She was blushing? Why...oh. Shit. He ran a hand through his hair, looking away as he tried to come up with something to say. He hoped she wasn't starting to like him of all people. Why would a young girl fall for him anyway? Weren't there plenty of men her age around she could fawn over?

Jason looked back over to her, noting her expression mirroring his. His eyes softened just a bit. So this was troubling her as much as it did to him. He hadn't wanted this situation to become so complicated this suddenly. He sighed and stood, gather up the basket and his food. "I'll leave you in peace," he said softly before turning to head off to his room. What else could he say, really? He did care for the girl, he wanted to protect her, but that surely didn't mean he felt the same...did he?

Jason went and closed himself off into his room, standing for a moment with his forehead pressed to the wood to clear his thoughts. Finally he straigtened and stepped over to the end of the bed, sitting down to finish his meal. Now that he thought about it, the only reason he was eating was because of Maria. He sighed and ripped off another piece of bread anyway. Might as well keep eating it.

After finishing his food, Jason layed back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking of what to do. He hadn't been in such as situation for...he couldn't even remember exactly how long ago anymore. His face turned a little pained though at recalling the blurred memories of what had happened. The blood stained woman in his arms...

He shook his head and sat up, rubbing at his eyes in attempt to shut out those thoughts. Of course, this wasn't a world of medieval war lords anymore. Maria was safe, even from the Squad's that came around. But he still didn't want to grow too fond of the girl. It would be too much of a blow if he ever lost her.

After an hour passed Jason got up and walked back out into the living room to throw away the can. He saw Maria sound asleep on the couch and smiled, stepping over to grab the empty can beside her. He gazed for a moment at her sleeping face before turning away to the kitchen. Outside the loud footsteps of the Squad were echoing through the streets.

He finished putting away everything and was about to head back to his room when he paused, looking down at her. He then went instead to his chair and sat down, grabbing up a book and flipping it open to a random page. Whatever the case may be between them, he still enjoyed her company, even when she was asleep. He sat there for an hour more until his eyes finally started to droop, and then he fell asleep with the book in his lap.

A little after midnight, when the room was dead silent, a soft clicking came at the lock on the door. The deadbolt wiggled and glimmered in the moonlight from the window as someone on the other side picked at it.

The lock on the door finally gave away, letting it swing open a bit. For a moment nothing moved or made a sound. Then somone on the other side nudged it open farther. The barrel of a gun appeared, followed by a man wearing a cap with an "S" painted on the front. He kept half his face covered with a black cloth, letting only his eyes show. He caught sight of Maria and drew back a little. He looked around the room and spotted Jason's dark form asleep in the chair. Without turning away, he raised one hand to signal to others who stood out in the hall.

The first man snuck forward to lest the rest of his comrades in, and they arranged themselves quietly in a circle around the two. They all raised their guns, most pointed toward Jason. Only the first man who had come in, plus one other, kept his gun pointed at Maria. The first man went to stand over her, looking down at her young face. A cruel grin spread across his features. He motioned to the man standing beside him to come closer. He leaned over to whisper something in the others man ear.

Jason suddenly awoke then, having heard the vibrations in the air from their voices. He stood at once, and the sound of clicks accompanied his movement as all men in the room stepped forward with their guns held high. Jason paid no heed and pushed them aside to get to Maria. All thoughts had left his mind except for getting Maria to safety. The room filled with the sounds of gun blasts as the men fired at him. Jason managed to cover over her just in time as the bullets hit his back. He grimaced, but didn't cry out. The bullets wouldn't have the same effect on him as with humans.

Jason took her into his arms and bolted out the front door and toward the emergency exit at the end of the hall near Zain's apartment. Gun fire still followed him as the men raced after him. Jason burst through the exit and jumped over the rail of the fire escape as the alarm in the building went off. He hit the ground running and continued on through the side streets and back alleys. He had no intention of stopping until he was completely out of the Squad's range.

A mile later Jason finally slowed and stopped in a back alley. There was a fence at both ends that could hide them, at least for now. He found a safe, small area between two stacks of crates and went to set Maria down there. He then saw she was crying and he stroked her face to calm her. He hadn't counted at all on the Squad getting into the building. What they were after, he wasn't sure of. Someone must have tipped them off about something they wanted. Was it Maria? He hoped not.

"Shh, Maria," Jason said as he knelt beside her, pulling her close. "You're safe now." Jason began to feel the pain from the holes in his back, but he kept his expression clear as to not cause her worry. The wounds weren't a big deal. He could take care of them later.

Faint screams were heard in the distance from the building. The Squad had found other victims to take. Jason saw her hide her face and moved to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around her to rest his chin on her head. He felt the wetness from her tears and stroked her back gently. "It's okay to cry Maria," he said softly.

Jason held her in silence, just listening to the sounds in the distance and Maria's sobbing. There was nothing more he could do for her now except hold her. It wouldn't be wise to return to his apartment until morning. Not much might be left of it then though. The Squad was well known for their destructive behavior. He continued to stroke her hair gently, calling on an old tune he had heard once before and began to hum it softly to her.

Then, only a few minutes later, came the sound of a huge boom and a slight vibration rolled underneath them. Jason stood immediately, keeping her in his arms, to look over the crates. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. In the distance the apartment complex that they had just escaped from had a large hole blown out in one side, and the whole building was on fire.

Jason stared at the burning building for a moment, staying silent. Finally he turned to look down at Maria, his eyes a bit worried. Where would they live? That was a good question, but one that he didn't have the answer to. He shook his head. "I don't know," he answered. "But we will find a place, I promise. For now, we'll have to sleep here," he said, indicating the alley they were in.

Jason sat back down against the crates with her, stretching his legs out in a more comfortable position. He then realized he'd never changed out of his day clothes. He let of her to shrug out his coat, taking it and setting it over her shoulders to keep her warm. He buttoned only the collar to keep it on her and reached up to stroke her hair again. But then he caught himself. He didn't need to get so intimate with her. He lowered his hand and leaned back against the wood with a sigh. This would be hard to get through with having to battle himself every step of the way.