All Melody could do was sit in silent tumult. For the moment, she couldn't think of anything else to do. Anything to say. What possible answer could she give to that question that wouldn't simply make things even worse than what she had already done?

Looking at his little face, a face that was contorted in awful visage of horrified realization, Melody felt awful. This was her fault, she had no doubts about that. It had been her choice to take the conversation in this direction, and she had done it for selfish reasons. Because she couldn't just ask her stupid question and be done with. Because she couldn't just be honest.

"I almost died," Corey rasped, likely to himself given his blank stare. Melody couldn't help but bite her bottom lip, her mind still racing to come up with some way to comfort him. Basic instinct was screaming at her, demanding that she curl her fingers inward to surround him in the warm, safe confines of her flesh. That wouldn't solve anything, though, as pleasant as she found the thought itself to be. Nothing was going to hurt him right now, and Melody doubted any Beta could be much safer than he currently was. The only danger to him right now came from within, and that was going to take a different approach to handle effectively.

"Why was I so stupid?," he asked with a sniff. "I shouldn't have been there to begin with."

Melody's stomach seized up at that, and her brow furrowed as she gritted her teeth. She may have let the conversation go into an unfortunate direction, but she wasn't going to let it go into this one.

"Corey, no," she stated seriously, her voice soft and reassuring, "this isn't-"

"Jenna told me, you know?" Corey interrupted, paying no attention to her words and looking down once more. "She told me years ago that I shouldn't go there. That it wasn't safe. That I'd get hurt. But I had to be stupid. I had to be stubborn, and then I paid for it."

"I practically asked for this," he stated with a choking laugh.

"No," Melody responded emphatically, the level of her voice rising just enough to command Corey's attention, to bring his eyes back into contact with her own. Her eyes picked up a small shiver from his diminutive body at the sudden elevation of her voice, and for just a moment she felt bad for that. Just for a moment, though.

This was not a path she was going to let his mind wander down. It was a path he had no business on, a path that would lead only to misery on his part. If it took being a bit more forward to make that clear to him, that he was not at fault for what happened, then so be it.

"How is that area classified, Corey?" she asked firmly, but gently. Her intent was not to chastise, after all. That approach would do him no good, either.

"...Mixed," he answered after a moment of silence, his voice low and still cracking.

"That's right," Melody replied, giving him a smile. "Anyone can be there. Betas, Alphas, Omegas, it doesn't matter. Every square inch of that area is designed so that you can walk through it safely, so that you can talk to anyone else who might be passing through, regardless of their size. So that you can patron the stores there, or even get something to eat with someone."

"But-" he started to cry out, but Melody was going to have none of that.

"You had every right to be there," she continued. "You had every right to run there, and every right to expect to be safe there, Corey. They are the ones at fault, not you. You did absolutely nothing wrong. You did nothing worth blaming yourself over."

"They are the ones who did something wrong, not you," she tenderly emphasized. "The law itself says that much, and that law is why those girls are in your sister's custody for the next year."

Things were silent between them for a moment, and it was with some relief that Melody noticed that that his breathing was starting to settle down. She had to suppress an affectionate bleat as she watched him raise his free arm to wipe at his eyes. The arm returned to his side, his somewhat despondent gaze met Melody's eyes once again.

"So what did the law do for me when I was being treated like a toy?" he suddenly asked, his voice welling with bitterness. "Like something to be used and then thrown away?"

Melody could only purse her lips in response. As sad as it was, he ultimately had a point. A law could provide incentive to behave, and avenues for justice if broken, but there was nothing for the in-between.

"Melody, I've never felt so helpless in my life," he spat with an enraged snarl and wide eyes, and the weight of that statement wasn't lost on her. He had grown up with an Omega for a mother, and had let three little Omega girls handle him with absolute confidence in his safety. That this incident had left him with this feeling...it made Melody want to shudder.

"I couldn't do anything," he cried, his eyes glistening once again. " They just...they just did whatever they wanted to me! No matter how much I begged or screamed, they didn't care! One girl apparently does now, but that doesn't suddenly mean she didn't crush my arm between her fingers. It doesn't suddenly stop one of them from dangling me in the air by my other arm...from pounding my fucking ribs in just because she didn't like me talking!"

