"Her tortured soul 
called to his dark one, 
whispering for him 
to save her. "

~~Sarah Brianne

****************

~~Rory~~

Each day that I was in the hospital, Benjamin was there. Sometimes he would stay for hours, and others were barely long enough to ask how I was doing. I told myself that I wouldn't give in, but each time I saw him I swore my heart beat a little harder. After nearly a week, the doctor finally allowed me out of bed long enough to visit Kas in the Intensive Care Unit, but Benjamin was there when they brought in the wheelchair. It was Mr. Jay that helped me dress and brush my hair since I still hurt too badly to move too much, but I pretended I wasn't disappointed.

All thoughts of Benjamin disappeared the second Jay opened the door to Kas's room and wheeled me inside. There he was, my best friend, a tube down his throat and an IV in his arm, wires attached to his skin and the chronic beep... beep... beep... that brought panic to the surface of my blood. A thin blanket and a sheet were pulled up to mid-torso, but the exposed part of his body was almost completely adorned in bandages and bruises. What I could see of his face was still slightly swollen and marred with cuts, but it was him. A choked sob burst free, and my heart clenched tight in my chest like a vice was squeezing it at full force. He was a mess... and it was all my fault.

"Doc says they'll be waking him up in a couple of days if he remains stable." Jay pulled a chair up to the other side of the bed and sat down, his silver-eyed gaze studying our closest friend. "He was in bad shape for a while and... we weren't sure if he was going to pull through."

"He's too stubborn to die," I whispered, trying to smile but failing miserably as tears rained down my cheeks. "That's the last thing he said to me that night."

Jay stood and headed towards the door. "I'll leave you alone for a bit, give you some time. Just call when you're ready to go back to your room."

"I can't stay here?" I asked hopefully, but already knowing the answer.

Jay didn't answer because he didn't have to, but the small smile he offered before slipping from the room was enough comfort to give me courage to speak the words I needed to. I wasn't sure if Kas could hear me, but I needed to say them. I'd say them a hundred times, and again when he woke to make sure he knew.

"I'm sorry, Kas," I whispered, my throat growing tight with the lump of emotions threatening to strangle me. "I'm so s-sorry. I never me-meant for this to ha-happen. Not t-to you... or me... n-none of it. We were su-supposed to w-win... no ca-casualties... I'm s-so sorry I d-did this to y-you, Kas... S-so so-sorry!"

I pressed my lips together to muffle the sobs threatening to tear me apart and my lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but I couldn't let go. Losing my mind in the middle of the ICU wasn't a promising idea, but I couldn't risk falling apart right now. My mind was in a fragile state, constantly flip-flopping between holding together and shattering to pieces. Or maybe it was my heart. It was hard to tell the difference between the two since I'd woken up. And not just dealing with what had happened, but everything including the underboss that was always lurking at the back of my thoughts. Even staring at my best friend while he fought for his life, Benjamin Crowe was still there.

"Come on, let's get you back to your room, darlin'," came a deep voice from behind me, the timbre making me shiver despite the shuddering sobs I was barely able to contain.

Benjamin appeared beside me even though I'd never heard the door open or close, or his footsteps on the tiled floor. Carefully, he dislodged my grip on Kas' limp hand and then directed me away, my heart cracking as I left the ICU even as warmth slowly flickered in my chest. Silently, we made our way back to my room on the floor below and he helped me back into bed, his strong hands surprisingly gentle as they aided my movements. It was an action that I clung to like a lifeline. Maybe... maybe he really was there for me and not just the power I had to offer...

"Benjamin?" I asked, exhaustion slowly creeping in as I pulled the covers up and heedfully maneuvered myself beneath them until I was comfortable. I peered at him through tired eyes, my lids already at half-mast as I met his blue eyes. He was near the door as if prepared to leave and, even though I wasn't sure what I wanted to say when I'd opened my mouth, the words came tumbling out. "Will you... stay? With me?"

Every inch and nuance of Benjamin grew completely still, so still that I wasn't sure he was even breathing. We stared at each other for many long moments, so long and intense that it could have been hours or honestly even seconds. I didn't dare move or speak, barely even risking each breath I took.

