Thanks to everyone who read, followed and/or favorited and especially those that take the time to review.

Chapters are probably going to be on the short side through March while I'm dealing with taxes at work. It makes for very long days and very little time for writing sadly.

Ch. 2 Flesh Around me is Only Pretend

(FITZ)

Owen calls for me and I go out to the living room to see him standing with Clare. I never expected to see her, I ask what she's doing here and she just crumples. Dropping to her knees on the floor and bursting into tears like someone turned on. Owen sits down next to her; I walk over and sit on the other side of her. Clare brings her knees to her chest and sobs; I reach over and start rubbing her back softly.

"I'm sorry," she says softly in a voice barely audible because it's choked by tears, "I didn't mean to start crying."

"It's okay," Owen tells her as she starts wiping away her tears but I can feel her shaking since my hand is still on her back.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offer and she shakes her head.

"Do you want to call Adam?" Owen suggests and Clare shakes her head again.

"No I don't want to take the chance of hearing the voice of his stupid jerk of a brother," Clare hisses in a tone filled with venom and pain.

"Oh Drew did something stupid," Owen states standing up and holding his hand out to Clare. She takes it and he helps her to stand, Owen escorts her to the sofa and I follow them. "So what did Drew do?" Owen questions as we sit down.

"I thought he'd changed, I thought he cared. We spent all semester growing closer and then we kissed at Thanksgiving after Eli cheated on me," Clare says but her voice is strained and she's kind of ranting. She's looking ahead at the TV but I know she's angry and she needs to get this stuff off her chest. She pulls her knees up and wraps her arms around her legs like she's protecting herself, although I'm pretty sure she doesn't feel the need to protect herself from us. "Despite forgiving Eli for cheating and staying with him I couldn't deny my feelings for him and I thought he felt the same. Drew and I just kept getting closer and Eli never had time for me, not when I needed him anyway just when it was convenient for him. After Drew told me I needed to choose the guy that had time for me and would treat me the way I deserved I broke up with Eli. I had to do it over voicemail because he never answered his phone. I told Drew at the hoedown yesterday and we had sex in the storage room. I thought I was falling in love again I was so happy and then Eli showed up and Drew walked out. I fought with Eli, told him all that Drew had done for me in the last few months, all that he meant to me and told Eli we were done. I went to find Drew, I told him it was over with Eli and Drew had decided he was a rebound and walked away again. I ran out and…" she stops now, her voice breaking and so strained by pain and anger she can't talk anymore.

She puts her head down on her arms and just sobs, crying so hard her body is shaking. I look at Owen, I'm at a total loss for what to do or say. I don't know Drew at all, aside from beating him up once and serving him at The Dot. We had a couple of classes together but we didn't exactly interact. I know Clare fairly well and we have spent time together, not that much of it was good time but we've spent time together. I knew that Drew had been elected president last year and he had asked Clare to be his Vice President. I'd seen them in The Dot working on things for school. They seemed friendly but they weren't flirting, it does make sense that they would have gotten closer working together. On the other hand Owen spent a lot of time with Drew since they were both on the football team. They became pretty good friends and Owen barely knows Clare at all. Yet he showed up with her at our apartment tonight and she's bawling her eyes out over being jilted by Drew. Actually I think there's more going on, something she's not telling us either because she can't just yet or because she doesn't want to.

"Drew's an idiot, don't worry about him right now, you want to watch a movie? We have some good ones, some great classic comedies," I comment and hear Clare sniffle in her tears a little.

"Yeah we have some popcorn or ice cream if you prefer," Owen adds.

Clare's still crying and doesn't answer but she does nod. I get up and go to the DVD collection on the bookshelf, after looking through them a minute I pick out Naked Gun. I hold it up for Clare and she nods so I put it in the DVD player and turn on the TV. Meanwhile Owen is getting the ice cream in the freezer, he brings out every flavor we have along with three bowls and three spoons. We watch the movie and eat ice cream, at first Clare isn't laughing at all but by the end of the movie she's laughing. We keep watching movies for the afternoon and order pizza for dinner and continue watching movies for the evening.

"I'm getting tired," Clare yawns a little after ten and part way through a movie.

