Boring, Boring, Boring...

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

Alyson gulped, staring at Prestine warily. She didn't completely trust her anymore, though she knew that she had been protecting her brother. If Alyson had a brother she would like to believe she would be this protective, but when the knife wielding psycho turned on her, point facing her, she took a nervous step back. "In the kitchen there are bowls. Fill one with hot water and bring it here. I'll need towels." Alyson made a mental checklist of the things the other girl wanted It was strange to think she had been the one saving her from him only a few nights ago. It seemed like ages.. "GO!" The severity of the word literally made her jump and she obeyed, moving away from the pair and towards the bedroom she had come to know as her own.

Once there she went to the bathroom to grab the medical kit, seeing herself for the first time. Her curls looked wild and unruly, more so than usual, likely from the wind that night. They were dotted with patches of dark, almost black splotches of blood. She had blood smeared on her face and her arms were covered. She turned her body to the side, and stared at herself. She wasn't sure if she should be disgusted or impressed at the sight of herself.

She looked at the tub in the mirrors reflection longingly. What she would give to get in there and clean herself up, but she feared Prestine's wrath. There was no way of knowing if Sebastian would survive after this ordeal, especially with the way he was screaming in the other room, and she had the distinct feeling Prestine wouldn't allow her to waltz right out. Th girl would surely sooner kill her.

On the way back to the living room she grabbed some of the fluffy towels that were his. She had two towels of her own, but she wasn't about to let them be covered in blood in case he did survive. He could soil his own laundry. She dropped the items near the siblings, who were talking about a girl that Prestine intended to bring home to share. What sort of sick fucking games did they like playing with other people? She felt angry, wishing somehow she could warn this mystery woman of her impending fate with the dynamic psychotic duo.

In the kitchen she turned the water onto hot and did her best to find a bowl. It took some time, but she soon found large mixing bowls in one of the cabinets, filled it with water, and as quickly and carefully as she could she brought it back to the other room, laying it beside the sister.

Sebastian looked awful to say the least, and she found herself feeling bad for him. She lowered herself to the ground near his head and watched him silently, no emotion in her gaze when his eyes met hers. "Take care of her arm Prestine. Don't let it get infected."

Al gulped. She was quite obviously not interested in showing any amount of mercy and she feared how roughly she would tend to her wound. She gulped again and gave the other girl a skeptical look. How was she so nonchalant about this all? It unnerved Alyson.

There was undeniably something wrong with them both, but despite that Sebastian was the only one she felt any remorse for. She looked back at him and pushed his sweaty hair away from his forehead. It was saturated enough now stay where she brushed it. She had mixed feelings about him again. On the one hand she felt bad for him, on the other she felt vindicated. He did deserve this a little considering the way he'd treated her. Karma, she thought.

His hair was soft and she pushed more of it from his face to keep it cool considering the sheen of sweat that had built. It was such a contrast from his tough skin, which distinctly looked gray now, like he was a living corpse. She shuddered.

Why was she stroking him?!

[PRESTINE DAVENPORT]

"Will you stop talking and get it out?" Prestine rolled her eyes. "So dramatic." She taunted. Did he think she was composing an orchestra back there? She rolled her eyes and continued to work as he explained about her needing air and how he'd hopped into a gunfight, likely to save his stupid, idiot pet. Was it possible her brother was capable of feeling for his pets as she had always been able to do for her own? She didn't think he had it in him.

She was about to tease him about when Prestine realized that Alyson was still in the room. She couldn't very well state the obvious in front of the idiot blond. t was giving her some amount of power in their relationship, and she wouldn't spoil this for Sebastian. Not until he was ready for it to be spoiled, which it would be eventually. They always spoiled, like a nice steak that got left in the fridge too long.

"Takecareof her arm Prestine. Don't let it get infected." She rolled her eyes at him. He made it seem like he'd never felt pain before! "Oh suck it up, cupcake!" She grumbled as she worked on his back. The other bullet was starting to rear it's ugly little face and she pushed at the skin surrounding it, trying to wedge out a little further so she could pull it out with the pliers. "You'll just LOVE her!"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the girl stroking her brothers forehead, and she wondered if he had somehow managed to get her to submit. It certainly looked that way! Whatever weird backwards method he had attempted seemed to have worked. Weird..

She pulled the pliers into her grasp and got the bullet locked in its teeth and gave a good firm tug. It came out, blood splattering everywhere. "There we gooo!" She sang and grinned. "Now you can stop whining. Gracious!" She rolled her eyes and dabbed at the bloody wound, wanting to clean it up before she began the rough part.

Her eyes moved to Alyson on the ground at his head. "Go to your bedroom and draw a bath. Do not add salt, soap, anything. Plain water. Now." Her voice was low and dominating and she waited for the girl to leave before sifting through their first aid kit. "She listens." She said a little startled by the thought. "Perhaps your'e better at this than I thought. That, or she's taken with you. That happens, sometimes." She laughed. "Ugh, Kitten is crazy about me! He better calm his pretty little face down or it will be the end of him, though." She laughed, having found what she needed.

