*newlyweds*

Laun's cheek tingled from the hit but it was not enough to truly hurt her, even so she could feel hot tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. Only her thick lashes and the fact that she didn't want this man to see her look weak kept the tears from falling. She didn’t struggle against his grip as he dragged her to the door and she didn’t stop herself from stumbling and falling to her knees after being thrown out. His words didn’t even register to her. She was still trying to wrap her mind around everything she had learned, or just confirmed. Somehow she felt she had always known that the man who had taken her in and raised her had never cared for her. He had never done anything a parent would do like take her places or spend any time that didn’t involve training with her. When she would get injured in her training he wouldn’t hang around to make sure she was okay, just send her off to the healers.

Before BG had time to shut the door she turned and glared up at him, “I will not hurt anyone for you. Ever.”

BG peered down at her from the sliver of open door remaining. He could admire that the girl still had spark in her. His lips twisted into a smile that resembled a sneer and the door shut with a solid thud. He would enjoy snuffing the flame.

It didn't take long for him to finish the paperwork that he had been working on prior to Laun's minor disturbance. Once he finished he stood and cracked his knuckles with resolute snap. He would have to do a little bit of unwinding if he was going to get any rest tonight.

He stepped out of his office and down the winding halls of the airship. It was late and there weren't many souls who wandered the halls anyone that did bowed their head and scurried on. The deeper he went the more dim the lights and there was no hint of life. Most everyone avoided this area of the ship because no one wanted to be there. It was where the prisoners were held, the scum, the traitors. Anyone BG felt needed to be there. Officers who had disobeyed him, dignitaries who had decided to protest his take over of their small towns, and of course; one puny pilot who had dared to steal the dragon -girl.

He keyed in the code which allowed him to enter the dank wing of the ship. Despite the progress in technology the cells remained primitive. Cold and bare except for the sizzling and crack of the bars of light that kept the prisoners confined. He stopped at one in particular and stood in front of it. His arms were held behind his back and he cleared his throat.

"Sir" Two of the guards who regularly stood watch moved behind him and saluted then relaxed into position behind him.

Laun had spent many years sneaking around the base keeping from being caught when she was escaping her relentless lessons. She knew how to get anywhere and was small enough to slide through the air ducks when she had to. So following BG while staying undetected was easy until she was lead into an area she had never explored. She had crotched behind the corner before the doors that lead down to the prisons and watched as the man entered the doorway. A guard who had stood watch outside the doors, making sure no one snuck around where they shouldnt be shut the door behind the man. Laun glared at the man, hating him for being in the way then began to look around. There had to be a way to get down there. She spotted an air shaft on the ceiling that might lead over the prison room but it was within sight of the guard.

Laun dug in her pockets and found a pen and a couple gum wrappers. She stood and aimed at a spot over the guards head. She threw the pen and it zoomed over the man’s head unnoticed and clanged as it hit the wall and bounced down the hall. The sound did the trick, drawing the man’s attention and he walked over to peer down the hall, searching for what made the small noise.

As quickly and quietly as she could be laun rushed to the vent and pried it open, slipping through and setting the metal frame back into place. She had to bend the metal again so it wouldn’t slide and fall to the ground, hopefully it wasn’t too noticeable on the other side. She stayed a moment, listening to see if the guard had heard her but his steps back to his station didn’t show any signs of alarm.

Laun crawled down the small tunnel listening carefully for any voices and peering through every vent as she crawled past them. She stopped suddenly when she heard the voice of two guards and backtracked to the last vent she had passed. Looking through it she could only see part of one of the soldiers and the solid wall of the room. Disappointed with the view Laun laid on her stomach and kept her breathing quiet as she listened to what was happening on the other side of the small slits in the vent.

Without a cue one of the two men stepped forward and typed a quick 4 digit code which made the bars fizzle and fade out. The other guard stepped forward with the other and retrieved Dorian from his spot on the bench. They held him up by his arms, he was easy to hold and did little to resist now.

He lifted his head slightly, his golden eyes struggling to fixate on the broad form that loomed before him. The only time Dorian ever saw him was when he was in a sour mood, and all that translated for him was a beating. He stood as straight as he could with the two men weighing his arms down uncomfortably.