The request may not have been planned, but the moment they were out in the open, I realized that I meant them. I didn't want him to go, didn't want to spend another night alone in this antiseptic smelling room. I wanted him to stay with me, to let me hold onto that sense of safety and comfort that always seemed to sneak inside me whenever he was around. After seeing Kas like that, I needed to feel that sensation only Benjamin evoked, wasn't ready to give it up yet.

In three quick strides, Benjamin crossed the room and was towering over me where I lay curled in the hospital bed, cerulean eyes burning with something I couldn't quite name. He brushed a lock of light brown hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear as he searched my face. His fingers trailed down my cheek, my jaw, then briefly along the curve of my neck. When he spoke, his voice rumbled over and through me like warm honey.

"Whatever you need, darlin'." His thumb wiped away a tear I hadn't realized had escaped and then slowly swiped it across his tongue. It shouldn't have been erotic, rationally I knew that, but my haunted mind didn't care. Firmly but gently, he gripped my chin between his fingers to ensure I held his gaze. "Anything you want, all you gotta do is ask. Understand?"

I managed to nod, then scooted forward to allow him as much space as possible when he moved to join me on the bed. It was a tight fit, the two of us in a twin sized hospital bed and not what I'd been thinking when I asked him to stay, but it was perfect. His tall frame curled around me, encasing my body in his warmth and in his scent, the sensations seeping into my bones like they'd always been meant to be there. Never had I felt something like that, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to let it go... ever. With my back against his chest, and his arms wrapped around me, I fell into a fitful sleep.

The nightmares came back that night, the warped images of my childhood and the vivid memories of the night my life changed. I was trapped in a whirlwind of chaos and terror, reality so far out of reach that part of me believed I'd never find my way back. A scream tore from my throat and my eyes flew open, revealing a room draped in near darkness and a weight pressed against me that I couldn't comprehend. Hands... hands gripping my arms and a commanding voice calling my name... I knew that voice, but I couldn't stop... I had to fight, claw my way to freedom if it was the last thing I ever did.

"Rory, it's me. You're safe," the voice said again, the words penetrating the fear thick fog around my brain, and I was able to calm enough to acknowledge the man hovering over me. "I've got you, darlin.' Come back to me. That's it, love."

Gasping for breath, cold sweat drenching my skin, I looked up into Benjamin's face and locked onto his sapphire eyes. Choked noises and defeated whimpers trickled from my lips but I couldn't hold them back even as the room around us grew bright. Voices shouted from the open doorway as nurses tried to shove their way through the large men stationed outside the door, but they were kept at bay.

I was thankful for that as I continued to hold Benjamin's intense gaze while my breathing slowly calmed, and my heart rate grew less erratic. Just the thought of those strangers surrounding me, trying to force needles into my skin, made me shudder beneath him and tears pool in my eyes. It was all too much.

"Please... make it stop," I whispered, pleading with him to understand because I could form the words.

"Close the door," Benjamin commanded without breaking eye contact, merely raising his voice enough to be heard of the commotion. Within seconds, the door slammed shut and the arguing was muffled behind the thick wood, the near silence bringing vast relief in its wake. "Better?"

"Th-thank you," I managed shakily, my nose clogged and causing my voice to sound odd. I closed my eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry."

Benjamin's weight shifted but he didn't move away. Confused, I opened my eyes with a frown and was shocked to see him pulling a handkerchief from his suit jacket that was laid over a bedrail. Silently, he dabbed it against my feverish face, gently wiping away the sweat and tears. When he was finished, satisfied with his handiwork, he tossed the cloth aside and stared down at me.

"Don't apologize, darlin'," he said, his voice low and vibrating from his chest into mine. "I take care of what's mine."

"And... you think... I'm yours?" I asked, my heart picking up speed at the possible implications.

"Darlin,' you've been mine from the moment you stepped into my office."

Then, his lips were on mine, soft but claiming as our tongues slowly danced in a tantalizing rhythm that woke the pterodactyls in my belly. Heat coursed through my veins, successfully drowning the fear left over from my dreams. If this is what it felt like to belong to a man as dark and dangerous as Benjamin Crowe, it was a fate I would be happy to succumb to. There were worse ways in the world to meet your end, and in the arms of a demon that owned Scarlett City? Yeah... I'd enjoy getting lost in such an oblivion.