Reality Bites
Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Danni and Meg
Chapter Nine – Interruptions
Meg blanched at the exasperation in her friend's voice. Man, she really wasn't going to be able to get out of this one. She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. It was sure going to be a fun couple of hours.
Fun wasn't even the word for it. Meg had been right. Danni was not impressed with her explanation – or excuse as Danni called it. No matter how many times Meg said that she'd just wanted to put that part of her life behind her, her best friend had come back with something that had made her feel guilty and selfish for keeping it to herself.
"How exactly did you think you were going to put it behind you without talking about it?" Danni pointed out. "It obviously had a large impact on you; I knew you took those self-defence lessons for bigger reasons then just that mugging. If you'd told me, you would have had more than just you and Hero looking out for you."
"I know," Meg sighed. "I'm sorry Danni, I really am. I can't say anything more then that I just wanted to forget about it."
Danni frowned and opened her mouth before she seemed to change her mind. She sighed and took Meg's hand.
"You can't forget about it until you've moved past it, and the only way to do that is to talk. But I've lectured enough I think. Just as long as you promise to not to keep something this big from me again. You had me terrified chickadee, and it wasn't a pleasant experience."
Meg looked down as guilt surged through her. She couldn't make that promise. Not while Christopher was still in her life. She couldn't share his secret, as it wasn't hers to share. But more than that, she really didn't want her friend to go looking for the first shrink she could find.
Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer when the door opened and Chris walked in. His face was blank mask, no emotion showing in his eyes when Meg met them. She frowned in disappointment. Frank was quite good at talking people out of bad moods, and she'd been hoping that he'd have some success with Chris. But apparently no such luck.
"Well if it isn't Mr Grumpy," Danni said, her narrowed eyes contradicting her cheerful voice. Chris looked up and scowled at her.
"Danni," he said with a nod, his tone short. Danni put her hands on her hips and threw her own scowl back at him.
"You certainly pick a great time to throw a temper-tantrum, don't you sunshine?" she said and Meg's head snapped to her.
"Danni, what are you doing?" she said warily. Why was she picking a fight?
Chris scowled further when Danni met Meg's gaze briefly before looking back at the man sitting at her bedside.
"I'm pointing out that he has a really shitty sense of timing," she said. "I walk in and he's angry and leaning over you in a threatening manner, right after The Asshole attacks you? Yeah, Chris, great way to get your point across without scaring Meg in the process!"
Chris's eyes widened as Danni held his gaze. Meg could almost see the words hit him. Emotion zoomed back into his eyes, the main one being guilt. He looked at her quickly and then looked away again. Meg glared at Danni, who just grinned back at her, her point made.
Silence reigned in the room as both woman watched Chris visibly struggle with whether to apologize on not. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, swearing under his breath, his familiar scowl seemingly etched into his features. Meg felt horrible. He had nothing to be sorry about, she was the one who had to apologize, and she was about to tell him that when they were interrupted by the door opening again. Meg cringed when she saw the boys in blue – or in this case, girl in blue. The blond policewoman walked into the room and stepped up to the end of the bed, her eyes shifting from one person to the next as she absorbed the tension in the air.
"Megan O'Connor?" she questioned and Meg wiggled her fingers at her.
"That's me. Call me Meg," she said. The policewoman nodded.
"Officer Tawny. I'm here to take your statement if now's a good time."
"As good as any," Meg said on a sigh.
"Good. And you're Christopher Perry?" she asked, looking at Chris, who studied her silently before nodding.
"I'll get yours next then. If we could have some privacy?"
"No," Chris said abruptly, his eyes still on her. "I'm staying."
"I second that," Danni said. Officer Tawny frowned, looking at Meg.
"They can stay if that's alright," she said quietly, relieved that she wouldn't have to go over it alone. She'd already told it to Danni, but telling it to the police made it more… real somehow.
The police officer nodded. "It's your choice. I'll take you through what happened step by step and then we'll get into your and your husband's history."
"Ex-husband," Meg said, noticing Chris stiffen out the corner of her eye. Officer Tawny smiled.
"Sorry, ex-husband. Right, tell me what happened from the beginning. How did the incident start?"
And so it went. Meg answered the questions as quickly and calmly as possible. It helped that Danni held her hand through the entire thing, and even though he never made any physical movement towards her, just Chris being there helped her stay calm, though his expression did steadily get darker and darker the more she spoke. She finally got to the end of the statement, her voice catching only a time or two.
"Okay, that's just about all we need," Officer Tawny said about fifteen minutes later. "One last question and I hope you don't mind, but this is as much for my curiosity as it is for the record."
