AN: Sooo I've been on hiatus for a while. And I know I still have A Family Of Her Own unfinished and I promise one day I'll find my muse to continue it but for right now, I'm going to start over new with this story.
I own nothing but the characters I create
Alex's POV (for this whole chapter)
"Babe, I'm home!" I call walking through the front door of the place I've come to call home.
Kicking off my high heals, I bend down to pick them up knowing he doesn't like me leaving my things around the house. "That's what you have a goddamn closet for, Alexandra!" I mimic rolling my eyes. Yes, I have a closet. A beautiful one at that. I remember him surprising me with it the day we moved in. He called it his gift to me. The room was big enough to house a family but currently occupied my extensive wardrobe.
Taking the steps two at a time, I go straight to the bed room.
"Honey?"
Figures. Nothing. We're going on one year of marriage and the last time he managed to make it home before me was long before we said 'I do'.
Honestly, I didn't mind. My mood was light and good. The absence of my husband wasn't going to mess it up.
I walk across the bedroom and into the adjoining closet. Stopping briefly to set my bag down, propping my shoes up on the shelf I removed them from some seven hours before. Color coordinated. Heals facing out. Anal wasn't the word. But I knew what awaited me if I didn't do it right.
I turn to the island in the middle of the room, set my phone on top and press the music app. While it warms up I reach for the button on the Bose and listen for it to chime, letting me know the bluetooth connected. I scroll for a few minutes not really knowing what I was in the mood to hear. Finally, I settle on Adele.
As she singing about making someone feel her love, I start twisting my arms behind my back, reaching for the zipper of my dress. Singing softly but very much into the song, I wasn't aware he'd walked in. His breath hot on my neck, I shivered. Gone were the days where I'd jump at the surprising presence.
I closed my eyes racking my brain. The music was up loud but not so high that I wouldn't have heard the robotic voice of the alarm noting that the front door was open. Was he already here? Why didn't he say something?
My heart was beating faster than normal but my ability to hide it had since been perfected. His fingers push mine away as he brings down my zipper. It stopping right above my butt. The dress was tight. It hugged all my curves and admittedly probably wasn't appropriate for school. Good thing I spent most of my day behind my desk, the kids having been off for election day. I managed to steal an hour away for lunch with a fellow teacher, only to come back and continue working on my mountain on paperwork at my desk.
The fabric easily fell from my skin and into a pool on the floor. He embraced me from behind and we swayed to the music. It was rare that he'd dance with me. I'd always ask him. Parties, weddings, anywhere that there was music I'd look at him and he'd know but once in a blue moon would he take my hand and lead me to the dance floor or jam out with me while I blasted music in the kitchen as I made dinner.
Turning in his arms, I looked into his grey eyes. My left hand cupping his cheek while the right gripped his shoulder. The lust in his eyes reminded me why I fell in love. The way he looked at me, I pressed my lips to his. Still swaying, I felt him suck softly on my upper lip. Releasing it with a pop, I smile and finish the song.
"I could make you happy, make your dreams come true. Nothing that I wouldn't do. Go to the ends of the earth for you. To make you feel my love."
We stayed there. Still swaying. Now Justin Timberlake was singing about Mirrors and I smiled at him.
"Hi"
"Hey, Alex"
I could smell it. Alcohol. Vodka to be exact. I didn't want to ruin the mood. Lord knows I didn't. But I also knew exactly what he wanted and I wasn't in the mood. Pulling away, I bent down and picked up my discarded dress and put it the labeled hamper. Whites, darks, lights, and dry cleaning. I snickered. God forbid we had one hamper for everything and just separated it before we washed clothes.
"How was your day, Lexie?"
I hated when he called me that. It only meant one thing. He was horny.
"Long. Full of grading papers."
Pulling on my black running shorts and my favorite t-shirt from high school, I walked past him and into the bathroom. I walked over to the sink not even bothering to close the door.
"That dress looked good on you, Lex. Who you wearing it for?" I could feel him behind me.
