Need to Break Out

[Shana O'Malley]

"You miight be able to make some arrangements?" Shana repeated, disbelief in her voice. How hard could it be?

Shana got to her feet and reached out, taking his hand and giving it a tug before she let go, walking to the back door. "Just open the door. There's you arrangement." God, she was lucky he hadn't killed her already. "It's probably time for the sunset, and it's not raining for once. I'd like to see it. I'm obviously not going to run if you're right there." She was now determined to go outside, and the gleam in her eye would have said as much.

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

It would have been easy to say no. He did it all the time with the business, turning down offers for products or denying pleas from people who owed them money. He could give the orders to kill a man without blinking an eye... and more than once, he'd done the deed himself. What was it about women that he couldn't quite resist the pleading looks in their eyes?

But there were a great many reasons why she shouldn't be allowed to go outside, even with him standing right next to her. Yes, the possibility that she'd try to run was a concern, but it wasn't the only one. She could scream for help and alert the neighbors. Or someone could see her, and she wouldn't even have to make a sound.

But he found himself wondering what her hair would look like in the glow of the sunset. He imagined it, the dying rays of the sun reflecting on her red hair, lighting up each strand like it had been set on fire.

Merlin, if anyone knew what he was thinking, his reputation would be ruined.

"All right. Look, I know I don't have to tell you not to run. I'm not going to let go of your hand. But I'm going to have to ask you not to scream or yell or anything like that, OK? I don't want to have to silence you."

Of course, he didn't mean "silence" as in the permanent kind... rather, he was referring to magic. But she couldn't know that, and he hoped that the comment sounded sufficiently threatening enough that she wouldn't try anything.

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana's eyesbrows had remained raised, and her gaze on him. She was determined to go outside, and she didn't care how many times he said no. He was going to let her out.

She listened quietly as he told her not to scream or call for help. She wouldn't, but she almost wanted to call his bluff. "I thought you said you didn't want to kill me?" She didn't say she wouldn't yell... but they both knew she'd be quiet.

She took a deep breath, kind of nervous for some reason, and glanced back at the door. "Whenever you're ready."

She was anxious to be outside... to see the sky, feel the fresh air. And in some regards... to have his hand holding hers. It was almost intimate.

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

"I didn't say anything about killing you," he corrected mildly. "I just said I'd silence you. And I also said I didn't want to have to do it."

Teo knew he shouldn't go along with this. He should lock her up in her room and go on about his own business for the evening. He was starting to spend too much time with her, and worse, he was starting to like it.

But he reached out and took her hand, holding her firmly but not roughly. Her hand felt so small in his, and it took him by surprise. She had such a big personality that sometimes he forgot how small she really was.

"Just until the sun sets," he said, moving to unlock the door. "Then we come back in."

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana just eyed him, almost curious enough to ask how he'd silence her. Knock her out? Beat her over the head and drag her inside like a regular caveman? For once, she thought better of the words that wanted to come out of her mouth, and she remained quiet. Well, mostly. "Yeah, semantics."

Her gaze set to the door again, her hand squeezing Mateo's lightly. She wanted to stay outside... to watch the moon rise and see the stars twinkle. But she would try and convince Teo of this later. She could be sweet and impossible to say no to if she really wanted to. She had to at least see if he was susceptible to puppy eyes. He seemed close with his sister, afterall.

"Ok. You have to open the door first, or we're going to miss the sunset entirely."

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

Teo still wasn't sure that she wasn't going to try to scream once they got out there, just to test him. She liked pushing the limits, trying to figure out what she could get away with. She was doing it now, by asking to go outside, and he was letting her.

"All right," he said, doing his best not to notice the way she had squeezed his hand. It felt oddly... intimate, and he was sorely tempted to tell her to just go to bed for the night.

But he turned and put his hand on the doorknob, giving it a subtle twist so that she wouldn't see how he had unlocked it using magic. All the doors were locked on either side with the use of magic... a wandless spell that involved a silent incantation as the doorknob was turned.

The door opened and he stepped out, leading the way into the back yard. It once had featured a well-tended garden with herbs and vegetables, that had been the handiwork of his mother. She had loved gardening almost as much as cooking, and she had lovingly created the garden for her son. But Teo had neither the time nor the interest to tend the garden after she died, so much of it was overrun with weeds. Some of the herbs still remained, growing wild almost to spite him.

