Chapter 5 Stop Fighting Me

The next morning found Cameron standing in front of her bathroom mirror, desperately trying to cover her bruised cheek. Chris who had been practically living with her came into the bathroom. She visibly tensed as he stood behind her, staring at her reflection. She paused in covering the bruise with makeup as he moved his gaze to her cheek. He slowly but not gently placed his hand on it, making her wince with pain.

"It's not that bad." He said it so casually it pissed her off.

"No but it hurts like hell!" she snapped as he removed his hand only to slap her cheek again.

"Stop whining! You're lucky that was all I did!" Looking away, she put her hand to her throbbing cheek, trying to breathe through the pain. He instantly grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him.

"Look at me Cameron! Look at me!" She looked into his eyes and the same fear she felt from last night was ten times worse. "I'm not going to be putting up with all this backtalk and disrespect from you so if you know what's good for you then you'll keep your mouth shut and do what I say. Do you understand?" he asked, his voice was dark and stern and she knew better than to go against him. The thing was she didn't care. She didn't want to give in and make it easy for him to control her. So instead of saying she understood she quickly pulled away and pushed him back.

"I don't understand what makes you think you can be disrespectful to me and treat me like dirt!" Cameron barely even finished yelling when pain erupted in her stomach. She cried out as Chris socked her stomach again and again until she fell to her knees, gasping for air. Her cheeks were wet with tears as she looked up at him with hate filled eyes. One hand laid on the floor, supporting her while the other held her tender and bruised stomach. He kicked her thigh hard, making her stumble and she cried out as her stomach painfully made contact with the floor. He knelt down to her level and grabbed her hair, pulling her head up to look at him. She gasped from the pain as she put her hand on Chris's to try to loosen his grip but he only smacked it away. She whimpered in pain as he tightened his hold on her hair. His eyes were cruel and that only fed her need to fight back.

"Now do you understand?" he asked angrily.

"Fuck you," she said breathlessly as she grabbed his hand that held her by the hair and dug her nails deep into his skin until he let go and before he had time to react she pushed him to the floor and took off for the door. Her first thought was to get out.

"Bitch!" he yelled, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down. She screamed as her head connected with the floor. She rolled over onto her back. Her head was spinning with pain and she could barely make out Chris through her blurry vision as he stood up and looked down at her. Warm sticky blood started to roll down her face and into her eyes. He once again knelt down and roughly grabbed her face.

"Now do you understand Cameron?" His voice sounded distorted and far away but she knew what he was asking. She willed herself to get up, to keep fighting but the pain and disorientation kept her immobilized. She closed her eyes hearing nothing but Chris's faraway shouts and feeling him lightly tapping her cheeks in attempt to wake her up. She didn't even care and she felt herself fall further and further into darkness.

Cameron slowly regained consciousness and the first thing she felt was a throbbing headache. She groaned in pain, realizing she was lying on her bed. Work! She suddenly remembered. What time is it! I'm going to be late! She opened her eyes, ignoring the painfully bright light and sat up fast, only to be stopped by Chris's strong arms. She jumped in his arms; fear flooded her body as memories from hours before flashed through her mind.

"Woh slow down honey. You really banged up your head." His voice was sickeningly sweet. All traces of anger was gone and replaced by a fake concern that made her nauseous. She trembled in his arms; tears welled up in her eyes as she wished she were far away from this place, away from him.

"Chris what time is it?" she asked, shy of his reaction. She breathed a sigh of relief when he gently laid her back down.

"It's six. You've been out all day."

"What!" she exclaimed in panic, trying to sit up but Chris only held her down.

"Calm down Ally. After I treated your wound I called Cuddy and told her you have the flu. She gave you the week off and will pass the message on to House." She calmed down in relief as she put her hand to the gauze on her forehead. She winced, quickly moving her hand and looking up at Chris.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"I had to give you stitches. You don't appear to have a concussion. You'll be fine."

"This time," she mumbled bitterly. Chris's face went from concern to anger in a flash. She instantly regretted saying that as he grabbed her neck, choking her. She struggled to breathe and tried to release his grip but it was no use. He raised her off the bed until she was face to face with him.

"This was your fault Cameron! You have no one to blame but yourself so stop fighting me cause it'll only get worse!" She couldn't say anything except to gasp for air. He roughly pushed her back against the pillows, releasing her neck. She coughed, greedily breathing in as much air as she can. "Come on, I ordered Chinese food." The thought of food made her feel nauseous. Her stomach hurt too much to eat.

"I'm not hungry," she whispered.

"Don't give me that bullshit. Get up!" One look at his face and she knew she had said the wrong thing but she didn't care. She was going to keep fighting him. She slowly sat up, her stomach and head screaming in protest. She looked him straight in the eyes, showing him the anger and hate in them.

"I'm sorry, I don't think you heard me Chris. I said I'm not hungry. In case if you had forgotten you just used my stomach as a punching bag this morning." She knew it was coming so she braced herself as his fist made contact with her chin.