BGs eyes fell on him coolly, he had nothing but disdain for this boy. He alone had jeopardized the whole mission. Everything he had worked for, his whole career. His hard fist met the softened muscle of his stomach with a sickening sound. "Do you want to know what's upset me so today, pilot?" He said in an amused tone.

Dorian gasped as his fist made contact and he coughed to regain his breath. He rolled his eyes at the question, he didn't understand why he insisted on acting superior when he was already in the dominate position. "What." He groaned out completely uninterested.

BG nodded to one of the men who held his arms and the soldier reached out and grabbed Dorian's chin and held it up towards BG. Who in turn smiled "I learned that because of your noble little ideas, Laun refuses to obey me." His knuckles came down hard on Dorian's jaw. "Do you have anything to say about that?"

Dorian's head dropped and he blinked hard trying to push away the dizzying stars that flashed before him. He didn't feel like justifying his question with a reply and he spat the blood that had pooled into his mouth on his polished shoes.

BG let out a disgusted gasp and delivered another punch to the pilots tender jaw. He sneered and his hand reached out to grab a fist full of hair and he jerked his head up to meet his gaze. “Even now you don't know your place?” His hand twirled around his thick hair into a fist. “Should I bring your sister down here too?” Trish was such a good soldier and obeyed every order but if her death would teach the pilot a lesson so be it, everyone was expendable.

Dorian jerked at the mention of his sister and the guards tightened their grip on him. His shoulder shrugged hard to force their weight on him but he had grown weak in the time he had spent in the cell. “Don't touch her” his eyes flashed with a threat.

BG stepped back amused and he let out a small laugh, his shoulder shaking at the act. “Too bad you can't play hero from a cell” The two men dragged the now struggling Dorian back into the cramped cell. “I'll give you a weeks time to heal that pretty little face of yours. At the end of that time period I want you to ring up Laun and explain to her that you never want to see her again. Understood? I need her to get over this little obsession she has with you.”

BG stood a moment longer to make sure Dorian was put up properly before leaving to his own private room.

Laun had lain perfectly stiff having shifted onto her back, eyes glaring at the metal above her and her fist clinched so tightly she could feel the pain under her nails. Each hit that was made against the pilot made a sickening sound that made Laun want to rip out of the shaft and tear apart the man who was doing it. But she knew better. Attacking BG would not solve anything for her at the moment. She would not be able to stand against all the soldier that he had at his will and he would easily be able to kill Dorian then and there. Her teeth clenched painfully as she heard another hit, this time of flesh on flesh and her stomach twisted when she heard the pilots weakened voice. It was all she could do to stay unmoving and soundless where she lay, waiting for the beating to be over and the man to leave.

Knocking out the two soldiers in the room before they alerted anyone would be easy. She was well trained after all and at this moment she wanted to do everything she could to make that man regret training her so well. Plan already formulated all she had to do was wait for the man to finish and leave.

It didn’t take too long for him to finish and she heard his heavy steps and the shut of the door as he left the room. She waited a moment, watching through the slits of the metal vent as she heard the guard talking to themselves. Once they passed below the spot that she hid she reached out and easily bent the metal frame with her fingers and pulled it in with her. Setting it behind her she pushed out head first and slid down the wall with a soft landing.

The guards had heard her land, as she knew they would and both turned quickly to see what it was. Unfortunately for them not quick enough as Laun rushed forward, kicking the legs out from under one man, sending him to the ground and landing a solid punch to the chest of the other, knocking the air out of him. She kicked the man who laid on the ground on his head, knocking him out then attacked the other as he was recovering from the first hit, gulping for air. Once she took him out she dragged the two bodies to the side wall and left them slumped there.

Laun rushed over to Dorian’s cell, grabbing onto the bars and peering into the cell. Her eyes widened as she took in the man that sat slumped on the ground where the soldiers must have thrown him. “Dorian,” she called out louder then she had meant to, her voice thick with panic. His bangs covered his eyes and she wasn’t able to tell if he was okay by the dim light in the cell. “Dorian.” She called again her voice trembling but more quiet so as not to alert the guard that stood outside. Sliding down to be more level with the dark form in the cell she rested her forehead against the cold bars. She hadn’t realized the cell would be locked with a keypad and she had no way of getting the code now that she had knocked the guards out.