After splashing the cold water on my face, making sure the last of my face scrub was off, I stood back up straight. Looking into the mirror on the medicine cabinet in from of us, he stood looking back.
Here we go.
"It was a nice day out, Tony. I was feeling good so I decided to wear my favorite dress" I said shifting for the face towel.
"Mmmhhmm."
He didn't believe me. I wasn't lying. Normally I wouldn't wear anything like that when school was in session because I know it wasn't appropriate but this morning I had woke up in a good mood after a night of wining and dining and 'I'm sorry' sex. I knew better.
"What?" I say snickering. "You act like I'm cheating on you or something."
Nice Alexandra. Way to go. Bravo, stupid.
"Who is he? Hmmm? Is it that dude you work with?"
I smirk. Looking back up at him through the mirror I can see the fire in his eyes. "What dude? There are quite a few men at the school." Pushing past him and out the bathroom
"Oh maybe you're talking about the twelve year old boys in my cla-" before I could finish the sentence I was on my knees.
I remember when I was younger I use bet all the kids that I could hold my breath longer than them. One time I woke up, went downstairs for breakfast only to have my mother scream.
"Your eye, Alexandra. What happened?"
My question was the same, what did happen to my eye? I didn't get into any fights. Didn't bump or fall. And it didn't was she talking about?
"Oh sweetheart, you must have busted a vessel"
Lifting my face at the chin, she looked closer.
"I told you a thousand times little girl to stop holding your breath so much. Nothing good comes of it"
"But mom, I beat Christopher Michelson by five seconds yesterday. You should've seen his face! He was starting to turn purple!"
"Alex, you're going to kill yourself. Now stop with the foolishness!"
"But mom"
I managed to hold my breath that hear for one whole minute. Longer than anyone in all my classes and all of my cousins. For my age, I felt pretty accomplished.
But none of that prepared me for getting the wind knocked out of me. Nothing compared to the out of the blue loss of oxygen. No warning. Just panic.
Was this it? Was I going to die? I could feel the vibration of my moans as I tried to force myself to breathe. My face scrunched in agony. Ok, Alex. Just relax your body. You know the drill.
"You're such a fucking slut, you know that. You probably are screwing one of those kids. I wouldn't be surprised"
"NO!"
My voice almost unrecognizable as I gasped.
"No what? You know, you say that word a lot, Lexie but I don't like it"
I was still on my hands and knees struggling to catch my breath.
"Did you say no all those years ago when you were sucking dick? Maybe you're just like him. Is that what it is Alexandra, do you like molesting little kids? Pretty girl with a fucked up past turns into the monster who raped her."
Past experience told me to just stay down. Laying in the fetal position wishing I was small enough to be nothing but a speck on the bedroom floor didn't stop him from grabbing a fist full of my hair.
"Tony, ow, you're hurting me" my voice thick with emotions.
The words he spat stung. I never would have guessed that a late night confession about my childhood would be thrown in my face so many times that I could almost predict what he would say. Did it hurt? Yes. But at some point I'd become immune.
"Shut up, bitch!"
I'd begged him, the first few times he struck me, to leave my face. I could hide bruises on my chest or broken ribs. Cuts on my back and hand prints on my thighs could easily be covered up with clothes. But my face; I didn't want to deal with the questions.
"If you hit my face and I go to work with bruises and a black eye one more time, someones going to suspect something and they might even call the cops"
"Oh yeah? Or are you afraid they'll know you're not as perfect as you let them think you are?"
"No, I just-"
"You don't run shit here Alexandra!"
"I know, I'm sorry. I just don't want them to take you away from me baby."
That seemed to be enough explanation because since then, he hadn't so much as slapped me across my face.
Yanking me to my feet, I could feel his hardness against my hip. With a hard shove, I was on the bed.
"You wanna be a slut, Alexandra? Then I'm going to fuck you like one!"
I could hear is belt buckle hit the button on his pants as he pulled them down. I don't know what came over me but the only thing I could think was to run.
I spent the major part of my childhood and freshman year of college on the track team. I broke records. So outrunning someone wasn't too hard.