His breathing had become labored now, and his trembling had returned. His wide, panicked eyes continue to meet Melody's sympathetic gaze. She wanted to cry, but...for the moment, she felt she had to hold her composure, for Corey's sake, no matter how difficult it was. She had known of his injuries, obviously, but hearing him actually talk about them...that was completely different.

"Didn't fucking stop the last from snapping my leg like a toothpick, either," he quavered.

"Melody, I shouldn't even by alive," Corey whimpered, and Melody's instincts went into overdrive. Forget just enclosing him in her hand, now she wanted nothing more than to pry him from that little metal pill. To press his tiny, fragile body to her chest, sandwiching him between the fleshy, cushioned plane of her overwhelming palm and the ocean of soft white fabric that was pulled taut against her breast. To simply hold him there in a comforting brace.

"I don't even know how I'm still alive," he choked out, "the only thing that even begins to make sense is that I just got lucky. I'm alive because of a single stroke of luck, and nothing else."

Melody couldn't help but narrow her eyes at that.

"I don't think luck had much of anything to do with it," she stated softly. His mouth started to move in response, but he couldn't even get a word out and instead opted for a confused tilt of his head.

"Who was it that found you, Corey?" Melody asked simply, and a moment of confused silence passed.

"...Claire?" he finally responded, his raspy voice tinged with uncertainty over the point of the question.

"That's right," she responded, allowing herself to give him another smile. "And why was she there?"

Silence once again. Melody was prepared to answer once more, of course, though she hoped Corey would realize her intent for himself.

"I...I don't know," he finally sputtered out, yet Melody maintained her smile. She had hoped he would have an answer, but she wouldn't hold that lack of one against him given his current state.

"She was there," Melody started, her voice soft and soothing, "because of you. Because of the relationship you built with her by being there to support her, to talk to her, to help her when she needed it. Because you were there for her soccer games. Because you would stay up with her when she had a bad dream and Mrs. Abby was away. Because for 15 years, you've been a wonderful big brother to her, and she couldn't wait to see you again while you were here on break."

"That's not luck to me, Corey," she continued, and it was with renewed relief that she noticed his breathing once more starting to stabilize, "to me, that's causality at work. That's your actions paying off. When it comes down to it, you're alive because of the person that you are."

Melody had to take a breath after that as her eyes continued to study his face. She hoped he would take that to heart, that it would help him in his recovery. He needed that sense of empowerment, she knew that much. That sense that he had some control over his life. So many Betas, after being being victimized like this, they struggled with a sense of utter powerlessness. She had seen first hand, how it could eat away at them over the years, how it could feed an overwhelming sense of despair within them.

She had lost one dear little friend to it just a month ago, and she wasn't going to lose another. Not if she could help it.

"Thanks, Melody," a quiet voice proclaimed from her palm, and Melody's sense of relief escalated at how...calm that voice was now. Corey's features in general had calmed down dramatically now, becoming much more tranquil. "I...I really appreciate it. I'm sorry if I got a bit..."

Melody gently shushed him, cutting him off.

"There's nothing to apologize for," she soothed, "I'm just glad you're feeling a little better now."

Melody bit her bottom lip for a moment, considering her next words carefully.

"Corey," she started, and she felt her cheeks start to warm a bit, "I want you to know that whenever you feel like that...or even if you just want someone to talk to, you shouldn't hesitate to get in touch with me. Or, uh, not just me...Jenna, too, and obviously Claire. Kyle, too, or Alexis...there's a lot of us that care about you, Corey, and all of us would be happy to listen."

She was happy to see a smile appear on his face at that, though his response was unexpected.

"Thanks for telling me that, Melody, but I can't talk to anyone else about this. And I don't want you to tell anyone about this talk."

"What?" Melody questioned, utterly confused. "Why?"

"Because I want those girls to have a fair chance at rehabilitation."

"How does that...what does that have to with just talking to people?" Melody asked, still confused.

