Ethan's POV

I'm driving as fast as my car will take me. There is a sinking feeling in my gut; it's been there since Sam told me there were bruises on Kristina's arm. I have to get there I have to talk to her. Dad was right I could have handled it better. "Damn it," I scream beating my hands on the steering wheel; how the hell did I get here?

As I walk up to the lake house I see the door is wide open. God Kristina can be so naïve to be the daughter of a mob boss she certainly takes a lot of chances, not to mention it's freezing outside. The closer I get though the more uneasy I become. Then as I walk inside I see the broken lamp, now I'm really worried. "Kristina," I call, and then I see her, lying in the floor fragile and broken. "Oh god Kristina" she lashes out-screams at me to stop hurting her, I feel sick, I know who did this. "it's gonna be ok baby, tell me what happened," I plead with her and pull her up into my arms, when I move her hair back I see the damage, the toll her love for this bastard has taken on her. "Okay baby, okay it's gonna be ok. I'm going to get you some help," I tell her reassuringly. I scoop her up, she is so light, it pains me to imagine the fight her tiny body tried to put up and couldn't.

I have her in my car now and again it won't go as fast as I want it to, and begins to moans in protest. We finally arrive at the hospital and I pick her up and carry her in, "we need some help over here," I choke. Help, yeah some help I was, if I hadn't turned her away, better yet if I hadn't met her maybe he wouldn't have hurt her. My walls are starting to crumble as the doctors and nurses quickly move in, asking me all sorts of questions, questions I don't know the answers to, and then one nurse finally says it, finally asks, "is there any chance she was raped," I almost loose it, they almost have two patients on their hands because I no longer think my knees are going to hold me. When I shrug in uncertainty they call for a rape kit, blood panels, and then for Patrick; this terrifies me because if they're calling for him that means they think something is wrong with her brain. "Mr. Lovett, you'll have to wait out here," one nurse says to me and they try to wheel her away, but I place my hand on the bed rail, "no," I state firmly. The nurse starts to protest, but when she looks at me she sees something she doesn't want to argue with and nods that it's ok.

I stay with her, I stay with her through everything even Patrick's exam. I am standing in the corner trying miserably to hold on to the last bit of composer I have; finally her parents arrive and I am relieved I can excuse myself now before I completely collapse. As I head out Lucky catches me questioning me about what happened, and I realize he thinks I might have done this, God he doesn't know me at all does he? "Hold on a second it's an investigation, I'm gonna need to get an official statement," Lucky tries to persuade me to stay. "Yeah well, you know where to find me if you need me," I tell him and practically run to my car.

When I get to the Haunted Star, the dam breaks, this was the last place I saw her when she was her. I collapse on the old carpeted steps, the ones tainted with the stench of cigar smoke and too much alcohol, and I cry. I hate that this is the moment I realize-the moment I come to terms with my love for Kristina Davis.

I wake up the next morning on my couch, not entirely sure how I got home. I move to stretch and my body protests in its hangover, geez what and how much did I have to drink last night? I look down to the floor beside the couch and there is my empty glass, "well that's not a good sign," I think to myself. I slowly lift my body to a sitting position trying in vain to avoid the dizzy spells as my head catches up with what it believes is a sudden movement. It is now I realize the sun is coming through the window, geez could that be brighter. I scan my apartment while seated on the couch and find the two empty bottles of whiskey and half a bottle of scotch. Jesus Christ, what was I thinking, and then it hits me, the punch to the gut, Kristina. I sit forward leaning, my head in my hands I rub my palms over my tired puffy eyes, I haven't cried like that since my parents died. I know I have to see her but I can't face her the way I am. I am supposed to be her rock, her protector, but right now I've let my guard down and fallen in love with a girl that has given herself to a boy, a cowardice spineless boy incapable of humanity. And now after physically seeing the devastation he can inflict, I find myself hung over from getting wasted the night before. I sigh and my head pounds but I rise to my feet, to go wash off the anguish.

