Pain. Searing pain in his temples. Wren blinked against inky darkness that blocked his vision. Panic surged through him, but he tampered it. I need to get up, he thought and moved his fingers against what he expected to be a cold, slick floor.

Confusion mingled with his fear as an unfamiliar, yet familiar, feel of soft, cushioned vinyl met his senses. He stiffened, instinct causing him to listen for the heavy breathing of his attacker and to feel for the vibrations of enemy movement. No... Something wasn't adding up. He again flexed his hand against the surface beneath him, and his questions vanished as reality crashed back. Tony, the construction job, Princess... A vision of her standing on the graduation stage, of her radiant smile, exploded inside his mind. It almost hurt more than the throbbing in his temple.

Wren, a soft voice whispered. His panic vanished.

My Lord, my God, help me, Wren cried back, fighting against the darkness swirling around him.

Wake up.

Sounds began to penetrate Wren's blocked hearing. Birds chirped a tune. The silence of nature. Blissful. Then, another noise became audible--hissing.

A snake? He knew that guess was wrong.

Again, the voice sounded inside Wren, more urgent than before. Wake up! Energy surged through Wren's weak body. As if waking from a nightmare, he shot up straight and his eyelids flew open. The horrific scene before him made him forget the pain that drummed through his skull.

The sedan was tilted on its side, its roof crushed inward. The front hood had wrapped around a tree, and Wren saw the steep ravine waiting to claim them. Smoke spiraled from somewhere in the bent hood, and Wren realized the hissing sound came from there.

His gaze jerked toward the seat beside him but his view was blocked by a slice of metal roof. He shuffled with his back pocket, groaned when he withdrew crushed cellphone pieces.

"Leah?" His voice cracked, and he cleared it and spoke her name with strength a second time.

"W -Wren? Th- thank G-God, you -You're awake."

Relief ignited upon hearing her voice. He wasted no time working his way free from the carnage. "Are you okay?" Wren breathed a prayer of thanks as he twisted each foot and dislodged them from their trapped position against the seat in front. No broken bones.

"Y-yes. But...Fiona. She -she won't answer."

"It's okay, Princess. It's okay. Listen to me. Can you get out of the car?"

"N-no. My s-seatbelt lock is stuck in the d-door. Its c-crushed."

"Alright." Wren drew both knees up tight to his chest, then angled himself and squeezed through a small opening between Fiona's seat and the sunken roof. His heart clenched upon glimpsing the maid's limp frame as he shimmied his way into the front compartment. But due to the dash being crushed inwards, the space here was even tighter. He grimaced. Removing Fiona from the carnage wouldn't be easy. He glanced through the broken wind shield at the small stream of smoke curling from the mangled hood. He didn't want to move her, but did they have time to wait for help?

"Is she o-okay?" Leah's voice trembled with hope.

Wren did his best not to step on or move Fiona as he pulled himself up and through the windshield. Shards of glass bit into his palms and knees, and he stifled a groan as his head pinged with pain from the forceful jostling. Finally, his feet touched the ground. He gripped a tree trunk to keep from tumbling down the ravine.

He studied Leah's maid. And closed his eyes against the sight. The right side of her black hair was soaked with blood, blood that smeared her cheek and neck. But it was the long shard of glass protruding from her shoulder that made his heart skip.

"God, please," Wren whispered.

"Wren? Why aren't you answering?"

"I'm checking." He leaned inside, reached out, and placed two fingers on the young woman's neck. When a steady pulse thumped his fingers, relief doused him. "She's hurt but alive."

"And Edward?"

"I can't see him either. I'll come get you out first. Do you have a cell phone still?"

"Yes. I c -called 911 while you were un c-conscious."

"Praise God! I can't believe you had reception."

"Just o-one b-bar, but it was en-nough."

A soft groan from Edward was all Wren needed to round the vehicle. Using the tires to pull himself up onto the side of the vehicle, he walked across Edward's door to Leah's, which was indeed crushed inwards at the base. The shattered window revealed a pale young woman. A few cuts tarnished her smooth skin, blood stained her hairline; she rested her head on the bent roof metal. Her azure eyes pooled with tears when she saw him, and she lifted one hand as if to touch him.

"You're hurt," she whispered.

