"Hurry up!" Larry shouted. "we're going to be late again."
Piper cursed and hurried down the stairs. Larry wasn't one for waiting around, and Piper certainly didn't want to get him angry. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she straightened out the black knee-length dress she was wearing before looking at Larry.
"I'm here, I'm here. I was just running late after work and I didn't know.."
"Enough." Larry shouted, rubbing his temples in frustration. "You've made us both late now, we have to go."
Larry walked out to the car and Piper followed, locking the door behind her. God she hated Larry when he was angry. His short temper had begun soon after they had gotten married, and sometimes Piper felt as though she barely recognised him. Piper was having a stressful time at work and with the upcoming orders, everything was getting too much for her. He had no right to get angry at her. He had also suggested that Piper quiet PoPi and find another job, but she couldn't do that. She couldn't leave her best friend.
Speaking of best friend, that's exactly where they were headed. It was Finn's 6th birthday party and both Piper and Larry had been invited round to join in the celebrations. Polly and Pete had put together a small gathering of family and close friends, and as usual, they were going to be late.
"I'm sorry for making us late, Larry. Really I am. But I had a stressful day at work and I was home later than usual." Piper spoke in a soft tone, hoping that he would forgive her.
Keeping his eyes on the road, he replied. "I'm sorry for getting angry. I just don't want Polly and Pete thinking that we aren't coming. But you need to take it easy, I think this is all becoming too much for you."
Here it came again. The 'guilt trip'. "The business is great. And I'm doing fine, Larry. I'm not quitting now, not after everything we've been through. I've fought hard for this, both of us have. And I can't let it go."
The rest of the short journey was spent in silence and when they pulled up into the driveway, there was a pause before either of them said anything.
"Let's not argue tonight, please. I don't want to spoil Finns birthday party."
Nodding, Larry got out of the car and and the pair made their way into the house. A banner reading 'Happy 6th Birthday Finn!' was plastered on the front door, and children's music could be heard coming from the house as they rang the doorbell.
"You made it!" Polly shouted as she opened the door, welcoming Piper into her arms. After pulling away from the hug, Polly patted Larry on the arm and closed the door behind them. She was wary of Larry these days, especially after what he had done to Piper.
"PIP!" Finn shouted as he saw Piper in the doorway. He got up from the floor and threw himself at her, wrapping his little arms around her legs. Piper laughed and patted his head.
"Happy birthday dude! I hardly recognised you, look how big you are!" Both Piper and Larry laughed as Finn took a few steps back, before standing up straight with his hands on his hips.
Polly shook her head and laughed. "6 going on 16!"
Piper and Larry greeted some of the other guests and began mingling. Piper always hated small talk with people she wasn't too familiar with, but Larry had insisted that they get to know some new people.
After a while, Piper disbanded from the group of people and went over to the couch. She sat down and watched as Finn and his friends played with some of his new toys. As she watched, she felt a familiar ache in her heart. She wanted children so badly, but with Larry the way he was, it wasn't fair to bring a child into the situation. She lifted her head slightly and watched Larry, laughing and joking with another couple on the other side of the room. She smiled for a moment or two as she saw how happy her husband was, but it quickly faded when she saw the beer in his hand. The thing with Larry was that he had a short temper, which became even shorter after a couple of drinks. Sighing, Piper got up and made her way to the kitchen.
"If you frown anymore your chins going to be touching the floor. What's wrong?" Polly asked, pulling a chair away from the kitchen counter, motioning Piper to sit beside her.
Piper sighed and sat down. "Larry."
"What did he do?"
"He's drinking again. And in a few hours he's going to be completely out of it. Which means that it's more than likely he'll be in one of his 'moods' when we get home. I don't know how much more I can take, Poll."
Polly rested her hand on Pipers forearm and rubbed slightly. "Do you love him?"
"Of course I love him! But I also love the concept of having children, and it's not fair to raise a child when he's the way he is. What if he flies off the handle one day and hurts our child? Jesus Christ, it's bad enough when he gets angry at me. Just before we came over here, he got angry because I was 'late'."
Polly raised her eyebrow and a confused look spread across her face. "What? You weren't late at all. God sometimes I think he just enjoys making others miserable. You gotta leave him babe, you can't keep doing this."
Sliding a bottle of wine across the table and closer to the pair of them, Polly unscrewed the lid and pushed it towards Piper.
"I can't." She said. "Larry's probably drunk already, which means I gotta drive home."
"You can stay in the spare room, both of you." Polly suggested. "Maybe that way it won't end in an argument. If you're in someone elses house, maybe he won't want to raise his voice."
Piper snickered. "Trust me Poll, being in someone elses house won't stop him."
