest. He then stood to fix her blankets, noticing Anya lingering in the open doorway. She looked lost for a moment, mirroring Kevin's facial features as he turned to Stephanie to see if she noticed.

"Anya?"

Anya gingerly raised her hand to offer a weak wave, but did nothing to step inside the doorway. Her emerald eyes were already watery at the mere sight of her sister, but she couldn't hide the fact. She was truly ashamed of herself and afraid to face Stephanie. But she wanted to see her, if only a moment.

"Oh, my Ani... please, come in here. I've been so worried about you," Stephanie whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Anya seemed to understand Stephanie, though she didn't hear the words. And, her whole body tensed at the suggestion, merely shaking her head. She made some futile hand motion and stepped away from the door. She couldn't step inside and hear the pain in Stephanie's voice. She didn't have the strength.

"Ani? No, don't leave. Please."

But, she disappeared in an instant.

"She's m-mad at me... because I didn't protect her."

"Stephanie..." Kevin exhaled a sharp breath, shaking his head as she seemed to unravel before his eyes. "...She's not mad at you--"

"She got hurt because of me!"

"She did not!"

"Yes she-- ow!" Stephanie bent over as a pain ripped through her abdomen. The pain pills could only do so much.

"You have got to calm down, Stephanie..."

"You try and calm down when your sister hates you," she hissed, taking shallow breaths.

"She doesn't hate you."

"I just want everything to be normal again..."

"We all do..."

"I feel so sick."

"Well, let me help you feel better."

~*~*~*~*~

Anya paced quietly outside AJ's hospital room, holding her hands against her face in attempts to calm her emotions. She had just wanted to stop by her sister's room to make sure she was still okay. When she had first been allowed in, she hadn't moved from her spot, because Stephanie hadn't awoken. But now that she was awake, it scared Anya to no extent. Anya didn't want to see the fresh pain glistening in her stormy orbs, nor did she want to feel the shame of what she had let the men do to her. It wasn't fair to say the least, especially to Stephanie, but Anya was doing her best to block the emotions. And now, she stood outside AJ's room, unable to avoid the guilt. She couldn't bear to step inside the ICU room, knowing he was still unconcious with no improvements though the pressure inside his skull was lessening.

"The doctor said he can have visitors now," Howie's voice spoke softly as he walked up to Anya's pacing form. He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Come on, Anya. He would want to know you're there."

"Holy Hell," Anya breathed with surprise, jerking away in shock.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No... I..." Anya couldn't even muster the words to complete a sentence. She just shook her head to clear her thoughts, glancing back through the doorway to AJ's bed. "Have you been in?"

"Not yet. I was going to join you. I thought you would be in there already after visiting Stephanie--"

"I didn't..."

"You didn't? But why--"

Anya shook her head and turned away to simply stare at her hands. She was so lost, so confused, so helpless. "I don't want to talk about it..."

"Talking about it helps the pain go away," Howie stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders again. "You went through a lot. More than any of us. But I know what you're going through. That denial--"

"How would you know anything about what happened?"

"My sister Angie was raped at a Homecoming party when she was in high school. She acted the same way you are until she finally realized that holding it in will only make it fester."

"That's why you made me get treated..."

"Yes. Angie thought it was all her fault, too. But it's not. It's never your fault if you get raped."

"Howie--"

"It's not your fault. It will never be your fault. Those men were wrong for what they did and God made sure they paid for their sins. It's not going to be easy to get through it, but blocking out two people who care about you more than anything is unfair."

"AJ doesn't even know me."

"Does he have to know you completely to care about you?"

"Howie... Please..."

"Anya, he cares about you."

"Howie--"

"I know you don't want to hear it, but to even begin to heal from all this, you have to. And you have to talk with somebody about what they did to you."

"And who do I possibly talk to? My sister? Who's battling an infection and has Kevin to watch out for her. Who probably can't even look at me the same because she knows... Or AJ? Who's practically comatose because I was too scared to defend myself the right way?"

"No one is going to feel differently about you because of what happened. You're telling yourself that it will," Howie cupped her face gently and made her look into his eyes. "You did everything you could to prevent it. Those men knew what they wanted and they weren't going to stop until they got it. You are not at fault, Anya."

Anya pulled away instantly, shattering their locked gazes. Howie had honestly been there from the beginning. He had sat at her head while the examination and humuliation occured. Someone probing into the deepest layers of her body. Layers which she had promised would be concealed until she married. It was hard not to trust him and the strong bond he was attempting to form with her. But it hurt and it was hard to change. "Leave me alone, please."

"Anya--"

"You should go see AJ."

"Come with me."

"You shouldn't overstimulate him with too many people in the room--"

"It'll just be you and me," Howie took her hand and pulled gently as he walked into the room.

"Howie, no!"

"You're already in the room," Howie placed her in front of him quickly and stood in front of the door in case she tried to run.

"Damnit, Howie--"

"Go and see him."

"I don't want to."

"Yes you do. If you didn't want to, you wouldn't have been standing right outside the room."

"Howie, this isn't funny, I want to go home--"

"I'm not moving. The first step towards healing and getting over what happened is to be around people who care about you. The doctor told you about his condition... I think you can help him. Let him hear your voice."

"You've been his friend for how many years? You're the one that can help him," Anya attempted to dissuade, pulling futily on his t-shirt.

"He doesn't want to hear me. He wants to hear you."

"You don't know that--"

"Yes I do. I know you're trying... but trust me."

"Trust you?" she scoffed skeptically, fully intent on pushing past him. Only, he caught her shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. The seriousness smoldering within his dark irises caused her to sigh heavily. And, with defeat, she moved to approach AJ's bed.

"This is crazy... I don't know what to say," she whispered to herself.

"Anything," Howie answered as he overheard, crossing the room to sit by AJ's opposite side.

"I think you're going to be pissed when you wake up and find out they practically skunk'ed your head of hair with surgery... Good thing you liked your head shaved..." Anya whispered, glancing down at AJ's feeble form. He was attached to a variety of machines to watch the very signs of life to assure that he indeed was getting better. His head was bandaged from the surgeries and another machine inserted into his scalp to assess the pressure on his brain. He was still as a respirator continued to breath for him, blowing in heavy amounts of oxygen to reduce the pressure in his brain. Everything done just so he could wake up.

Not recieving a response like she predicted, she merely sighed again and sat down in the other chair. The noise from the machines seemed to fill her ears as she tried to concentrate on his vital signs instead of him.

"Talk to him, Anya, please," Howie attempted to persuade.

"You don't have any idea how hard it is."

"Yes, I do. I'm sitting here just like you are."

"Then why don't you talk?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"Because he wants to talk to you more than he wants to talk to me."

"You--"

"He really likes you, Anya. I don't think you realize how much."

"How would you even know?"

"I've known AJ for over ten years. I know."

"Howie--"

"Will you please just stop arguing with me and talk to him?"

Anya dropped her gaze again like a sullen child. She fought within her mind for several moments before reaching to take AJ's hand. It was chilled, causing her to frown with disgust. She quickly encompassed AJ's large hand into both of hers, placing the sweetest kiss to his knuckles. "AJ... It's me..."

~*~*~*~*~

Anya started to roll her hips against the hip-hop music she had quickly tuned up as she continued to cook dinner for her guests. They had just returned from a day at the hospital and everyone seemed overly exhausted. There had been no change in AJ and Stephanie was still fighting her infection. It just seemed typical and Anya wanted to forget her pain, which meant busying herself. After all, Brian was currently on the phone speaking with his wife and son, deciding not to make a trip home till he knew that AJ would be okay. Kevin was in the living room with Nick. And Howie was in some undisclosed location. Not that Anya minded after spending the day in AJ's hospital room with him. Something about Howie pushed her and she somewhat loathed it, no matter how much she enjoyed him."It goes 1 by 1 even 2 by 2 / Everybody on the floor let me show you how we do / Lets go dip it low then you bring it up slow / Wind it up 1 time wind it back once more ..."

She added some spices to the spaghetti sauce that was bubbling on the stove and gently stirred as she continued to dance with the music, much like she had the night of the robbery. Without a care in the world. She danced to the refridgerator, humming the tune as she pulled out parmesian cheese, a bag of lettuce and a bunch of different salad dressings.

"Once AJ gets better, he's definitely going to want to take you out dancing," Howie interjected out of no where, much like he had done at the hospital. It caused Anya to jerk around in surprise, almost as if another gunshot had been fired. She dropped the salad dressings to the floor, thankfully none spilling. She looked as if she had been caught in the middle of a deadly sin. Howie immediately put his hands up in the air as means of innocence. "Sorry..."

"No need," Anya heaved, shaking her head in disbelief, reaching down to collect the salad dressing. She had never been so skittish in her life.

"Do you need any help with dinner?" Howie asked as he stooped down to help. He noticed her hands were trembling and frowned softly as they placed the bottles on the table.

"I was fine," she assured once everything was collected off the floor. She then wiped her hands against the back of her jeans, trying to stop the trembles. Her stomach was knotted heavily as she shifted nervously.

"I know you're upset with me for what I did in AJ's room, but you needed to see and talk to him."

"I'm not upset with you."

"You're not?"

"No."

"You're not a good liar."

"I never have been."

"So why don't you tell me the truth?"

"You shouldn't have pulled me in there. I wasn't ready and I didn't do any good anyway."

"See, I saw different. Your heart was ready, but your mind was telling you different."

"You don't even know--"

"You did well with AJ. The doctor said he should have visitors so he can know people that care about him are around."

"I didn't do a damn thing with AJ," Anya seethed, practically pitching the pan of sauce off the burner.

"Let me do the rest. Can't have food on the floor," Howie sighed heavily, pulling off the pot of noodles and meatballs. "I don't know why you're getting angry with me when all I'm doing is telling the truth."

"I just want to be left alone. Is that too much to ask? Honestly?" she questioned, utterly defeated as Howie gingerly pushed her out of the way. Throwing the towel on the floor, she moved to exit the kitchen, but Kevin, Brian, and Nick entered. She cursed loudly as she attempted to push past. It seemed to be easier to push her anger outward at others instead of confronting what was wrong inside.

"Damn, where's the fire?" Nick yelped as he was nearly thrown against the wall while Anya ran up to her bedroom.

"She's obviously not a happy camper..." Brian trailed in obvious surprise, attempting to stablize Nick, though it seemed to be harder than anticipated.

"She's trying to pretend the rapes never happened," Howie replied softly, pouring the foods into their separate bowls and platters. "Angie did the same thing back in high school."

"Never thought I'd ever see a woman run out of a room, pissed to high Heaven, leaving Howie Dorough in the shithouse..." Nick trailed, taking his seat at the somewhat small table.

"Doesn't matter to me. She likes AJ anyway... she's just angry with me because I keep pushing her to realize that pretending won't make the rapes go away."

"Are we developing a twisted sex triangle?" Nick mused, his dark sapphire eyes finally starting to twinkle with delight. As much as he realized the seriousness of their situation, he was still a child in a lot of ways. Wanting to just forget and have fun - to make up for the bad.

"Is that all you think about?" Brian groaned as he sat across from Nick. "It makes sense, though. Obviously Anya is freaking gorgeous, so J and D fall in love--"

"Shut up, you asshole," Kevin snapped with a hard groan, helping Howie collect the dishes to pass out the food Anya had taken great time to prepare.

"Fuck you, I'm not an asshole."

"You're damn well acting like one and it's immature."

"Because I'm stating the obvious?!"

"There's nothing going on between Anya and myself. Just drop it, okay?" Howie replied calmly, taking over a peacekeeper once again as the table was set.

"But he'll go into that rape trauma room and watch them examin her who-hah. Pardon me if I don't call the bullshit card--"

"I know what she's going through. My sister was raped and it's fucking terrifying to go through that examination."

"You like her, admit it!"

"No--"

"Hey," Brian attempted to persuade.

"Bet you would have tried for a piece if those assholes wouldn't have filled her like a fucking Thanksgiving Turkey--"

"You asshole--"

"Guys..."

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

"GUYS!" Brian hollered, slamming a hard fist on the table that echoed like a fast gunshot.

Howie jumped a foot while Nick merely ducked, waiting for a bullet to travel through the room. "WHAT?!"

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Brian growled with absolute disgust, passing an uncharacteristic glare toward everyone in the room. "We're nothing like ourselves and we need to go home. I can't take this anymore! We need to get away. We'll have AJ transfered to a hospital at home, because being here is tearing us apart."

"Getting away from here won't change what happened. We're all trying to deal with this by ourselves and that's the problem," Kevin disagreed, motioning for Howie to sit down at the table. "I know it would be easier to run away and pretend that can make it all better, but it can't. And I'll be damned if I let AJ get transported in his condition."

"The doctor said he's stable, he's just not waking up," Brian stressed, wanting desperately just to go home.

"Brian, running back home won't make the nightmares go away. We'll still be arguing no matter where we go."

"We'll be more comfortable at home... I'll be more comfortable at home..."

"I'm not letting AJ leave the hospital until he wakes up. If the rest of you want to go home, fine. I guess I can't make you stay like I used to. But I'm not leaving."

"Kevin..." Brian trailed with a deep frown. "...I have a wife and child..."

"I said you could go. I'm not and neither is AJ."

"And then you'll hate me."

"You're my cousin. I could never hate you. I just think that running away from all of this won't help you get over it."

"And what about Leighanne and Baylee?"

"Do you think you'll be the same father and husband before you're completely healed?"

"They need me home."

"Okay. Then go home. Do what you got to do, and so will I."

"Kev--"

"I mean it. If you all want to go home, then go home. But Denise gave me power of attorney with AJ in case something like this happens and I'm not letting him leave until he's better."

And, with that said, a silent dinner began.

"This is highly unusual, you understand? The only reason I'm speaking to you about Ms. Lord's condition is because her sister had already given permission previously," the doctor started with somewhat of a stiff note, eyeing Kevin suspiciously as he flipped through the recent vital signs the nurses had been diligently been evaluating. "The incision is actually healing nicely and there are no complications from the surgery. But, since her gastric contents leaked into her abdomen, the infection is just detrimental. Her fever continues to remain the same and the infection is ravaging her system. I'm going to try another series of different antibiotics, but if it doesn't change, I'm afraid we'll have some serious complications on our hands."

"Serious complications? What could happen?" Kevin reminded himself to keep calm and ignore the tone the doctor was using with him.

"Organ failure is what I'm most concerned about."

"Organ failure? That's really a possibility?"

"The infection overrides her immune system and, naturally, it starts to see a threat and wants to save what it can. It'll start by shutting down the less vital organs until finally..." the doctor exhaled a short breath. "I don't intend to let that happen."

"Is there any reason why the antibiotics aren't working? She's been resting and drinking fluids... everything she's supposed to."

"Sometimes some bacteria aren't susceptible to the antibiotics we deliver."

"Just do anything and everything you can. That's all her sister and I ask for."

"I'm doing my best," the doctor assured, fliping the chart shut and moving toward the nurses' station.

Kevin sighed heavily, collecting himself before pushing open the door of Stephanie's room. "Hey, Baby."