"Deep breath, brother. This will pinch." She squeezed the first wound shut and stuck a needle through either side of the hole, needing to give it a quick stitch so it would heal properly. Otherwise he might scar and that would be a disgrace. She didn't need him scarring anymore than necessary! Sebastian was beautiful, and she liked, for his sake, for him to remain that way. She was quick, putting in another two stitches in a matter of seconds and was pulling the thread taught and cutting it loose.

"Oh, stop pouting! You'll be fine by morning. Don't pass out, now! You need to get cleaned up, and I don't need your stupid little pet whining for me to do it." She quickly stitched the rest of him and then grabbed at his pants. "Believe me, I don't want to do this." She insisted, stripping him down to his boxers and then lifting him up like a doll. She had no problem carrying him, though she knew he would.

"You're lucky I came home when I did. Ugh, could you imagine having those in you all day?" She laughed and shook her head. "You would have been such a mess later!" The thought seemed to amuse her and she giggled as they got into his room. She moved to the tub where the girl was waiting. Her obedience surprised Prestine.

The girl lowered her brother gingerly into the tub. "Clean him." She demanded softly to his pet. "Gingerly. He's a bit of a wreck right now. Be careful of his wounds. When you've finished come fetch me. My room is the one with the man whimpering behind it." She wasn't sure if Alyson knew which room was hers or not, but she knew Kitten was in for some play time when she got in. She moved to the door and then looked back at her brother then Alyson. "If you hurt him, I will end your life." She promised and then smiled brightly, wiggling her fingers as she disappeared.

She grabbed her bag on the way back in the direction of her room, fingers and hands covered in blood. She would need to remedy that before slipping into her sailor lingerie she'd gotten earlier! Tonight was going to end on a better note for her than Sebastian!

---

Permission to power play granted by Alyson & Sebastian.

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

Once the bullet was out Sebastian felt like he'd just done the most intense workout of his entire life! His muscles ached from him tensing up so much and holding it there. He would surely be sore for a bit because of that alone. But his back.. the dull pain from all the tearing and cutting. Getting shot didn't hurt that much. It was having the bullets wedged in him and then getting them pried out that was the most painful part of all. Even when his sister started to push the wounds shut in his back and begin to stitch it up the pain wasn't nearly as bad as it was when she was digging the knife in him.

He groaned a bit but for the most part he was just lying there not bothering to move a muscle. His whole body was lax and he didn't think he could move a finger even if he wanted to. When Prestine grabbed his pants and started to pull them down he didn't even resist. There was a bit of blood along the waistband of his dark grey boxer briefs that had dripped down from his back but that was it. In that moment he felt like he could live on that table forever and never move again.

Until his sister picked him up.

"Put me down." He growled quietly almost as if he were a pissed off animal who did nothing but snarl and never made a move. He was too exhausted to struggle and he knew that if he did it would be no use. She was almost as stubborn and a whole lot more psychotic than he was. "And I don't want another pet. I'm perfectly content with how things are now." He muttered in response to what she had been singing and talking about the whole time she was mutilating his back with the knife.

"You're lucky I came home when I did. Ugh, could you imagine having those in you all day?"

He rolled his eyes a bit but then he just sort of looked down at the ground with very little interest. "She would have gotten them out if you didn't come home." Sebastian replied tiredly, referring to Alyson. Sure, she had stabbed him in the back with a knife, literally, but he knew if he screamed and threatened her enough she would have eventually helped him. Although he was glad Prestine did it instead. At least she was able to keep him down and nobody got hurt. Except him.

When he was dumped into the bathtub in just his boxers he sucked in a sharp breath between his clenched teeth and then let out a groan. The warm water not only stung at first but it felt so nice on his aching muscles. He sunk low into the tub and stuck his head underwater and shut his eyes. His knees were bent and poking up out of the water and little air bubbles escaped his mouth. He could hear Prestine's muffled voice as she talked to Alyson but he didn't hear what was being said. He could care less at that moment.

Slowly he popped his head back up to the surface and let out another small groan that didn't sound all that bad but more relaxed now. He didn't like sitting there in his boxers, never liking how wet clothes felt against him, but he just didn't want to use any effort in taking them off. Not yet anyway.

He looked over at Alyson while the water rolled out of his matted hair and down into his eyes. His hands moved up and he wiped his eyes and then pushed his hair back, making water spray in every direction until he was done. Because of how gross he was and how wet his hair was it stayed in place. "So, did you have a nice night?" He practically croaked at Alyson and gave a small hint of a smile to show he was teasing. He was still weak and wanted to just go to sleep right there in the tub. That's when he remembered his bed that he rarely used for anything other than sex and even that didn't happen these days.