When Meg nodded, the policewoman continued.
"What made you decide to leave him? You were married to him for two years and never once went for help. You suffered for that long, what made you plan and execute your escape?"
Meg took a deep breath as the memory of that moment rushed over her. It was her worst and best memory all at once.
"Fergus booted me in the stomach and I thought I was pregnant," she whispered. Danni gasped and Chris went very still.
"Were you?" Officer Tawny asked in a soft voice. Meg shook her head.
"No, but the point is, I thought I was. His actions could have killed our baby. It was then that I realized that I had to leave. Because if I stayed, there was a high chance I'd end up pregnant at some point, and what if he did it again? Up until that point I could deal with him beating me. I couldn't handle the thought that he might harm someone else I loved. So I planned and I left."
"You made a very wise decision," Officer Tawny said, her eyes smiling kindly. "Though you would have saved yourself some pain if you'd reported him sooner."
"Kind of hard to report someone for doing something wrong when you don't think what they've done is wrong at all," Meg said, just a hint of dry humour in her voice. The police officer smiled again.
"Very true. But you're out of it now, and just between you, me and your cheer section here, with what we've figured from the evidence in the apartment and the wounds on both your exes face and his hands," she said with a nod at Chris, "Fergus McNulty is probably going down for quite a long time."
Meg smiled. Widely. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. What they all wanted to hear. Danni made her elation a little more visible by pumping her fist in the air and yelping out a "yuss!" Chris noticeably relaxed, his dark expression clearing slightly.
"Should you really be telling me that?" Meg asked with a grin. Officer Tawny grinned back and shrugged.
"No. But what the bigwigs don't know won't hurt them. As long as you don't take my words to heart. There's no guarantee, it's just whispers."
"Thank you," Meg said. "Just the thought that he might get what he deserves is enough at the moment."
"You're most welcome," Officer Tawny said. "Now, I'll get Christopher's statement and have a word with… Danniella I take it?" she said, looking at Danni, who nodded. "Then I'll go get them to my boss. After that, I think Dr James said something about you going home?"
Meg nodded eagerly. "The sooner the better," she said and the Officer grinned again.
"Couldn't agree more."
~0~
Chris gave his statement in a monotone, only showing signs of emotion when he described walking – though he's orbed, not walked, he just couldn't tell the cops that – into the apartment and seeing Fergus fling an already bleeding Meg across the room. His voice hardened, as did his eyes, reminding Meg a lot of the way he'd looked when he'd stood up to Wyatt in Chris-Crossed. Angry and defiant. He'd quickly shut it down again and after speaking to Danni, Officer Tawny left, promising to update them as soon as she knew anything.
Dr James came in moments after the Officer left. He gave Meg a thorough check before pronouncing her fit to go home, as long as she had someone stay with her the night to keep an eye on her concussion, and that she came back in a few days to get stitches removed and the progress of her healing cheek checked. Meg nodded quickly, more than ready to go home. She protested having to leave in a wheelchair, but one look from Chris shut her up. He was clearly still angry, but there was guilt mixed in with it as well.
Meg didn't know what to say to him. His face was stoic and closed, but he didn't leave her side. It was all so confusing and she knew she'd have to talk to him as soon as possible, which she wasn't looking forward to. At all.
Danni chatted as she drove back to Meg's apartment, her rambling filling up the awkward silence Meg and Chris were sitting in. Chris spent most of the time staring out the front passenger seat window, and Meg spent most of the time watching Chris from the back. She sighed as her eyes ran over his stiff profile. He seemed like a stranger at the moment, and she didn't like that thought at all. She looked over when a large hand patted her knee.
"He'll be okay hun. You just scared him, is all, but once he settles himself down and gets himself over it, everything will go back to normal," Frank murmured. His dark, whiskey-coloured eyes were kind and Meg smiled at him.
"I hope so," she whispered. "I don't like it when we're at odds."
"What couple does? And I know you've told Danni you're not a couple, but the way the two of you have been acting sure makes you look like one." He smiled at her and squeezed her knee.
"Take some advice from the guy who almost turned away from the love of his life," he said with a nod at the bouncy driver. "If you have feelings for him, don't let anything get in your way. It'll just cause more heartbreak. Trust me."
Meg sighed again and turned to look out her window as they pulled up to the apartment. Did she have feelings for Chris? She was attracted to him, yes, but was it more than that? And if it was, could she really take the chance? He might be a fiction character in real life, but he was certainly real enough now. Could she put her heart on the line, knowing that he'd have to leave eventually? Did she have the strength for that?