Already laying on m stomach, I jabbed my leg back. In his inebriated state, his balance made it easy for him to stumble back. Rolling off the bed and making a sprint for the door, slamming it behind me with his hand getting caught as he reached for me, for a moment I didn't know if I could tackle the steps. The quick movements and only recently having air allowed back into my body caused my head to feel almost like I was a camera lens trying, and failing, to focus.
I could feel the gust of air from Tony yanking open the door. Pushing through the fog in my head, I ran down the steps. It wasn't until I was about five steps in the I felt my legs trip up and give out on me. I vaguely remember yelling and then wood met my body and I was at the bottom landing.
Every time I blinked my eyes, it felt as though I was fading farther and farther. Whimpers tears managed to escape me. I could hear is foot steps before I saw him.
"Oh Lexie. Look what you've done." He was standing above me, one hand massaging the other that not too long before had been smashed.
The last I remember is his face getting closer to mine. Something along the lines of "stop, no" tried to coherently leave my mouth but only came out as a small moan before eventually I succumbed to blackness.
"Mrs. Santos?"
"Mmmhmpname"
"What was that?"
There was so much movement. I could hear footsteps all around and through my closed eyelids I could still see the fluorescent light hanging above. The sterile smell and the voice loudly paging some doctor let me know that I was in the one place I hated the most. The ER.
"My name"
Cotton mouth was a actual thing and I had a serious case of it.
"Cabot" I said licking my lips slowly. "My name is Cabot" my voice raspy and unrecognizable.
"I'm sorry. It says Santos on your intake." The female voice said calmly.
I wasn't ready to acknowledge the world on the other side of my still closed eyelids but the woman, who I could feel standing beside me, didn't seem like a typical nurse in a rush to check my vitals and move on to the next patient. Her voice was angelic.
Was I dreaming? Is that why I wouldn't open my eyes. Cause I couldn't?
"Mrs. San- I mean Mrs. Cabot, sorry. My name is Detective Benson, I'm with Special Victims. Can you tell me what happened tonight?" her voice was low almost as if she was telling me a secret but at the same time it was comforting.
"I fell" It wasn't a lie. I did fall. But why and from who I was running from I'd keep to myself.
"And the word 'slut' carved into your stomach, did you fall on that too?"
At that, my eyes flew open.
"Yeah, I know you didn't "fall" down the stairs." She took my hand. Hers was soft. Where they suppose to do this? What if I didn't want to be touched. "So, lets try this again. How did you end up here tonight, Mrs. Cabot?"
Our eyes met and I wanted nothing more than to have the next words I spoke to be the truth. I felt safe in this woman's presence and I didn't even know her. It took everything in me to look away.
"I slipped and fell down my steps." I said now starring up at the ceiling. "Now I'm here."
Her hand released mine and I shivered.
"Okay" she reached in her pocket for something. "Here's my card. The number on the front is for work. Just ask for me and they'll connect you" then she shoved her hand in her breast pocket and pulled out a pen.
After writing something on the back of the card, she turned back to me. "That's my cell number." She said holding up the card. "Feel free to call anytime. Day or night"
She was giving me the card. I turned my head back to the ceiling and closed my eyes. I felt her move and then something in my hand but it was rougher than what had occupied it just minutes before. It was her card.
"Okay, well I'll tell the nurse you're awake"
The curtain opened.
"Detective?" My voice was not my own
"Yes?" she asked turning to look at me.
I looked at her, my eyes barley open. "Thanks"
She smiled and nodded. Crossing the threshold and pulling the curtain back close.
I wanted to say something. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that the man I love is abusing me. But I'd been here before. I've told me story only to be laughed at by two cops who said that I should be lucky it was my husband and not some stranger. I've heard the whole "well you probably did something to provoke it" and "the duty of the wife is to pleasure her man and be whatever he needs". In the end, I learned that with Tony was where I belonged.
AN: Okay so I know this is way out of character for Alex so don't shoot me! This will eventually be AO but give it time. I promise they will end up together. Review? Please!?