"I'm going to have to ask you to let me use the bed for a little while tonight." He didn't have to ask for permission, but he wasn't feeling very much like himself in that moment. He was fragile although his color was starting to come back to him. "I need some rest before morning."

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

When Prestine told her to go to "her" bedroom and draw a bath she didn't bother hesitating. The blood bothered her, their conversation bothered her, and the way Sebastian looked bothered her. She was glad to be away from the screaming and chaos that was those two.

Alyson drew the bath, pushing the plug in and looked at herself in the mirror again. She was still a mess and her cut was still open. She was glad Prestine hadn't fixed er up. she had showed so little mercy with her brother, and that was her brother. She could only imagine the pain she would inflict on her, holding her down as she had Sebastian. She would rather let it bleed and scab. She turned the faucet on and grabbed a hand towel, dipping it in the water and began to wash herself a little. The blood smeared over her made her feel ill and uneasy. She slowly and gently cleaned herself, her hair still a tangle of bloody curls. She sighed, hearing Prestine coming into the room, and was wide eyed as she watched her carry her brother into the bathroom, sliding him into the tub in only his boxer briefs. She gulped.

"Clean him." Alyson pulled her eyes away from Sebastian, who had slid under water, and was now on the sister. "Gingerly. He's a bit of a wreck right now." She listened to her instructions about getting her when he was finished, probably, she assumed, so she could help him from the tub and dress his wounds and perhaps her own. She was relieved when she began to leave, oddly feeling more comfortable around just her brother. Something didn't sit right with her about either, but especially the girl. "If you hurt him, I will end your life." A chill ran down her spine at the girls closing words. She gulped again and moved to the tub, lowering herself to her knees.

Her eyes met his when he emerged, looking small and cowardly as she sat there, like a child. The night had run its course on her as well, and she was a little glad to see he'd regained some color. "So, did you have a nice night?" It almost seemed like a private joke between them, as her lips curled as slightly as his had. "Oh, the best." She offered in soft sarcasm. Clearly, it had been the night from hell.

She was surprised he asked to use the bed, and she nodded. "It's your bed." She shrugged. He could do with it as he pleased, so long as he didn't get blood all over it. Though, it wouldn't matter, she could just lay on the not bloody part. It really was a very big bed.

Prestine's words rang in her mind again and she furrowed a brow, reaching for a wash cloth. Even after going under the water, there was still a great deal of blood on him, and she had a feeling some of it was hers. "Did.." She cleared her throat, her voice a little rough. "Did you need me to wash you, or..." She gulped, turning away bashfully. What a weird situation; she was offering to clean her captor, the man who had essentially ruined her life. True, it had been fear of his sister that pushed her to even ask, but she had still asked. She met his eyes, the water dripped down his face as his hair tangled from being wet. She actually blushed and looked at the rag in her hand instead. God, this was awkward.

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

Sebastian watched Alyson and could see a bit of color going to her cheeks which made him scoot himself into a sitting position and reach over to her and touch the side of her soft face for a moment. He didn't respond when she asked if he needed her to wash him. No matter how hurt he was he was still a grown man and was plenty capable of cleaning himself. Asking for help just wasn't his thing and he shook his head at her finally.

"No. But you could get in with me and let me help you." He said in the softest voice he could muster. There was no secret hint of sarcasm in his words and no sign of a smirk anywhere near his face. He was serious and his eyes moved to her arm and he reached over and touched the skin around it, not wanting to touch the actual wound. His fingers stroked her arm gently and then looked in the tub at the clear water. The tub was definitely large enough for the two of them as long as he stayed sitting up.

"You can leave your clothes on if you want. I just want to get all that blood off you. You look like a savage animal." He told her and it was true. She looked hideous the way the blood was all over her body. He knew that he still had some blood sticking to his own skin but he could care less. Blood didn't bother him. "And if you get in I'll keep mine on. Otherwise they're coming off. I hate sitting in wet clothes." He grumbled a bit.

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

She didn't shy away at his touch, though it did startle her a little. His words startled her even more.

Did he think things had changed between them suddenly? That she would undress and slide into the bathtub with him? He'd tried to kill her! He'd tried raping her once, she couldn't just forget those things, but his tone was calm and gentle. Even as she internally fought with the idea, she had the feeling it wasn't out of sexual desire that he was inviting her in. She might not be sore the same way he was, but mentally she was drained. The night had taken its toll on her.

"I just want to get all that blood off you. You look like a savage animal." She looked down at herself and knew it to be true. She looked a mess and she gulped, contemplating taking him up on the offer, surprisingly.

His final promise allowed her to accept his offer. neither of them would be undressed. It would be no different than being in a hot tub together. Harmless. Alyson bit her lower lip bashfully as she turned a little, unzipping the dress under her armpit and then gently pulling it up over her head. She was wearing the undergarments he'd gotten her, which made it all seem more strange somehow.