"Take my bed I can sleep on the sofa," I tell her.

"Okay thanks Fitz," she smiles. She uses the washroom and says goodnight before going back to my room.

When she has the door closed I look at Owen, "Okay so not that I'm not happy to have her here and let her sleep in my bed but what the hell happened?"

"I'm just as clueless as you are, all I know is I got a call from Zig telling me to get to Clare's house. He said her parents were out of town visiting Jake and I needed to go check on her. It took her a couple of minutes to open the door, she was kind of skittish and shaky said she was fine but I knew she wasn't so I brought her here," Owen tells me.

"You really think she's so upset over what happened with Drew?"

"No I don't think that's the only thing going on, I'm sure that's part of it but not all of it. Not that I've had all that much experience with heartbroken girls, still it seems she'd be less…afraid I think is what I'm getting from her. Fear and anger, she does seem to be angry enough," Owen remarks.

"Yeah," I nod, "something else is definitely going on."

(CLARE)

I wake up to my cell phone ringing, I don't recognize the number but it's local so and I assume it's the clinic. It is the clinic and they tell me I need to come in so I get up and get dressed again. I left my toothbrush in the washroom last night so I go brush my teeth and my hair. Fitz is sound asleep on the sofa and I'm tiptoeing around as quietly as I can. I gather my stuff and walk quietly to the front door, I start to open it and Fitz wakes up.

"What are you doing?" He yawns.

"Going home," I reply not wanting to explain why I have to go to the clinic.

"Your house isn't anywhere near here were you planning to walk?" He questions.

I really hadn't been paying too much attention of the length of the drive last night or where we were, just that we weren't near U of T. I hadn't put any thought into how I was getting where I was going either my own thought is I needed to get to the clinic. The possibilities of what they might have found is swirling through my mind and is pretty much all I'm thinking about. The terrible and terrifying possibilities are making me ill, my stomach is churning and I feel like vomiting.

"Yeah pretty much," I answer Fitz slowly.

"Just hang on I'll get dressed and take you," he says and I give him a small smile. Fitz goes back to his room and a few minutes later comes out in fresh clean clothes. He grabs his keys from by the door and we go down to his car, get in and he drives me home. "You sure you're going to be okay? You can always come hang out at our place, come with us to Owen's parents for Christmas Eve and Christmas day I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Fitz proposes.

"Thanks but I'll be fine and I'll go to my dad's for Christmas, it'll be a little awkward but better than being alone," I reply.

"Okay call us if you change your mind or want to hang out," Fitz tells me and gives me his and Owen's numbers.

"Thanks and thank Owen for me," I say to Fitz before getting out of the car.

Fitz watches me and I wave to him as I unlock the door, I lock it once I'm inside and wave to Fitz again as he drives away. As soon as he's gone I leave the house again and start walking, the clinic isn't too far and I'm dressed warm so I don't mind walking in the snow. I only get about a block before a black car pulls alongside me.

"Saloon Girl where do you think you're going?" Vince calls and I look over to see him driving the car, Terry and Matt are in the backseat.

"Back to the clinic they told me I needed to come back," I tell him as I continue walking and he continues driving alongside me very slowly.

"Get in the car we'll take you," he says.

"No I'd rather walk," I reply.

"Get in the car Saloon Girl that wasn't a suggestion," he informs with a harsh tone. He stops the car and I look at him, I'm sure getting in the car is a bad idea but also sure that I don't have much of a choice. If I try to run he may just decide to run me down. With great hesitation I get in the car and he begins driving again. I sit as close to the door as I can, wanting nothing to with Vince or be anywhere near him. "Why do you need to go back to the clinic?"

"Probably because you gave me syphilis or some equally nasty STD," I spit back at him with much venom laced into my tone.

"If you caught something it wasn't from me, must have been one of the others, or that needle I doubt it was sterilized," Vince replies.

I swallow hard, I don't even have a response and my fear just went up 1000 times. I don't remember much of anything from that night, yesterday and last night I had a few flashes but they're hazy and almost dream like. Yet I knew Vince probably hadn't been the only to rape me, I hadn't even thought about the needle though, actually I'd forgotten about it. I'm sure it wasn't sterilized and who knows what it was contaminated with! I fight back the tears so they won't see me cry but I am so very close to just imploding.