The shower didn't help much but at least I don't reek of alcohol anymore. I walk into General Hospital and head for Kristina's room. As soon as I get near the door Sonny comes flying out, "you son of a bitch," he screams, "I'll kill you! Get the hell out the hell out of this hospital, and if you're smart the hell out of Port Charles!" " What is he talking about," I think to myself. "Listen mate I know you don't like me, but I brought Kristina here if that doesn't prove to you I care…" I begin but he cuts me off, "yeah, yeah you care alright you brought her to the hospital after you put her here you sick bastard," he yells and lunges for me but Jason comes out of Kristina's room and grabs him, "Sonny this isn't the time, you're daughter needs you, I'll handle him," Jason says and Sonny shakes him off still giving me a death glare as he walks inside Kristina's room. "Jason, man what is Sonny talking about," I ask him truly puzzled. "You need to get out of here and not come back, if I see you around Kristina again rest assured I'll kill you myself," he says and walks away. I am so confused so utterly shocked, why do they think I did this, no they've got it all wrong I saved her I love her.

I turn to leave the hospital and there stands Lucky and Dante, "Ethan, we're gonna need you to come with us, you're under arrest for the assault of Kristina Davis," Lucky whispers looking at me with that "I never would have thought you were capable of this look." My heart sinks, "what?! like hell I will I didn't do this Lucky I found her," I plead with him and Dante glaring at me now opens his mouth, "Kristina isn't afraid of you anymore Ethan. She's told us everything now you can come willingly or I will gladly take you by force," Dante growls. Lucky puts his hand up in front of him to calm him and then looks at me again pleading with me to not make this any harder than it is. My head is spinning, no she couldn't have there's no way she said it was me. She's scared she knows I can take it and she's scared. This is my moment do I love her or not? I love her, so I take a breath and walk out with my brother and Dante. If this is what she needs from me then this is what I'll do, I'll be the villain for her.

Kristina's POV

I can't say I remember much about that night. After a while you check out of your body. I guess it's your mind's way of protecting you: physically from the pain as flesh contacts flesh in the most animalistic way, mentally from the self-hatred the fact that you feel like a complete fool. Feeling foolish that you trusted that last "I'm sorry," that the last "baby please forgive me it won't happen again I swear," worked and you let that liar in only to wind up beaten down again. I don't remember much; I remember lying there in what should have been mind-numbing pain, pain that should have had me screaming in agony yet I was silent. I remember hearing footsteps and holding my breath trying to lay as lifeless as I felt, fearing that he had returned, and then hearing that angelic voice asking me what happened. I must be completely out of it because there is no way Ethan is carrying me right now.

When I finally come to Patrick is shining a light in my eyes telling me to follow his finger. The entire right side of my body feels like it has been shattered, and I realize that my eye is swollen shut. I go to reach my hand to my face slightly shaking, but needing to assess the damage when my mom stops me. Grabbing me hand ever so slightly, she shakes her head, "no sweetie." It is now that I start to cry and my mom reaches forward and pulls me into a hug rocking me back and forth. By now my dad, Jason, Lucky, Dante, and Sam have all flooded into the room from the hall way. Dante starts, "Kristina sweetheart we need to ask you a few questions." I nod my head and they descend. Lucky adds, "Kristina do you remember anything about your attack? Is there anyone in particular we need to look at?" Before I can answer my dad interjects, "Lucky seriously, you know that your bum of a brother has been hanging around Kristina after I've told him time and time again to back off." "Yeah," Sam adds, "I saw Kristina earlier yesterday night she had bruises on her arm she told me Ethan did it." "That bastard put his hands on you," my dad screams looking straight at me. I lay there in total shock I haven't even opened my mouth and they've already attacked Ethan like vultures. I feel so overwhelmed. If I tell the truth they will wonder why Kiefer snapped and I'll have to explain that this wasn't anything extraordinary in our relationship, and then they will forever look at me as the weakling who let a man walk all over her. However, if I lie I'll lose the only person who ever truly cared about me for me and not my names-sake. I stare blankly at them and the last forty-eight hours slams into me like a freight train and I burst into tears, "you don't understand," I plead with all of them through gasps, "I over stepped my bounds Ethan just got mad. He had every right to be upset with me, I acted like I child," I sob and my mom grabs me again. That was all it took, I had lit the fuse now I had to watch him burn and that hurts more than my physical wounds