Wren startled. She was worried about him? A drop of blood that could only have come from him splashed onto her forehead. Suddenly, Wren realized how frightening he must appear. He clasped her hand and smiled a tight smile. "I'm okay. Head wounds bleed a lot. Are you hurt? Can you move your feet? Hands? Arms?"

She shook her head, seeming too overcome with emotion to speak. Wren sighed in relief at her neck's movement.

"Good. Let's see if we can get this door open. Okay?"

Leah nodded again, and Wren released her hand. He positioned himself and pulled hard against the door's bent metal. The first yank caused the world to spin; he staggered back a step, caught himself from collapsing to his knees. He glanced at the smoke again and used it as fuel for his next jerk. The metal crunched as the latch released. Wren grunted as he pulled the door up, then pushed it against gravity to sit upright.

"Can you unbuckle now?" Wren used his weight to keep the door open and looked down to watch as Leah fumbled with the red button.

"I got it!"

"Awesome. Now see if you can climb out, but be slow about it. You might be hurt somewhere you didn't realize."

"O-okay."

Leah's space wasn't as crunched as Wren's had been, and though her movements were jerky from shock, Wren soon lowered her to solid ground. The sound of sirens echoed in the distance, and the butler breathed a sigh of relief. He slid down from the car to the ground. Pain stung his heart as he took in Leah's trembling frame. He gripped both of her shoulders in a gentle grasp, willing his own strength to be hers. To his shock, she stepped from him.

"We need to help Edward and Fiona." She looked ready to climb back up the vehicle's side. Wren stilled her with a hand on her elbow.

"I'll help them, but I need you to get away from here. Stand by the road so the ambulances will see you."

By now the sirens split the air. Leah looked for a moment like she'd argue, but then she nooded, cast one wishful look at the carnage, turned, and began to pick her way up the ravine. A boulder fell from his shoulders the farther she went.

Wren climbed back up onto the sedan's side, surprised when Edward's door lifted and fell a few inches. Wren thrust his fingers between the space of the door and lifted it. "Need a hand there, buddy?" Wren smiled small at the guard, tried not to flinch at the blood covering Edward's once handsome face. A cut on his top lip would cause it to swell, but none of the gashes seemed too deep, Wren thought.

"This is all my fault," Edward groaned.

"No, it wasn't. Help is almost here. Maybe you should stay put."

But Edward ignored him, shimmed his legs free, and climbed slowly from the vehicle.

"We've got to get the women out. This car could blow any second."

Wren glanced up the ravine. Ambulances and a firetruck were now parked at the ravine's top, and several men were descending the steep incline. "Leah's out, but Fiona's hurt pretty bad. I think we had better let the professionals move her."

"We don't have time!" Edward moved as if to slide down the battered roof of the sedan to Fiona. Wren gripped his arm.

"You aren't thinking clearly. We might hurt her more!"

"You would leave her?" Edward snarled.

Wren frowned. "Of course not. But help is here, so we should let them do their job."

Turmoil etched itself on Edward's face. A deep voice made both men turn.

"Is anyone left in the vehicle?"

"Yes," Edward barked. "My friend is in the front seat passenger's side. A woman."

"Her head is injured, and she has a large piece of glass in her shoulder," Wren added, watching as a firefighter used his extinguisher on the fire beneath the hood. Already, several EMTs were rounding the vehicle to Fiona, bracing themselves against trees.

"Please, come down from the vehicle. Your friend is in good hands."

Wren glanced to Edward. "Come on, buddy. The sooner we get down, the sooner all of them can do their job."

Edward's shoulder's slumped in defeat. Without a word, he climbed down the car's side and stood by a nearby tree, arms crossed. Wren had little energy left to stand and sank to the mossy floor beside him.

Minutes blurred together as the rescue workers tended to Fiona and worked to remove her from the crushed vehicle. When a small hand slipped into Wren's, warmth spread through the cold haze he fought against.

Leah gazed up at him, anguished. "Are you okay? Truly?" she whispered.

"I'm okay. Truly. Just a little beat up."

"Do you think Fiona's okay?"

"She's fine!" Edward snapped.

Wren looked up at the still standing body guard. Edward was tense, his gaze locked on the carnage. "She's fine," he repeated, his tone a bit softer. A tremble shook his shoulders.

"Yeah. I'm sure she is." Wren squeezed Leah's hand lightly. It was impossible to consider a different alternative.

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