Marcus barely heard the gentle knock on his office door over his heated conversation on the phone. He held his hand over the microphone as he called "Come in!" he then proceeded to shout profanities into the phone. A sophisticated looking woman calmly shut the door and took a seat in front of Marcus' desk. "I don't fucking care! Find them or your ass is on the line!" with that he slammed the phone down and ran a hand over his face, exasperated. The lady didn't even flinch, she remained unmoved and held her impassive gaze on the dishevelled man before her. "So, who's the boy?" she asked, merely blinking when he snapped his head up at her. "How do yo-" Marcus started questioning before she interrupted him. "I see everything... as always." she explained, a slight smirk playing on her full lips. Marcus scoffed "Of course you do, Connie." he chuckled, "I found him in an alleyway, in the red-light district." His jaw clenched involuntarily at the thought of what happened. "It's unlike you to pick up a rent boy, Marcus." Connie tried to joke, but her smile fell as she saw the rage on his face. "Don't. Call. Him. That." Marcus pushed through gritted teeth. Connie sat back, evaluating him, "Who is he to you?" she narrowed her eyes trying to gain answers. "No one... He's no one. I just... I had to help, I heard a scream and I couldn't leave him..." Marcus' features twitched with tension he was confused himself as to why he wanted to help Sam. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Maybe it was his vulnerability, his smile, the way his fringe rested perfectly, framing his face or his delicate features that for some reason reminded him of... her. Marcus' face contorted in anguish before his expression turned reticent. He isn't her... Marcus pushed himself up from his seat, remaining reserved as he turned to Connie, who followed suit. "He hurt his knee, see to it and take him these." Connie took a hesitant step towards him taking the clothes "What happened to him?" she saw the grimace momentarily play on his features. "What hasn't? That's the real fucking question." he snapped, his misdirected anger causing Connie to retreat, slightly shocked by the second sudden outburst of the usually stoic man. She turned on her heels and left Marcus alone with his thoughts.

All Sam could think of as he laid on his cloud of pillows was how lucky he was to finally have a nice place to stay... well, how unlucky he had been. His thoughts drifted to his old home, if he could even call it that. He thought of his mother, the mother that took the beatings for him. Sam could still remember the pain in her eyes as she suffered the torture her own husband gave her. She protected him with her life... literally. When she was gone, his father found a new target, Sam would cry, he cried for his mother, he cried in pain, he cried for the cruel world he lived in and he cried for himself. However, he learned crying didn't get you far, especially after his father grew tired of him and threw him to the wolves. Crying caused you pain. Crying made you look weak and you couldn't be weak, not in his old home. He still shed tears, but alone, in the empty darkest hours of night, when everyone else slept. After he was used and abused, when they were done with him for the day, then he would break down. That night he had sobbed his heart out and it saved him, someone heard him, someone helped him, and here he was. He thought of that night and the nights that came before, he thought of how broken he felt, how violated and... dirty. His skin crawled, he felt their hands grasping at his body all over again, their nails dragging across his skin.

A curt knock shocked him from his drowning thoughts and he scrambled to sit up. He stuttered out "Come in." Connie cautiously approached the timid boy, she spoke softly "I'm Connie, I'm a doctor, can I look at your knee?" he nodded lightly. She tried to get the answers that she couldn't from Marcus as she carefully inspected his knee "So, little rabbit, what's your name?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of her work. "S-sam...little rabbit?" he questioned the nickname. "Well, you remind me of scared prey," she answered, Sam gulped in fear of the intimidating woman "like a rabbit." she continued, she glanced up at him with a kind smile which put his mind at rest. "What were you doing in that part of the city?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "I-um, I live- lived there." he answered. Unsatisfied, she raised her eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "My mother, my... father and I lived there, then I... um, I had to work, when they were... gone." he felt his lip begin to tremble, but remained strong. "Elaborate." She encouraged. "I was... I was f-forced to give men w-what they w-wanted..." his voiced shook dangerously, he scrunched his face up, refusing to be weak. Connie wasn't expecting that response, she had presumed he was desperate for money so he worked for it in unconventional ways and he just got in trouble with a bothersome customer when Marcus found him. She suddenly felt guilt building in the pit of her stomach , not that she would show it. "Are you finished? Sorry, it's just... I really want a shower." Sam whispered, too ashamed to look her in the eye. She nodded and stood, wordlessly leaving the clothes beside the trembling figure, she stopped at the door giving Sam the final once over before she left, he really did look like her. He let out a sigh of relief as he heard the door click shut. He was left in the suffocating silence once more, no sound but that of his tears colliding with the laminate flooring.

Sam stared blankly at the tiled wall from the floor of the shower, letting the scalding water wash over him, cleansing him of the night, but it still haunted his sleepless night as he laid there, watching the darkness, he was waiting to wake up and be back in his old life. He couldn't get comfortable, no matter how soft the bed was, although, he was beginning to think that was the problem. He dragged himself from the bed, on to the cold flooring, his skinny frame slid easily under the bed where he slowly drifted off to sleep. That was what he was accustomed to, that was what he deserved, that was what he was taught.

Marcus tossed and turned, before giving up on his futile attempt to sleep. He felt uneasy, restless not knowing if Sam was ok. Dragging himself out of his king size bed, he slips a jumper over his head and slinked down the narrow corridor until he reached Sam's door. He hesitated before twisting the handle, wincing as the door creaked with each millimetre it opened. Marcus felt his heart skip a beat seeing the empty bed. He panicked, he wouldn't be able to sleep for weeks not knowing if the boy was ok. He froze, suddenly noticing the small hand protruding from under the bed. He let out a sigh of relief as he crouched to see Sam curled up, shivering. Gently, he pulled him from under the bed, careful not to wake him, he lifted him into his arms and on to the bed, he frowned at how easy it was, he shouldn't have been that light. Sam stirred, groaning softly in his sleep before muttering "No little rabbit... go away..." Marcus smiled in adoration "stop licking me..." he had to fight to hold back his laughter, trying not to wake him. He pulled to blankets over Sam's small frame, who turned over, grabbing Marcus' sleeve "no... don't go rabbit... I'm sorry." Marcus let himself admire Sam's beautiful features; his button nose creased in his sleep; his lips were soft, slightly parted as he let his chest rise and fall slowly. A smile grew on those gentle lips making Marcus see how much he really looked like her... his Belle. His brow twitched in realisation, he stumbled away from Sam and down the hallway before slamming his door shut. He stood panting against it, his eyes frantically searching the room for answers he wouldn't get. He slid to the floor, tangling his fingers in his hair as he silently screamed and sobbed into the silence of the night.