Suddenly the tears that she had held back earlier came back with a vengeance and she felt all that had happen weigh down on her. It was her fault that Dorian was in this position; it was her fault for not doing as she was told, for confronting BG and making things worse than they had to be. For getting a good man locked up and beaten and maybe even causing the same to soon happen to his sister. It was her fault her parents were dead and that so many had died under BG’s orders because of whatever he needed her for. Even if she hadn’t been aware of it she was still the cause, the weapon. And she had run around here ignorant and foolish like a spoiled child, only realizing what was happening once it was too late. Dorian did not deserve what she had caused him.

She dropped her head as the tears fell, not wanting to face what she had done, what she had caused.

Dorian lay slumped against the wall. His mind not letting him forget so easily BGs demand. He would have no choice but to make the call. He laid his arm over his eyes and his jaw clenched tightly together even through the pain. He would have to see Launs face when he told her never wanted to see her again. He didn't know if he could bring himself to say the words so easily even if they were just a lie. He'd have to do this to save Trish though, right. He grimaced. Why did he let Trish convince him to join the army. Why had he been so stupid to get comfortable on that planet. His grimace softened into a frown. He had gotten so caught up in the easiness of playing house. Despite the run down appearance Dorian had enjoyed coming home after a hard day of work to relax and hear about all the things laun had overheard in the marketplace or all the things she had learned from the books she had bought. And even sometimes hearing about The tigers successful and amusingly failed sexual conquests.

He had heard the commotion of the guards but hadn't thought much of it. After BGs visits every move hurt so he had to make sure every move had meaning. He had assumed they had brought someone else down when he heard the clamoring of The two men. This had become quite the popular spot as of late. He slumped further back against the cold cell, his eyes closed and he hoped to sleep, to better ignore the pain.

Only when he heard someone cry out his name did he pay attention. The voice was pained but familiar. His eyes shut tighter. His mind was only playing tricks on him. When he heard it a second time he looked up. His heart wrenched to see Laun in such an anguished position. Her fingers wrapped around the bars and her head hung low. He stared at her for a moment before pushing himself up and moving to the bars. His cold fingers wrapped around hers and be spoke quietly, his voice raspy from lack of use "well, well..long time no see" he teased gently.

Laun’s head jerked up and even with her eyes still full of tears she couldn’t stop a brilliant smile at seeing the man so close once again. All the hurt and anger she had been feeling only moments before slipped away and all she wanted to do was reach through the bars and pull the man as close as she could and keep him there. She stepped as close as she could to the bars without being flush against them and pulled one hand from under his to wipe roughly at her wet face. “Don’t act so casual;” She scolded halfheartedly, “You look horrible.”

Her attempts at drying her face turned out useless because new tears began to fall but not because she was sad but because she was so happy to see him again. Feeling a little embarrassed from her silly crying she looked away but stopped rubbing at her face. Instead her hand reached through the bars, grasping for any part of him that she could touch. Her hands found the material of his shirt and she fisted it between her fingers not wanting to be away from him. “I-I’m not crying for you.” She mumbled stubbornly before he could say anything, not wanting to be teased for her emotions.

Even though she had tried the last few days to pretend she hadn’t missed him it had obviously been a lie. She had missed every moment away from the dark haired man and she realized that she cared deeply for him and just calling him a friend didn’t seem right. But she didn’t know what else to call how she felt and what he meant to her. Ever since they had kissed in the small apartment her feelings had been so confusing.

"Ouch" Dorian sighed softly at her comment, the corner of his mouth tilted into a gentle smirk. He knew he must look horrible, He felt horrible. His body was littered with bruises, greens and purples all in various states of healing. His hand lowered to clasp over her's that gripped his shirt and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. Any discomfort he might have been feeling was pushed to the back of his mind at the sight of seeing Laun well.

"Of course you aren't." He joked as his unoccupied hand reached out to assist her in her poor attempt at drying her tears. His hand gently cupped the delicate curve of her cheek and his thumb stretched to wipe away a rogue tear. "Why are you crying then?" He leaned his head down slightly his soft golden eyes hoping to catch the glistening gaze of her ruby eyes. "I'm not that scary looking, am I?"