The girl got up off the ground and slowly pulled a leg up and over the side of the tub, slowly sliding in across from him. She kept her knees up, peaking at him over them as the hot water enveloped her. Her eyes slid shut and she let out a long sigh, feeling comforted for the first time that evening. She had forgotten how cold she was until that moment and she wasn't regretting her decision to slide in the tub with him.

She looked at him once more, her legs sliding down and to her side a little. "Had you told me we would be in a tub together four hours ago, I would have laughed at you." She told him, smirking a little bashfully now at the water. Somehow he just didn't seem so threatening anymore. At least not in that moment.

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

Sebastian let the right corner of his lips move up leaving tiny creases against the corners of his mouth and his right eye as he smirked halfheartedly at what she said. He wouldn't have believed that he could have gotten her into the tub so easily before. He could just see it in his head how she would have kicked, screamed and bucked under him if he tried to get her into the tub with him. And although he would have very much preferred to be naked he kept his grey boxers on that were looking more like black now that they were filled with water.

"You should turn around and scoot back to me." He let out a sharp breath as he adjusted the way he was seated, feeling his back graze against the side of the tub and he groaned. At least it was starting to heal properly and didn't hurt as much. But he definitely wanted to lay down and get some rest afterwards and that was exactly what he was going to do. "I can't very well clean you if you're all the way over there now can I?"

Sebastian stretched out his legs a bit and slid his feet along the sides of the tub and slipping them behind Alyson so that she was in between his legs. It was just more comfortable that way and with how tiny the girl's frame was it was better for her to be on the inside and they still had plenty of room. "Turn around." He said again to her a little softer and his grey eyes moved up to meet hers. "And before you try to fight me on this I don't have the stamina to try and do anything to you. I'm not going to touch you in any kind of unwanted way. I'm just going to look at your arm and help you get clean."

He had been surprised that Alyson had chosen to take her dress off when she got into the tub. That seemed like a big step to Sebastian and he started to feel like he actually had gotten through to her. She was starting to submit to him the way that a pet should. Although he didn't think of her truly as a pet. He thought of her as Alyson, plain and simple. Nothing more and nothing less than that. She was still a fragile little human but that was what Alyson was. That's how he saw her. But he also saw her as his fragile little human.

He reached for her leg and gave it a little tug as if he were trying to slide her over to him, but he wasn't going to try and force her. He was in a very compromising position and he wasn't like himself at that time. One wrong move and she could use her foot to crush his family jewels and that would definitely top off the night. So he was careful and just gave her a playful little tug but then he let go of her leg and acted as if he didn't care.

Sebastian's attention moved to the fancy french bottles of different scrubs and shampoos that he'd taken from his sister. "Let's see.. this one looks good." He picked one of the bottles out of the line that had been a body wash. He knew he probably shouldn't use any sort of soaps since he didn't want it to get into his wounds or hers, but what was a little more pain? He opened the bottle and grabbed one of the washcloths and squirted some of the soap onto it. He then put it against his chest and moved it in a circular motion. He went up to his shoulders and over his neck up to his jawline before he moved it down and sat up a bit more so he could attempt to clean off his torso. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten blood down his front but it had happened. Probably when he'd clung to Alyson to protect her from his sister.

"Prestine can be a little... different sometimes. I think she was dropped when we were babies one time too many. She's twisted in a very psychotic sort of way." Sebastian stated out loud. He'd never told anyone about his sister. Sure they'd seen her but he never actually tried to describe her. "And before you say anything, yes. I know I'm not that much different. But I don't sing when I torture people or act like an innocent little poppet and then stick your balls in a bear trap." He was simply giving an example. He had never actually seen Prestine put someone's jewels in a bear trap but he wouldn't be surprised if she'd thought of it once in her life.

"I'm just a jackass. Maybe a little sick at times but it's not a surprise with me. When you're with me you expect it. And she won't touch you again as long as I can help it. Now get over here and let me wash you down already." He said and motioned for her to turn by turning his finger in a swirling motion.

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

His proposition embarrassed her and her cheeks flushed. She didn't exactly want to scoot between his legs. That was personal, and it would be like they were bathing together, and Alyson didn't want to think of it that way. She wanted to envision it as them both getting clean, which was what it was. "I can wash myself." She assured him softly, but her tone was hesitant, like she was second guessing her words.

She had cared if he lived or died, even after he'd been so mean to her over and over. He even told her earlier he didn't care what she wanted. She held onto those bits, even through his current kindness. Why had she even agreed to get in the tub in the first place? Why had she stripped off her dress!

"Turn around." He demanded softly, and she gulped. Alyson looked down in the water that had been tinted slightly pink, though she wasn't nearly as disturbed by this as she thought she would be, and saw his feet on either side of her now. She stared at them and then up at him as he spoke once more, his voice ever soft and gentle now.