"How'd you know where I was?" I question finding it more than just a little coincidental that he was driving here as I was walking to the clinic.

"I got eyes everywhere it's how I control things," he responds with a confident smile. Vince actually does drive me to the clinic but they also all come in with me, I'm not sure if he's just afraid I'm going to talk or has some other motive for coming in with me.

"Thanks for coming back Clare," a doctor says coming into the room. The other two stayed in the waiting room but Vince followed me back. "Your tests came back positive for trichomoniasis, it's a fairly common sexually transmitted infection and often presents without symptoms. It's treatable with an antibiotic, here's the prescription but I have to ask if there's a chance you could be pregnant?"

I open my mouth to tell him yes but Vince speaks for before I can.

"Nope no chance," Vince answers.

"Okay have this filled at a pharmacy, take all the pills and follow dosing instructions. If you have any other questions or concerns call us or come back in," he tells me and I nod taking the prescription.

Vince and I leave and get back in his car with Terry and Matt, I'm rather surprised when Vince stops at a pharmacy and I go inside to fill the prescription. Like coming to the clinic with me I'm assuming he has some other motive and he's not doing it out the kindness of his heart. He comes in with me and I fill the prescription then we go back to his car.

"You can take me home now," I tell him when we're back in his car.

"We're all going back to your house Saloon Girl," Vince responds and I get a shiver up my spine.

He drives back to my house and parks a few houses down. We get out and they follow me to my front door, I begin to get out my keys to unlock my door but I hear noises from inside and find the door unlocked. The rest of Vince's gang, except for Zig and Tiny, are in my house.

"You can't be here, this is my house not your hideout," I bark at them.

"Your parents are gone no one is going to know we're here," Vince shrugs.

"Get out or I'm calling the cops," I assert with a venomous tone as I get my cell phone from my purse.

"Don't even try to call the cops or anyone else," Vince growls grabbing my arm and squeezing tightly. It's not the pain in my arm that frightens me however it's the look in his eye. A look of death and hate, a look that says he has no limits and doesn't have one single doubt about hurting me.

"I have no idea when my parents will be back and I'm spending the holiday with my dad," I inform Vince but he just shrugs and then my phone rings. It's Owen he must be checking in, Vince sees the name on my caller ID. "Hi Owen," I answer.

"Fitz said he dropped you off this morning, are you okay? You can sleep at our place again," Owen offers and I want to say yes.

"Get rid of him," Vince whispers in my ear.

"Thanks but I'm okay," I reply simply out of fear for what Vince might do.

"Okay well you know our numbers if you need us," Owen says.

I say goodbye and we hang up, Vince smiles and strokes my cheek I pull away from his touch. The gang has taken over my house; several of them are drunk and laughing at some mind numbingly idiotic show on TV. They've already raided the kitchen and made a mess of the living room. Vince takes my phone and unplugs the house phone; he puts them on the sofa in the middle of the guys. I'm afraid if I stay down here with them I'll be raped again, in fact I'm fairly positive I will be the way they keep glancing at me. I also haven't eaten and I have to take these pills with food, I grab what little I can from the kitchen including a couple of water bottles and run up to my room locking the door. Which is where I spend the rest day, behind the door and on my laptop looking up various things first I look up the STI I have and the antibiotic I'm taking. If I am pregnant after the other night taking the drug could damage it but not taking the antibiotic and letting the infection run it's course will almost certainly mean a miscarriage. Also it makes me more susceptible to HIV and other infections so I eat a little something and take the antibiotic. I'm about to start researching rape when there's a knock on the bedroom door, I stay quiet hoping they'll go away. They don't of course and the locked door is very little deterrent since they simply pick the lock.

"You're hiding," Vince says stepping into my room.

"It's better up here than down there with you pigs! If any of you steals anything I will report it to the cops and tell them everything," I threaten.

"You're feisty, I like that about you Saloon Girl you remind me of Bianca, she was feisty too," he grins walking forward a few steps and I start to get up from the desk.

"I'm not Bianca and I will not be what Bianca was to you!" I snarl at him and voice drips with venom.