"Hey," Stephanie greeted warmly, oblivious to the raging fight in her body. Instead, she hit the TV remote to mute the show she was watching, motioning for Kevin to join her. He and the other fellows had only been the ones to really stop by and visit her. Anya had yet to make a full step into the room, causing the older sister to worry greatly.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" Kevin asked as he settled on the side of her bed, linking their fingers together.

"Feeling the same," Stephanie admitted softly, staring down at their hands. "But the pain in my stomach is a little less..."

"Well, that's good."

"Kevin, what did the doctor just tell you?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"That your fever isn't going down and he needs to start you on a new course of antibiotics," Kevin answered simply, rubbing his thumb against her hand. He didn't want her to hear the rest of the story, knowing it would probably only cause further trauma.

"Oh... that's not good, is it?"

"What?"

"That the antibiotics aren't working," Stephanie sighed heavily, closing her eyes to block the tears. It scared her to think of death. She had fought so hard during the robbery that dying now seemed to be unfair. She coudln't understand why God was letting this happen.

"Just means they're going to try something different, Steph."

"I know. I'm so tired of this hospital... I just want to go home."

"Then we've just got to work a little harder to get you better," Kevin encouraged, reaching over to brush a light kiss to her forehead. "Not that you really want to go home to your chaotic house."

"You guys haven't blown it up trying to cook, right?" Stephanie teased, wiping away the sweat collecting on her temples.

"No, but Nick's underwear is everywhere, mixing with Brian's clothing... Mixing with everything else of ours..." Kevin chuckled.

"Nick's underwear... that'll give me nightmares," she shuddered with disgust. "I don't know how you all used to stay one one tourbus."

"Very carefully..."

"Yeah," Stephanie took Kevin's hand and turned it over, making circles and hearts with her fingertip. "What's going to happen after AJ and I get better? Are you going back to Florida after your 'vacation' here?"

"I'm not sure exactly..." Kevin hesitated, recalling his almost heated argument with Brian the previous night.

"Oh..." Stephanie let go of his hand and took a long sip of water.

"Steph--"

"I understand. You've got a life down there."

"It's not that, Stephanie--"

"It was wrong for me to ask you to root yourself and move here or anything. You've got your career, your bandmates--"

"Stephanie," Kevin stressed with a slight air of annoyance, hating that she wouldn't let him speak.

"What?"

"Would you let me get a word in edgewise?"

"I'm sorry... what did you want to say?"

"I wanted to say that I really care for you and I'm not simply going to run away from that. I see something special in you; in what I could have with you. And you won't get rid of me that easily. Things will be complicated, but I want to get you better first before we dive into that. Okay?"

"Okay," she nodded softly, biting the inside of her cheek as she leaned over and dug into a large plastic bag that held her clothes and jewelry.

"What are you looking for?"

"Hold on..." she trailed off and finally pulled something out, cluthing it in her hand. "I have something for you."

"What?"

She took his hand again and placed a silver ring on it. It was thick banded with celtic knots going all around and the metal sparkled under the lights.

"Stephanie? What's this for?"

"This is my favorite ring. I bought it when I turned eighteen during my vacation in Ireland. I want you to wear it."

"...Thank you..."

"You're welcome... this is so... you know I'm always with you and how much I care about you."

"We're going to be together, Stephanie."

"I know. I just... it's hard to wait. I dream about us every night."

"I dream about us, too. But, y'know what?"

"What?"

"Dreams make reality even sweeter," Kevin promised, leaning to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Their first of what he hoped would be many.

~*~*~*~*~

Anya chewed on her right thumb as she stood in the threshold of AJ's room. Yet another day had passed and he continued to remain unconcious. The doctors were doing miracles to reduce the pressure in his brain and assuring there would be little brain damage, but AJ would have to wake up on his own accord. Still, Anya thought she shouldn't have been there in the first place. But, since the rapes, Grace had felt like she were walking outside her body, moving along in autopilot. Nothing made sense any more, especially to her. After all, shouldn't she be visiting her sister in the first place? But, she was still afraid. Traumatized. Horrified. One of those words had to match at some point...

She looked up and down the hallway, thankful that no one had yet discovered she wasn't at the house. After locking herself in her room except to shower and make food, she hadn't seen any of the boys in two days.

She had been a clever girl in her early youth. Well behaved, safe, sweet. But, she could shimmy out of her window and escape from reality for just a few hours without harming a soul. And that's what she had done. Going to the hospital had been the last place she wanted to go. But, again, she was simply running in a zombie-like state. Though, it would have been in her best interest to stop and get the latest results of her STD Tests. But, that's if she felt like facing what actually happened in the first place. Exhaling, she finally ducked inside the dim room so no one would see her.

Her heart seemed to physically wince as she watched AJ's limp and pale body lay under the scratchy hospital sheets with all the machines still hooked up to various parts. Random noises echoed through the bleak room as she inched her way closer to the bed.

"AJ..." she called softly, carefully approaching like a nervous feline. "It's me... I just needed a place to hide..."

Taking his silence as an approval of her arrival, she quietly sat in the chair by his bedside. She mutely watched the machines and IV bags, not having a clue of what to say.

Nothing looked appealing as she watched him. Everything seemed like a sign of death, despite what was her usually cheery attitude in life. His wounds haunted her more so than anything else, because she was to blame. Hot tears began to gather against her dark blue-green eyes as she bowed her head in shame. She reached to hold his cold hand, pressing it to her lips. "I'm sorry, AJ..."

Suddenly, there was a pressure against her hand that was holding his. Gasping softly, she looked up and saw his eyes were still closed.

"AJ?"

He squeezed her hand again, letting her know that he was indeed awake, though he refused to open his eyes. He had slowly been working himself away from the darkness, Anya's voice seeming to propel him that last inch. His head throbbed with a heated pain as he lay still, realizing something was stuck inside his throat. He thought about reaching to pull it out, but Anya's lips against his hand took presidence over the tube propelling air into his body.

"It's dark in here, AJ... You can open your eyes..." Anya whispered softly, still shocked as his hand flexed slightly within hers, against her lips.

A gurgle escaped his throat as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few time to focus and turned his head to see Anya sitting beside him, squeezing her hand again.

"Hey, Handsome," Anya whispered faintly, a smile finally gracing her beautiful face. "...I can't believe you're awake..."

AJ tried to smile back and pointed to the tube in his mouth. The feeling of air being forced into his lungs was a little frightening.

"It's a respirator," Anya quickly explained, leaning forward as she curled his hand tighter into hers while resting them against her chest. "It's helping you breathe, which makes more oxygen in your body, and brings down the swelling in your brain..."

He tried to speak again and grunted in frustration, waving his other hand around in a writing motion. The doctor had to come and take the tube out; it was driving him crazy.

"Calm down," Anya requested as he became more resistant, his opposite hand reaching for the tube. Hurriedly, she reached to grasp his opposite hand and trigger the call bell at the same time. "AJ, stop."

He shook his head, pointing to the tube as Anya finally reached the call bell.

It took only a moment for a nurse to pop in and realize that AJ was alert. She hurriedly signaled to another nurse to find the doctor while she scurried in. Practically prying Anya away from AJ, she went about checking the man's vital signs and neurological status. Anya silently sat back and watched AJ grunt and attempt to bat the woman off him. He was aggressive to say the very least and Anya didn't know what to do to calm him. She hardly knew him.

"Mr. McLean, calm down! The doctor will be here in a moment and we'll decide on what to do with the respirator," the nurse yelped as she tried to keep AJ's hands away from the tube.

"If you're not careful, she's going to shoot some anti-anxiety drug into your ass," Anya threatened softly.

The words 'shoot' and 'ass' seemed to hit AJ and he stopped fighting the woman, looking over at Anya with pleading eyes.

"Give the doctor a few minutes to get here and calm down. Let her do her job," Anya insisted.

"Thank God you're here to talk to him," the nurse sighed thankfully as AJ began allowing her to check everything out.

"You could have threatened him just the same..."

"My threats are never taken seriously and I hate giving patients anti-anxiety shots right after they wake up."

"He's got a cute ass though... I think you could make the sacrifice," Anya attempted to tease, knowing eventually it might keep AJ calmer.

"My daughter is a fan of his... she's got enough pictures of his little tushy that I agree with you."

"Guess you could swing some real perks in this hospital if she's your nurse, AJ," Anya offered with a soft smile. "Your autograph would be golden to her."

AJ rolled his eyes and smiled back as the doctor walked in. "Mr. McLean! Welcome back."

"Want me to wait outside?" Anya suggested, instantly standing as the doctor walked in. Her lower half was still tender from the sexual assaults, so she winced slightly. But, did her best to mask the pain as she glanced to AJ. "He's really anxious to remove the respirator."

"You can stay if he wants you to," the doctor replied, flipping through AJ's chart for a moment and the nurse's latest check-up.

Anya was baffled with his invitation, just staring at the doctor for the longest moment. She even blushed when the doctor glanced up with an amused smile. Glancing away, Anya caught AJ's gaze. "Do...Do you want me to stay?"

AJ nodded, holding his hand out to her as the nurse went to get the equipment needed to remove the respirator.

"Alright..." Anya trailed, grasping his hand as she moved to stand by his side. She was silent as the doctor spoke with AJ, keeping the information as simple as possible. AJ seemed to grasp most of it while he moved his hand and her hand back to her lips. She smiled coyly against his skin, but did as he physically requested.

"Okay, Mr. McLean. I want you to blow as hard as you can on the count of three, alright?"

AJ nodded as he held Anya's hand tightly.

"One, two, three!"

Anya's blue-green eyes widened in shock as the long tube was threaded out of AJ's throat, causing the man to gag and cough. He immediately reached with his opposite hand to hold his injured head, feeling the thick bands of gauze. But, he didn't ask about it as oxygen in a nasal canula was applied to his nostrils to increase the oxygen flow still. The nurse then hurried back with pain medication and an icy drink to soothe his aching throat. Reaching down, Anya pecked a friendly kiss to AJ's forehead. "There you go, AJ..."

"Thank God that thing is out of my throat," AJ croaked painfully as he was handed the drink and medicine.

"I'll let you rest," the doctor chuckled earnestly, patting AJ's leg. "Then I'll come back in awhile and we'll talk, Mr. McLean."

"Okay. Thanks, Doc."

"How are you feeling?" Anya questioned honestly as she released AJ's hand, allowing him to clasp the cup tightly as he located some ice to chew on and soothe his aching throat. She managed some kind of smile as she took her seat beside him again, still amazed that he was awake. With all the surgery and bloody bandages wrapped around his head... Anya had thought he was a goner...

"It feels like my head was hacked into a million pieces, but I'm glad to be awake," AJ swallowed the ice and looked over at Anya. "I could hear you while I was gone in that deep sleep."

"Your head was practically hacked into a million pieces," Anya attempted to tease, avoiding AJ's last statement. Reaching up, she carefully fixed the bandages on his head. "Just wait till you see the shaved parts of your head. You'll think you could be a skunk during Halloween."

"Shaved? They shaved my head? What did they have to do?"

"When you got hit in the head... It cracked your skull and you had all this swelling in your brain... They had to relieve it through surgery... They even have a monitor implanted into your skull right now to make sure the pressure is okay..."

"There's something inside my head?"

Anya frowned with a hard groan, slumping back into her chair. She was absolutely useless. "I'm only succeeding in freaking you out, aren't I?"

"Honey, the Pope could tell me I had a monitor in my head and I would freak out. It's not something you hear everyday."

"It's just... I should definitely let the doctor talk to you..."

"Why? You can explain it in better ways than he can."

"Because I'm not a doctor."

"But you're going to medical school."

"I'm pre-med. I haven't been accepted into medical school yet... I'm still waiting for the paperwork," Anya explained, glancing down at her hands. Her entire outlook on life had shifted dramatically when they were freed from the convience store, not to mention her whol personality. Now she was shy, nervous, and jittery. She wanted to be left alone and now truly hated her decision for coming to see AJ. "...But, your friends are going to be really happy to know you're okay..."

"Anya..."

"What?"

"You haven't talked to anyone about the rapes... have you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You've changed."

"You haven't even known me for that long, so how could you possibly know if I've changed?" she accused, growing increasingly defensive.

"It's your whole demeanor. You look nervous and scared."

"AJ--"

"I may not know you very well, but I can see the change. I want you to get better, like I am."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Would you just rest?"

"Not until you start getting better with me."

"Then I'm leaving--"

"Anya, please! I want to be with you more than anything, but in order for us to even be us, we have to get through this together."

"Your friends will be coming to visit soon," Anya mumbled, standing from her seat. She knew it was a mistake to come in visit. Everything she had been doing since the accident was a complete mistake.

"Anya! I love you!" AJ blurted.

"Excuse me?" Anya wheeled in shock, connecting her head sharply with the door.

"Ooh, Baby... are you alright?" AJ winced as he watched her stumble around, holding her head painfully.

"Damnit..." Anya cursed painfully.

"Come here, put my cup against that," AJ ushered her towards his bed again.

"I'm fine," she seethed.

"Why are you so obstanent?"

"Why are you so pushy?"

"Because I care about you and I love you. I didn't know that was a crime."

Anya didn't say anything, simply trudging back to AJ's bed. Easing herself onto the side, she allowed him to place his cup gingerly against the growing knot on her forehead. It was a small triumph for AJ to say the very least as she closed her eyes.

"I didn't mean to startle you like that... I just needed to tell you."

"It's okay... We'll call it a love bump or something..."

"Okay... we'll call it a love bump... I'm not expecting you to love me right away. But I fell in love with you the minute I saw you dancing to the music."

"Then... What are you expecting?"

"That you'll get to know me better... and love me."

~*~*~*~*~

"How's AJ?" Brian practically burst as Kevin and Howie stepped inside the Lord's cozy home, obviously returning from a late stay at the hospital. Howie had been called earlier to say that AJ was indeed awake, making a special trip down to see him. He had attempted to knock on Anya's door to tell her the good news, but she hadn't responded. So, he had left and found no trace of her at the hospital either. Needless to say, everyone assumed she was safe and sound upstairs. But, that was the least of Brian's concerns as he stumbled from the couch, anxious to know that their bandmate was fine.

"He's awake and off the respirator. The swelling is still going down and the doctor says he'll make a full recovery. It's just going to take some time," Howie replied as Kevin shrugged off his jean jacket and hung it on the hook.

"So, no brain damage?"

"None."

"What'd he say?" Brian sighed with true relief, falling back against the couch and running his hands through his messy, blonde curls.

"He said that he beat Nick. Apparently, ten nurses slipped him their phone numbers while Nick only got five--"

"Hey! No fair--"

"And now you're free to go home," Kevin interjected, easing into the soft recliner with a weary sigh. Knowing AJ would be okay was a great relief, but he was still on a dangerous slope until the monitor was removed from his skull. He would also be faced with many months of rehabilitation following the severe brain injury. Not to mention Stephanie. The kiss had been amazing, but he feared she wouldn't get well without some guidance from her little sister.

"Free to go home?"

"You didn't want to leave until AJ woke up. Now he's awake and going to be just fine. You can go back to Leigh and Baylee."

Brian stiffened immediately with the hostile tones in his older cousin's voice. "Damnit, Kev, that's not fair and you know it."

"I'm being plenty fair. You can go home. What's not fair in that?" Kevin glanced up at Brian with dark eyes.

"You're being a complete ass, that's what!"