Laun leaned her head into his hand and with a sigh she closed her eyes, loving the gentle brushes of his fingers. When she opened them again she met the sharp yellow of his own and was finally able to really look at him now that he was close. His clothes were the same ones he had been wearing the last time they had been together and was as dirty as the floors of his cell hinting that he was not supplied with anywhere to sleep but the cold hard stones. Rips riddled his shirt from rough treatment and she could see the dark spots of his skin that had turned colors from his beatings. It looked as if he had been hit on a regular basis and she could see a small dark trail of fresh blood smeared across his lip. It must have been busted only moments before by BG.

Her hand that had still been wrapped around a bar moved out to mirror his earlier movement touching the soft skin of his jaw and moving slowly to his lips to wipe the red smear off. “Of course not,” She gave him a small smile and leaned her forehead against the bars and closed her eyes at the coolness of them, “Why are these damn bars in the way.” All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around his shoulders and stay with him; maybe even...she looked at his lips again and blushed at where her thoughts seemed to be headed. Was something like that really appropriate at such a time, while he was so injured? “I need to get you out of here.” She whispered to him.

Dorian slipped away from her grip, he felt like he had exhausted all of his ideas on escaping this place. "I don't know how you would." He said with a sigh. He leaned back and tilted his head up to examine the steel bars which kept him from freedom. He didn't know how many ideas he had gone through when the guards weren't looking, or how he thought he had clever ways to decipher the sounds of the beeping keypad for the 4-digit code to release him.

There was a shifting noise from one of the officers who still lay on the ground. "S-security breach in confinement." he groaned through the piercing pain from his earlier head injury.

There was a spark of activity on the other end, his radio broadcasted the quick witted commands of high ranking officers who without hesitation ordered their best men to notify BG and to send back up straight to the holding cells.

Dorian's gaze shot back to Laun "You need to get out of here." he said before adding with startling seriousness, "Now."

“No,” She stated firmly, her eyes blazing with a stubbornness that told him she would not change her mind. “This time I’m going to save you.” Her demeanor was calm even as her eyes raked the room desperately for a way to open the gates. Looking back at him she wondered if he even had the energy to run once he was out.

The guard’s voice and a hiss of other voices from the radio made her jerk to her feet in alarm and she was across the room in seconds, grabbing the man by the collar and heaving him up with ease. It would only take minutes for a group of guards to reach the dungeons and if that happened Laun doubted she would be able to stop so many. She had to get him out now.

Dragging the man across the floor she drew him up and slammed him against the wall next to the keypad and in a voice as dangerous as she could make she growled, “Open this. Right now!” Her eyes blazed in anger and she gave him a threatening shake while she spoke, daring him to disobey her.

An alarm began to blare, lights along the wall flashed red, alerting the whole base. It would only be minutes before guards stormed through the door. She shook the man in her hands again, his head bounced off the wall but the smirk he wore never faltered. It was useless, he wasn’t going to help no matter how rough she was. With a frustrated cry she dropped him and returned to the bars. Panic set in as she tugged uselessly at the thick bars, refusing to give up. If they were still here when BG’s guards showed up he would have her locked down and there would be no other chance in saving Dorian. “I won’t leave you here!” She cried, still tugging hopelessly at the bars.

Footsteps could be heard outside, they were here. They were at the door. Laun stood ready to fight for as long as she could. Most of the guards who were recruited under BG were not bad people but she would hurt every one of them if that’s what it took.

The door was slammed open, Laun clenched her fist, ready to move before guns could be pulled. Leans forwards on her feet then takes off at a run planning to surprise the first guard with a body slam. Orange hair passed the door and she skidded to a stop, recognizing the man entering the room.

Yogi assessed the girl and the room, spotting Dorian behind the bars and the guards spread out across the floor. His eyebrow rose at the small girl, “I see you’ve been busy without me.” He smirked, sharp teeth flashing from behind his lips, “but I think it’s time I took over.” Walks over to the prison holding Dorian and examine that lock. “I’ve had someone cause a diversion but it won’t last long.” Sets the bag he had across his shoulders onto the floor and pulls out a small device, hooking it up to the lock. It beeped a few times then the bars opened and a blur rushed passed him and Laun entered the cell, dropping to her knees to help Dorian. She brushed at his black hair and fretted over all his bruises close up.

Yogi clicked his tongue in annoyance at the scene. Wasn’t he the one who deserved the attention for saving this guy. “Let’s go. Quickly.” Grabs his bag and swings it back over his shoulder after pulling a handgun out.