"It's because I know Claire," he stated, "and so do you. The last time I talked to her, she seemed willing to give them that chance. If she ever hears about this talk, about what I said...do you really think that will still be the case? That she'll be fair to them?"

Melody didn't even need time to think.

"No," she responded with some resignation. It was true, and as much as she knew Marion didn't deserve that chance...well, the other two did. It was why Dr. Everett had transferred them out of Jenna's custody, and after their talk this morning about the three, it was a call she agreed with.

"Honestly, I'm actually ashamed of myself," Corey said with a sad laugh.

"What in the world do you have to be ashamed of?" Melody asked, her tone incredulous.

"The fact that a part of me honestly wants to let Claire know," he responded. "The fact that that same part enjoys having that kind of power over how they're treated. It's just..."

"That's not who you are," Melody found herself whispering, and a soft chuckle followed from Corey a moment later.

"Right," he said, "I want people to have the chance to be better. To get help if they need it. I mean, I want to be a fucking doctor, and I'm seriously sitting here and thinking about making things worse for three people out of spite?

"And I think that's natural, given what happened," Melody responded simply. "You're only human, Corey, and no one is perfect all the time."

"The important thing," she continued, and she could feel her light blushing begin to escalate as she did so, "is that you know that isn't the person you are. It's not the person you want to be. The fact that you can acknowledge that part of you and then reject it...that just speaks to your character."

Melody found herself gulping, then, as she realized that there was no better time than this, and a light shiver coursed through her body. Neither the gulp nor the trembling of the tanned field on which his bed sat went unnoticed by Corey, who shot Melody a concerned stare.

"I-I-It's why..." Melody stuttered out, her futile attempts to catch the words she wished to say as they disappeared on the tip of her tongue causing her no small amount of frustration.

"It's w-w-why I want..." she choked out, her frustration mounting as she gritted her teeth and her cheeks continued to burn hotter. Why couldn't she just do this?! She'd had no trouble speaking her mind for the past several minutes, why now?

"Are you okay?" Corey asked from her palm, the concern on his eyes spilling over into his voice.

"I-I'm fine," she replied, exasperated.

This wasn't going to work, she realized. They would be here all day if she kept trying this, and they didn't have that. Corey wanted to watch a movie, and then it would likely be time for another bath, and that would just lead to more napping.

Staring at the little object of her affections, though, she realized something else: That there were other ways to communicate what she wanted to. Ways that required far fewer words, ways that were far more...clear.

Melody's features softened, then, even as she began to steel herself. Her sharp eyes took in one more scan of Corey's body, confirming that he was properly strapped him to the chamber. Taking one last little look at his concerned, handsome face, Melody fully committed to what she was about to do. Something she had wanted to do for years.

Slowly, the hand that held her little crush began to rise, even as Melody's head began to lower at an equal pace. Her eyes continued to focus on him, and as that distance narrowed, his eyes shifted from a gaze of concern to one of utter transfixion.

"Melody...?" his quiet voice asked, halfheartedly probing for her intentions. Melody only offered him a light shush in response, letting her warm breath wash over him in a gentle, controlled breeze. As he was drawn ever closer, he eventually passed from Melody's immediate vision, but he offered nothing else. No questions, no protests, not even the slightest hint of a fearful whimper.

Melody knew that his destination would be apparent to him now, as she puckered her full, unpainted lips in anticipation.

She felt it, easily, when her lips came into soft contact with that tiny, metal pill. Felt it when the soft, bulbous flesh flooded into the cavity that held the target of her demonstration. When it tenderly pressed down onto Corey's damaged form with a carefulness that seemed to defy the universe itself. She felt it, too, when an infinitesimal press against her lips originated from the spot where she knew his own lips currently resided. She held it, for just a moment, allowing him to simply be swallowed up in the pink masses of her lips, before softly separating in a quiet pop. There was so much more she wanted to do, so much more she knew she could do, but in his current state this was as much as she dared.

Returning her hand to its former position, her eyes couldn't find Corey fast enough. She failed to suppress a giggle as his face came into focus; a look of utter contentment was upon his face, along with a bit of saliva that trailed down his body.