He was right. He'd been hurt and he wouldn't do anything to her this evening. He promised not to be inappropriate, but still she hesitated.

Part of her wanted to turn around. Not just because he commanded her to, but because she sort of liked the idea. What the hell was wrong with her?! She shook the thought off. No, she was just really tired, and the water was warm and he wanted to get a better look at the spot the stray bullet had grazed her skin.

The tug on her leg brought her back to the moment, and she watched him, her head bowed as she looked upwards in his direction. She became distracted with the array of soaps he had to choose from. She couldn't even recall which was which anymore, but she found herself distracted as he washed himself. Why was she watching? Her cheeks turned pink and she forced herself to look away, dipping her head back into the water and wetting her hair instead. She didn't want to watch him wash himself, because she knew she actually really did want to. He was still an attractive man, despite everything he'd done, and she was still just a girl. A girl who had some amount of sexual desire, and he was playing on that. Whether it was intentional or not was beyond her, though.

She listened as he spoke of his sister. Some of the things he said even made her wince, like the balls in the bear trap. She bit her tongue to not give a witty retort about him being psychotic as well, but he beat her to the punch. She smiled.

"And she won't touch you again as long as I can help it. Now get over here and let me wash you down already." She rolled her eyes and succumbed to him, turning around and scooting back towards him.

"Nothing funny." She said softly, and then gulped. "Please.." She added even more quietly. She pulled her hair to the side that the cut wasn't on and looked over her shoulder at him, her back hunched slightly. The bra was strapless and she gave him a nervous sort of look over her shoulder, her hair dripping down her back.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." She explained, her threshold for pain relatively high. She looked at the cut, which had for the most part stopped bleeding, but the area was still tender. She reached for one of the cloths and then looked at the soaps. "I really can wash myself. I'm not the one who got shot." She said without looking at him, braver now that he wasn't i her direct line of sight, even if he was warm there against her back. She refused to lean against him, though. "Is it better now? You look less pale." She noted, and he was acting more himself. She would think he would be worse off, but he seemed almost better. He was definitely not human..

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

When Alyson finally did oblige and turn around he didn't bother to smile the way he usually did when he got his way. His expression didn't change in the slightest. And her plea for him not to do anything 'funny' didn't go unnoticed. "Nothing funny." He repeated to assure her that he'd been listening.

"I really can wash myself. I'm not the one who got shot."

"Says the girl who was grazed by a bullet." He muttered and he used the soapy washcloth and dabbed it gently on her shoulders. He wasn't one to be patient but he was making an exception this one time. The last thing he wanted was her to freak out and go storming off. He couldn't very well follow her the way he was. Though he was starting to feel better. He dipped the washcloth into the pink tinted water and let the soap mix with it. Then he brought the washcloth up to her shoulder. With his other hand he cupped his hand and then placed it against her shoulder just above her wound then he wrung out the washcloth so the warm water would drip down without getting into the gaping wound.

"Is it better now? You look less pale."

Sebastian actually thought the question was a little amusing. Would someone be better after getting shot? Of course not. But she was a smart girl and she definitely knew that he was anything but normal man. He decided to answer her quietly, enjoying how peaceful it felt to be in the tub without the the screaming. In fact, his own throat felt scratchy and his chest hurt from all the screaming he'd done that night. He didn't think he could raise his voice if he tried. "It will take a day or two for it to heal completely. But now that the bullets are out I'll make a full recovery." He found it odd that she would even ask if it was better. He'd tormented her and caused her so much pain and yet she had stayed by his side and even caressed his forehead trying to do her best to help him.

His brows moved down low over his eyes but in a different way than usual. He wasn't angry but slightly confused. He dunked the washcloth into the tub again and then did the same thing to Alyson's other shoulder, wringing the water out so it gently poured over her. Her body was freezing to the touch and he wanted to warm her up. "You know I wouldn't have been able to come after you. You could have easily walked through the door and never come back." Sebastian told her a bit hoarsely and tried to clear his throat. He didn't want to sound so hopeless and he knew that was what he was making himself out to be with what he just said.

Sebastian reached for the liquid body soap again and rubbed it into the washcloth. He gently rubbed it over her shoulders, careful to make sure the soap didn't go into her cut. Then he rubbed it across her upper back just between her shoulder blades. He even plucked at the band of the bra and pulled it away from her back just enough so he could do a quick sweep with the washcloth before carefully letting it go so that it didn't snap her.

"Relax.." He said in that soft voice that was practically a coo, knowing she was likely to panic with him messing with the band of the bra and brought the washcloth back up, lifting her hair so he could get the back of her neck.

When he was satisfied with what he'd done he took the washcloth and rinsed it once again with the bath water that was between him and the girl. This time he wrung it out and then folded it over twice to make it thick and small. He held it out in front of her a bit to show it to her. "This might sting. If it hurts too much then tell me." He instructed and with the warm cloth he pressed it against her wound, dabbing it and trying to remove the blood that had dried and become crusty.