Vince grabs me by the shirt and whirls me around tossing me to the bed. He pins me down straddling over me on the bed and his hands push onto my chest. Not too hard but enough that I'm very frightened and it becomes rather hard to breathe.

"Bianca didn't exactly come walking through door either, I can be very persuasive. I don't care at all what you want I've decided you're the new Bianca. Besides we have a common enemy, I want to hurt Drew and I so do I," Vince remarks in a calm voice before getting off of me.

"I'm angry at him I don't want you to kill him," I respond.

"I wouldn't kill him, beating the crap out of him is better. You know just about everyone is passed out downstairs and I'm bored," Vince comments and leans down to kiss me but I push him away.

"Don't," I try to say it strong and angry but all I manage is fear.

"You seem to think you get a say, I don't have any dragon on me but I have some angel dust downstairs."

"No get off me," I cry pushing at him again. It's not doing any good, the more I push at him the more he pushes back. I'm starting to panic and prepare to be raped again but there's a voice in the doorway.

"Vince," it's Zig's voice and he's not alone Tiny is with him.

"You two can have her later," Vince tells them.

"Her parents called, if she doesn't call them back they might send someone to the house," Zig informs him and Vince gets off of me.

"Fine take her down and let her call her parents," Vince says pulling me up and sort of shoving me toward them.

Zig puts his hand at my back and we start walking downstairs, "Your parents didn't call I heard you cry out," he whispers in my ear and I smile at him.

"When did you two get here?" I ask in a low voice since Vince is following us downstairs.

"Just a few minutes ago we were told to come," Tiny replies.

I get my phone from the living room and call my mom anyway, I tell her I'm staying at Dad's for Christmas and she thinks that's good. We talk for a few minutes and I even say hi to Jake before getting off. Vince is drinking a beer and sitting on the sofa watching TV again, so I sit with Zig and Tiny on the sofa.

"You should call Owen," Zig suggests.

"I don't think that will work this time, I can try going to my dad's early but I'd need to call him."

"Go to the washroom call him from there," Zig tells me.

I nod getting up slowly and taking my phone. I call Dad from the washroom and tell him Mom and Glen won't be home for Christmas. He knows this will leave me alone and says he'll come pick me up in an hour. I hang up with Dad and go back downstairs.

"My dad is coming to pick me up you all need to go," I inform Vince.

He gives me a look but I guess he believes me because he tells everyone they need to leave. I heave a heavy sigh of relief when they're out of the house. Zig and Tiny stayed behind to help me clean up and we get most of it done by the time my dad comes.

"Thanks for helping me clean up and stopping Vince," I tell them gathering my bag.

"No problem but you should know that Vince isn't going to release his hold on you," Zig warns me.

"Yeah I got that," I nod turning off the lights and we go outside. I lock the door and wave to them getting in Dad's car.

"Who are those boys?" Dad questions.

"Just friends Dad."

He doesn't say any more about it but he does spend the rest of the drive talking about my mom, complaining that was irresponsible to leave me on my own and other such things. I greet my stepmom and her two kids, Kylie and Marcus, when I arrive. Marcus is three and Kylie is five, there not bad kids and Elaine is nice. Their apartment is pretty small though and Kylie and Marcus already share a room which means I have to sleep on air mattress in the living room. Although anything is better than being a prisoner in my own house with Vince and his gang and at least the younger kids go to bed early. Dad and Elaine also go to bed pretty early, I turn on the TV and zone out on it, doing everything possible not to think of Vince or what happened. I fall asleep quite late but am woken up when Kylie and Marcus get up at seven.

We spend Christmas Eve day watching movies and playing games. Have dinner together and then we each get to open one present. They do actually have a few presents for me and Dad would have brought them over or had me to dinner after Christmas. The present we all open is a new set of pajamas and then we go to bed. I'm very tired after so little sleep but just as I'm falling asleep I hear tapping on the window. When I get up and go to the window I find Vince on the fire escape.

"Go away," I snap at him as loudly as I dare.

"Enjoy Christmas I'll see you later Saloon Girl," Vince says.

He goes down the fire escape and I sink to the floor.

Update Thursday March 26th probably starting with Christmas day and likely will include the return to school.