Teo turned to Shana and shrugged. "I'm not sure how much of the sunset you can see over the rooftops..."

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana followed him outside in complete silence. This was almost some kind of weird, religious moment for her. She didn't bother trying to pull away from him, or screaming, or any of that. No, if she ever wanted to come outside again, she'd better behave right now.

She didn't look over her shoulder even when he spoke. "I can see enough of it."

She couldn't see the sun at all, but she could see the deep orange colors in the clouds from the setting orb. Sure, it was something she could see from the window in the kitchen, but this was different. This was experiencing it, not just watching it like she might a TV show.

For a moment, she glanced at him. He looked uncomfortable. "How are you not enjoying this? I'm not going anywhere. Relax."

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

The warm orange glow seemed to radiate around them, lighting up her hair like a kind of golden halo. He'd never realized before how dim and cold the lighting in his house really was, but there were times her hair almost looked brown. But here, in the burning twilight, she looked radiant. It made him wish he could see her in full sunlight.

Oh, Merlin. He had to stop thinking like that, and he had to stop looking at her. He wasn't even looking at the sunset.

"Have you ever seen me relax?" Teo said, raising an eyebrow at her.

[Shana O'Malley]

His question actually made her laugh.

Her mood had turned a full 180* in the last ten minutes. Where she'd been angry and sour with him just minutes ago, she was brighter and smiling now. He had done a good thing by allowing her out here... and she decided to focus on that, rather than the feeling of her hand in his. Because that was a ridiculous thing to be thinking about, right?

"No. And that's your problem, I think."

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

She had the kind of laugh that was infectious. Teo didn't laugh much these days, but even he couldn't help but crack a smile. "You're laughing at me," he said in a dry tone. "I don't let many people get away with that."

She was absolutely right, of course. He hadn't "relaxed" in so long that he wasn't sure he remembered how to do it. He was under too much pressure from his father and the business, and with Marco still standing in the way like a brick wall, Teo didn't feel that he could lighten up one iota. Besides, the only person who had ever been able to get him to relax and have fun had been Kate.

"I can't afford to relax. Relaxing could get me killed."

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana smiled in response to his words. No, she rather imagined he was not the kind of guy to take being laughed at with a grain of salt. But she had been around long enough now to not be intimidated. Much, anyway.

"That must mean you like me, h'm?" She asked, teasing him lightly.

Her eyes finally turned from the sky and looked at him. "You're going to die anyway, Mateo. You can't control fate. Look at me.... I was a bartender in New York whose biggest worry was how I was going to pay rent at the end of the month. Whatever you're stressed about, something random will blindside you. Just enjoy This sunset with me, will you? I'm not going anywhere."

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

Yes, he liked her. Too much, actually. She was like a ray of sunshine in his otherwise dark and empty life. How was it that he managed to feel so alone when he was almost constantly surrounded by family? Normally, he didn't even think about it, or about himself at all. He was like a soldier; everything he did was for the greater good of the business or the family. Since Kate had left him, he had done very little for himself. It was the decision he had made long ago, and he normally didn't mind it, but sometimes, when he thought about it, it seemed a little bit sad... like he had already sacrificed himself so that his brother and sister could live the way they wanted.

But if he let her, Shana could bring him out of the shell he'd locked himself in. She was doing it right now, coaxing him out by teasing him and urging him to relax. He shouldn't let her have that much influence on him... but somehow he couldn't resist.

He released a breath and turned to look at the sunset. It had been a very long time since he had just allowed himself to appreciate the beauty of the world around him, and he found that he was surprised by it. He couldn't help but wonder what else he had been missing.

"It's beautiful," he said quietly.

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana kept her eyes on the Italian, watching him with keen interest as he seemed to debate whether or not this particular sunset was worth enjoying, or if he should keep scanning the neighborhood to make sure no one was watching them, ready to kill either of them. It must have been an awfully said, high stress way to live, and Shana actually felt bad for him.

"There you go," she said softly when he finally at least looked at the sky. This was a big thing for her, she just wanted to share it with him. "You know... sometimes, I almost forget why I'm here. Sometimes, like right now... I can almost pretend that it's by my choice."

