I could feel the pain radiating from my shoulder through out my body before I could see, hear, or feel anything else. I was lying down that I could tell, but I was jostling everywhere. Up, down, left, right.

My mind was running frantically in all directions as well, but I couldn't consciously move any of my limbs. My eyelids felt like they were super glued to my cheeks. As much as I hated the paralyzed feeing that was overwhelming my brain, another part of me relished in the fact that I didn't have to deal with anything anymore. I didn't have to think about anything other then the piercing pain running through my arm. I didn't have to think about the horrifying nightmares I had had every night, I didn't have to think about my father dying, not about me being kidnapped then running for my life. Everything in the world I knew was waiting for me was shut out. At least for a little while.

As I lay frozen in place my senses slowly started returning. The first being smell. For starters it smelled like the locker room did back in school. Sweat and strangely enough I caught a whiff of popcorn.

The second things came simultaneously. Hearing and touch. My body felt cold but my hands were sweating probably adding to the awful smell in.. wherever I was. People were whispering in hushed tones all around me. The voices after concentrating on them began to freak me out. I could her the voices but my brain couldn't process what the words meant.

The last thing to return to me was sight. My eyelids felt like led as I dragged them open. I was almost tempted to let them fall back closed, but the moment I opened them my eyes locked with dark green ones. His eyes were dark and red. I frowned and took in the rest of the room breaking our eye contact.

Everyone was sitting around me shoulder to shoulder. Watching me as I slept. Ummm. Ok. I guess that's why it smelt so bad. It was hot as hades in here and they were all sitting basically on top of each other. Despite my pain I couldn't help but laugh at the creepy sight around me. Honestly what else was there to do.

I sounded like an old smoker because I hadn't spoken in so long but the longer I laughed the more people joined in until everyone around me was watching me and at the very least chuckling. My eyes wandered back around to Joseph who was the closest to me, sitting by my side holding my hands in his. That explained why they were so warm. He didn't laugh, but I could see the small smile there. The smile faded slowly from my face.

"Thank god your awake." He sighed and lifted my hand up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. "I was so worried."

"We were so worried." My head swiveled to the person that had said that.

"Trevor." I smiled at him and nodded my head in acknowledgment.

"Joseph, Trevor.." I paused and coughed, my dry throat had about had it with this whole talking thing.

"Someone get her a water bottle." Joseph commanded. Immediately his order was obeyed.

"Sir." He was handed the water bottle 10 seconds after he asked for it.

He took it and unscrewed the cap as he brought it to my lips. "Here drink." His left hand slid under my back and helped hold my weak body up as I struggled to drink the water. After I'd drank half of it I pulled my head back. My stomach didn't want to let anything else in.

"As I was saying, Trevor saved my life. If it wasn't for him I would probably be dead. I said I'd put in a good word." I winked at Trevor and smiled at Joseph.

He huffed his reaction made it obvious he didn't like that I was giving attention to anyone other than him. "Yes I am aware." He mumbled. "He'll be rewarded for his bravery." He leaned in close to my ear and whispered so only I would be able to hear. "I know he's the hero of the day, but don't replace me with him. It wouldn't go over well." He sat back into his original position.

I studied his face. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. I guessed joking, but with Joseph one could just never tell. "Jealous?" I mouthed at him and raised an eyebrow. He raised one back and mouthed to me "always." A smirk played on his lips confirming my suspicions that he was joking earlier.

"We'll be landing soon. We should be safe. We're back on home turf. Matthias and some guys should be there to escort us back to the house." I nodded not in the mood to keep talking. It was then that I realized that we were indeed on a plane. I paled more than I was before. I hated planes. Actually it was just heights that bothered me.

"We're on a plane?" I asked shakily. Joseph frowned and nodded noticing my sudden change in mood.

"Yes, why." I shut my eyes tightly. All of the sudden I could feel the sway of the plane and the loud roaring as we soared through the air.

"I hate planes." I said quietly through my lips.

"Oh." He seemed at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry. We'll be landing soon. Just keep your eyes closed. It'll go by fast." I closed my eyes and tried to forget about my horrible fear of falling but all that did was make me concentrate on the throbbing pain in my leg. It was a lose lose situation. I opened my eyes and stared into Joseph's deep light green eyes and looked for a distraction in them.