While he was trying to be careful he managed to lean towards her a bit more, still quite exhausted and he rested his forehead against her shoulder while he cleaned out her gunshot wound as gingerly as possible. He didn't try to do anything other than lean his head against her. His mind went back to the fact that she'd stayed by his side and he had to ask her about it.

"..why didn't you try to run, Alyson?"

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

A day or two? How would it only take a day or two? Most gunshot victims were dead in a day or two, but him? Expecting to make a full recovery in a day or two. The bullets didn't lodge through him and hit organs like they should have, either. It was as if they had gone only skin deep, but why? Why had they only gone a shallow distance, when they should have hit a vital organ and killed him on the spot, as it should any normal person? As it would have to her.

"You know I wouldn't have been able to come after you. You could have easily walked through the door and never come back." He didn't need to tell her, she had faced that predicament in the hallway already. She could have been free by now, sitting safely in a police station or hospital, waiting for the cops to make their arrest. He had been vulnerable, she could have gone. Yet she didn't. She gulped again but said nothing, turning her face forward instead of to the side, not wanting him to see the look of confusion on her own face.

There was no real exact reason why. She could come up with a hundred excellent excuses, but in the end, she was afraid to go. There was a very small part of her that was realizing she sort of enjoyed being locked away from the world. She had no responsibility there, and it was as if she walked away from life. She had been kidnapped. It was the perfect excuse to regain all the things that would have been lost to her, like her belongings, her apartment, her education... when she left she could pick up where she had left off, but in the meantime she could do practically whatever she wanted, as long as it was within the condo or with Sebastian.

The warm water on her shoulders felt nice, and she couldn't help but feel drowsy. Her head lulled forward a little, exposing the nape of her neck to him as he washed her. It felt nice, and even when he pulled her bra away from her back, she tensed only a little. When he told her to relax, she did. allowing her tense shoulders to go slack once more, as if her anxiety was dripping back into the pool of pink, sudsy water with the drops of water beading off her shoulder.

When Sebastian warned he would be cleaning the cut she nodded and braced herself. She winced, sucking in a sharp breath as he dabbed at the cut, but it didn't take long for the sharp pain to turn into a dull, throbbing ache, pulsating. She could handle that and she relaxed a little once more as he continued to clean it, flinching a little occasionally when he hit it in just the right way, shooting pain through her arm again.

The mood was so mellow and calm. She forgot for a moment how terrible he could be as he cared for her, his face leaning into her shoulder. She turned her head a little to see the mop of messy, wet black hair and she was surprised that she didn't mind him being so close. He promised nothing funny, and if anything he was good for his word. "..why didn't you try to run, Alyson?"

They were back to the million dollar question and she bit her lip, giving a little shrug. "What sort of person would I have been for leaving you like that?" She asked in a soft voice, a hint of kindness in her tone. "Even after everything you've done to me, it would have been cruel. Well deserved, but cruel. I couldn't live with myself knowing I'd let anyone suffer." There was a slight hint of amusement in her voice as she continued. "Even you." The words came out almost playful and she shook her head a little. "There are lots of reasons." She added, this time amusement gone.

"How aren't you dead?" She asked, turning her head to look at him, but her face met his hair. The black, wet wisps tickled her nose and she looked away again, twitching a bit in the water.

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

"What sort of person would I have been for leaving you like that?"

The same kind as me. Sebastian thought to himself but he didn't say it aloud for her ears. She continued to explain that she wouldn't be able to live with herself. Sebastian could do it. He'd lived with himself time and time again after all the lives he'd taken. He didn't regret a single one of them. They all deserved it in some way or another he'd told himself and that was enough to keep him satisfied.

"Even you."

A smile crept over his lips and he even chuckled a bit, which sent a dull pain through his back but it was nothing he couldn't handle. The pain didn't even make him flinch anymore. He was just weak and knew he would be until the next night. Although the sun was a Gargoyle's weakness it seemed to rejuvenate him somehow.

"How aren't you dead?"

It was the same question just asked a different way. She wanted to know what he was and he wasn't ready to disclose that sort of information to her just yet. He wasn't sure if he ever would. It wasn't something that he ever thought he would tell a human. It would give them way too much power over him if they knew how to wield it. He lifted his head a bit but placed his lips on her shoulder and gave it a slow kiss before he sat up straight again. "I'm invincible." He said teasingly, smiling at the back of her head. "Maybe I'll tell you one night. But tonight isn't going to be that night."

He reached for her arm and tried to hold it up so he could get a better look at it in the light. "I could stitch this up for you so that it doesn't scar. Or we could just glue it." He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. Superglue would hold it together and he knew that it got the job done. It was just not his preferred method but if that was what she wanted then he'd do it. "I'm sure Prissy has some superglue." He was pretty sure she wouldn't want to use superglue.