"I can't win with you, Brian! First I say that AJ and I aren't going home until he gets better. You call me a complete ass. Now I'm telling you that you can go home and I'm a complete ass again!"

"Because you hate me for actually still having a wife and child to take care of!"

"Are you saying I'm jealous of you having Leighanne and Baylee?"

"Ever since Kristin left you--"

"Do you mind not getting blood on this carpet? Because renting a wet vaccum is absolutely outrageous in this tiny town... Especially considering I'm driving thirty minutes just to get to the damn town..." Anya suddenly interupted as she walked through the door, causing the four men to gaze at her with a shocked horror. Immediately, she glanced behind to make sure no one was behind her, then turned back. "What?"

"Where were you? I thought you were upstairs!" Howie exclaimed.

"I was out?" she answered in obvious confusion.

"But... how did you leave without us seeing? We were out here in the living room--"

"My little secret," she murmured, moving past to run back up the stairs.

"Whoa, wait a minute! We have good news!" Howie yelped, hating that she always seemed to be running away from everyone and everything.

"I'm glad, but I need a shower--"

"Sit down," Kevin ordered, interupting Anya halfway as he grasped her upper arm. He yanked her down from the steps in one pull, sitting her on the couch next to Howie. He was tired of her anger and disgusted with life itself. He wasn't in the mood and Anya seemed the easiest to release his anger on.

"You're not my father!" Anya burst with a surge of defiance, looking as if she might swing at the man at least two times her size.

"No, but since your sister isn't here, you've got to listen to me. Now sit down and listen to what Howie has to say!"

Anya fumed with honest disgust as she pushed away his beefy hand. "You can go take a stick and fuck--"

"I am getting tired of your fucking attitude! I'm tired of your anger! If Stephanie was here, you wouldn't be like this!"

"Well, pardon me, I didn't know it was a royal code to be sweet dispositioned after being fucked seven ways from Sunday without consent," Anya growled, standing up despite Kevin's booming voice. She offered him a frosty glare of contempt as unknown tears crossed a hot path down her face. And, she ran upstairs without another word.

"I know I'm usually the one that says the wrong thing at the wrong time... But, Kev, that was way out of line..." Nick murmured softly, unable to break away the hard tension.

"She's not getting over what happened and it's not fucking healthy. It'll drive her insane if she doesn't talk about it with someone," Kevin snapped, turning to the three men.

"Kev--"

"Who's going back to Florida with Brian?"

Nick timidly raised his hand.

"Are you mad at them?" Howie asked honestly as he poured the freshly brewed coffee into two cups, carrying them over to the kitchen table where Kevin was slumped. They had just put Brian and Nick into a taxi, sending them to the airport for the first flight home. Howie honestly couldn't blame Brian for wanting to leave. He had Leighanne and Baylee to think about, but the hostility when he left could ahve been avoided. In fact, Howie wished that all the hostility could have been avoided, especially when Kevin had yelled at Anya. She had yet to appear from her bedroom, hulled inside like a lost child. Whenever passing the room, Howie could hear muffled sobs, but she'd never let them in. Not with the way Kevin had scorned her.

"I don't know who I'm mad at anymore," Kevin sighed as he took a long drink of the strong, dark liquid. He knew his actions were out of line at times, and he wished he could take the words back... but he could never admit that outloud.

"Brian was wrong to bring up your divorce with Kristen, but he is right about needing to go home. Leighanne had a terrible fright when she heard what happened. She needed him," Howie attempted to persuade further, adding a mixture of milk and sugar to his coffee.

"Fine, I'll agree with that."

"And you didn't have to yell at Anya. She's been in her room for three days."

"And Stephanie's been in the hospital, alone, for even longer. Not to mention AJ, too. I don't have any sympathy--"

"For goodness sakes, Kevin. She had her virginity taken away by being raped. How can you say those awful things?"

"You know firsthand that denying it ever happened makes things worse! She's regressing and no one will tell her the consequences."

"You can't just force those consequences on her or she'll regress even more. Your yelling turned her into this stone ball and Stephanie is going to be furious when she gets home to hear you did that."

"If she gets home.""What are you talking about?"

"Stephanie's not coming home until her fever goes down. It hasn't moved an inch and none of the antibiotics have worked yet. Her organs could start failing, Howie."

"And I'm sure your pessimistic attitude isn't effecting her a bit..."

"I don't talk to her like that, thank you very much," Kevin snapped, slamming down his empty mug.

"But your entire presense exudes that hatred and pessimism, Kevin..." Howie winced.

"Not everyone can have your oh-so-sunny disposition, D--"

"Just because you're upset with what happened and scared about what might happen doesn't mean you have to take it out on everyone else. You yell at Anya for repressing her emotions, but what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm making sure AJ and Stephanie are getting the best care at the hospital, I just sent Nick and Brian home, I've been calling Denise to keep her posted--"

"You're keeping yourself busy so you don't have to deal with your emotions."

"I don't have anything to deal with."

"Sure--"

"I don't."

Howie sighed hopelessly, gathering both cups so he could rinse them in the sink. "You keep telling yourself that, Kev. But, when you're laying in bed tonight, alone in the dark, try telling yourself that."

"I've got to call the hospital," Kevin stood up and walked out to the living room.

He wanted to brush away the thoughts that Howie had distinctly planted into his brain, but it was useless. Especially as he stepped into the living room to find the youngest of the traumatized group sprawled face first into the couch. She was clutching a ratty piece of faded lavender cloth as her entire body heaved with sharp sobs. She had obviously assumed no one was home, allowing her to leave the tower of her bedroom. And, Kevin had just invaded, unbeknownst to her. Now he had a decision to make.

He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, before he finally made his decision.

Sitting down, he placed a hand against the small of Anya's back to alert her to his presense. Only, his hand seemd to contain some invisible magnetic charge that zapped Anya's entire body. Because she immediately jerked away, practically falling off the couch as she attempted to clear away the tears, hiccuping on her sharp sobs. When she recognized Kevin through the tears, she stiffened. "It's my house, I can do what I want."

"I wasn't going to say anything about what you were doing," Kevin replied softly with a shake of his head.

"Then what do you want?"

"I wanted to talk."

"About how I'm a spoiled little brat?"

"No. I want to talk. Especially about what I said to you."

"I'd rather not listen," Anya stated plainly, crawling off the couch and moving back toward the stairs to hide. She had no strength left to defend herself against Kevin. A man that barely knew her.

"I want to apologize for what I said, Anya. Please, just hear me out and then you can leave."

Anya slowly turned on the stairs, folding her arms tightly against her chest for silent protection. Glaring slightly at Kevin, she prepared to release a string of curses. But, suddenly, she stopped when she saw the earnesty in his light green eyes. Her jaw tensed as she slowly sunk to sit on the stairs. "Go ahead."

"We've all been through a lot... you more than anyone..." Kevin trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. It was always hard for him to get the right words across when it came to apologies. "I'm really worried about you and I reacted like a fool. I thought yelling at you would make you see that you need to talk to someone, but I was totally out of line. You don't have to forgive me, but... I'm really sorry."

"You're a very proud person, aren't you?" Anya guessed after a few moments of silence.

"Wasn't that hard to see, was it?"

"Not really."

"Yes. I am a very proud person. I was brought up to be proud, but I think it's a little extreme most of the time."

"Phi's the same way," Anya admitted, staring at her hands as she played with the single silver ring on her fourth, left digit. It was her vow of virginity until her wedding night. She seemed obsessed over that fact, wondering whether or not she should be wearing it in the first place. "Proud of herself, stubborn as Hell, and the shittiest apologize-r in the world."

"That describes me too, doesn't it?"

"To a tee."

"I thought so..."

"That's why you compliment each other so well... An instant attraction or whatever..."

"I really care about her."

"I know."

"I care about you, too."

"Because I indefinitely come with the Phi package and it's better just to put up with me?"

"No, because you're an amazing woman. I think of you as my little sister and I do care about you."

"I don't think I want you as my big brother. You terrify me."

"I don't mean to terrify you, Anya... I just... I saw you hold everything in about the rapes and... I saw you regress into this little shell of your former self and it was killing me. I don't want you to have a mental breakdown when I promised Stephanie I would always look after you and I went about it the wrong way."

"You just don't want to get in trouble with protective Phi."

"I'm telling you the honest to God truth, Anya."

"Well, you can sleep better at night, because I'm not going to have a mental breakdown. I'm fine."

"Sweetheart, you're not fine. Not even close."

"Sweetheart?"

"Sweetheart. You can't hold that all in... you'll burst or go insane."

"I was already insane to begin with," Anya attempted to joke with a quick shrug of her shoulders and a nervous laugh.

"Not that kind of insane. You're in pre-med, I'm sure you learned about that post-traumatic stress? It can have some nasty results and I don't want that happening to you."

"It's not going to happen to me--"

"What makes you different from anyone else? It'll happen, Anya."

Anya released a soft sigh, "I'll figure it out, okay?"

"You can always talk to me about it."

"Me? Talk to you about it? How would you even know what it's like?"

"I don't know what it's like, but you resisted talking to Howie when his sister went through the same thing. I'm just trying to help you, Ani--"

"Don't. Phi only uses that nickname."

"I'm sorry. I'm just tying to help you, Anya."

"Thank you, but no thank you--"

"Would it be so bad to let me? I may not know you extremely well, but I'm a good listener."

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"There's a difference between wanting to and having to."

"Well... I don't want to and I don't have to--"

"Would you rather get this out with me or a random therapist?"

"You have honestly got to be worse than Phi when it comes to pushing me around," Anya seethed with disbelief as Kevin took her by the hands, pulling her back to sit on the couch.

"Stephanie would want you to talk about this just as much as I do--"

"But you're not her."

"So?"

"So I don't have to talk about it."

"Anya, please?"

"Why is this so damn important to you? Do you like hearing these kind of stories? I mean--"

"Because I care about you. Is there something wrong with that?"

Anya glanced away. "I guess not..."

"Then talk to me."

Anya hesitated as she glanced back to her silver ring, spinning it on her finger. It was something to play with to avert her gaze when she grew nervous. "...I don't know what to say..."

"Start from anywhere... how you feel about it..."

"I don't feel anything," she admitted quite honestly with a dejected sigh. "I'm just numb. Like it never happened."

"Your mind is trying to make you believe it didn't happen."

"I know it happened--"

"Then face it."

"Maybe I don't want to, okay? I promised to be a virgin until my wedding night and they fucking took it away from me like it didn't fucking matter."

"Virginity is a state of mind--"

"No, virginity is a state of being. Someone who has never had sexual intercourse. No statement included about it being consensual or nonconsensual. Well, whoops, I had sexual intercourse, several times in fact," Anya growled with obvious disgust in herself, finally taking the ring off her finger and hurling it across the room. She had looked in every dictionary and online source known to man in order to ease her pain.

"You're just stating the definition of virginity. Anya, you did not consent to those assholes. They only take away your virginity if you let them. As long as you give yourself to the man you marry and love... that's when you truly lose it."

"It's easy for you to say."

"It can be easy for you to believe. You're punishing yourself when you're not at fault. I know you fought against them, but there was no way you could defend yourself against three men that size."

"Instead I get two people almost killed in the process..." Anya muttered.

"You are not blaming yourself for what happened to Stephanie and AJ. It would have happened either way. That guy was a lunatic and would hurt anyone."

"Kevin--"

"It is not your fault."

"It feels like my fault."

"It's not."

Anya nodded briefly, though she looked none too convinced with Kevin's dedication. He may have been asking her to talk, but her heart was elsewhere as well as her mind. Like before, she drifted within an out of body experience, just watching her life revolve as if nothing could stop it.

"Anya, please. Just let it out. You're holding so much in and it isn't healthy."

"It's stuck," she answered, tucking a few fallen strands of golden locks behind her ear to reveal the somewhat large goose-egg she had developed after visiting AJ.

"Is it stuck from that goose-egg on your head?"

"Huh?" Anya blanked, glancing up.

"Your goose-egg. Maybe that's what making your brain stuck and you aren't able to talk to me."

"Love-bump," Anya corrected softly.

"A what?"

"A bump."

"You didn't just say bump."

"I snuck out to visit AJ this afternoon... I was there when he woke up..." Anya confessed, somewhat meekly. Figuring it was easier to divert away from the rapes by speaking about AJ, almost an equally difficult task in her mind.

"You were... how did you... visiting him gave you that bump?"

"In advertantly... Sorry..."

"Sorry for what?"

"Technically you say who visits him and who doesn't... And, I didn't ask for permission..."

"AJ cares about you. I wouldn't have said anything against you visiting him."

"Doesn't negate the fact that--"

"Anya, don't worry about it. I'm glad you visited him."

"You're glad?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because he needed to know you were there and you needed to see him."

"I didn't need to see him..."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to see him."

"You wanted and needed to see him," Kevin corrected.

"You're full of it, just like him," Anya answered with a nervous laugh, slipping off the couch to stand.

"How am I full of it if I'm speaking the truth? And will you stop trying to leave while we're talking? Please?"

"Do I have a choice?" Anya sighed as Kevin pulled her down yet again.

"Anya... I'm begging you... just let all that you're holding deep inside out. Let it go."

"AJ told me he loved me."

"He did?"

"Yes."

"Then he means it."

"What?"

"He loves you. AJ only says things like that when he means it."

"And a cracked skull, slight brain damage, severe concussion, and blood on the brain couldn't effect his judgement slightly?"

"Not when it comes to love."

"Kevin--"

"He loves you. That man will always love you."

"That's what I was afraid of..."

~*~*~*~*~

Anya bit down hard on her bottom lip as she stepped timidly into her sister's hospital room, preparing to turn around and bolt. Only, Kevin and Howie stood out in the hallway, fully prepared to catch her and then throw her back in. She immediately frowned with frustration, but they motioned for her to step in. She defiantly shook her head, so Kevin gave her a firm push inside and closed the door behind her. She stumbled forward to grasp the end of the bed, fully aware that her older sister's attention was centered directly at her. She felt her stomach knot tightly as her throat constricted. "He's like you with a penis."

"Yeah, I know," Stephanie nodded, shivering a little under the dark blue blanket Kevin had brought to her from home. It was the blanket their grandmother had given her right before she died. Anya had one but in lavender.

"And somehow I thought you being in the hospital meant I could cause trouble at home, but no, not with Mr. Phi on duty," Anya answered with a nervous laugh, trying not to analyze her sister's appearance.

Stephanie chuckled softly, too tired to come up with a witty remark. She laid back onto the damp pillows, her hair sleeked back from perspiration.

"And I'm not amused that you put him onto my trail--"

"He promised me that he would look after you since I'm not able to yell at your mischievous ass twenty-four/seven like I usually am."

"He's been breathing down my throat, Phi--"

"That's because he cares about you. And I asked him to..."

"Why?"

"I would have to do the same thing so you would talk about what those bastards did to you."

"Phi--"

"We all care about you, Anya. We just want to help."

Anya glanced away from her sister, folding her arms across her chest with a firm defiance. Everyone was so insistant on letting her relive a horror she wanted no part of. In fact, she continued to live her life as if she were disconnected from her body. She was numb and she liked it that way. At least it helped with the nightmares while she continued on the sedative her physician had instructed. She had yet to find out the results of her test, figuring it was easier to ignore it. "...How are you, Phi?"