"Fine!" he snapped, not caring that her lip was split and blood was rolling down her chin. "If you don't eat now then don't bother eating later! You're too fat anyways."

I'm not fat, she angrily thought as he got up and left.

Now that she was finally alone she slowly got up and went into the adjoining bathroom. She froze in her tracks as she saw the girl in the mirror. She didn't recognize her own reflection. Her face was pale and the bruises on her cheek and chin stood out. Blood rolled down her chin so she got a hand towel and soaked it with water before cleaning the blood and pressing it to her busted lip. She looked at the gauze Chris had taped to her forehead and slowly started to remove it, afraid of what she'll see. She gasped, dropping the hand towel and the gauze into the sink. The gash on her forehead was swollen with three stitches and was a shade of dark purple and green. Tears blurred her vision as she continued her exam. She pulled up her shirt and saw huge purple bruises. She sunk to the floor, unable to stop her rapid tears. She cried and cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She needed to get out of here. She needed to run, keep running and never look back. But if she left she can never come back. She'll never again see her friends and coworkers. She'll never be able to talk to Chase anymore. As much as she didn't want to she had to run. Her mind made up, she got up off the floor, wincing from the sharp pains in her stomach. She rushed into the bedroom, quickly grabbing an old black Jansport backpack from her closet and started shoving clothes and necessities in it. She found her wallet and shoved it inside as well. Now that she was done she debated whether she should just walk out now or wait till he either went home or was asleep. He'd kill her if she left now so she hid the backpack under the bed and decided she'll wait till later.

As soon as she heard Chris snoring besides her she slowly got up. She was terrified of him waking up and catching her. After pulling on her shoes and jacket over her pajamas she grabbed her backpack. She would change at the airport. She looked down at Chris, anger bubbling insider her. "I loved you," she whispered softly. "I loved you and you hurt me. You made me feel safe. Goodbye Chris." She turned away, tears silently flowing down her cheeks as she left the room. She quietly walked out the front door, shutting it quietly. Little did she know was that Chris had woken up as soon as she walked out of the apartment.

Her hands were shaking hard as she took out her keys to unlock her car door. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this. A cold chill made its way down her spine and through her legs making them hurt. The night air blew through her hair and face. It was freezing but she hardly noticed as she unlocked her door and threw her bag into the backseat. She sat in the driver's seat but before she can put the keys into the ignition a hand grabbed a fist full of her hair. She cried out in pain and fear as Chris pulled her out of the car.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going!" he yelled as he pulled her back into the building. She cried out again, hoping someone would hear her. But unfortunately it was the middle of the night and no one was going to save her.

"Chris stop! Let me go!" she yelled.

"Shut up or someone will hear!" he yelled, clasping his hand over her mouth as he pulled her into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed she bit his hand. He yelled in pain and threw her against the wall.

"I don't care if anyone hears me! I want them to know what you're doing to me!" He looked down at her. Danger gleamed in his eyes making her go silent.

"I've had enough of your bullshit Cameron!" he yelled as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up. She yelled out as he socked her already bruised stomach but her cries were muted against his hand. The elevator doors opened and he roughly pushed her out into the hall and back into her apartment. He slammed the door shut and slammed her body against it so she was pinned between him and the door. She winced as she felt the doorknob digging into her lower back.

"You were running away weren't you! You backstabbing bitch! Where were you going! Who did you tell!" he yelled loudly in her face. She couldn't do anything but stand there and take it.

"I didn't tell anyone," she cried through tears. "Please Chris just let me go and I won't tell anyone about the abuse." Cameron didn't even have a chance to prepare herself for the blow. She gasped in surprise as he punched her in the eye. She fell to floor, her eye felt like it was on fire.

"Do you think I'm stupid Cameron! You're a lying bitch! The moment I let you go you'll go running to Chase! You're not going anywhere so stop fighting me!" He knelt down and once again grabbed her by the hair. Her scalp was screaming in protest. She couldn't stop crying and this only made him angrier.

"I'll never stop fighting you! You're sick Chris. You need help." At this he let go of her and stood up. She curled into fetal position as he started kicking her everywhere. She tried to protect her head and stomach as he started yelling at her.

"I don't need help Cameron! And if you want to be like this and keep fighting me then you'll stay here and starve until you learn some respect. And stop crying you weak little shit!" Those words hurt more than the kicking. She kept crying, wishing he would stop, wishing for someone to hear her cries and save her. But no one was coming and he wasn't going to stop until she passed out. The pain was too much and she felt herself falling into darkness. She didn't even fight it. She welcomed it and before she knew it the pain was gone.

Cameron woke up the next morning in so much pain. She felt like she had been hit by a truck. She groaned in pain as she sat up, checking for any serious wounds. Fortunately all she found were bruises all over her body from the kicks and her black eye was heavy and sore. She was surprised she can still open it. The smell of eggs and sausage flowed through the room and her stomach growled in protest. She hadn't realized how hungry she actually was. She got up from the bed where Chris had put her after passing out and made her way into the kitchen.

"It's about time you're up," he said as he turned off the stove and put the eggs and sausage on a plate. She sat at the island, thinking it was for her but before she can pick up the fork Chris pulled the plate away from her.