He then took his hand off of her arm and wrapped it around her midsection so he could pull her back a little more until she was pressed up against him. "You still have blood on you." Sebastian told her and reached around her, dipping the washcloth into the water and bringing it to her right knee. He rubbed the cloth against it and the blood easily came off. Then he moved it a little further up her leg just above the knee and kept rubbing. He didn't go any further up than where the blood was, which was where the hem of her dress had ended.

"There we go." He retracted his hands back and leaned back a bit in case she decided she wanted to scoot away from him again. He expected it from her. His attention went back to the bottles that were lined up and he grabbed the one that he knew to be shampoo.

"Tomorrow.. you can call your parents." Sebastian said just above a whisper, feeling that because Alyson had been through so much and because she hadn't tried to escape she deserved a reward. And he couldn't think of a better way to reward the girl. "You've been through a lot tonight and it's too late to be making calls now. So first thing when the sun goes down tomorrow night you can call them if that's what you want."

He dumped more shampoo than he probably needed into his hand and it slid off the sides of his palm. He pushed them together and rubbed it between his two palms before he put them up into his hair and began to scrub it around. The suds of the soap piling high and drooping off the sides of his head as he washed his hair. Getting the shampoo out was going to be the challenge.

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

The peck on her shoulder made her cheeks heat up. Her body had warmed now that she was sitting in the bath, and suddenly she felt a little hot. Why the hell was he kissing her shoulder! She should be creeped out and angry, especially since they said no funny business, but it was as far as he went. Her eyes narrowed when he said he was invincible and she snorted, a little annoyed. In her mind she turned into a sullen teenager, pouting, going fine, I didn't want to know anyway, but truth be told she did. He'd peaked her interest somehow, the creepier, sonuva bitch.

"I could stitch this up for you so that it doesn't scar. Or we could just glue it." Neither sounded good to her. She looked at her arm as well. It wasn't so bad it needed stitches, was it? She gulped, afraid of the idea of having it glued or stitched, but before she had a chance to come to any sort of conclusion his arm was wrapping around her waist and he was pulling her against him. Alyson sucked in a sharp breath, her first instinct kicking in, which was bucking. She only made a single bucking motion before she calmed down, realizing he wasn't doing anything as he explained there was blood on her.

Alyson watched his hand, relaxing again as her back curved into his chest. It was uncomfortable trying t sit up so straight when he was holding her so close to him and she relented, laying her head back in the crook between his neck and left shoulder. Her eyes watched his hands like a hawks as he moved up her leg, ready to flail if she had to. He wasn't welcome anywhere private yet, but even if he'd gone further than he had she wasn't entirely sure she would fight him

Alyson wasn't keen on the idea of sex with her captor, but she knew at some point it was going to likely happen, especially if she wanted her freedom. Besides, he wasn't being so bad now, and she didn't have the energy to truly fight anyway. It had been a long night, and it was getting later. Her mind and body were both drained, and she found him comfortable.

"There we go." His hand pulled away and he seemed to relax his hold on her. She didn't move right away, enjoying the warmth of his body, the gentle sound of the trickling water as it dropped back into the tub...

"Tomorrow.. you can call your parents." When he grabbed the shampoo she forced herself to lean forward, yawning away from him as he began to lather the soap into his hair. She moved forward so she could lean back and dunk her head under the water, and then sat up, turning now so she was sitting sort of beside him so he was to her right. She reached for the bottle herself and poured at least twice as much into her hand as he did before going to work on her curls. She didn't like the idea of dried blood in them.

She didn't really react to what he'd said, not sure how she felt about calling her parents now. What on earth would she tell them? Could she say she'd been kidnapped? Was she supposed to put them off the trail? Did he have some sort of secret agenda?

Her eyes were downcast as she looked into the water. "What am I supposed to tell them when they ask where I've been? I've been unreachable for a week. I haven't been to work, school... what if someone's noticed and they ask?" Her eyes met his and she looked nervous. "I can't lie to them." She said simply. How could she? How could she lie and say everything was fine when clearly it was anything but?

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

"I can't lie to them."

Alyson was so opposite to Sebastian. She couldn't tell a lie and he couldn't stop himself from lying. She couldn't leave someone to bleed out and die and he wouldn't bother to give them a second thought. He looked over at her dully and dipped his hands into the bathwater to rinse all the shampoo off of them before he looked around. There wasn't really a way for him to rinse his hair out the way they were. Not that he wanted to dip his head in the pink stained water anyway.

"Then why don't you pretend you're somewhere else. Tell them you were stressed and had to take a little break. Apologize if you want for worrying them. That's only if you want to talk to them. I'm not going to force you I just figured you'd enjoy that."