"Damnit... Ani--"

"What?"

"You can't pretend it never happened. You'll go crazy."

"I already am."

"It's not healthy and you damn well know it."

"Would you take the over-protectiveness down at least one notch? Or do you not realize you're still laying in a hospital bed? Sick?"

"I realize I'm sick in a hospital bed. That never stops me from being protective of you."

"Over-protective."

"Fine, over-protective."

"Exactly--"

"Nothing will change that. I don't give a damn about my one-oh-four fever. I want my Ani to get better."

"I am better."

"Maybe physically. Not mentally."

"I've never been mentally stable in my life."

"Ani."

"What?"

"I know you don't want to relive what happened, but you have to if you ever want life to go back to the way it was."

Anya glanced down at her bare hands with obvious shame, unable to face her sister's fierce gaze. She couldn't stand to see the guilt, shame, and hate radiating from Stephanie. "Life is never going to be the same."

"Maybe not exactly the same, but it can go back."

"It can't."

"Yes it can."

"I just wanted to come in to make sure you were okay..."

"How can I be fine when my little sister isn't?"

"This isn't about me--"

"I'm making it about you. Kevin told me that you talked to him a little... why not talk to me?" Stephanie asked, pulling the blanket farther up to her chin, shivering hard.

"Because you're sick..." Anya trailed, frowning when she glanced back at the glass windows to give Kevin a hard glare. "And what exactly did he tell you?"

"Just that you two talked. I don't know d-details."

"You're shivering..."

"I'm freezing."

"Hold on," Anya sighed, standing up to grasp the extra blankets the nurses had made sure to set in a nearby chair. Diligently, she draped them over her sister, one by one, fussing at them till they were perfect.

"Th-thank you," Stephanie's teeth chattered. It seemed as the days went on, she got colder as the fever rose. Nothing was working and deep down she was becoming afraid of imminent death.

"That's what they're here for..." Anya answered, curling them underneath Stephanie's chin before cupping her face. She could feel the blistering fever radiating through Stephanie's body, causing Anya to frown harder than before. She had been so selfish.

"I know But I just want you to be okay again, my sweet A-Ani..."

"I'll be okay when you get home."

"That may not be for awhile."

"You don't know that."

"You know my condition, Anya."

"Yes--"

"No one knows when I'll come home... if I'll ever come home."

"Don't even start talking like that--"

"My brain is being fried by the fever... my organs could shut down anytime."

"You haven't used your brain that much in this lifetime, so I doubt that's a concern," Anya answered, sniffling hard against the tears that fell no matter how much she tried to push them back.

Stephanie offered a weak smile, pulling out a thin arm to brush away the falling tears. "You know I love you, right, Ani?"

Anya jerked away with a firm hate that Stephanie would give up so easily. "Don't--"

"I love you."

"Don't."

"Anya, I've tried to fight this but there's been no change... what more can I do?"

"Fight harder!"

"I can't fight anymore!"

"That's bullshit!"

"You're telling yourself the same damn thing! You don't want to fight against the nightmares, you just want them to linger far enough so they don't touch you."

"You're giving up on life, Stephanie."

"And so are you, Anya."

"I'm not letting myself be buried six feet under--"

"In your mind you are. You can fight and beat what's eating at you. Don't you think I've tried to do the same? The damn doctors have tried everything but it all failed!"

"Then you take over, because I refuse to go to your funeral, do you hear me?!"

"I don't want to die! Do you think I want to?!" Stephanie shouted back, tears pouring down her red cheeks.

"Then act like it!"

"You should listen to your own words, Anya! I want you to get better and you want me to get better!"

Anya heaved a ragged breath as she finally glanced up into her older sister's eyes. It was the first time that she had ever looked at her sister, who looked far different than she expected. Her cheeks were red with anger as hard beads of sweat continued to drop from her temples. But, she wasn't as pale. Frowning, Anya reached forward to press the back of her hand to Stephanie's forehead. It felt cool.

"What are you doing?" Stephanie asked as Anya pulled her hand away.

"You're cool..." Anya murmured, reaching for the tympanic thermometer on the nearby wall.

"Cool? What are you--"

"Just be quiet for once in your life," Anya muttered, pulling back her sister's ear to insert the thermometer. She then depresed teh button to make the machine run, releasing it just as fast. A dedicated smile graced her face as she showed her sister. "Your fever broke."

"You're shitting me," Stephanie pushed the blankets down to her waist and stared at the numbers. One-oh-one.

"Now, start fighting harder, Phi."

~*~*~*~*~

"How are you feeling today?" Anya asked softly as she slipped into AJ's room, trying to be as quiet as physically possible. She had just finished visiting with her sister and decided it would be best to visit AJ also. She had no desire to go downstairs for her test results and, somehow, AJ knew how to make her feel better. Even though the man had suffered from severe head trauma, resulting in a great sensitivity to sound, light, and any obnoxious stimuli, he still managed to smile at her. His head continued to throb with a raw pain that never seemed to be alleviated by the pain medicine, leaving him miserable. Anya felt so guilty for his state that she was willing to do anything to make him feel better. Anything.

"Better now that you're here," AJ smiled as she carefully sat on his left side of the bed, brushing a kiss on her forehead. "The swelling is still going down and the doc said within the next couple of days they can take the tube out of my head."

"That sounds like really good news," Anya enthused softly, running her fingertips down the length of his furry jaw. She was so thankful that Stephanie and AJ were doing so well now. It gave her a small bead of hope to hold onto, though she wasn't sure where her relationship with AJ stood. "Just wait till they unravel those bandages from your head..."

"My hair must look like shit... if I have any left," AJ continued to smile, linking their free hands together as she carressed his face.

"Well... Until you get the chance to get it cut, I figured you could use this..." Anya trailed, removing her hand from his face so she could tug something from her back jean pocket. She offered a somewhat shy smile as she produced the faded Adidas baseball cap. It was worn with some torn edges along the bill, but obviously loved. "It's my lucky hat... Figured you could use it?"

"Baby, thank you. That means a lot to me," AJ took the hat into his hand and fingered the fabric, imagining Anya wearing the hat while she did various activities, most likely with Stephanie.

"I know it's really ratty, but..."

"No, it's not ratty. It's your lucky hat."

"Hopefully it'll bring you some luck, too..."

"It already has. You're right here with me."

"AJ," she laughed softly, reaching to take the hat so she could set it on his bed table. He pulled it out of her grasp with another smile before placing the hat over her locks.

"You're such a goofball," she actually giggled as he tugged on the rim of the hat, pulling her closer to him.

"Yeah, but that's something you like about me," he leaned forward, their lips inches apart.

"There's a lot of things I like about you," she promised as he kept a firm grip on the hat, which was nearly pulled down over her eyes. She kept a firm smile on her face, slightly oblivious to what he was doing. She was still in a numbed state, watching on the outside, unable to react.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like..." Anya bit affectionately on her bottom lip, looking far more innocent and adorable than AJ had anticipated. "You love to laugh. You're wild and carefree, not really worrying about tomorrow when you have today... How dedicated you are to your music. And that rasp in your voice when you sing... I know girls are probably always telling you that, but it just does something to me when I hear it... But, the best part is that you carry out this tough exterior. You want everyone to know how strong you are, but... Inside... You've got such a burning soul... Something no one would ever think to look for... Something you don't show too often..."

"It's something that I show to you. Anya... you've got such a pure and innocent soul with a heart to match. You want to care about everyone and do anything to make sure they're happy. I saw how happy you were when you dance. That's how I feel. Free... almost like flying. And your eyes... I could just drown in them. They're so beautiful... everything about you is beautiful."

"That's why we make good friends, AJ..." Anya trailed with a faint blush tinting her already rosy cheeks. She wasn't prepared for AJ to counter so quickly, nor to praise her so sweetly.

"I think we could be more than good friends, Anya."

"Best friends?"

"More than best friends."

Anya attempted to pull his hand away from the rim of her cap, hoping to lift it up so she could look into his eyes. She was honestly lost. "What's better than best friends?"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend... which leads to husband and wife as we get older?"

"AJ..."

"Anya, I mean it with everything I know."

"You don't--"

"It's not my head injury talking. I want to be with you."

"I just came here to make sure you were doing better..." Anya murmured, exhaling slightly as she attempted to disengage from the situation. She was far more easygoing when AJ didn't offer the prospect of a romantic relationship. Any hopes she had of that died in the convience store when she was ripped away.

"And, I am, because you're here," AJ insisted, reaching to grasp her in attempts to keep her close. It was the first time that she visited when she actually dared to sit on the bed. He dreamed of her being close to him for so many nights as he attempted to alleviate the steady throb of his aching head. And, he couldn't let it slip away.

"AJ..." she murmured in obvious shock, the spirit that had been floating just outside her body quickly envoking back into the depth of her heart. It felt like a jolt of electricity as AJ gingerly pulled the cap from her locks, allowing them to fall into bouncy ringlets of perfection.

"If I didn't have you... I would have given up in the darkness a long time ago. You bring this light in my life and I don't want to lose it. I care about you, Anya... I love you," AJ cupped her cheeks with his cool hands.

"You've al-already said that b-before," Anya stammered slightly, feeling the butterflies catch within her stomach lining to form heavy knots as she grew pale in color.

"What? That I love you?"

"Y-Yes."

"And I want to keep saying it.""But--"

"I love you. I will always love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Anya."

"I'm sorry, AJ, but I can't do this," Anya choked, grasping his wrists to pull his hands away from her face. She felt physically ill as AJ confessed his darkest secrets, causing her a sight mental breakdown, because she had been hiding far too much to be able to deal with AJ's emotions, too.

"What? Anya, wait--"

"No. I can't. Not with what happened and... no. I'm sorry--"

"No--"

"I'm really glad you're feeling better and I'm sure your friends will be in to visit soon... But, I've got to get home... I just remembered... Well... I'm sorry..." Anya fumbled, reaching to set the cap on his night stand before stumbling toward the door, practically knocking into everything as her vision blurred and it became difficult to breathe.

"Anya! Wait!"

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I can't..." Anya continued to chant as she managed to locate the door, bursting into a face paced run down the hallway as means of an escape.

Kevin could hardly contain his excitement as he burst down the hallway of the hospital, angling himself toward Stephanie's private room. While visiting AJ, he had gotten a phone call from Anya, stating that Stephanie's fever had significantly lowered over the past few hours. Fumbling for an excuse with AJ, he raced toward the woman he was falling in love with, anxious to see if it were true. And, he could hardly catch himself as he hit the wall while the doctor was coming out of her room, practically knocking him to the ground. But, he made no room for apologies as he scrambled inside, falling to his knees at her bedside. "Is it true? I mean... Anya called and said... And I had to stop by and... Did it really break? Are you okay?"

"It really broke. I'm going to be just fine," Stephanie laughed softly, running her hand through his slightly damp locks from running.

"What is it right now?" he breathed heavily.

"One hundred and dropping."

"So you'll be home soon?" he laughed with relief, reaching to hold her face delicately within his hands, amazed at how cool she actually felt.

"Yes, I'll be home soon. I've just got to get my strength back," she smiled, placing her hands on top of his.

"That's amazing..."

"Doctor Grey is baffled... but I'm just thankful it hapened."

"I knew you would be okay..."

"I know and thank you," Stephanie laughed, reaching to grasp his hand to pull him up. Without his strength, Stephanie feared that she would have died much earlier than that day. It was his strength and Anya's burst of defiance that caused her fever to break. Not the antibiotics. Or, at least that's what Stephanie believed. Now she was given another lease on life, able to accomplish everything she wanted and perhaps more.

"Anya will be so happy."

"Yeah, to get rid of you."

"She doesn't like me too much, does she?"

"When she visited me earlier... she said you were me with a penis."

Kevin blanked with a slightly horrified glance. "What?"

"She said you were me with a penis... A far more terrifying and annoying me with a penis... Guess the penis gives you that extra surge of testosterone to really pull her into shape."

"I don't know if I should be afraid or what..."

"I think she's the one that's afraid."

"Of what?"

"Everything. She still won't accept what happened."

"I could have told you that..." Kevin sighed, remembering the distress AJ was in because of Anya bolting out of her visitation.

"I just don't know what to do. She was close to talking to me, but she kept changing the subject."

"The only thing she told me was that AJ said he loved her..."Stephanie allowed Kevin's voice to trail off with his confession, watching him closely with disbelief. AJ had never seemed like the type of man who would openly admit love for one woman. Sure, he had talked to Anya at first during the robbery, but nothing else had come of it. Or at least that's what Stephanie assumed. Besides, she didn't want her little sister getting mixed up in that type of mess. Not after the brutal rapes. She didn't need a man hovering of her. At least, not a man like AJ.

"Stephanie?" Kevin murmured.

"Hmm?" Stephanie mumbled, pulling away from her personal thoughts."Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Just thinking..."

"About what?"

"Everything... when you have a fever, your thoughts are clouded over. Now they're clear."

"Like what?"

"Anya and AJ... the other guys... what happened at the store before I passed out... you and me."

"What about you and me?"

"Where do we stand?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... I like you and you like me... but are we going to stay together?"

"Why wouldn't we stay together?"

"You have a life in Florida, Kevin."

Kevin exhaled softly as he nodded with understanding. "And you have a life here..."

"This isn't fair. I finally meet a man I could spend the rest of my life with and he lives a thousand miles away," Stephanie muttered, picking up the notebook that laid on her nightstand and throwing it at the wall.

"Now wait a minute--"

"I can't make you move here... and I can't move down there."

"Stephanie--"

"It's hopeless."

"It is not."

"I can't do a long distance relationship. It would be hard enough even if I lived in Florida while you were on tour."

"Then you really don't want this relationship."

"How can we make it work?"

"By thinking positively instead of negatively... I mean, honestly, what is tying you down to this little town? Why couldn't you move to Florida where there's more opportunities?"

"I can't leave Anya here alone..."

"Why couldn't she move to Florida once she's done with college? She only has a semester left and then she needs to get into medical school. There's plenty of them where I live."

"She hasn't applied to any medical schools in Florida--
"

"But once she leaves for medical school, she won't be here, will she? Anya will be the one leaving you alone."

"Kevin--"

"You'd love it in Florida!"

"I can't abandon my little sister; I've always planned to move to whichever medical school she's accepted into. That way I can help her with rent and whatnot while she's working in her residency..."

"You won't even consider it?"

"I can't..."

Kevin meekly nodded as he dropped his gaze, slumping in the chair beside Stephanie's bed. He felt a heavy pressure accumulating on his shoulders as Stephanie tried to offer him a hand. But he jerked away as a wave of tears started to overpower him. He hadn't cried in ages. Not since his father died some time ago. He hadn't even expected to shed a tear over this trauma, but Howie was right. He was holding everything in and the thought of losing Stephanie in this world was harder than he had anticipated.

Stephanie frowned deeply as he refused her touch. "Kevin, please... I didn't mean to hurt you. But you have to understand, Anya has been my only family for so long and I have to go where she goes--"

"I need you more," he stiffly replied, fighting on the sob growing in his throat. "I can't stand to lose you twice."

"Lose me twice? What are you talking about?"

"You almost died," he choked.