Kristina's POV (about 2 weeks after attack)

I was in the hospital just long enough to want to go home. When I was released I didn't want to go home I didn't think I could face the lake house just yet apparently Sam understood that before I said it because she asked if I wanted to come stay with her.

Ethan is out of jail, Luke posted bail for him. I remember hearing my dad screaming in the hallway outside my hospital room about Luke and his loyalty and how could he do this. Kiefer had sent me flowers, luckily they came when no one was around because I just about lost it I had a full blown panic attack which sent every alarm on every machine connected to me buzzing and Elizabeth running into my room, she quickly gave me something for it and then sat with me till I calmed down. As I began to doze though I heard her get up to leave and barely opened my eyes and saw her reading the card on the flowers, I could see in her eyes she knew the truth.

Staying with Sam has been fun, but I have to go home, Kiefer has been texting me none stop begging me to forgive him begging me to come see him. I know I have to go home and face the history face the scene of that night before I can ever face him and have the strength to move forward. "Sam, I'm gonna head on home today," I say as I come out of her guest bedroom bags in hands. She looks up from the case she is working on slightly surprised slightly worried, "ok," she starts, "let me grab my keys and we'll head on over." "No," I say a little too forcefully, "I mean I need to face it by myself you know?" she nodded that she understood and gave me a hug goodbye.

I walk up to my oh so familiar front door that feels so foreign now. As I pull out my keys my hands start to shake. The flashbacks of him knocking on the door then calling me a bitch, telling me how I embarrassed him. Walk in the door, I remember begging and pleading with him before I hit the chair, and then it was a struggle. The struggle between Kiefer and me as I try to get away, the struggle inside myself between believing this is all a nightmare and facing the reality. Before for I know it I'm gasping for air sobbing in the door way with my hands on my knees wrestling with all of this. I slowly regain my composure and reach for my phone in my pocket; I know this isn't a good idea, there's a thousand reasons why I shouldn't call him but I can't stop myself. When it goes to voicemail I'm not surprised, "hey it's me," I whisper clearly shaken, "look I know I really messed up and you probably never want to talk to me again but if you get this and can stand to see me, please meet me at the docks." With that done I head to the docks, hoping he'll show up.

Ethan's POV

I'm sitting at the Haunted Star having a late afternoon drink, something I've grown accustomed to recently since Kristina hasn't been around. I know Luke is currently badgering me about being bad for business as gloom doom and despair as I am, "you know dodge if I had known you were gonna be this moody I would have left your butt in jail," I faintly hear him say, but then my phone rings; I come back to reality when I realize who it is, and I'm not sure what to do. Luke looks at the phone and then me, "you gonna get that?" he asks, I look down at my glass and finish it off in one last gulp, "I take that as a no," he says while drying glasses behind the bar. "you know dodge, I know that bailing you out also came with a restraining order, and if I can remind you I am currently on the outs with one of my closest friends in this crappy town, but that is beside the point, look you want to see the girl I'm not going to tell anyone where you went," with that he walks off. I stare at my phone and see that I have a voicemail, I pick up my phone and press talk, "hey it's me," I hear, "look I know I really messed up and you probably never want to talk to me again but if you get this and can stand to see me, please meet me at the docks," the message clicks off, and my heartaches how could she think I couldn't stand to see her? I sigh and shake my head, as I get up I grab my coat and head out the door.

