A pair of frightened, blue eyes stared back at Booker. He tried to silently reassure her that everything would be alright. If only he could hold her against him and feel the warmth of her petite body while he hushed away her worries. Not only would that be highly inappropriate as of right now, but it would also grab the attention of the bird, who's searching stare they were currently trying to evade.

Elizabeth held her breath; a small droplet of sweat trickled down her forehead. They had come so far that she couldn't bear the idea of Song Bird taking her back now. Meanwhile, an anxious Booker glanced over the counter to check on the current status of the menacing guardian. Booker ducked down just as the bird had turned his way. The movement of the creature's head had caused the window panels to release a painfully loud creek. Left over glass shards fell from what remained of the windows. A small, fragment landed on Booker's back. The tip of the shard tore at a thread of clothing and made a small slice over his right shoulder blade. He simply flinched, but remained silent, mentally counting the seconds that went by. He would be damned if that thing found them. Booker was determined to keep Elizabeth safe from it's grasp. It was a shame that he couldn't just end the beast with a bullet. There was a ceaseless urge to try it, but Booker knew better than that. It would only put both Elizabeth and himself in unnecessary danger. At some point he would find a way to kill it, stop it, whatever, but now wasn't the time.

The bird finally decided that there was nothing worth searching for within the perimeter. Taking a final scan of the room, it let out a high pitched screech and freed it's head from the window pane. The colossal mass pushed off from the side of the building, letting it's wings carry him away. The screeches began to fade off into the distance just as Booker and Elizabeth were recovering from their close call.

A disgruntled Booker pulled him self up from the ground. He swept the shattered glass and dust from his sleeves. Looking up, he noticed that Elizabeth was no longer next to him. The combination for the elevator was gone as well. Booker frantically glanced around, his heart was just about to jump right out of his chest until he caught sight of her rushing over to the elevator. Booker knew he shouldn't get so easily panicked, but the fear of losing her stuck with him. He couldn't help feeling like she would just disappear at any moment.

Elizabeth had a very uneasy look to her. The palm of her hand pressed firmly against the elevator's keypad. A gush of air escaped her lips, her body trembling ever so slightly. Booker moved over to her side, his brows furrowing in concern.

"Elizabeth...you.." Booker started.

"Promise me..." Elizabeth interrupted him. She knew exactly what he was going to say, but it was important that she made herself clear first. Song Bird couldn't be stopped, but they could avoid him. They could keep trying, keep fighting, and hopefully escape. There was no way of ending this for good and he needed to understand that. Protection was the one thing he could offer her.

"I will stop him." Booker insisted. His stomach knotted as he took in the intensity of the situation.

"No." She spoke with barley any breath. Now facing Booker, her blue eyes locked onto his. A solemn look was placed over her features. "That is an oath you cannot keep." Her hand grabbed his and she gradually raised it to her rosy colored cheek. "Promise me, that if it comes to it..." With a sudden jerky movement, Elizabeth seized Booker's hand and placed it around her throat. Those round, blue eyes were focused on him. "You will not...let him take me back."

Booker attempted to swallow the lump that accumulated in his gullet. Quickly, he freed his hand from her grasp. "It won't come to that." He promised.

Whatever it took to keep her safe...he would do it. Booker didn't quite understand why he had invested so much energy and emotion into protecting her, but it was no longer related to clearing his debt. Although he wouldn't verbally admit it, he cared for her. Elizabeth had grown on him and continued too as every moment passed by.

"Alright?" Booker inquired, wanting to be sure that she knew he really meant it.

Elizabeth didn't respond. A sigh escaped her as she turned away from him. Now focused on the dial lock, her little fingers tapped away at the buttons until the elevator finally opened up. Elizabeth entered, her arms crossed tightly, against her chest while she leaned on the glass wall, staring out at Columbia.