"Don't you remember what I said last night?" he asked with a cocky smirk. She glared at him, realizing he wasn't going to let her eat. He was going to torture her until she finally gave in. She moved her gaze to the coffee pot and got up to serve herself but Chris blocked her way. He didn't have to say anything for her to know she couldn't have coffee either. Wanting to test how far he would go with this punishment, she looked at him in the eyes.

"Can I at least have some water?"

"Are you going to start respecting me now?" he asked. His eyes were cruel and she knew he was serious. She glared at him, not saying anything. He took her silence as a no so he sat back down and started eating his breakfast. She was so mad she wanted to grab his plate and throw it. She wanted to grab some food and shove it down her throat just to piss him off. She wanted to fight for her breakfast but she held back. She knew that's what he was expecting her to do. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. If it were up to her she would have gone to work regardless of Cuddy giving her the week off and all the bruises covering her face and body. If she went to work people would notice the bruises and wounds, especially Chase. If he knew what was happening he would be here in a second and save her. Leaving on her own was out of the question. Chris wouldn't let her. The only thing left was to call Chase. Without a word she started moving through the house, looking for her cell, her pager, her computer, even her home phone but she couldn't find any of it. She was even aware of Chris watching her as she searched through the apartment. Her home phone was there but the cord was gone, making it useless. She looked at Chris, realization dawning on her. His face was smug and his eyes were cruel.

"You actually think I would leave anything lying around where you can call people. Do you really think I'm that stupid?" He chuckled at the furious look on her face but she didn't say a word as she retreated back to the bedroom.

The week dragged on and Cameron couldn't wait for Monday where she was allowed to go back to work. The only thing was it was only Thursday and she was starving, dehydrated, and so tired. It's only been four days and she didn't think she could last till Monday where her colleagues would notice the state she was in and she would tell them that Chris was abusive and was trying to break her by not letting her eat, sleep, or have any water. She knew she would be risking her life but she couldn't keep living like this. Actually now she wasn't even sure if she should report Chris. She was afraid of his punishments. In this weakened state she didn't know what to do anymore. Fighting against him wasn't working and she was already feeling defeated. She lied on the bed, listening to Chris talking on the phone in the living room. In her disoriented state of exhaustion and hunger she can tell he was pacing as he once again explained to one of her colleagues why she was out for the week and wasn't in contact. She can hear him saying that she was sick with the flu.

"Take care Dr. Chase. I'll have her call you when she's feeling better."

"Chase," she whispered, getting up from the bed and weakly made her way to the door. She wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice. She didn't care if Chris stood over her, making sure she didn't say anything about the abuse. As long as she got to hear Chase's voice she was sure she'd be able to survive Chris's game till Monday. But as soon as she opened the door Chris had hanged up and seen her collapsed to the floor.

"What are you doing Ally?" he asked in that fake sweet voice she hated so much. "Let's get you back in bed before you hurt yourself." He picked her up in his arms, holding her tight as she struggled weakly.

"Chase, I want to talk to Chase. I promise I won't tell him. I just want to talk to him." Chris dropped her onto the bed and backhanded her across the face. She broke down in silent tears. She couldn't take it anymore, the pain, hunger, and tiredness.

"You're such a slut! Like I would actually let you talk to someone who has a thing for you!" Cameron didn't answer as she covered her face with her arms. Her body racked with quiet sobs. He sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his hand on her thigh to get her attention.

"You know Ally, you could stop this right now if you promise to stop fighting me. I'll let you eat and sleep and even talk to one of your friends except for Chase." She rolled onto her side, giving him her back. She was so thirsty. She wanted water and food and sleep but more than anything she wanted to talk to someone. She's been trapped here for four days with nothing but fear and words of abuse. She needed to talk to someone who actually cared about her. She wanted to talk to Chase.

"Chris please I just want some water," she said instead of giving in. His eyes quickly changed from a fake caring to frustration in a flash.

"You know what you have to say Cameron." His voice was impatient and now that he used her last name she knew he was pissed. She didn't think she could handle another beating or another second without food and water. She was tired, so tired and just wanted to sleep. Tears came down faster as she turned to him. Chris smiled cruelly at the mental state she was in. She was weak and emotionally drained and he knew she would break at any minute.

"Let's try this again. Are you going to start respecting me?" She closed her eyes in defeat, letting her tears stream down faster.

"Yes," she whispered. He grinned menacingly.

"Are you going to try to run away again or tell anyone about your punishments?" She kept her eyes closed as a quiet sob escaped her lips.

"No," she cried.

"Do you love me Allison?"

No! She wanted to scream but thought better of it. Instead she took a shaky breath and nodded. Chris smiled happily. He had finally broke her. He gathered her into his arms and held her.

"You see baby. That wasn't so bad wasn't it?" She didn't answer for she was crying hysterically by now. "Ssh it's ok baby. It's over now. You're okay." He stroked her hair in a possessive way, listening to her cries with satisfaction. She was finally completely his.