"I know, but I'm here now. It doesn't mean we can't be friends--"

"I want to be more than friends, damnit!"

"Kevin--"

"I'm falling in love with you," he sobbed painfully, bowing his wet face into his hands.

"Wh-what?" she stammered in surprise, watching his whole body shake as he cried. "Kevin... oh, please, don't cry."

"I need you--"

"Kevin..." Stephanie whispered as he reaching to bury his face against her shoulder. She felt him tremble within her hold; a broken man. "Oh, Kevin..."

"Please, don't make me leave you. Please."

~*~*~*~*~

AJ exhaled a painful breath as he reached to steady himself against Howie, trying to slow down his friend's pace. After several days in the hospital, the doctor had finally allowed him some mild exercise. So, Howie suggested they take a trip around the hallways. It had started out easy, but his body was stiff from the constant rest and the throbbing of his head never seemed to disappear. It was typical of severe head injuries, but AJ just wanted it to go away. But it wouldn't and the only thing he didn't want to disappear had vanished without a trace."You okay?" Howie murmured, knowing to keep his voice soft as he spoke with AJ, who practically cringed when a voice was even at normal strength.

"Slow down."

"Sorry..."

"Not your fault. It's my damn head, it won't stop hurting," AJ replied as he shuffled his feet over the cool linolium floor.

"Are you taking the pain medicine?"

"Yes, but it can't take all the pain away."

"I suppose so," Howie answered, allowing AJ to set the pace again. "...But, is there something else?"

"What do you mean?"

"You may have a head injury, but you're still horrible at lying."

"D--"

"Besides, I've been your best friend and older brother for how many years? I can read you like my favorite book. My very favorite book. So, talk to me."

"It's Anya..."

"What about her?"

"She hasn't visited me in the past three days. I think I scared her away... I lost her because I did what you guys always told me to do. Speak to her with my heart, mind and soul."

"What'd you say to her?"

"That I loved her and wanted to be with her."

"The infamous AJ strikes again," Howie chuckled.

"What'd I do?" AJ scowled.

"Nothing wrong," Howie promised. "You're just so passionate... And, you think that everyone should share your passion..."

"Well, she doesn't share my passion, that's for sure--"

"Now, hold on. Don't condemn the poor girl yet. She's scared out of her wits. She won't face the rapes, so what makes you think she could face her emotions about loving you, too?"

"But I thought if I told her how I felt--"

"That scared her even more, J. You have to be more understanding about this. You've got to give her more time."

"I am understanding--"

"Then don't assume she doesn't share your passion."

"Well, she sure doesn't act like it, that's for damn sure."

"Would you be able to act like it if you were raped?"

"I..." AJ shrugged his shoulders.

"If you really love her, you'll be patient."

"You think I don't?"

"I don't know, do you?"

"More than anything--"

"Then you can be patient."

"But you're talking about me, D," AJ whined.

"I think for love, you can be patient," Howie chuckled.

"I've been a patient for more than a week--"

"Not that kind of patient, so stop being a goofball," Howie chided lightly, reminding of AJ of his last visit with Anya, playing with the baseball cap.

"Well, I have been a patient--"

"If you rush me any faster, Anya, I'm going to be lying on the floor. So, slow down," Stephanie's voice interrupted the conversation as the two men turned a corner. And, sure enough, there Anya was, attempting to hurry her sister down the hallway. AJ couldn't deny how adorable she looked in her faded blue jeans, baggy gray t-shirt, and dark blonde locks tied into two low ponytails.

"I just want to get you home, that's all. You need to rest," Anya replied softly, somewhat slowing down her pace.

"I've got plenty of time to rest, trust me," Stephanie sighed, reaching to grasp Kevin's hand as he gathered her small bag of things into the opposite hand."But--"

"Anya!" AJ called, though he immediately cringed with pain as the noise echoed in his head.

Anya glanced up as her voice echoed across the hallways, but her smile seemed to shatter when she realized it was AJ. She dropped her hold on Stephanie, wrapping her arms protectively around herself as her stomach curled into tight knots. Since bursting out of his room three days ago, she couldn't stop thinking about him. He made her happy and sad in the same instant; even just thinking about him. But, she was ashamed of herself and how she acted, making it awkward as Kevin smiled and waved brightly to his friends, practically pushing Anya forward.

"Anya. I was worried about you since you left my room," AJ replied as he walked closer to her, thankful that it wasn't a dream. He just wish she looked happier to see him...

"I'm f-fine," she stammered meekly, waving her hand slightly as if that would emphasize the truthfulness of her statement.

"You don't sound fine..." AJ answered as Howie stood behind him, making sure he was okay as he walked alone. AJ couldn't help but frown as he studied Anya, wishing she would smile just once.

"...Is it me?"

"No," Anya quickly replied, far too quickly in her own mind. She mustered some kind of pained smile as she shrugged. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I wish you would tell me how you're really feeling--"

"ANI! We've got to go," Stephanie barked slightly, frowning as she watched AJ walk closer to her little sister.

Anya glanced back toward her sister in obvious confusion, but read the firm displeasure in Stephanie's eyes. She wore a marked frown as she turned back to Howie and AJ. "I've got to get Phi home..."

"Will you please come and visit me? The doctor said I can't go home until this tube comes out... and it gets lonely."

"Ani! Now!" Stephanie insisted with a sharp tone that caused AJ to cringe."She doesn't feel too well; she just wants to get home," Anya fumbled to explain, tempting fate as she reached to brush a hand against the side of his face.

"Please visit me," AJ whispered as he placed his hand against hers for a moment.

"I--"

"Ani, I'm not telling you again!"

"Good-bye," Anya pulled away and jogged towards her older sister.

"She's not going to visit me, is she?" AJ murmured with dejection.

"I can't say yes or no. It's all up to her."

"Her sister hates me..."

"She just knows the old you... parties, women, drugs--"

"But I'm not like that!"

"J, I know. But she doesn't."

~*~*~*~*~

"You need to talk to her, now, Kevin," Howie hissed as he and Kevin lingered in the hallway of the sisters' home, listening to Stephanie actually tuck Anya into bed. It was slightly unsettling at how protective Stephanie was acting as she ordered Anya to stay in bed, but Howie understood for the most part. She wanted to make sure that Anya was safe at all times; what she wasn't able to do at the convience store. But, he wasn't okay with her behavior in the hospital earlier that day. "What she did to AJ was absolutely outrageous. He was like a wounded animal the rest of the day. He just wants Anya to visit him again, so he can at least be her friend. And, Stephanie acts like his a convicted murderer or something and I can't stand for that--"

"And you think I liked seeing that? I can talk to her until I turn blue, but it's not up to me and you know that. We know who AJ truly is but Stephanie's opinion has been tainted by what the media has shown. She just wants to protect her sister--"

"But she's getting out of hand. Anya is an adult! She can make her own decisions."

"I know--"

"Then do something about it. She can't deny Anya friends, it's not her life."

"AJ wants to be more than a friend, Howie--"

"I know that, Kevin. He loves her and it kills me that Stephanie is standing in the way."

"Technically... Stephanie should have a say in who Anya dates..."

"And, what about AJ is wrong for Anya?"

"In our eyes, nothing. But like I said... all she sees is the parties, drugs, alcohol, random women--"

"Then make her see different before you end up hurting AJ more than you can ever fix," Howie demanded sharply as Stephanie moved into her bedroom.

"I'm not a miracle man! I'm trying," Kevin snapped lightly.

"Trying doesn't mean sitting back and letting it happen," Howie fumed quietly, storming back down the stairs.

"Damnit," Kevin groaned, fighting the urge to ram his head into the wall as he walked to Stephanie's room.

"Ani's in bed for the night," Stephanie announced as she eased a t-shirt over her achy body, glancing up with a proud smile when Kevin entered. She was thrilled to be home again, feeling the soft comfort of her large bed. Actually, she was also thankful to be home again, knowing Anya was safe and sound a few feet away. It gave her comfort, soothing her pain more than the medicine did.

"She's twenty-one... Don't you think she's capable of putting herself to sleep when she wants to?" Kevin asked carefully, leaning against the side of the wall to watch Stephanie closeley. He didn't want to attack with his guns blazing, knowing that Anya would probably be sneaking out of the house tonight anyway, like she normally did, returning as everyone was getting up.

"What did you say?" Stephanie played dumb as she slipped on a loose pair of baggy track pants.

"When was the last time you tucked your sister into bed? When she was six?"

"She needs her rest."

"Stephanie..."

"I'm not letting her go out and get hurt, Kevin."

"Go out where?"

"Anywhere! Do you know what could happen? She could raped again, or get into a car accident, or get mugged, or--"

"Go see AJ?"

"She is not allowed to see him," Stephanie growled, leaning down to fold back the covers."You don't even know him. You're just going by what the damn media reported--"

"And what I've seen! He may have gone to rehab, but that doesn't change who he is!" Stephanie hissed as Kevin shut the door to shield away their conversation. He looked none too pleased with her, but she continued nonetheless. "He's a womanizer. He doesn't care about Ani, but what she can offer him. And, once he gets what he wants, he's going to dump her and scurry back to some random woman in Florida. And, I won't have Ani hurt again! No way in Hell! Do you hear me? He's not getting within one foot of her!"

"She likes him, too, Stephanie," Kevin murmured. "And you can't stop what's growing between them."

"Oh I can and I will! I refuse to let my sister get hurt again by another man! I fucking refuse, do you hear me?!"

"I hear you, but it's hypocritical."

"How am I being hypocritical?"

"You won't let your little sister be the independant woman you claim her to be. And, if you keep suffocating her like this, then she's going to resent you. She cares about AJ. You can see it in her eyes. Don't deny her that because you're too judgemental to see what we see when we look at AJ - A great man."

"I have to take care of her, I promised--"

"Taking care of her and controlling her are two very different things."

"I am not controlling her!"

"Stephanie, you just tucked her into bed."

"She wanted me to!"

"She said 'Phi, tuck me into bed even though it's nine o'clock at night'?"

"She was tired."

"Stephanie."

"You're not going to make me out to be the bad guy. No fucking way--"

"I don't have to; you're doing just fine by yourself."

Anya wringed her hands nervously as she crept down the quiet hallway of AJ's hospital quarters. It was already eleven in the evening and extremely dark, nurses making their routine stops to check in on patients. She knew that visiting hours were up, but had sweet talked AJ's nurse into letting her anyway. It seemed her sweet disposition combined with AJ's nonstop chatter about her had gave Anya easy access. She must have been a sight in her starry printed boxer shorts and tight blue camisole with raggedy sneaks adorning her feet. The hardest part had been climbing out of her bedroom window again without anyone noticing, since Howie had been dozing in the living room. She had figured Kevin and Stephanie wouldn't be a problem, because they had been arguing loudly about her and AJ. That was what fueled her to leave in the first place - Stephanie's pure disdain over aAJ. It infuriated the younger sister, making her yearn to apologize for her behavior earlier that day. Only, the words seemed to leave her when she slipped inside the dark room, hesitating. "AJ... Are you asleep?"

"Anya? Is that you?" AJ called out softly, shifting in his bed and turning on the lamp that was set dim for his eyes. "I didn't think you would ever come to see me--"

"Your nurse thinks I'm pretty cute," Anya interupted somewhat awkwardly, stepping inside the room and closing the door softly so they wouldn't be disturbed. She then started to play with her long pigtail curls as she inched her way forward. She didn't know exactly what she was doing in his room, but the desire had been so strong to see him. She had to follow it. "Said I was absolutely perfect for you... Might even make a nice teddy bear so you can get to sleep..."

"You are definitely the perfect teddy bear," AJ admitted with a soft smile. She looked adorable playing with her pigtails, and he found himself falling in love with her even more.

"She said you haven't been sleeping much, either..."

"It's just hard to sleep in this room all alone... and my head is always hurting..."

"Good, at least it wasn't about me," Anya blurted without thought, stopping at the end of the bed when she realized what she said. Immediately, she flushed crimson. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean--"

"I know what you mean, Anya. You don't need to apologize," AJ interrupted, lifting a hand to silence her words.

"But--"

"Come and sit down next to me."

"Okay..." she trailed softly, doing as she was told while AJ shifted over in his hospital bed to make room for her. She eased herself beside him, hesitating slightly when she felt something stiff beneath her. Reaching, she retrieved her faded hat, arching her light brows to AJ with question as she handed it to him. "You're trying to sleep with my hat?"

"No. But it keeps me calm when the pain gets bad," AJ admitted, taking the hat into his hands and gently running his finger along the torn brim. "I just think about you."

"You think about me?"

"All the time."

Anya released a heavy breath as she kicked off her shoes, drawing her knees to her chest. Clasping her hands around her knees, she glanced over toward AJ. "What do you think about when you think about me?"

"Everything. Your smile. How your hair shines even when there's no sunshine. The way your laugh makes my heart flutter. How I can easily drown in your beautiful eyes..." AJ trailed off. It was now or never. Their true feelings had to come out for each other. "You're perfect in every way to me and I love everything about you."

"No guy has ever been that smooth with me, even when they just wanted to get laid," Anya confessed with a soft laugh, resting her chin on her knees.

"I'm just telling you how I feel. And it's all true--"

"Phi doesn't want me to have anything to do with you," Anya blurted over AJ's deep confessions of love. She didn't know why she wouldn't allow him to say everything that was obviously bottled, but it scared her terribly. Especially considering how hard she was trying to block everything out. If she gave into AJ, then the memories would flow.

"I figured as much this afternoon," AJ frowned softly. Saying that Stephanie didn't want her to having anything to do with him was an understatement.

"I'm sorry about how I acted earlier, too... I should have at least walked you back to your room... Instead of playing the obediant little puppy to my big sister... I really did want to see you..."

"You did?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"

"Right..." AJ trailed, reaching to push the hat back onto her head like he had done so many days ago. "But why now? Why not wait?"

"Because Phi and Kevin were arguing about me and you... And I just got so frustrated... I kind of snuck out my bedroom window, climbed down that ladder jobby with growing vines, grabbed the sneakers I always stow in my secret hiding place, and left..."

"You snuck out to see me? Knowing the wrath your sister could give you if she catches you?"

"She always gives me Hell," Anya answered with a shrug of her shoulders, acting as if it weren't a big deal, though they both knew otherwise.

"Yeah, she does," AJ sighed heavily as he took her hand into his. "Anya... I want to be with you. I don't care what your sister thinks of me, but I'm not a bad man."

"I know you're not a bad man--"

"Then lets be together."

"AJ, it's not that easy--"

"Why isn't it? You like me and I love you--"

"That scares me."

"You don't have to be afraid--"

"That's easier said than done, AJ."

"I can help you."

"How?"

"You're afraid of love because of what happened at the store... talk to me about it."

Anya instantly stiffened at the mere implication of the rapes. She pulled the hat off her head, tossing it to AJ's lap as she attempted to roll off the bed. "No way in Hell--"

"You have to if you ever want to feel whole again," AJ interrupted, grasping her hips to stop her from leaving. "You can't run away from the painful memories. They're always going to be there."

Anya attempted to buck his hands off her, but he was far stronger than she anticipated. With a swift pull, she was laying on the bed and AJ was over top of her. She flinched when she thought about how the men had pulled her arms tightly above her head and practically ripped her legs apart, but AJ was different. In that moment of uncertainty, he entertwined both of their hands, leaning down to offer a gentle kiss. It was warm and soothing, beckoning her heart to his as her lips parted slightly, allowing him to kiss her bottom lip and then upper lip.