He braced himself with both hands on either sides of the tub and slowly he started to pick himself up. He grunted a bit since he was still not as strong as he normally would be but he managed to stand up. The water dripped down off of his body and his boxer briefs sagged a bit hanging off of his hips as if they were about to fall off from the weight of the water but he tried to adjust them a little bit.

"I'm going to run the shower so we can rinse off properly." He told her and reached past her to grab hold of the shower curtain and pulled it around the tub before he twisted the knobs trying to get a good balance of hot and cold water although as always it shot out freezing cold first and he grumbled a bit at it.

"Unplug the drain." He told her and stuck his head directly under the shower head and rinsed out his hair. The soap ran down his back and chest and although it stung a little it didn't bother him enough. It felt nice to finally get clean again and he made a note not to throw himself in the middle of a gunfight again if it could be avoided.

"Stand up, curls. Unless you're feeling generous." Sebastian said as soon as his hair was rinsed of all the shampoo and he wiped his face clear of the water. He grinned at her playfully as he leaned his hips forward a bit towards her before pulling back before he found himself getting hit.

[ALYSON MONTGOMERY]

He didn't get it Pretending to be somewhere else would be lying. She wasn't sure why, but his words hurt. Maybe it was because for a moment he had seemed almost like a friend, and all too quickly he turned back into his chauvinistic self. Plus, if she told them that they would chastise her for not being in touch and might call of the search party if there even was one. She sort of liked the thought of people searching for her. If they found her, well that wasn't her fault. It wasn't as if she ran away and he had no ground to stand on in the battle to harm all she knew.

She decided to let it drop and think about it in the morning. If she spoke with them, she would simply tell them she loved them, she missed them, and that she hoped she could see them soon. After that she would ignore their barrage of questions and hang up. Yes. That sounded like a good plan. She could allow them to assume the worst had happened, but could revel in the thought that she was alive and well, at least for the time being. She could ignore any probing questions. That way she wouldn't lie and she wouldn't say anything to piss Sebastian off. She wasn't keen on the idea of being on his enraged side again. Ever.

"I'm going to run the shower so we can rinse off properly." He was up and the light from the room was partially cut off, showering them in a dim, warm light. She ducked away from the running water, knowing full well it always came out cold first. She felt it splash up onto her as she shied away, her knees up again to her chest. She reached and unplugged the drain, watching as the pink water funneled out of sight. She was definitely going to wash down again after this.

"Stand up, curls. Unless you're feeling generous." She wasn't sure what he meant until he realized his junk was level with her face and she glared up at him. Judging by the look on his face he was teasing but she wasn't exactly amused.

"I already was generous today. I'm still here, aren't I?" She asked, cocking a brow as she got to her feet in the tub. Her underwear was soaked, but she figured it was no different than him seeing her in a bikini. Maybe a little different.. She was just glad they weren't see through, as some of the items she'd received from him were. Good call not wearing those today, she told herself.

She turned her back to him, almost taunting him as she reached for the bottle of soap and a fresh washcloth, glad so many clean ones were available. She got it all soapy and began washing herself all over again, working from her neck, down her chest and then both arms. "Remember, you promised. Nothing funny." She reminded.

[SEBASTIAN DAVENPORT]

"I already was generous today. I'm still here, aren't I?"

Sebastian couldn't help but smirk at what she said and ran his fingers through his hair to pull it back and out of his face. It was starting to get long and he knew he'd need to get a haircut soon. But after what Prestine just did for him he figured a haircut would be out of the question for a while.

"Remember, you promised. Nothing funny."

He rolled his eyes and then gave her a 'don't-be-stupid' look. "I may be looking better but I don't have the drive to do anything funny." Sebastian told her and he reached up to tip the shower head up so that it would hit her with the warm water since he'd been hogging it. He wanted to rinse himself down again since he had a pink tint to him from the waist down and this time he squirted the liquid soap into his hand and just used that this time. He didn't feel like getting another washcloth.

His hands moved over his body again and then he looked down at his boxers. He would prefer to just remove them so he could clean himself properly but he let out an exasperated sort of sigh and decided to just pull froward the waistband of his boxer briefs and stuck his soapy hand inside. He wanted his precious boys nice and clean and they weren't going to get that way unless he stuck his hand in his boxers and did it.

The friction felt kind of nice and he decided that the next night he was going to have to rub one out since he wasn't getting laid these days. The very thought frustrated him. Sebastian was a horny guy and he liked it when there was someone there to get him off every night. But he couldn't very well just bring someone home for the night anymore. Maybe he'd go out and get some innocent little blonde drunk and give it to her in a back alley when he was feeling better. Preferably one with nice curls..

He snapped himself back to reality and realized he was still washing himself, just a little slower than he meant to and he pulled his hand out trying to not make it noticeable. He then took a step towards Alyson with the waistband of his only article of clothing on still open and let the water run down his stomach and into his boxers. He needed to rinse off.

"Are you done yet?"