Booker ran a hand through his hair and drew in a long breath before stepping into the elevator. The doors shut behind him and they started to move downwards. From the corner of his eyes, he peaked over at the brunette beauty. Her blue gems were observing the scene down below them. She was distracted, not paying any attention to Booker. He took this opportunity to look her over and take in her stunning self. Booker had always acknowledge her attractiveness, but it had never stood out to him like it did now. It was her, everything about her that sent a shiver down his spine. He wanted to protect her, listen to her, caress her...

Something was happening and Booker didn't want to admit it. Not only did he hide his new found feelings from Elizabeth, but he denied himself that he had any. How could he let himself get so attached? This was supposed to be nothing more than a deal out of his debt. Booker knew that he could never hand her over to some other greedy organization. God knows what they would do to her. They'd probably poke and prod at her like she was some kind of alien. It wouldn't be any better than this hell-hole. No, he would get her out of here and take her to Paris. Booker would happily be dragged around to the numerous attractions. If it's what she wanted and if it would make her happy, then he would do it in a flash. Elizabeth's well-being meant more to him then anything else anymore.

Suddenly, Booker's entire body tensed up. Sweat leaked down his face, his breathing staggered. The thought had just occurred to him. He was in-love with Elizabeth. This wasn't supposed to happen, but somehow, he was glad it did. Booker never thought that he would be able to love again, not after his wife, but he was wrong. This one girl showed him he could. This one girl had such a strong hold on him, it would be utterly impossible to break at this point in time. Booker's life, which was once in ruins, now revolved around this single girl. "Damn it..." He quietly muttered to himself. Raising his arm, he wiped away the sweat that had formed along his entire face.

"Mr. Dewitt? Is something the matter?" A familiar voice spoke right in front of Booker.

Booker snapped back to reality and only just came to find that Elizabeth was hardly a few inches away, scrutinizing him carefully.

"Uh...No, I'm F-Fine." He stuttered. Their immediate closeness had him gritting his teeth. Booker admired every curve and feature on her person. God damn, she was perfect. A wave of eagerness flooded his body. He wanted to reach out and lock her into an embrace, their lips passionately meeting. That fantasy was soon crushed when Booker realized that she may not share such feelings for him. He was getting way ahead of himself and right now they just needed to focus on finding Comstock then hauling ass out of Columbia. After all of this was over, maybe, just maybe he could figure out if Elizabeth possibly felt the same way...

"You don't seem fine." She persisted. Clearly, by her look, she wasn't convinced.

"Really I am." He shrugged. Booker kept a calm demeanor, trying to avoid any nervous tick that would give him away.

"Booker...You can tell me." Elizabeth sighed. She had a sincere look to her now. The smooth, warm flesh of her palm was now placed on the side of his cheek. Her thumb lightly grazed over the stubble on his jawline. Booker cussed repeatably in his head. She had no idea of the torture she was putting him through at the moment. Booker prepared to respond, but all he could manage was a mute, jaw drop.

Both of them were taken by surprise as the glass wall of the elevator shattered and a luminous white light flooded the box. The floor beneath them shook violently and the elevator shaft crumbled apart. They fell a few feet before the elevator stuck on to a rail, dangling above the battleground that once was Columbia. Their ears were ringing from the aftermath of the blast, their vision completely black for a good minute or so.

Once Booker was finally able to adjust his eyesight, he pulled himself up from the ground. Elizabeth did the same, dusting off her corset and releasing a raspy cough. Booker, carefully, moved over to the gaping hole in the wall and looked down. The Vox and Comstock's men were battling it out below. Booker switched his eyes around the area. Eventually the smoke from the blast had cleared, making his surroundings a little more visible. Booker caught a glimpse of a skyline directly underneath them.

"There's our way out." Booker pulled out his sky hook and glanced over at Elizabeth. "Shall we?" He asked.

Her lips were sealed into a hard line. Elizabeth wasn't exactly pleased with that unexpected interruption. As much as she wanted to know what was on his mind, the mission at hand was more important. With a nod of her head, she gestured towards their only exit. "Gentlemen first, Mr. Dewitt."