"...AJ..."

"Anya, I love you. More than my life and with all my heart. And I want to help stop the pain you're going through," AJ kissed her again, softly carressing her tongue with his.

"You're..." Anya couldn't even find the words to express herself as she tenderly moved her arms around his neck, carefully bringing him closer. She knew that his head was still tender, so she switched him places so he could lay amongst the pillows.

"I'm serious and I mean it all."

"You're also a very good kisser," Anya complimented, attempting to rub the cherry blush away from her cheeks as she seated herself on the side of his bed again, making sure he was situated. He shouldn't have been over-exerting himself like that, adding pressure to his tender head.

"So are you," AJ cupped her warm cheek and smiled softly. "But I do want to help you, Anya."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you," Anya murmured, moistening her bottom lip with obvious apprehension, shifting her gaze away from his.

"Start anywhere. Tell me anything you want..."

"I think I was happier kissing you..."

"I know, but you have to do this."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, you will have a mental breakdown. Just like everyone has been telling you--"

"I'm not going to have a mental breakdown."

"How do you know?"

"Because I float above everything. I just detach from it. Like... My spirit just hovers above my body as each day ends... Y'know? So I can't get hurt... I'm numb..." Anya fumbled to explain, though she was condemning her point of the argument more than AJ's.

"You want to be numb for the rest of your life? Just floating around, never feeling? How would you ever feel love for me or my love for you if you're numb?"

"I'm okay being numb. It's better that way--"

"No, it's not."

"I'm okay with being numb," she attempted to repeat for emphasis.

"I'm not okay with you being numb. None of us are okay with it."

"So, what? Do you want to hear all the gorey details, then? Like it's some perverse joke... How they threw me down on the counter, one holding my arms above my head, another spreading my legs apart, and the other positioned inside me. Ripping off my clothes and laughing harder when I started screaming? Or how about when the first one took my virginity and I spurted blood, which he actually played with and smeared on my face? Then they switched and did it again! Laughing when I cried because it hurt so bad! Is that what you want to hear?" Anya hissed, becoming immediately defensive to her situation like a dangerous volcano about to erupt.

"I just wanted to hear you actually admit it happened--"

"Fine! It fucking happened! Do you want to know more, AJ? Huh? Or are you satisfied with what I told you?"

AJ tried to reach out to her in attempts to bring her close, not realizing that he had uncapped a deadly explosion of emotions. "No--"

"Then how about when they were all done and threw some dollar bills on my sticky body. I tried to get off the table and they grabbed me again. They were done with that hole and wanted another! Flipped me over and just started raping me all over again! Then they flipped me back because they decided they didn't have enough of my taste yet! Or when they made me taste them. I have never been called a whore in my life! But they used that word like it was my God given name and I started to believe it--"

"Hold on a damn minute!" AJ quickly brought her into his arms before she could fight him. "You are not a whore. Do you hear me? Those three assholes took something from you they shouldn't have and they paid for it. They're buried six feet under and will never hurt anyone again. They were in the wrong, not you!"

Anya felt blinding hot tears start to pour down her face as she slammed her fists repeatedly into AJ's chest. She was so angry with what happened to her. Furious that the men had taken something so special from her. Annoyed that her sister was attempting to take away her control just like the men had. Scared that she would never be able to make love with another man without thinking about that horrible day. And, like a true man, AJ took her abuse silently as it died into limp pushes before she finally wrapped her arms around him and sobbed hard against his chest. "I was raped... I was raped... I was raped..."

"You were raped, but that doesn't mean you can't live your life. You don't have to be afraid," AJ rubbed her back as his hospital gown was soaked with her tears, but he didn't stop her.

"I don't know how without thinking about what they did," she heaved, practically clinging to him for any means of support. The sobs wracked her petite body, causing her to tremble severely in AJ's arms. But they just kept rolling from deep inside her wounded soul, unable to be stopped.

"With therapy, you can. And I'll be there for you every step of the way. Anya, you're a strong woman; I know you can do it."

"I d-don't feel strong--"

"You are strong."

"I just want to be h-happy again."

"And I want you to be happy, again. You can be happy. But you have to let yourself."

"With you," she mumbled almost like a sullen child, holding her breath to stop the hiccups mixing with painful sobs, willing herself to calm down.

"With me?"

Anya meekly nodded as she pulled herself away from him to rub her wet face, embarrassed though the large burden had been lifted from her shoulders. And she finally felt like she was back inside her body, instead of watching some stranger interact with a man she enjoyed. "I want to be happy... With you..."

"I want to be happy with you, too. I've waited for you my whole life," AJ reached out and helped her wipe away the tears, smiling softly. He was so proud of her to take charge of all her emotions and decide what she wanted.

"Don't try to be smooth for the sake of being smooth. I am so vulnerable right now I think I'd say I love you to the next male nurse with no hair and a beer belly that stepped in here," Anya warned with a sharp sniffle, though she showed remanents of her true smile. The one AJ saw when she had been dancing.

"I'm just telling you the truth," he chuckled, holding up his hands in playful defense.

"I hope, because even if you look like some punk reject with that horrible hairdo... I'd still have to tell everyone that I hoped you'd be my horrible punk reject with a horrible hairdo," Anya answered softly, slipping her hat gingerly over his head.

"I'm definitely your horrible punk reject with a horrible hairdo," AJ agreed, smiling yet again as his patchy head was covered. He had tried outrageous hairstyles before, but random bald spots wasn't one of them.

"When they discharge you... I can take you to the local barber shop... Not exactly those lavish hair style places you probably go to... But they do a good job and it doesn't hurt your bank account," Anya offered, moving to sit indian style on his bed, facing him.

"I would like that very much. These bald spots just aren't my thing."

"And here I thought you were hoping they were sexy..."

"Do you think they're sexy?"

"Do you want me to think they're sexy?" she returned, biting down on her bottom lip with obvious confusion. She didn't want to upset him.

"Not really," he chuckled.

"Good," she breathed with obvious relief as she moved to sit beside him again. Gingerly, she pulled the cap off to put it on her own locks, examining the massacre of AJ's dark locks. "Besides... I think it all shaved off would look really good... And the feel of that is... Well... Can't really say orgasmic, but I like the softness and it'll make it easier for someone to give you temple massages when your headaches are bad. Right?"

"You're right... I've shaved my head before and I liked it a lot. When I get out of here, we'll go and do that," AJ agreed, loving the feeling of Anya's gentle fingertips in his scalp and locks.

"Besides, even if you hate it, it'll grow back in no time," Anya promised, leaning down to actually brush sweet kisses over the bald spots and healing scars.

"There has only been two hairstyles I've hated: when my hair turned caramel after dying it and when I had leopard spots--"

Anya cupped her hand against his mouth to keep him from finishing, knowing exactly which hairstyles he was referring to. And, she knew if he continued, she would be laughing hysterically and disturbing dozens of patients. Switching the hat yet again to his head, she slipped off the bed as she shook her head with a silly smile. "I know, but I better go."

"Do you really have to? I thought that... maybe you could stay here tonight--"

"No, I can't. If Phi walks into my room and sees me gone... I'm dead where I stand, Baby."

"Baby?" AJ repeated in confusion.

Anya hesitated. "Sorry?"

"No, you don't have to be sorry. I just didn't expect it--"

Anya blushed. "I won't do it again--"

"No! I meant, I like it."

Anya studied him for a few short moments of silence, trying to determine if he was sincere. And, she seemed to think so as she smiled softly, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. Though, that seemed to be her downfall when AJ's arms looped around her waist, drawing her close to his bed. "AJ, I've got to go..."

"I don't want to be alone. Please, Anya? I'll wake up early so you can get home before Stephanie--"

Anya's soft groan of defeat interrupted AJ's pleading as he pulled her even closer. She shivered slightly when she felt his lips against her abdomen, causing her to turn and look out the window. Dark purples and pinks were starting to flood the sky, there was no way that she'd want AJ to wake up early. Besides, it was her life. Stephanie could throw a fit if she wanted, but Anya didn't really care at that point. "You are so lucky that nurse said I was cute and would make a perfect teddy bear for you..."

"Does that mean you'll stay?" AJ grinned, his breath tickling her skin.

"Don't sound so damn smug."

"I'm happy?"

"You're smug," Anya disagreed as he pulled her across his lap to the unoccupied portion of the bed. He even made a point to remove her socks before covering them both with his blankets. He seemed to have a renewed energy as he leaned over her, studying her. Anya laughed with obvious nervousness. "You're so damn smug it's ridiculous."

"I'm not that smug," AJ chuckled, relaxing considerably as he felt her warm body next to his. He reached to play with a golden curl that had fallen from her pigtails, curling it between his index finger and thumb. Though, his devilish grin still hadn't disappeared as she glared slightly at him. So, he bent and kissed her bottom lip again, drawing it into his mouth to nibble slightly. "I love you, Anya."

"I love you, too," she confessed within the dimness of his room, brushing her hands against the side of his face as he continued to lean above her. For once, she didn't feel suffocated. Just, perfect.

"I could hear you say that all day and I wouldn't get tired of it."

Anya laughed, "You're supposed to be trying to sleep."

"I love you?"

"I love you, too. Now go to sleep."

~*~*~*~*~

"ANYA! UNLOCK THE DOOR, NOW!" Stephanie demanded loudly, pounding her fist on Anya's bedroom door until it started to vibrate. She knew that her little sister usually slept soundly, but this was ridiculous. It was already two in the afternoon and she had yet to make a peep. Holding her abdomen, she reached to pound again, but Kevin caught her fist. "Let the girl sleep," he decided softly.

"She's never slept this long before!" Stephanie tried pulling away from him but failed, so she settled on yelling. "ANYA! WAKE UP!"

"You are insane, y'know that?!" Kevin heaved in shock, wrapping a hand over her mouth before picking her up in his other arm. Without a second thought, he turned to carry her down the steps, gingerly placing her far away from Anya's door. "Let her sleep, alright? She's a big girl, she knows when she should be up."

"She went to bed at nine last night! There is no way she could still be sleeping," Stephanie scowled, becoming more angry as he called her insane. She wasn't insane, she just wanted to protect her sister. What was so crazy about that?

"You put her in bed at nine, doesn't mean she went to sleep at nine," Kevin stressed as Howie jogged down the steps with a bewildered gaze.

"It doesn't matter--"

"Did World War Three just break out or am I imagining things? What's going on?" Howie asked, his eyebrows raised.

"He won't let me wake Anya up!" Stephanie growled, immediately moving back to stand on the steps and scream. "ANYA! I'M NOT PLAYING GAMES ANYMORE, THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

"Stephanie! Just leave her alone!"

"You can't tell me what to do with her--"

Stephanie's ranting was interupted as the front door to the old house creaked open. Anya looked as if she were attempted to be sly as she slipped off her squeaky sneakers, laying them gently at the side of the door. Then, squeezing her small body through the smallest opening of the front door, she eased it closed without even a soft slam. But, when she turned, she immediately faced three none too pleased faces. And, she seemed to turn pale immediately as she folded her arms behind her back, knowing she looked like trouble. Her pigtails were loose with curls framing her face, because AJ had insisted on holding her and kissing her practically all night while playing with her hair. Not to mention that her bedclothes were rumpled. "Holy Hell...'

"Oh, Holy Hell is right! You snuck out of the house after I told you to stay in bed! How could you disobey me like that?! I'm your sister, I know what's best for you!" Stephanie burst, her words running together in a heated pace as she saw the messy hair and clothes. "You went to see AJ! I know it! You're not allowed to--"

"I was getting the morning paper," Anya interupted in attempts to lie, looking at Howie and Kevin for any means of help.

"You were getting the morning paper at two o'clock in the afternoon?"

"I'm a late starter?"

"Bullshit, Anya! Don't fucking lie to me! I forbid you to see AJ and you still do it! I don't understand what's so hard with understanding this--"

"You forbid me to see AJ?" Anya interupted with a sharpness in her voice that neither Kevin nor Howie seemed prepared for.

"Damn right, I do! He's nothing but a womanizer and he will be gone as soon as the doctor signs those papers--"

"I am twenty-one years old. No one can forbid me to see anyone."

"I'm your sister--"

"Yeah, my sister, not my mother," Anya snapped with annoyance, moving toward the stairs. She was about to sprint up them when Stephanie reached to grasp her upper arm, pulling her back down. Usually, Anya would obey, but she straightened her posture and yanked away from Stephanie's grasp. "I love you and I'm grateful that you took care of me for so many years. But, I've got to live my own life. Yes, I went and saw AJ last night. After I heard you and Kevin arguing about me and how I couldn't make my own choices. I just wanted to be friends with AJ, even though he wanted more. But, after last night, I want more, too. I love him and I'm not scared of what happened to me. I was raped, Phi... Okay? But that doesn't mean my life dies, too."

Stephanie recoiled in obvious shock, the color leaving her face. "Ani..."

"I was raped, Phi. You couldn't have protected me from that. No matter what you did wasn't going to stop it from happening. I was raped, plain and simple. Please, stop trying to make up for it, because you can't," Anya finished, marching up the stairs in a silent deliberation. When she reached the top, she turned slightly to glance down at her broken sister. "AJ said he loves me... The first guy to ever tell me that... I thought you'd be happy for me."

"Ani, I... I just wanted to protect you--"

"You can't protect me from everything."

"Ani..." Stephanie trailed in sheer disbelief as she watched her little sister turn away yet again, disappearing into the upper hallways.

"AJ's a good guy and he really does love your little sister. Even if you think he's uncapable of loving," Howie murmured, hopping off the stairs to turn into the kitchen.

"Don't even say I told you so. I'm a shitty person and no one needs to remind me," Stephanie replied before Kevin could speak, walking out towards the porch with a hand on her abdomen as tears fell down her cheeks.

~*~*~*~*~

"I know you may hate it, but I really like what Charlie did with your hair," Anya attempted to compliment as she eased her car into her driveway, killing the engine before glancing over to AJ. He had been released from the hospital an hour ago and, like she had promised, Anya immediately took him to get his hair fixed. After all, she had no desire whatsoever to get back into the house that her sister occupied with an suffocating air of anger. The fight had been horrible, but Anya had attempted to stand her ground. Though, she didn't know what good that did for her. Exhaling a soft sigh, she reached to gently rub her fingers over his shortly shaved, black hair. "AJ?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking," AJ turned and smiled at Anya, though his mind was still elsewhere. "I don't hate what Charlie did to my hair. I like it. Gives me a fresh feeling."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Lots of things."

"AJ..."

"Stephanie and I are going to end up fighting. I know it."

"Oh..." Anya trailed, knowing that was extremely obvious. Though, she tried to hide that fact as she pulled her keys away from the ignition, playing with her various keychains as a diversion. "...You don't have to stay... Technically you have a clean bill of health and can go back to Florida whenever you want. And, the only reason you two are going to fight is going to be because of me. So, we can end that, too, if you want..."

"No. I don't want to end anything and I'm not leaving you," AJ leaned over and made her look into his eyes, which were clear and bright. "No one can make me leave you."