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

Teo, however, could never forget. Little did Shana know, but every time he looked at her, he felt a pang of guilt. She shouldn't be here. She should have been allowed to stay back in New York, with Dante Santino. It made no sense to drag this poor girl into something that had nothing to do with her. Teo had only been following orders, but he wished he had questioned them at the time, that he had refused to do what he was told. Kidnapping her had never made any sense to Teo, and it had proven useless in the last year. Yet still she was here, and would remain here for the foreseeable future.

"You shouldn't forget," he said. "You should hate me, Shana. You have every reason to hate me."

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana's smile faded, and she turned away from him- not that this did much to put distance between them. Their hands were still clasped, and when all was said and done, she was still going back inside with him.

"Funny," she said with a touch of sarcasm in her tone, "I thought it was you who told me we should make the best of things. Forgive me."

She should have pouted and told him she wanted to go back inside, especially now that the brilliant oranges and reds in the sky were fading into purples and blue. The stars would come out soon, and Shana didnt know when she would have an opportunity like this again. She didn't want to end it before he forced her to.

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

Teo exhaled loudly, torn between the urge to take her into his arms and the impulse to drag her back inside. Fortunately, he did neither.

"Shana," he said. "Look at me, please."

He could have forced her to look at him, or at least to face him, but he didn't want to force her to do anything. Well, except stay, but she didn't really have any choice in that matter, anyway. He might have been keeping her a prisoner, but he didn't want to be a brute.

Without waiting for her to turn in his direction, he spoke again. "I can never forget that I took you away from the simple, quiet life you should have had. I don't suppose you'll believe me when I say this, but I regret what I've done to you... I haven't forgiven myself for it. I did what I was told, but I shouldn't have. You shouldn't have to be here at all, and if it were within my power to set you free right now, I would. Yes, we should try to make the best of things while you're here... but I still wouldn't blame you for hating me."

[Shana O'Malley]

"That all sounds like some nice little lie you tell yourself to sleep better at night," Shana said, having sighed just as deeply when she turned around to look at him. "You could set me free. You just won't. And it's fine... I don't even know where I would go anymore."

She searched his face for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't hate you. I used to, if it makes you feel better."

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

Teo didn't answer her right away, choosing instead to stare ahead at the sky. What could he say? She was right, and they both knew it. Yes, he'd been following orders, but he'd still kidnapped her. And it was all too easy to hide behind that excuse of doing as he was told and having no control. He could blame it on Marco all he wanted, but he was really just hiding from the fact that he was a kidnapper, just like the man who had taken Sedona when she was a little girl--the first man Teo had killed.

He'd allowed himself to become what he hated, and when he told Shana that she should hate him, it was really his way of saying that he hated himself for what he'd done.

"I'm glad you don't hate me," Teo said. "But Shana, I'm not a good guy. Don't let yourself forget that."

He should make her go in now; lock her up in her room and call it a night. But even he wasn't completely immune to the magical feeling in the air. "Did you love him?" he asked. They never really talked about Dante, but he knew he didn't need to elaborate. She would know.

[Shana O'Malley]

Shana sighed. Why was he so intent on making her hate him? Did he want her to be as miserable as possible? Well, if she didn't hate him, he annoyed the hell out of her.


Glancing at him at his question, she was quiet for a moment. Then, finally, she nodded. "Yes, I did. Very much. I don't know if I still do, though. Why does it matter, anyway?"

[Mateo "Teo" Rossi]

Teo didn't put much stock in psychology, but on some level, he knew exactly why he was doing it. It was a defense mechanism to keep her from getting too close to him. He'd used it on Kate, years ago, and that was what had finally driven her away.

He had always known that he could not marry Kate, and yet, in the back of his mind, the idea had been there, sort of dangling above him like a carrot on a string just out of reach. Who knows how different his life would have been if he had given in to that secret desire? The idea of him settled down in domestic bliss--of of Kate settled down, for that matter--seemed like an impossible, almost ridiculous notion. But he couldn't deny the appeal of a simple, quiet, normal life that didn't involve kidnappings, murders, or other illegal operations.

Whether he would admit it or not, Shana put similar ideas in Teo's head. He blamed Sedona, but the fact was, Teo was getting too used to having Shana around. And if she was allowing herself to forget sometimes that she was a prisoner here.... well, he needed to remind her. He couldn't let her get too comfortable... he couldn't let her get too close.

"It doesn't matter, I guess," he answered quietly. "I just... I'm sorry I took you away from him."