I hit the steps of the docks and my heart skips a beat: there she is. Her hair is down blowing slightly in the breeze, she has it all swooped onto one shoulder, her right shoulder and she has on a hat. She rarely wears hats so I know what she is doing at it gives me that sinking feeling in my stomach again. I approach her and she jumps slightly, "sorry love…I didn't mean to scare you," I say. "It's fine," she barely squeaks. She's always been meek but now, now she just seems broken, it is all I can do not to pull her into my arms and tell her I love her, tell her I am so sorry I didn't admit it sooner that maybe if I had I could have spared her, but I stop when she starts to speak, "thanks for coming. I know you probably don't have much interest in talking to me," she says looking at her hands. "Kristina," I'm getting exasperated now, "was I hurt yes, but Kristina I'm not him," I clinch my fists blood boiling and I haven't even said his name, "I'm not going to abandon you, I…" I take a deep breath, "I love you." She looks at me stunned wide eyed; I rub my hands through my hair as I sit next down next to her, "look we have some stuff to talk about so how about you come back with me to my apartment. It's freezing out here and frankly there is a restraining order against me and I really don't want your dad to kill me before I get a chance to explain myself." She slightly chuckles at my plea and nods "okay," I state with a smile and stand offering her my hand. She takes it and we walk off.

The second we enter my apartment it is like we are complete strangers we've gone from best friends with no awkward silences to standing in the middle of my living room unsure whether we should sit or run for the hills. I finally decide I have to break the silence if there is any hope of salvaging this conversation, "so have a seat, do you want something to drink?" I offer and she shakes her head, "No that's ok Ethan," she says quietly tucking her loose hair behind her ear causing my breath to catch in my throat. I haven't seen her face since that night and suddenly I'm overcome, I have to see her I need to see her. I move towards her slowly and move my hand towards the brim of her hat to pull it off, she raises her arm to counter my action, "no, stop," she pleads and I hear the pain in her voice, "Kristina please… baby I want to see you, all of you, not just the silhouette you're offering the world, but you. I want to see what you've hidden from them, please don't be afraid of that," I state, and reach my hand to her hat again but this time she ducks under me and turns around, "Ethan this isn't something you need to see it won't prove you're strong and adoring it'll just prove that you've seen me be this hideous weak shell of a person," she whispers and I can her the tears in her voice. I sigh and walk up behind her, "Kristina, sweetheart come with me," and with that I lead her by the shoulders into my bathroom and turn on the lights. Standing behind her I again reach for her hat and this time she relents, "now Kristina next time you look in the mirror," I say as I take off her hat and throw it on the floor beside us, "or for that matter whenever you start to think you're weak, or anything negative about yourself remember this," I pull her hair out of its side swept ponytail meant to hide her face, only to find a heavy layer of concealer as well; as if the hat and the ponytail weren't enough. I reach my arms around her and grab a wash rag and turn on the water and wet the rag with just enough warm water, I then bring the rag to her face and place my other arm on the base of the sink in front of her cocooning myself around her. "you are beautiful," I say as I wipe the wash rag across her eye, "you are sweet and protective of all those around you," I ring the wash rag out and head back to her face, "you are funny and through everything you've been through you've never lost your spirit," I put the wash rag down, "look up Kristina," I whisper and wait till her eyes meet mine in the mirror, "you are a fighter Kristina and most importantly you are the girl I fell in I love with," I say and wrap my arms around her shoulders and rest my head against her left shoulder. This is the most intimate moment I've ever shared with anyone and I cannot describe how it feels, how I feel with Kristina in my arms. She leans her head back against my chest, "I love you too, thank you Ethan," she whispers to me, and wraps her arms around mine and we hold on as time stands still.