"But you don't want to fight with Phi--"

"I never said that. I just said it was going to happen and I'll keep fighting her until she accepts me."

"That's going to get tiring," Anya sighed, hopping out of the driver's side. Tucking the keys into her back pocket, she hurried over to open AJ's door. She leaned slightly on the frame as he swung his legs over to dangle outside the car. "Dizzy?"

"A little..." AJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"That's natural," Anya assured softly as AJ slid his sunglasses over his face to protect his eyes from the aching sun. Carefully, she stepped between his legs, taking the initiative to tenderly rub his temples. "Just wait until you're ready to get up."

"I hope it goes away," AJ mumbled as he opened his eyes again, shielded from the sun. "I'm ready."

"C'mon," she encouraged, grasping his hands to pull him up. AJ naturally stumbled slightly from the adjustment as his head began to throb again, wrapping his arms protectively around Anya. She accomadated a portion of his weight as she wrapped her arms around his waist to steady him. She let him stand for a few minutes, just holding her, before she bumped the door shut with her behind. "We'll get you inside to lay down, okay?"

"Okay," AJ agreed, stopping himself from giving a nod as he kept his arms wrapped around her. They took small steps towards the house, stopping once as he became dizzy and finally reached the front door.

"Y'know, you think you're pretty slick, but I know you're faking so you can touch me and perhaps let your hands slide down for a little ass squeeze," Anya teased lightly as she uncurled one arm from around AJ's lean waist to fish her keys from her back pocket. Since Stephanie returned, she demanded the doors be locked at all times. It was a fad that would pass, so Anya agreed to it.

"Well, I can't deny the perks," AJ smirked as Anya unlocked the door and gently kicked it open.

"I figured as much," Anya actually laughed, wrapping her arms around him again as they walked toward the living room. She noticed AJ studying every aspect of the house as she eased him down onto the couch, allowing him to lean back and rest. She smiled softly at his handsome profile, realizing it was somewhat quiet in the house. Almost eerily quiet as she attempted to step away from him so he could rest.

"Where are you going?" AJ questioned as he pulled the sunglasses off his nose.

"I was going to let you rest," Anya squeaked in surprise as AJ's hands curled around the back of her upper thighs to pull her between his legs again.

"I want you to rest with me."

"I'm not tired."

"Lay with me?"

"Just lay down beside you, huh?" Anya quoted with a faint smirk as AJ tugged her closer, keeping his hands firmly poised around her.

"If you lay down, lay down besides me..." AJ retorted, sinnging with his own devilish smirk. "You can get all inside me--"

"But you can get all inside me, too."

Anya finally laughed, attempting to pull away from his tight lock on her upper legs. "You're such a freak--"

"You love this freak," AJ interrupted, bringing her against his chest and kissing her deeply without warning.

Anya's entire thought process seemed to unhinge the second AJ's warm mouth found hers. She allowed him to lead her in the dance as he tempted her with his tongue, helping her easily straddle his lap. Pushing her hands against the back of the couch on either side of AJ, she leaned all her upper body weight against the couch so she could dip for a harder kiss. They had only kissed with that much intensity once or twice since she spent the night with him at the hospital. For the most part, they had actually been timid around one another. But he was stirring something deep inside of her. "Mmm, you drive me wild."

"Now you know a portion of what I felt when I saw you dance," AJ smiled against her lips, reaching up to run his hands through her soft curls.

"Down and dirty on a mop handle," Anya laughed, leaning down for another kiss.

"Actually, I wished I was the mop--"

"Anya Christine Lord!" Stephanie's voice screeched, shattering the romantic vibes AJ had been stirring for Anya. Each piece of what AJ hoped to continue with Anya seemed to cut against him like a sharp night as Stephanie swooped down. With no regard for what the couple felt, she latched a tight hand around Anya's upper arm and yanked her away from AJ's embrace. Practically shaking her with fury. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I was trying to enjoy myself," Anya yelped.

"Not like that and not in my damn house! You know how I feel about him and you still do this?! What are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking you better get the Hell off my arm!" Anya threatened, though it seemed meaningless.

"Not until you wake up and see how bad this... this... relationship... is with him--"

"Don't say that about us! Stop being such a damn bitch to him! He actually cares about me unlike you!" Anya defended, not prepared for the way Stephanie's hand lashed against her cheek. The sharp slap echoed like a gunshot as Kevin seemed to appear out of no where, Anya just staring at Stephanie with disbelief. Her cheek stung painfully, but no tears fell.

"Go to your room, now, Anya," Stephanie demanded.

"I--"

"Why don't you go up and get Howie, so we can figure out where to go to eat to celebrate AJ getting out of the hospital?" Kevin suggested softly as AJ fumbled to rise from the couch, knowing it would be better to protect Anya from this ugliness.

"...Fine..." Anya whispered, turning slightly to find AJ within her eyesight as she completely ignored Stephanie. Tears immediately threatened to fall when she found him, cupping her aching cheek. "...I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Baby. I'll fix this, I promise. Just go up and find Howie, alright?" AJ replied softly, giving her an encouraging smile as she nodded and walked upstairs.

"Who the Hell do you think you are that you think you can call her some derogatory name like 'Baby,' huh?" Stephanie instantly demanded when she heard the door upstairs close, Anya obviously finding Howie quickly. The older sister's body tensed with disgust as Kevin attempted to pull her back, but she pushed him away and stepped to meet AJ's gaze. She had been shocked when she actually slapped Anya, but she was convinced it was for the young girl's good. Just like this would be. She had a right to speak her mind.

"Derogatory? It's called term of affection, so back off me right now," AJ replied steadily, staring her right back without trepidition. "Who the Hell do you think you are judging me when you don't even know me? And who the Hell do you think you are, making all the decisions for Anya? She's a grown woman, she doesn't need you controlling her life."

"I know about you and your kind!" Stephanie seethed evenly, "And I don't want anyone as sleezy as you with my little sister! I know what's best for her, because she doesn't even know what she wants! She just likes to float around and play in life, but I make sure everything is taking care of! She doesn't need you! She needs to get through college and apply to medical school where she can meet a refined doctor! Not some man-whore like you! She's way too innocent for whatever you have planned for her. Besides, where's the conquest, AJ, she's not a virgin anymore!"

"That was low. That was really low to talk about your sister like that. I'm not after women's virginities," AJ narrowed his eyes, shocked a sister could say such things. "I have no kind. I'm a damn good man who knows how to treat a woman right. You know who taught me? Kevin. I don't care if you don't like me. If Anya wants to be with me, she'll be with me. You have no say in her personal life just like she has no say in yours."

"Over my dead body," Stephanie gritted as she finally felt Kevin's hands on her shoulder. "You won't get near her."

"I'd like to see you stop me."

"I have no problem knocking a few blows into your head--"

"Don't you think that hitting Anya was enough?" Kevin finally interupted, pulling Stephanie back a few inches. "Or did you forget that you did that?"

"It was for her own good. Let me go--"

"You slapping her across the face so hard that it left a red hand print was for her own good?" Kevin repeated, immediately turning her to face him.

"Yes! She needs to wake up and see that he's only going to bring her down!"

"You're the one bringing her down," Kevin disagreed, pulling Stephanie into the foyer at the threshold of the stairs. He clamped a hand over her mouth as AJ followed, making sure everything was quiet. And, they all could hear the muffled sobs of a broken young woman upstairs. "Do you hear that?"

"She's crying because she knows I'm right--"

"Will you just stop and listen? Does it really sound like that to you?"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes toward the stop of the stairs as she folded her arms tightly across her chest. Anya's wails had turned to hot sobs, mournful and pitiful. She was in honest agony, which caused Stephanie to soften for a moment. She shifted uncomfortably as she turned her head away, guilty.

"She's in pain, Stephanie. Not only because you smacked her, but because you're trying to make her choose between you and AJ. She cares about him a lot. After all, didn't she risk everything to sneak out of the house just to see him? Knowing it would make you mad? Knowing you would be disappointed in her? But she risked that for him. And when you were unconcious from that infection, AJ protected Anya. He fought those men to keep her inside the storage room so she wouldn't get raped again. That's when he got hit in the head again that knocked him unconcious. Don't you see, Stephanie?"

"... I just wanted what was best for her... I didn't stop her from being raped..." Stephanie turned back to AJ, her eyes full of shame and tears. "You really protected her while I was unconscious?"

"I did what I had to..." AJ trailed uneasily.

"He did more than that," Kevin argued, knowing AJ didn't want to boast. "He gave her the clothes off his back, kept her warm, and held her while I was taking care of you. Then the assholes came back in to take her as a hostage, because the police were everywhere. AJ wouldn't let them take her. He refused. He risked his life for her."

"...You really told her that you loved her?" Stephanie sniffled, holding a hand over her mouth.

"I told her. I've told her since then and I do love her. More than anything."

"Why her?"

"She completes me. Everything about her is beautiful and amazing... I fell in love with her the minute I saw her. She could marry me in hospital scrubs and she would make it look perfect."

Stephanie offered a teary smile, nodding with appreciation at AJ's words. "But what about living in Florida? We're all the way up here... She won't want a long distance relationship, especially if she loves you that much... She'll always want to be cuddled against you..."

"I'm going to move with her. I'll stay here until she goes to medical school and then I'll follow."

"You have a career--"

"Anya and I are going to make it work. Brian and his wife have been for the past five years. I love her way too much to not have it work."

Stephanie nodded with a soft sigh, glancing up to Kevin. "Why don't you encourage her to apply to a medical school in Florida... She'd love the beach and you can still continue your career. And... That way I won't have to leave her behind when I move with Kevin?"

"What?" AJ and Kevin asked.

"You're right... you and Anya deserve to be together. I won't stand in your way."

"Honestly?" AJ breathed.

"Honestly," Stephanie promised as Kevin kissed the back of her head, murmuring a soft 'thank you' in her ear.

Stephanie exhaled a tight break when she reached to turn the doorknob to her sister's room, knowing very well that Anya wouldn't be ushering her in. She had let the younger woman calm down from the explosion of emotions downstairs. That is, until Kevin pushed her upstairs to talk. She had asked AJ to wait outside so she could speak to Anya first. Though, she didn't know exactly how to start that conversation. Especially when Anya was curled on her bed, back facing the door, her face buried into the pillow.

"Leave me alone," Anya demanded with a choked sob.

"Ani, please. I really need to talk to you," Stephanie closed the door behind her and walked towards her little sisters bed.

"Your hand said enough, trust me."

"That's exactly why I'm here," Stephanie sighed heavily as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I shouldn't have hit you."

"You're fucking telling me."

"I was upset. I didn't want to lose you to someone like AJ--"

"He's not--"

"Ani, I know. Kevin told me what he did for you in the store when I couldn't... and my opinion of AJ was totally blown out of the water."

"Blown out of the ass," Anya corrected with a heavy sniffle as Stephanie reached to turn her onto her back. Slowly, Anya complied, continuing to hold her still stinging cheek as she glanced into her sister's eyes.

"Blown out of the ass," Stephanie smiled softly, wiping away the stray tears. "Sweetie, I am so sorry for the way I've been acting. You finally found the man you've been looking for and I acted like a psychotic bitch."

"You never smacked me before."

"I never did... and I shouldn't have. It'll never happen again, I promise."

Anya nodded carefully as Stephanie reached to pull her in a sitting position. She attempted to clear away the rest of her tears as best she could, but her bright red cheek couldn't be touched without a severe sting. "I think you were worse than a psychotic bitch. Y'know, I didn't say shit about you liking Kevin so damn much--"

"I know. I was way out of line and I can't do anything to take it back," Stephanie ran a hand through Anya's unruly locks, regretting every bitter word that had fallen from her lips.

"You're right, you can't do anything to take it back. Just like you can't do anything to take back getting shot when I was getting raped."

"...I know... I just felt like a failure as a big sister and I lost it..."

"It's not your fault, Phi."

"I try to tell myself that but--"

"I'm telling you it's not your fault."

"Ani--"

"Phi, it's not your fault," Anya repeated quickly. "It's not your fault and it's not my fault. But, you've got to let me get past it instead of focusing on it, otherwise I'll never heal. Okay? I was raped and you did everything in your power to protect me. But it happened."

"You're not mad at me?"

"No... But I have license to give you Hell for the rest of my life if my cheek bruises..."

"Okay," Stephanie agreed, bringing Anya into her arms. "I love you so much, Ani."

"I love you, too," Anya promised, allowing Stephanie to hold her as tight as physically possible. It seemed to compress the air from her lungs, but she knew Stephanie needed the closure. "You're my big sister, I've got to love you."

"Yeah, you better not forget that," Stephanie laughed, pulling away to press a kiss to Anya's forehead. "But there's someone else who loves you, too. And he's standing outside the door."

"Phi..." Anya trailed slightly as a firm blush settled against her cheeks, embarrassed for what had happened. She really didn't think she had the courage to face him.

"You both love each other. I'm not going to stand inbetween that."

"You can stand in between it now--"

"Oh, no. I don't think so, Anya Christine."

"You really like him now?"

"Yes, I really like him."

"I feel like such an ass--"

"You're not an ass. He loves you and you love him. That's all that matters."

"You couldn't have decided this ahead of time before you humiliated me?" Anya challenged as Stephanie kissed her once more before standing.

"I'm too bullheaded to do that. You know me better than--"

"So you let me suffer the consequences?"

"You're not going to suffer. AJ is going to love you and spoil you rotten."

"But--" Anya's words seemed to die hard as Stephanie opened the door and murmured something to whoever was still standing in the hall. Anya's entire body tensed as she rolled over her bed, wondering if she could scale the side of the house in time to escape.

"Don't you go anywhere!" Stephanie called softly as she led AJ into the bedroom.

"Phi!" Anya whined.

"Ani!" she whined back, giving AJ a smile as she closed the door.

"I really don't like her..." Anya trailed as she leaned against her window, folding her arms across her chest when she realized she was alone with AJ. She heard the distinct footsteps trailing downward, knowing they actually wouldn't be disturbed this time. At all. And her stomach knotted with a nervous air as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry about Phi--"

"It's alright. We talked everything out," AJ interrupted, sitting down on her bed to stop the dizzy spell.

Anya hesitated as AJ placed both hands against his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. She realized another headache would probably accompany the dizziness, so she quickly drew her blinds and curtains, then turned off her light, shrowding them in a light darkness. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just trying to stop the headache before it starts."

"I've got it dark in here," Anya offered, inching her way near him as she focused on trying to help him.

AJ peeked his eyes open and sighed with relief, keeping his hands against his temples. "Thank you."

"Anything to help," Anya promised with a meek shrug of her shoulders.

"Why are you so shy now?"

"I'm not shy--"

"Then why are you standing so far away?"

"Just so I can hear you ask all these stupid questions," Anya answered, taking a step closer. She held her arms out to emphasize. "See?"

"Are you always a smartass?" AJ laughed softly.

"Would that be a trait you'd want in a significant other?" she retorted, though she had to admitt she was undoubtedly shy around him. After all, Stephanie had given her full permission to do what she wanted. Now, if she only knew what she wanted in the first place.

"Since I can be a smartass... yes."

"Damn, I'm absolutely as sweet as pie..." Anya answered, releasing a dreaded sigh, attempting to step back.

