Scars

As Jackson was walking down the stairs he overhead Lily's half of a phone conversation.

"What? When? I can't believe it. Why? No way!" she sounded like she was about to cry. When he got to the bottom of the stairs she was sitting on the couch, head in hands, crying. He went over and sat beside her.
"Lily, what's wrong?" It was at this point Miley walked in; she stopped at the piano when she heard what Lily said next.

"If I tell you something do you promise not to tell another living soul?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Not another living soul, this is something not even Miley or Oliver know." At this Miley's mouth dropped open.

"I swear."

"Ok…when I was 10, I was raped by my auntie's boyfriend's son, Brian. He was found guilty and given 10-15 years."

"Lily, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks, I just got a call from my mum's lawyer; he's getting out in two weeks."

"But it's only been 8 years?"

"He's getting out early for good behaviour." At this point Lily broke down and started crying again; Jackson pulled her to him and began to rub her back. After a few minutes Robbie Ray walked in the front door."

"Lily, Jackson, what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing, Lily's just telling Jackson something she's never told anyone, even me or Oliver." Said Miley from her position by the piano. When she had finished she went upstairs clearly angry.

"Miley, wait!" Lily called as she went up after her.

She found her sitting on her bed with her head hung down, she slowly entered.

"Miley, can we talk?"

"Yeah, you can start by telling me why you told my bother your deepest darkest secret and not me."

"Ok…I told Jackson because he's older and a guy and I feel like he can protect me…physically."

"Oh…were you ever going to tell me?"

"Honestly? No, because I knew you would worry."

"Should I? Do you think he'll try something when he gets out?"

"I don't honestly know, I mean I did get him sent to prison but at the same time he did just spend 8 years in there and he knows if he did anything I wouldn't keep quiet and I'm pretty sure he doesn't go back there."

"True, but if he did try something, there is one way to…ultimately silence you, do you think he would do it?"

"Kill me? I don't know, I didn't think he'd rape me so I'm not really an expert on what he's capable of." Lily and Miley talked some more and Lily ended up sleeping over.

Finally two weeks later the day finally came. Miley wouldn't leave Lily's side all day but after a few weeks with no sign of him both Miley and Lily began to relax.

Lily pretty much went back to normal and almost completely forgot about Brian. She even felt safe taking evening walks down to the beach, which she had loved to do since she was little.

It was a beautiful summer Malibu evening and Lily was walking home from the beach, she had gotten nearly halfway home when a hand clamped over her mouth. She knew instantly in was him, she remembered the way he smelled. She started fighting with all her strength but he had worked out in prison, and was much stronger than her. He dragged her into an alleyway and threw her on the ground, he straddle her and held a knife to her throat.

"I've been waiting 8 years, 5 months, 3 weeks and 1 day to do this, so you know I'm going to make it last."

Hearing the bone chilling words she began to cry which just made him smile. He lifted up her top and began stabbing her stomach, just deep enough to scar but not so deep that she would bleed out straight away. This carried on for 10 excruciating minutes until her stomach was nothing but a mess of short red lines and blood. Out of nowhere something came at him and sent him flying, in the process the knife flew out of his hand. Lily turned to see Jackson lying a foot away from the knife. Brian got up and slowly made his way over to Jackson.

"Jackson, look out!"

Jackson saw Brian coming towards him; he turned and saw the knife. He reached out and grabbed the knife a second before Brian did; he lifted it and plunged it into Brian's chest. Brian stopped his eyes wide, his hands reached up to the knife as he sunk to his knees. After a few seconds he collapsed and died.

Lily was rushed to the hospital and Jackson stayed at the scene to give his statement to the police. The police decided not to press charges as it was clearly self defence. Lily had emergency surgery; she lost her spleen and had serious internal damage. All up she had been stabbed twenty four times; she was lucky to be alive.

Three weeks later she was walking to the beach to meet Miley and get some much needed fresh air. She had been in the hospital for two weeks and parent imposed bed rest for one more week. When she got to the beach she saw Jackson sitting by himself looking sad, 'I guess I'm not the only one with scars' she thought to herself; seeing Miley wasn't there yet she went over and joined him.

"Hey, mind if I join?"

"Oh, hey Lily of course not, here, have a seat." He shuffled over so she could share his towel.

"How are you doing?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Hey you went through something too."

"Yeah, I killed someone." This was what Miley heard as she approached the pair so she stopped and listened.
"Jackson…" Lily began

"I know, I know it was self defence and defence of another."

"Exactly."

"You know its not the fact I killed someone that bothers me."

"It's not?"

"Well, it does bother me but the thing that really gets me is that to protect you, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Really? To protect me?"

"Yeah Lily, people often feel that way about people the have feelings for."

"Jackson, we said we wouldn't talk about this again."

"I know, I'm just saying I want to be with you and that's why."

"Maybe you used to, but no one would want to be with me now."

"What are you talking about?"

Without reply Lily lifted her t shirt and looked down, Jackson's eyes followed and saw her stomach covered with scars. The plastic surgeons had said the scaring was so bad there was nothing they could do, Jackson knew she would never wear a bikini or bear her midriff again. Jackson thought of the many ways he could explain to her that he didn't care, that she was beautiful anyway and that he'd rather she were badly scarred than dead but he knew he couldn't say it right. So he simply lowered his head and kissed a line from the top of her jeans up her stomach to just below her bra and then finally kissed her lips. She let her t shirt fall and wrapped her arms around his neck; they sat there kissing until Miley made a clearing her throat noise.

"Miley, I can explain." Said Lily her eyes wide

"No need; after what you've both been through you deserve to be happy."

"Thanks Miley." Said Lily

"Your welcome, just promise me no more keeping secrets."

"I promise."