Kristina's POV

I can't believe Ethan just said he loves me and now he wants to explain it. Obviously I got my hopes up he means he loves me as a little sister I chuckle as I stand to walk with him to his place. When we get there everything changes, he seems nervous uneasy which in turn is making me nervous and uneasy and things have become incredibly awkward between us you could cut the tension with a knife. "So umm, have a seat, do you want something to drink?" he asks and I reply that I'm fine. Suddenly out of the blue he moves toward me and tries to take off my hat, "no, stop," I beg him, why on earth would he want to see my face? I think we're done with this ridiculous charade but instead he replies, "Kristina please… baby I want to see you, all of you, not just the silhouette you're offering the world, but you. I want to see what you've hidden from them, please don't be afraid of that," Now I am really confused and even more uneasy so as he reaches up again I duck under and turn my back on him and try to explain, "Ethan this isn't something you need to see it won't prove you're strong and adoring it'll just prove that you've seen me be this hideous weak shell of a person." I hear him sigh and feel his body heat against me as he gets closer, "Kristina, sweetheart come with me," he says and suddenly he's leading me through his apartment and before I know it we are in his bathroom and I am terrified as to what might happen next. Standing behind me, he again reaches for my hat and this time I relents, "now Kristina next time you look in the mirror," he says as he takes off my hat and throws it on the floor beside us, "or for that matter whenever you start to think you're weak, or anything negative about yourself remember this," he pulls my hair out of its side swept ponytail meant to hide my face, and by now my heart is pounding in my chest, "don't wake up best dream ever," I think to myself. He reaches his arms around me and grabs a wash rag and it is here when I realize I'm not dreaming which is even more terrifying, but I'm so overwhelmed currently by this strong tender man who smells so good it is making me weak in the knees. He then brings one hand to my face and places his other arm on the base of the sink in front of me cocooning himself around me. "you are beautiful," he says as he wipes the wash rag across my eye, "you are sweet and protective of all those around you," he rings the wash rag out and heads back to my face, "you are funny and through everything you've been through you've never lost your spirit," he puts the wash rag down, "look up Kristina," he whispers and waits till my eyes meet his in the mirror, "you are a fighter Kristina and most importantly the girl I fell in I love with," he says and wrap his arms around my shoulders and rests his head on my left shoulder. He loves me, not like a little sister, and definitely not like Kiefer; this isn't love with strings this is love that gives in those times you have nothing left in your soul. Love that makes you feel that giddy silly because you never knew this level of happiness existed. I lean back against his chest feeling like myself for the first time in a long time something else I never realized love was supposed to help you feel. I whisper, "I love you too, thank you Ethan," and wrap my arms around his holding on as time stands still.

