<div align="center"><strong>~* Mae Little aka "MeiMei"- Struggling to understand what was happening and wishing Vincent would come to save her, In the Hall, The Gamble *~</strong></div><br/>A cry of pain twisted with anger exploded from her lips as Mae was struck across the face. Her green eyes shimmered with tears she stubbornly refused to shed, denying her attacker the satisfaction. A sharp pain throbbed at the roots of her hair resulting from his harsh manhandling as her naked body slammed up against the cold steel of the door. The vile spat from his eyes, piercing her heart with each word as he shook with anger, determined to make her his victim. Fear stole her words as his hand clamped around her throat stole her very breath, causing a tiny squeak to push past her trembling lips. Mae didn’t want to show fear. She had always envisioned herself as a tough fighter from the streets. In reality she was simply a very lucky little girl who happened to fall into trouble and each time come out smelling like roses. Now, it seemed, her luck had come to an end.<br/><br/>Mae struggled to keep conscious but the lack of oxygen was taking its toll. Darkness began to swim before her eyes causing her complete compliance with her attacker as he maneuvered her into the empty state room. She gasped for air the moment he pushed her onto the bed as her hand flew to her throat to rub at the soreness left behind from his brutal touch. Mae watched with fear as he stalked towards her, completely unaware she was naked even though in the back of her mind she knew he had stripped Vincent’s shirt from her bones. Her mind struggled to keep up with the tragic events she had found herself in, unable to process the danger that was imminent.  To her disgust a whimper sounded from her tongue, surprising the spirited young woman and signaling just how scared she actually was. Her sharp tongue had abandoned her, leaving the raw nerves exposed to the monster before her. She shook her head, softly speaking the word that would describe her physical plea.<strong>”No…no…..no…..no”</strong><br/><br/>What happened next was not only a miracle, but would stick in Mae’s mind for many years to come. A girl, a stranger, had taken down the blond devil with a devastating swing. The sickening sound of the extinguisher crushing against the thick skull of Mae’s attacker would haunt the young pilot for years to come, proving to be the sweetest sound she had ever heard, apart from the first time Vincent had told her that he loved her.  Mae sat frozen in fear, unable to process what was happening, staring down at the man that had promised to hurt her in so many unimaginable ways.  Her heart beat so wildly within her chest she could hear the rush flood her ears. Mae’s green eyes widened further as she watched the redheaded angel of mercy finish the job with yet another blow to her would be attacker, breaking his nose and leaving him mercifully unconscious, bleeding profusely.<br/><br/>Slowly Mae peered over the edge of the bed, terrified her rescue had all been a dream brought on by wishful thinking. At any moment Vincent would burst through the door and save her, or perhaps Griff would happen upon them and save the day? Her green eyes moved from the crumpled and bloody mess that lay motionless on the floor up to the half-naked stranger still holding her weapon of choice. Only when the extinguisher slipped from her grasp resulting in a loud clanking noise, did Mae jump, startled by the sudden noise.  Her body began to shake uncontrollably as the tears that had refused to fall finally poured from her terrified eyes. A gasp of air caught in her throat as Mae crumbled before her rescuer, curling up in a protective ball as she wept.<br/><br/>She cried for every rotten thing that had happened to her from the day her family had turned their back, casting her away as easily as they might have tossed out the trash, to the events that had happened today. Rolling onto her side, Mae pulled at the blanket, covering her naked form in an attempt to hide from the verse. She had finally been broken. Her spirit damaged.  One simple request escaped her trembling lips as Mae drew in a long and shuttering breath<strong>”Please….I need Vinnie”</strong><br/>