When the party was over, Piper went over to Larry. "All set?" She asked.
Larry looked up at her, that familiar look in his eyes. Oh boy, it was going to be one of those nights. His eyes were dark, and it almost seemed as though something had taken over him. Despite this, Piper was all to used to it. She was used to his drunken stupor, and all the arguments he would start once the two of them were alone.
"Pip!" Finn whispered from behind her. She turned around quickly and flashed him a smile, not wanting him to know of the anger and possibly violence that would occur later in the night. "Will you tuck me in?" He asked, yawning and rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.
"Of course I will baby. Come on, let's get you to bed." Piper picked him up and took him upstairs to his bedroom, tucking him in and giving him a goodnight kiss.
Finn was like one of Pipers own, and Polly loved how close the two of them were. She also loved that Piper was always there to babysit him when her and Pete wanted a night out together.
After tucking him in, Piper said goodnight to Polly and Polly kissed her cheek. "If you need anything, give me a call." Piper smiled. "I'm serious, if he starts anything you give me a call and Pete will be over to pick you up. I worry about you, Piper. This can't go on. What if one day, he goes too far?"
Piper closed her eyes at the thought. Polly was right. What if one day, Larry became uncontrollable?
They said their goodbyes and headed out for the car. It was just after midnight, but Piper knew that the possibility of her sleeping anytime soon was slim.
"Where are we going?" Larry asked as Piper started up the car. "Home." She replied, looking out of the back window as she reversed off of the drive.
"Will you drop me off at the club?" Larry asked, his words slightly slurred.
Piper fought hard with herself, she wasn't going to give in. Not tonight. "We're going home, both of us. You've had enough for one night."
As they drove along the road, the tension was thick. Piper could feel Larry's eyes burning into the side of her head and it was becoming unbearable. Once again, he was acting like a spoilt child. She wondered what had brought this on. Before they had gotten married, Larry was the sweetest person on earth.
"Drop me off." He said, his tone was sharp.
"I'm not leaving you out here, Larry. We're going home."
She saw his arms raise out of the corner of her eye and she quickly pulled over, stopping the car. She'd had enough. She got out and leaned on the front of their Range Rover. Larry got out too and stumbled towards her. If he wasn't angry at her before, he definitely was now.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"I can't drive when you're like this, Larry." She said, resting her elbows on the bonnet and placing her head in her hands. "This has to stop."
He laughed and spat words at her. "If you'd just dropped me off, this wouldn't be happening. But no, you had to go and make a big deal of it, like you always do!"
Piper turned around and pushed at his shoulder slightly, scared at how close he was to her. "I'm making a big deal out of this? Fuck Larry, I don't know what to say to you anymore. One minute you're nice and the next you're tearing lumps out of me. What the fuck am I supposed to do? I don't want you going to the club because I don't want you in a worse state than you're already in! You're a mess Larry, and I'm terrified of you!"
He grabbed hold of her and pushed her up against the wall beside the car. His eyes burned with rage and his hand was pressed tightly to her throat. Piper turned her head to the side and squeezed her eyes shut tightly, preparing herself for what was about to happen. "Don't you DARE, talk to your husband like that." He slurred. "You're a bitch, you know that right? A pathetic little bitch. You don't get to tell me where I can and cannot go."
Through all the commotion, Piper hadn't heard the voice that was fast approaching the pair of them.
"Get your fucking hands off her!" Came a husky voice, a few feet away from her. Before Piper could turn her head to see who the stranger was, Larry was dragged off her and pushed up against the car. Letting out a deep breath, she fell to the floor as the lack of oxygen had made her dizzy.
The lack of streetlights meant that it was hard for Piper to make out who the dark haired figure was.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you that you DO NOT lay your hands on a woman? What the fuck are you doing?" The husky voice spoke again.
Pushing the stranger back slightly, he raised his fist before letting out an angry sigh. He dropped his fist and made his way back down the road that they had just drove down. No doubt he was going to the pub.
Piper was still slumped against the wall and her vision was blurry. She rubbed her head and tried to stand.
"Whoa, easy there." The stranger spoke, putting her hand on the side of Pipers face. Piper was helped to her feet and led back to the car. The passenger side door was opened and Piper hopped inside, resting her head against the headrest.
The interior light meant that they were both now able to see each other, however Piper still had her eyes closed.
"Fuck." The stranger spoke in the same husky voice.
Something clicked in Pipers brain and she opened her eyes to look at the dark haired figure that had just saved her. Her eyes opened wide and she struggled to speak.
"Alex?"
"Shit.." Alex said, looking down at her feet. "Maybe this is a bad time to say hi."