Ethan's POV

I don't know how long we stood like that, just holding each other, to be honest I really didn't care it just felt good to have her in my arms. I glanced up, looking into the mirror; it was a beautiful sight the girl I loved leaning her head against my chest her eyes closed as if this was what life was meant to be. However, from my spot nuzzling her neck I made out the marks, the marks from the soulless man who claimed to love her, the marks that despite their pain had brought us both joy. Pulling my head up off her shoulder I cleared my throat and began to speak, "Love, I am so glad that I have you here, I don't want this moment to end…" "Then shut up, don't talk let's just stay like this forever," she sighed with a smile on her face. I chuckled but continued knowing I had to say this, "oh how I wish that were possible, but Kristina I think we both know this isn't going to work." With that she jerked forward eyes open full of pain and anger she spun around, "what? I knew this was too good to be true." "Kristina, baby I didn't…" "Didn't what? Didn't mean to say it, to admit your feelings for me, feelings I knew you had even though you acted like they were the worst possible feelings you could ever have?! I can't believe you Ethan! You know I can put up with a lot, I put up with you yelling at me, telling me I was too young for you, I even encouraged you to go after Mia and comforted you when she broke your heart, but this…this I will not stand for." "Kristina please," "no Ethan you please," she screams and now the tears begin to flow down her face as she runs out of my bathroom she makes it half way through my bed room and stops cold, leaning against the edge of my bed her hand goes to her chest and I hear her gasp, I'm at her side in an instant, "Kristina sweetheart clam down.." I'm holding her supporting her as she leans into my bed, I watch her eyes fill with fear as she gasps again, "Ethan.." she gasps again, "I can't breathe." "Ok love, come here, come here sit down," She does as she is told but still doesn't remove her hand from her chest as if to make sure her chest is in fact rising and falling because she doesn't believe it is, because she is struggling for air. I run to the kitchen and pour her a glass of water and return as fast as I can somehow managing to not spill water on my way, "here love drink this." She takes the glass and drinks a bit and begins to calm down. I'm kneeling in front of her rubbing her leg, she tries to move but I stop her, "no, no you're not going anywhere yet drink some more you need to calm down." "Ethan, I'm fine. Besides what do you care you just told me this wouldn't work and…" she's starting to panic again, "Kristina you are not fine ok?! You just got out of the hospital for Christ's sake now please will you just listen to me?" she takes another sip and nods. "good," I sigh an run my hands through my hair moving from my spot in front of her to sit beside her on my bed, "now if you will allow me to finish what I meant was this isn't going to work like this," she gives me a puzzled look but I continue, "I meant we need to set the record straight. You need to tell your family the truth about Kiefer, not because of me but because I cannot stand seeing him go on like nothing happened, and baby if you don't what's to stop him from doing it again," I reach for her hand tears now brimming my eyes and continue, "I love you so much and I will always protect you, but I won't be able to sleep at night knowing that he is free and that at any minute he could decide you did something wrong and hurt you again. It damn near killed me finding you like that, I can't do it again. Also, your family believes I'm guilty, that I did this to you," I brush her black and blue cheek with my knuckles as she opens her mouth to protest, "no Kristina, I understand, I'm not mad. You needed me to be the bad guy you needed time to heal, I understand, but Kristina I want to be with you, in public not in the shadows, but the only way that that will ever happen is if you tell the truth." I finish my speech and take a deep breath looking down at our interlocking fingers when I hear it, "ok," she whispers, "what?" I ask. "Ok, Ethan you're right Kiefer will never stop and I can't go through anything like that night again physically or emotionally, that and I don't want my parents trying to arrest my boyfriend." She smiles as she says it and I laugh we wipe the tears from each other's eyes and I kiss her, then again, and again and before I know it we are laying on my bed I'm on top of her and she is running her nails up and down my back; suddenly she stops, pushing up against me slightly with her hands, "what Kristina, what is it? Did I hurt you," I ask as I assess her for damage. She pushes herself out from under me to a sitting position, "no Ethan not at all, it's just..it's just Kiefer is the only guy I have ever been with and it was never an enjoyable experience; I don't want that to be what this is about for us. We only just now admitted our feelings for each other and as far as my family is concerned you are the one who hurt me which is not true. I don't want our first time to be like that, to be shrouded in a lie. Also as sweet as you have been about my face, I know how I look, and that is just my face, there are bruises I don't want you to see because I don't want that to be the first way you see my body, it can't be what you think about every time you see me." With that she stops offering me a weak smile; my heartaches and my stomach churns at the idea of what she might look like the idea that she looks bad enough she is afraid that will be all I think about if I see her. That thought itself is enough to make me want to kill him, but instead I channel my feelings and turn to her. "Kristina, thank you, thank you for being honest with me, it scares me to think about what he must have done to you, but I meant what I said before you are beautiful to me no matter what, but I agree our first time does not need to be about pain and lies, it needs to be special, so I will happily wait." I smile at her and she kisses me, "thank you," she says, "now all that being said, I don't really feel like going home, is it ok if I stay here with you tonight, can you just hold me?" my heart melts and I tuck a piece of loose hair back behind her ear, "Kristina, I would love nothing more." We smile and I hop off the bed. I go to my dresser and pull out a t-shirt, "here," I say as I toss it to her, "you can sleep in this."