"Wow," he uttered, a smile on his lips, "How long were you wanting to do that?"

"Too long for my tastes," she answered with a gentle chuckle. She noticed that her words seemed to be flowing easier now, as if a dam had suddenly been removed from between her mind and her lips.

"Would I be wrong to assume you reciprocate, going by that little smile?" she asked, allowing an edge of playfulness into her voice.

"Not at all," he responded with his own chuckle. "Between this and our talk...you've really become an amazing woman, Melody."

"But you know this kind of...relationship isn't without challenges," he stated, his tone becoming a bit more serious.

"I know," she gently responded, "and I'm fine with them. I know what I'm signing up for, and as much as some things might hurt...I'd rather take the chance. I want to see if I can be with you, and if I can have you with me, for as long as I'm able."

Another chuckle reached her ears.

"I think Mom said the same thing to Dad when they got together," he remarked, smiling again.

There was silence between them for that moment, and Melody took the opportunity to bask. It was a wonderful feeling, to be free of that weight. To be acknowledged as the woman she had become, and to be called an amazing one at that.

To look into those tiny little eyes and see the new found adoration within them, to be warmed by the idea that their eyes were now locked in mutual affection. That, too, was wonderful.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight?" she asked, still amused at how easily these words were coming now. This had been the first thing she had meant to ask, as a lead-up.

"I don't think I'd be very good company," he replied jokingly, "unless you're willing to count snores as conversation."

"I'm fine with that," she responded, "I just know that Claire has office duty tomorrow, while I've got an off day. I don't like the thought of you being by yourself here, even if someone can get here quickly if needed."

"Did Claire okay this? I'm technically in her custody while I'm in this metal bastard."

"She said she was fine with it if you were," Melody beamed. She had her bases covered

"Then sure, why not," he conceded, "At the very least it'll be a change of scenery."

And maybe I can find a...funner place for you to rest, Melody thought with a sultry smirk, her multitude of successes on the day emboldening her. Her little smirk caught the attention of her new partner, earning an eyebrow raised in concern. She only smiled wider.

A light knock on the study's door broke up their little conversation, with Claire's somewhat muffled voice declaring it to be Movie Time. Giving Corey one last little smile, Melody rose to her feet and exited to the living room.

Jenna had apparently picked the movie on her own, since Corey and Melody had sequestered themselves while Claire had showered. No one was shocked that it was a western, as Jenna loved the things, and her selection this time was something from early in the century.

Corey had changed hands as Melody took a seat on the far end of of the couch, with Claire taking up the rest as her feet rested in Melody's lap. Corey, unsurprisingly, was exactly where Claire had told Marion he would be: resting on the fabric of her t-shirt that covered her stomach. It was the usual spot he occupied whenever he had joined the three for a movie, a nice bit of normalcy for him

As the movie began with a piano tune matched to a woman's narration on the account of her father's murder, Melody couldn't help but shift her attention to Corey, already firmly enamored with the film. She smiled at that, but then shifted her gaze to the ground on which his Chamber rested. She could only imagine Marion fuming within the stomach of her best friend, helpless and at her ultimate mercy so as to not be digested without a care.

Melody genuinely hoped that girl would work her way up in Claire's new system, she really did. She wanted the little monster to build that hope for herself up, to get within arm's reach of getting out of this place alive.

She wanted to once again send everything crashing down around her with the information she had been given.

The narration suddenly caught her attention, and Melody once again had to smile.

"You must pay for everything in this world," the narrator had stated with conviction, "one way and another. There is nothing free except the grace of God."

Marion was going to pay. For everything that she had done. Attacking Corey was going to prove to be the worst mistake of that girl's life, second only to the fact that in doing so, she gained the attentions of Kayla Everett and everything that entailed. She had essentially invited a walking goddess into her head, a goddess that could pore through every dark memory in her little mind.

Melody had to fight back a snarl as she thought back to the results of that. While she had told Corey differently, and been genuine in her citation of causality in her bid to empower him, he ultimately had been extraordinarily lucky to survive contact with that girl.

The twelve before him hadn't been so lucky.