I... I couldn't see anything.

I don't know how long it's been since I couldn't see anything.

"Rosie..."

The room was pitch black, even the little light that used to shine through the sliver under the door had been blocked out. Probably by a towel or something.

The room wasn't really even a room. It was like a... like a little cube. And if I stretched my arms out as wide as they could possibly go, I could reach both sides at the same time. I used to like the dark, couldn't even sleep without it being completely black.

I didn't like it anymore.

"Rose."

The longer I sat in the dark cube, the closer and closer the walls seemed to grow. And when they felt so super close, I couldn't breath—almost like they were crushing my lungs. I kept my knees pressed against my chest, my arms wrapped as tightly around them as they possibly could be. I would try to suck in all the air I could, just to make sure the walls hadn't sucked it all away.

"Rose."

"Jax...?" I whispered quietly to the closed, dead-bolted door—my voice all rough sounding from not using it for so long. Light suddenly shown through the tiny sliver as Jax moved whatever had been stopping it.

"Look what I found, Rosie." A dark snicker flowed through the gap beneath the door as he wiggled something shiny underneath it. I tried not to let out how relieved I was at the little bit of light he had brought, because I knew it would all go away when he left.

I let go of my knees long enough to lean towards the shiny thing under the door. I gasped and jerked away from the light like it had burned my skin. "Jax no! You'll get in trouble!" I whisper-shouted, my heart pounding in my ears like the footsteps I dreaded hearing clamber up the stairs down the hall.

"I can handle trouble." He sounded beyond confident in himself as he pulled the silver key back through the gap. I rolled over onto my stomach and pressed as close to the light as I could when I heard the deadbolt start to unlock.

"Okay, but I can't!" I hissed. The jiggling sound stopped. The only way to get Jax to stop doing naughty things was telling him how they would affect me. "If you let me out, they'll know and then we will both be in a bunch of trouble."

He dropped slowly back down to the floor and pressed his tiny little eight-year-old face as close to the hardwood as he could get, just like I was. I could just barely make out those bright blue eyes of his.

"Did they hurt you?"

"No." I didn't tell him about the throbbing in my arm. It's not like he could do anything about it, and it would only upset him more. He didn't need to be in a room too. Jax never could handle it as well as I did.

"I don't like you in there, Rosie."

"I don't like being in here."

Those bright eyes blinked. "You shouldn't talk back to them." He whispered softly under the door.

"They shouldn't say stupid things."

He didn't respond to that, but I could see the look he was giving in the one eye that was visible. I let out a small sigh and tried to push as close to him as I could get.

"You shouldn't be here, Jax. They'll lock you up too if you get caught."

He rolled his eyes, his face nearly pressed flush against the cold wood of the door. "They're gone. I watched them leave before I stole the key."

I let out a relieved sigh, before realization sunk in. I wasn't sure how long I had been in there, but it had for sure been a while, and if they actually left—well, that means they weren't planning on letting me out anytime soon. I could feel that crushing weight again, the one with the walls closing in on my chest, squeezing all air from my lungs.

It was so dark...

"I won't leave you, Rosie. Not until they get back." Jax whispered into the sliver beneath the door, his little eight-year-old hand reaching out to press against the hard wood of the dead-bolted barrier.

I pressed mine above where I thought his would be. "Promise?"

"Of course." Jax smiled brightly, or I thought he did. It was hard to see through the thin gap. "I'll never leave you alone. You know that."

We laid like that for a long while, both of us trying to see as much of the other as we could. "It's dark." I murmured a while letter, trying my hardest to pretend there wasn't a dark, cold, empty space behind me—hiding all kinds of scary monsters.

"Do you want to hear a story?"

"Is it a good story?"

He gasped slightly, leaning away from the door in fake hurt. I could just picture him clutching at his heart dramatically in my head. "All my stories are good. Rude."

I rolled my eyes. "I meant, does it have a good ending silly."

He pressed back down on the floor, his blue eyes wide. "Why yes, yes it does."

What felt like hours later Jax finally got through some silly story about elves invading some fake cookie-tree forest, but I did feel a lot better when he finished. I always did after his little stories.

"Jax?" I asked softly a while later. I didn't want him to get caught talking, or with that key, but I really didn't want to be alone either.

"Yeah?"

"When do you think they're going to let us go home?"

It grew quiet, so quiet I could only hear the sounds of my own breathing and heartbeat in my ears. He didn't answer at first, just let that horrible silence blanket us for what felt like an eternity.

"I don't... I don't think they will, Rose."

"Me either."

I groaned, my mind completely foggy from the dream—a dream littered with memories I wanted to be long, long, long forgotten. It took a lot more effort than it should have for my eyes to blink open, even more for my gaze to actually focus.

"Rose?" A familiar voice called in some far away place. I groaned again, my throat dry and scratchy. I blinked my heavy eyes, trying to focus on one solid thing in the darkness. "Thank God you're awake!" That 'too-excited-for-his-own-good' voice practically sang as I tried to push off the seat I was apparently buckled into.