"I don't think so," he reached out and grasped her hips.

"You don't think I'm sweet as pie?" she gasped as he brought her to stand between his legs. It was just like before Stephanie had invaded their privacy, only Anya's emotions were higher in intensity. She felt her stomach knot dramatically as she stared down into his dark eyes, unable to keep herself from drowning. She couldn't deny how much she truly adored him.

"You can be, but there's a side of you that's mischevious like me--"

"I am not!"

"Oh, yes you are," he disagreed, wincing slightly from her loud outburst.

"Sorry," Anya instantly softened with a pout, reaching to cup his face in her small hands.

"It's okay. Your touch makes the pain go away," AJ replied, placing his hands on top of hers. "I have a question for you."

"A question?"

"Yeah. Have you thought about where you would go for medical school?"

"Not really..." Anya trailed, chewing on her bottom lip as she rubbed her thumbs against his cheeks. "There are great schools all over the place, but Phi didn't want me to go too far from home... Or at least maybe I didn't want to, because I knew she'd move no matter where I went and I didn't want her too homesick... Why?"

"How about picking a school in Florida?"

"It's going to be way too damn hot down there," Anya disagreed as AJ pulled her into his lap, not realizing what he was ultimately proposing.

"There's tons of beaches and it isn't that hot."

"I can't make Phi move down there--"

"She suggested it."

"What?"

"She suggested going to a school in Florida."

Anya arched her light brows in surprise as she studied AJ's facial features. That is, until she finally understood. "She wants to move in with Kevin. So she thinks that I have to go to a school in Florida so she won't leave me behind."

"That. And... so you can live with me."

"Excuse me?"

"Live with me?"

"You?"

"Me."

"Why?"

"Because I love you... and I don't want to be apart from you. It's amazing in Florida, you would love it--"

"But it's hot as Hell," Anya interrupted with a soft laugh as he laid her down on the bed, practically bursting with enthusiasm.

"But there's beaches and I have a pool," AJ offered, leaning over to kiss her neck.

"And what else do you have?" she shivered.

"A huge house where we can do anything we want. Pool... sauna... jacuzzi... home theater system."

"Air conditioning?" she questioned hopefully, ignoring all the expensive and lavish gifts he was dangling.

"Central air conditioning--"

"That I can keep as cold as I want?" Anya breathed as she rolled to lay on top of him, her blue-green eyes glittering with excitement.

"Yes," he chuckled, running his hands down her side.

"And I get to have you all to myself?"

"All to yourself."

Anya sat back on his hips in awe, keeping her hands flattened on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. She was actually slightly flabbergasted by what he had offered. Never in a million years did she expect such an offer from him. Just hearing him say 'I love you' was baffling enough. So, this offer caused her to soften dramatically as she searched for some kind of flaw. "You really want me there?"

"I want you there more than anything, Anya. I can't stand the thought of being away from you," AJ reached up and cupped her cheeks.

"Phi didn't make you ask?"

"I made this choice on my own."

"Really?" Anya breathed.

"Really."

"Did I mention how much I love you?"

"Not lately--"

"I love you," Anya interupted with a promise, leaning down to capture his mouth against hers. She offered a slow, romantic kiss, working every fiber of AJ's body as she teased him with her tongue.

"Mmm," AJ moaned into her mouth, wrapping his arms around her waist to bring their bodies closer. "I love you, too."

"Then I accept," she mumbled before biting against his bottom lip, causing him to rise to meet her mouth for a harder kiss.

~*~*~*~*~

Kevin smiled with appreciation as Stephanie slipped beside him, wasting no time in curling her arms around his waist. They had left AJ and Anya upstairs and Howie had gone out to get them take-out. So, they were alone, knowing things were perfect. And, Kevin couldn't help himself as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Thank you for believing in AJ. You did the right thing up there."

"He really cares about my Ani. She deserves him," Stephanie smiled softly.

"She's lucky to have a big sister like you."

"I know... I just don't know when she grew up!" she sniffled playfully.

"You sound like me whenever I watch Brian with Baylee... Or AJ talking about Anya..." Kevin chuckled, rubbing her shoulder with his warm hand.

"Now you're really making me feel old--"

"You think you have jokes, huh?" Kevin interupted, leaning down to capture her lips in a smoldering kiss. He could feel her shiver beneath him as he laid her on the couch, knowing he wanted to do this more than he could ever express. He had dreamed about kissing her this way since the terrible hostage situation. So, he had to indulge himself now. The kiss started hard, but, slowly, he softened it into bits and whisps of tiny kisses, allowing her eyes to flutter dramatically at the changing sensations. "Now what do you have to say?"

"Um... do it again?" Stephanie fumbled with her words, overpowered by his strong kisses as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I don't know abotu that..."

"You don't know about that? You damn tease--"

"You're definitely going to be fun to live with," Kevin laughed, leaning down to kiss her again.

"You're not funny," Stephanie pouted against his lips.

"I was giving you a compliment."

"I know, but... I'm not going to drive you crazy, am I?"

"I hope not," Kevin chuckled, but realized she was serious a few moments later. Clicking his tongue, he reached down to kiss her once more. "Stop worrying. I have no doubt in my mind that we're going to drive each other crazy at some point, but I love you, remember?"

"I remember. I love you, too. If I didn't have you at the store... I don't think I would have made it," Stephanie whispered softly, running her fingers through the short hairs on his neck. The night they spoke of their love was something she could never forget.

"Likewise," Kevin agreed, bending down to kiss the side of her face. "I'm going to make you so happy, Steph."

"You've already made me the happiest woman alive--"

"Again, likewise!"

"I think you like that word too much," she finally laughed.

"I like you too much."

"That's okay, because we're always going to be together."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I couldn't see myself with anyone else... I have so much planned for us."

"Like what?"

"Getting married. Having kids. Bringing them to your family's farm in Kentucky so they can see the country and ride horses..."

"Sounds like Heaven to me, Steph."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, m'am," he promised, leaning down to kiss her so that she truly believed.

"I should have figured they would be useless in making sure everything was packed up and ready to go," Stephanie fumed with a slight frustration as she stepped out on the porch, folding her arms against her chest in obvious disappointment. Though, when Kevin followed behind her with the last small bag from the house, he could only laugh. Stephanie had been referring to AJ and Anya, who were goofing off like usual. And, when he laughed, Stephanie had to crack a smile. Today wasn't allowed to be sad. After several months of healing, the girls had finally sold their house with intent to move to Florida with AJ and Kevin. Everything had either been shipped or sold and now they were waiting for the van to take them to the airport. So, stepping into Kevin's embrace, she watched her little sister and her boyfriend. They had been attempting to pass a simple nerf football back and forth, but then AJ insisted on chasing Anya. She shrieked with laughter as she attempted to get away, but those attempts seemed to fail as AJ caught hold of her.

"Maybe so, but they're having fun," Kevin smiled, resting his chin on the top of her head. The sun had finally peeked out to warm the two couples as they prepared to start their new lives.

"When aren't they having fun?" Stephanie mused as AJ bum-rushed Anya, heaving her onto his shoulder to spin her in a tight circle. Any remanents of the hostage situation had long been buried with the months of rehabilitation. Of course, AJ still had a frequency of headaches, but Anya seemed to tell when they were coming before he did. Stephanie had to admit the two were a good match for one another. Anya had always been a goofball, but AJ seemed to compliment it perfectly.

"You have a good point," Kevin chuckled softly, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. It felt exhilerating to be going back home with the woman he loved and all of his brothers safe and sound.

"I think the only time I've seen them get mad at one another was when they were trying to decide whether to have Wendy's or McDonald's," Stephanie murmured, shivering as she reached up to cup Kevin's cheek against her palm. She had never expected to fall in love so quickly or in those dreadful circumstances. Yet, the opportunity had presented itself quite neatly. And she wouldn't have asked for it any differently. "But us on the other hand..."

"What about us?" Kevin whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear.

"We have a very exciting way of making up, so we fight all the time," she breathed, reaching to grasp the banister so she remained upright.

"We do have great makeup techniques, don't we?"

"O-Oh, yes."

"You'd be slightly upset if I said AJ taught me how, wouldn't you?" Kevin attempted with a sly smile, kissing her elongated neck, curving his arms around her waist.

"What--"

"Time to makeup?" Kevin guessed excitedly, almost like a school boy yearning for his first kiss.

"You did that on purpose, you little punk!" Stephanie turned in his arms with a raised eyebrow.

"I am not a punk. AJ is a punk."

"Then what are you?"

"Conniving," Kevin answered, leaning down to kiss his girlfriend. "But that still doesn't mean AJ didn't teach me those moves."

"Did he really?"

"What do you think?"

"...Your moves are too good to be his," Stephanie grinned, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him again.

"Thanks for the faith, Darling," Kevin laughed, cupping her face in order to kiss her back. That is, until he heard a loud thump on the lawn, followed by the rush of air leaving someone's lungs. Immediately, the older duo looked to see AJ and Anya in a tangled pile, laughing hysterically.

"You're such an ass!" Anya heaved with heavy breaths, obviously the one who had been squished within the pile.

"But you love this ass!" AJ cackled, grinning wickedly as he pressed a kiss to her sweaty cheek.

"Not anymore! I quit!" Anya announced, listening to Kevin and Stephanie laugh hysterically from the porch. That made Anya wrinkle her nose with disgust, attempting to locate her body parts from his. Whoever said AJ was graceful had been gravely mistaken. The man couldn't even run backwards without tripping.

"You do not!" AJ laughed as she began to wiggle. "Where do you think you're going, Anya Christine?"

"I'm trying to find my own ass in this disaster so I can leave!" Anya emphasized, impishly pinching AJ's behind. When he yelped, she pouted. "Guess that one's not mine..."

"You already knew that," he growled playfully, attacking her with kisses.

"I wanted to make sure!" she squealed with laughter, attempting to shield herself from his lips.

"How should we tell them it's time to go?" Stephanie murmured to Kevin with an amused smile.

"We could just leave them here..." Kevin suggested, leaning against the railing. He was always mesmerized whenever he watched Anya interact with AJ. She had given him back the spirit he had somewhat lost during the process of adusting to being sober and drug free. She had gave him the will to keep on the right path. And, when they played, Kevin honestly couldn't wait to have children. They gave him an exuberance he would never be able to describe.

"Kevin Scott," she chided softly, poking him in the side as Anya continued to giggle in protest while AJ just laughed and kept kissing her.

"Are you saying you would miss them?" Kevin sighed dejectedly.

"You know you would miss them, too--"

"Okay! Okay! Okay! I give! I give! Hey! Don't you hear me?! Uncle! I'm saying Uncle!" Anya yelped as AJ started to tickle her against her inner thigh, her most ticklish spot, as he contined to attack her with kisses. "Hey! Don't you know what Uncle means?!"

"Nope!""It means I give up! You can stop now!"

"Nope! Can't hear you!" AJ continued, trying his best not to laugh too hard as she squirmed wildly beneath him. Her cheeks were flushed red from the exertion as she giggled even louder than before, causing his heart great joy.

"What will make you hear then?!"

"You have to figure it out yourself--"

"He's ticklish right by his pelvic bone!" Kevin blurted with a grin.

"I AIN'T TOUCHING THAT!" Anya blurted loudly, causing Stephanie to sputter a loud snort of laughter.

"Good, that means I win--"

"Not-uh!" Anya whined, attempting to roll beneath him as if she thought she could crawl away.

"Okay, you two. This can finish once we're in Florida. The van is going to be here any minute," Stephanie finally spoke up after she calmed her laughter.

"Yeah! Get the Hell off me!" Anya grunted.

"I need a kiss first!"

Anya stilled beneath him as he held his hands up as a sign of surrender, though he continued to sit on her hips. "That's what you wanted?"

"Duh?"

"Alright, smartass, now you ain't getting shit," Anya huffed, bucking her hips so he spilled onto the grass. He flew easily, never expecting such an action, so she scrambled to get away. Huffing, she brushed the grass blades from her jeans before turning to Kevin with a firm pout. "Kevin! I want a new Backstreet Boy! Mine's defective!"

"You can't trade them in without the original receipt."

"Does the condom wrapper from our first time count--"

"ANI!"

"What?" Anya answered coyly, not realizing AJ was creeping up on her.

"You're grounded when we get to our new homes."

"From what?"

"From... um... AJ and Dominos pizza!"

"Phi--"

"I mean it!"

Anya furrowed her brows with contempt as if she were about to argue back, but suddenly, she brightened. "That's okay! I want Howie now!"

"I don't think so," AJ wrapped his arms tightly around her from behind and began suckling on her neck.

"AJ!" Anya screeched in shock.

"You can't trade me in for Howie."

"Why?"

"Because I love you too much."

Anya grew quiet when AJ confessed his deepest adoration for her, immediately turning in his arms. She loved how he admitted how much he loved her and wanted her. It gave her confidence that had been stolen from her many months before. And, whenever he told her those words, she always made sure to study his dark eyes, loving the way they flickered with a sharp passion. "I love you, too. Even if you are defective..."

"I think I'll ignore the defective comment," he smiled, resting his forehead against hers.

"Okay... as much as I love gushy moments, we've got to go! The van's here!" Stephanie replied as a horn briskly honked three times.

"Did we get everything from the house?" Anya called as AJ grasped both of her hands, tugging her toward the van. As excited as she was to leave, knowing she'd be starting at the prestigious medical school after summer, she couldn't help but look back on the home she and Stephanie had made.

"Yeah, I double-checked. We have everything..." Stephane trailed off as she stopped right outside the van. They had grown up in that house, but it was time to say good-bye and begin a new chapter.

"I thought so..." Anya agreed, stopping short when AJ hopped into the van after Kevin. She stood just beside her sister, looking back on what her whole past consisted of. "...Phi?"

"Yeah, Ani?"

"What happens if I don't like it in Florida..."

"You will, trust me. AJ and Kevin live right by the beach, you could go swimming anytime. You'll be learning so much at school... and I'll be right there with you along with a man who loves you very much."

"Yeah..." Anya trailed with a soft smile, the first to turn away from the house as AJ beckoned her inside the van. She yelped in surprise when AJ grasped her hands, tugging her quickly into the backseat, causing her to fall on top of him. "What?"

"Missed you," AJ replied with a simple shrug, kissing her softly.

"Did I mention how much I love you?" Anya murmured against his lips, leaning forward to kiss him once more.

"Yes, but it's always nice to hear."

"Showing is much nicer, though."

"Then show me," he chuckled as Stephanie climbed into the van and they headed towards the airport.

"You two knock it off back there," Kevin warned as he heard Anya's infamous giggle, though knew they wouldn't listen. Shaking his head with a soft laugh, he turned to see Stephanie fidgeting slightly. Carefully, he eased his arm around her, pulling her close to kiss the side of her face. "You alright, Darling?"

"Yeah," Stephanie answered after a few moments of silence, releasing a soft breath. She glanced toward her boyfriend and offered a smile. A true smile that had finally surfaced after those few terrifying nights at a boring job. She never expected that the convience store would change her life. And, she still did have the occasional nightmare. But, looking to Kevin, she knew that she wouldn't have to fear the unknown anymore. In fact, when they passed the convience store, she looked straight ahead. Toward the future. "Actually, I'm great."