As always I ended up lost in the swirling green of them. I studied the red little lines running in the white part of his eyes. I couldn't tell if they were from a lack of sleep or crying. I couldn't ever imagine Joseph crying so I chose to believe the first.

I lifted up my hand up to his face with much struggle. I'd never felt so weak in my life. My hand shook like I was an alcoholic and hadn't had a drink in the last week. I ran my thumb along the bottom of his eyelid and into his cheek bone. He didn't show any signs of discomfort so I lift it there cradling his face. "Good grief Joseph haven't you slept I the last year." I joked with a small smile.

His face remained serious. "Hardly a wink since you were taken." I blinked in surprise. It had been nearly a week since I was stolen off the church steps. How could anyone refrain from sleeping for so long.

"How? Why?" I asked genuinely concerned for his wellbeing.

He shrugged his broad shoulders like it was no big deal. "How was I supposed to sleep when you were somewhere probably in pain. Even if I would've tried I wouldn't have been able to."

"And that's our cue to stop listening." Trevor said and he got up leading the other men to another corner of the plane. "Going soft on us boss." Some of them chuckled.

"Only for her. Don't think I'll be going any easier on any of you. If anything things are going to be tougher. Nothing like this can ever happen again." Joseph's authoritative voice was back in play now. The kind of voice that made everyone stop and listen because you could tell that it was important.

Everyone mumbled "yes sirs" and went about their business, quickly forgetting the intense atmosphere.

"You're going soft for me?" I questioned him blushing. Joseph going soft for anyone was a big deal. This was the same man that shot someone at point blank range right in the head and didn't think twice about it. The man that kidnapped me from my home. Yet also the same man that risked everything to save my life, the man that didn't make me feel like an outsider. In fact in his arms I'd never felt more at home.

"You have no idea. When that bomb went off I watched you go flying through the air and then land 20 feet away on the sidewalk. When I watched someone pick you up and then speed away with you." He shook his head and his eyes hardened over. "All I wanted was blood. I was completely convinced that whoever had done it was just trying to get at me. I was convinced that your life was in danger because of me. I never want to have that feeling again. Ever. I'm not going to let anything happen to you ever again."

The sincerity and raw emption I could hear in every word he said had me melting in his arms. He held me so gently, like I was a porcelain doll liable to break at any moment. But I wouldn't break. I didn't even feel the gun shot wound in my leg when I was with him. I felt like all of my fears and pains were put to rest around him.

I don't know if I'd ever felt love, but I guess this was what it felt like.

"You should sleep." He mumbled. "You look exhausted."

As exhausted as I did feel, sleep was not an appealing solution. As a matter of fact I'd begun to abhor sleep in the last week. I grimaced and clutched his shirt tighter in my fist.

"What's wrong?" He asked. I know he wanted me to look at him, but I just couldn't bring myself to.

"I can't sleep." I whispered. I shook my head still avoiding his eyes. I didn't want to tell him that every night I was forced to live out my worst fears. He didn't need one more thing to worry about. Especially one more thing involving me.

"Why? I'll be here the whole time." I could tell that he was baffled.

"No I-..." I trailed off and shook my head. "You sleep you look a lot more tired than I do."

"Hmm. Why don't we sleep at the same time babe." He shuffled close to me and slid him arm around my waist. I could tell that just by laying down that sleep already had him in her clutches.

I laughed nervously. "I don't think I can sleep again with everybody watching us." I looked around and indeed everyone had they're eyes trained on us. I blushed and look back down and his my face in Joseph's chest. I don't know why showing affection in front of people embarrassed me but really did.

"Don't mind them Jessica." He cupped my face in his palm. "They have as much devotion to you as they do to me. You're like the queen of the castle. You don't need to be embarrassed. Everyone respects you." He lightly kissed my lips and then fell down into a deep sleep, assuming that I would be joining him shortly.

He was wrong. The torture I endured when I closed my eyes wasn't worth the rest sleep provided. So I stayed up and watched over him. Like I knew he would have done for me.