"Denton?" My voice sounded jumbled as it came out on a tired yawn, before my hands went to my head as pain started throbbing throughout my entire skull.

"Yeah, Buttercup. Here, drink this." Denton reached over the middle console of what appeared to be Trey's SUV with an unopened water bottle in his hand.

"What's going on? W-What happened?" I couldn't keep the nervous shake from my voice as I grabbed the bottle and took several hurried, much needed gulps.

Those usual bright blue eyes went dark as he glanced away. And let me tell you, watching one of the most up-beat, excited, happiest guys I knew grit his jaw in anger was not something I would ever be able to get used to.

"Some... person tried to roofie you. Rex intervened and fireman carried your unconscious butt to the car. And here we are."

Roofied?

"Someone tried to roofie me?" I couldn't keep the shock from my tone, not that I really tried to. Who would want to roofie me?

"Well, I wouldn't say try..." Den' mumbled as those blue eyes of his glanced out the dark window.

I let out a long, stress-filled sigh and scrubbed my hands down my face—completely forgetting about my makeup. Oh God. How pissed was Rex? He was so worried something was going to happen to me and then this did, and just ugh! He's probably furious.

"Where is Rex?"

Denton shrugged, that light returning to his eyes again as he turned that signature, happy-go-lucky-Denton thousand-watt smile on me.

"Trying to kill someone."

I blanched at that, the water I had taken another sip of nearly spitting out of my mouth. Denton laughed, like my reaction at hearing him talk so casually about Rex killing someone was the most amusing thing in the world.

"I have to stop him!" Trying to ignore the raging headache pounding through my skull, I jumped for the doorknob—only to be stopped by the lock clicking shut.

"Nuh uh, Trey's already trying to do that."

"Exactly, he's trying to. I can! Come on, Denton!" I practically whined as I tugged almost viciously at the door's handle.

Not that I had any sympathy for anyone who roofies and drugs people, but I was terrified of Rex getting locked up in prison—for good. I still wasn't sure how he got out of the whole Jason situation, or if he even did at all and he's just hiding it from me.

The last thing he needed to worry about was getting thrown back in jail for hurting/possibly killing someone. I knew he could too. Kill someone that is. I've seen that love for the fight in his eyes. And I know how he is when it comes to worrying about me. He would not go easy on this guy.

All I could see was Jason, bloody and unconscious in the high school parking lot, and Rex just kicking him over and over again without an ounce of remorse. He had only stopped because I threw myself on top of him. There was no doubt in my mind I would probably have to do that again. And Jason had only threatened me. I couldn't imagine what he was doing to that guy.

"I'm sorry Buttercup, but I swore to Rex I wouldn't let you leave the car if you woke up... He'll kill me if I do."

I let out a loud, disgruntled breath of air and tugged uselessly at the doorknob a few more times. Reason. I had to reason with him. Despite their differences I knew he cared about Rex, he wouldn't always be trying to aggravate him to h-e-double hockey sticks if he didn't.

"Den' listen. You know you're awesome, and I love ya', but if Rex gets into any more trouble—especially fighting trouble—they're probably going to lock him up for good this time." In prison-prison too, now that he was eighteen, but I didn't add that part. "Trey isn't going to be able to stop him. If Rex is mad enough he'll probably just hit him too-" God I hoped not- "but he won't hit me. He will stop if I'm there."

At least, I prayed he did. He always has before. Rex was always protecting me. I had to trust in the fact that if I threw myself at him to stop him from killing someone—he would.

Denton blinked, those blue eyes wide as they watched me ramble. Then he exploded. "Did you just... Did you just say you love me?! Awe, Buttercup! I love you too!" His tone and expression were so dramatic I wouldn't have been surprised if he started crying.

"Does that mean you'll let me out?"

His deliriously excited facade completely evaporated, except for a few lingering chuckles. "No, good try though."

But it was already too late, he had stopped paying attention long enough for me to pull open the handle before he could hit the lock button again and I was able to creak the door open right as he finished talking. The lights in the SUV lit up the entire exterior and I shot him an apologetic smile as his blue gaze narrowed as dangerously as Denton ever could make them.

"I really am sorry, Den. But it's Rex."

I jumped out of the SUV as quickly as I could, trying to ignore the massive pounding in my skull or the way my limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. I staggered against the large vehicle as my still kitten-heeled feet land on the soft grass lining the driveway.

"Whoa..." I mumbled as I laid a steadying hand on the cool exterior of the car.

"Rose, no! Don't!" Denton called after me, the sound of the passenger door opening as he hopped out of the SUV.

I tried to gather my bearings as fast as possible and figure out which way he was coming around the car. Thankfully it was the back and I was able to skirt around the front and onto the driveway as fast as my wobbly legs could take me.

"Seriously! Stop please! He's already going to kill Brett, don't make him gun for my head too!" His whiny plead almost made me pause—almost.

I did feel bad though. Rex was mad at him for everything all the time, I didn't want to purposely add onto it. But when it came to ensuring Rex wasn't mad versus ensuring he wouldn't get thrown in jail for life... well, kind of an obvious choice there.

I hadn't even made it half way down the drive towards the mansion, the front and side yards still layered with people—though most of them seemed to have fallen asleep—Denton not far behind, when I saw those giant walls of muscle coming right for us. I stopped, my breathing coming out in ragged breaths from the effort of forcing my sluggish body to move quickly, Denton coming to a stop at my side. I could hear him gulp beside me.

"He does not look happy." He muttered quietly, those blue eyes wide in expectant terror.

"When does he ever?"

But Denton was right—Rex did not look happy, and neither did Trey. The overgrown wall of fury that was Rex Turner was walking angrily towards us, his pace fast and definitely angry. Trey was only a few steps behind him, dragging a clearly drunk Lainy. The expression on his face wasn't any better than Rex's, though he looked more tired than anything. Brett was nowhere to be seen.

I felt an unpleasant shiver roll down my spine as they grew closer, even though I knew Rex would never hurt me—but that didn't change the fact a few shouts from him had my heart caving in on itself. But that didn't matter, not now. He wasn't beating the guy up anymore, and I could only pray Trey actually made him stop before any real damage was done.

But then he got close enough for the faint light there was to shine on him, and my entire body grew cold. "R-Rex..." My voice was a soft, shaky whisper as he reached us, my hand reaching slowly out for him.

Without stopping or missing a beat, and barely slowing his stride, Rex dipped down, swiped my legs out from under me and threw my entire body over his shoulder in that fireman carry Denton had mentioned earlier.

"Ah! Rex!" I screeched at the unexpected flip and carry, but he didn't say anything. He hadn't even acknowledged my hand before practically flipping me upside down. I clung tightly at his leather jacket, trying to ignore the thoughts about what that wet sticky liquid covering it could possibly be, and held on for dear life.

In any other situation, being carried by Rex Turner would have put me on a thousand different levels of Cloud 9. Right then though, with that stony, calm, silence of his I was all too familiar with—I was more nervous than anything. And not nervous for myself, I was worried about him.

"Rex," Trey sighed, still practically carrying his drunk sister closely behind us. "Dude, think things through." He called after us as Rex carried me past Trey's SUV where he stopped to dump his sister in the backseat. "Don't do or say something you're going to regret!"

But Rex ignored him, and I was trying too hard not to face plant into his back to acknowledge the other man/boy. Rex stayed one-hundred percent stony silent as we reached his car, his free hand unlocking the vehicle with little effort—like carrying all the weight of a squirmy teenage girl was nothing for him. Though, knowing Rex, it probably wasn't.

He deposited my Tinkerbell costumed body into the passenger seat, slammed the door shut—which, yes, I did jump at—before stalking over to the driver's seat and climbing in. He had the car on and pealing out of Robert Tranvo's driveway within a few seconds.

I wanted to say something, but that horrible, calm, stony expression was plastered all over his face and I was terrified of turning that rage on me. Not, that he wasn't mad at me already, but at least if I kept my mouth shut, I could pretend he wasn't.

His fists were death grips around the steering wheel, those chestnut eyes nearly black as their gaze never broke from the road in front of us. I had no idea where we were going—especially when we entered back into the middle-class part of town and passed Briar Oaks. I still kept my mouth shut, I knew better than to aggravate this side of him.

We pulled into a well-lit, rather vacant parking lot in downtown Jasper about twenty minutes later, a huge sign reading Standford Apartments next to the entrance.

Did he... bring us back to his place?

"Let's go." It was the first thing he's said since man-handling me to his car, and his voice was hard and clipped. I quickly stepped out into the parking lot, my hands going back to tugging on the end of my skirt nervously.

It's not exactly the ideal situation I wanted to be in when seeing his apartment for the first time, but like I said before—a little bit of Rex is better than no Rex. I'll take any part of him however I can get.

He stayed directly behind me the entire time we walked, his chest flush against my back and nudging us in the right direction whenever I was going to go the wrong way. He stayed silent. I could feel the furious tension strumming through him, just ready to break the surface given any one little push. His anger was going to explode. I knew it without a trace of a doubt, it just depended on when—and how.

And then we were stopping in front of a plain white door on the third floor, the silver number 3C reflecting the dim light of the hall. Rex kept my body practically caged to the door as he used his keys to unlock the handle and the deadbolt. I wish I could have enjoyed his body pressed firmly against mine, but I was too worried to be happy about the fact—that was a lie. I was still happy.

He ushered me into the apartment, the door closing behind us as he flicked on the lights. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the light in the living room. It was simple, and plain, and not really decorated, but it was Rex and I loved it.

He had a couch, recliner, coffee table, flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, and little end tables on either side of the couch. They were all dark Rex-like colors too. He didn't have any framed pictures up, or artwork, but there were various books scattered around the place.

Textbooks about physics and history scattered on the floor while foreign language books littered the coffee table. He even had a bookcase on the back wall with what looked like crummy romance novels, science fiction, mysterious, thrillers—you name it Rex probably had it.

This boy was too smart for his own good.