Knowing that she wouldn't be able to answer those questions immediately, she got out of the car, Chris stepping in silently behind her. She turned to Danni when her friend said her name.
"I'll just pop home and pick up a couple of things, honeybunch, but I'll be right back. We can have a girl's night tonight."
Meg frowned. She was staying the night? But Chris was here… she blinked when she realized that Danni didn't know that. And she couldn't tell her because it would set her right off. Besides, she thought she might actually enjoy having Danni around. It might cut some of the tension between her and Chris.
"Okay," she said quietly. Frank smiled at her again and looked at the other man.
"Since those two are going all girly, how about you come over to mine and we have our own version? You know, manly stuff, beer and football and nachos, that kind of thing."
Chris's eyes widened at the invitation and he hesitated, looking at Meg and then looking away again. He frowned.
"Maybe. I'll, ah, let you know, okay?" he said. Frank nodded.
"Sure thing. Meg's got my cell number, just flick me a text." He turned to Meg again. "Take care of yourself, hun. No more hospital visits this century."
Meg grinned and nodded, cringing slightly as the movement made her head and cheek ache. She needed to take some painkillers.
"We have to get inside," Chris said gruffly, taking Meg by the arm. Danni grinned at his actions before shooting them a little wave. The couple were gone in the next moment and Chris led Meg into the house.
She froze the instant she stepped over the threshold. Her eyes widened and her breath stuttered as she took in the evidence of her 'discussion' with her ex. There was blood on the carpet. Memories overtook her and she felt herself begin to tremble.
She distantly heard Chris curse under his breath before he muttered something and white lights popped out of nowhere. They zoomed around the mess, making it vanish, until there was nothing left to suggest anything untoward had gone on in the room. Meg felt her mind clear as she was greeted with her plain, ordinary living area.
"Thank you," she whispered before looking at her guest sharply. "But that was the Vanishing Spell, wasn't it? Aren't you worried about Personal Gain?"
"No," Chris said curtly, striding past her and into the kitchen. He came out a moment later with a glass of water and the pills the doctor had prescribed.
"Here. Drink," he said. Meg shook her head.
"I'm okay at the moment. I'll take them later Chris," she said when he frowned at her. "They'll put me to sleep, and you and I… we have to talk."
Chris's frown deepened into a scowl. "At least sit down then," he grumbled, taking her arm and leading her to the sofa. Meg did as she was told; glad to be off her feet. Chris sat beside her and the two of them looked at each other, neither saying a word.
"I'm sorry," Meg blurted suddenly. "I'm so sorry Christopher. I should have trusted you. I know who you are and what you do, so I should have taken your warning to heart. I should have never answered the door."
Chris stared at her for a long moment before he sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"You're right, you shouldn't have. But I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I know you're not used to my life, so it's understandable that you don't treat everything I say with respect. Hell, even the sisters don't take everything I say to heart."
"Yes, but that's only because they don't trust you as yet. I do. I really do," she insisted when he looked at her. Relief ran through his eyes and he nodded.
"Okay. So you'll do what I say next time?"
"When it comes to my safety, I will," she said. She grinned when Chris scowled at her answer. She'd listen to him up to a point. It was her life after all.
"So you wanna take those pills now?" Chris asked. Meg shook her head again.
"Not just yet. I have one more question if you're willing to answer it. Well, two really," she said. Chris looked at her warily.
"Why did you get so angry? And why did you attack Fergus so severely? You could have just TK'ed him and knocked him out that way. You didn't have to rearrange his face."
Chris looked at her in horror. "You're not feeling sorry for The Asshole, are you?" he asked.
"No! Of course not! He deserved everything he got, and I'm grateful you dished it out to him!" Meg answered, secretly finding it funny that he had adopted Danni's name for her ex. "I was just wondering at the extreme reaction."
Chris looked down at his hands and for a moment, Meg thought he wasn't going to answer her. He had a right not to. Whatever had caused him to react so violently was his business, not hers.
"You don't know the answer already?" he asked quietly. Meg frowned.
"I wouldn't have asked if I did," she answered. Chris looked surprised.
"Must not be in the seasons," he muttered. Meg frowned further as he turned to look at her.
"When I was a teenager, I had a friend, a girl. Not a girlfriend, we were never that, we were just really close friends. She meant the world to me. She was a fabulous distraction from Wyatt and… I take it you know about mine and Leo's history?"
Meg nodded silently, not willing to speak in case it put him off. He opened up so rarely.
"Of course you do," he huffed. "Anyway, she kept me from stressing too much over those two. For a while, she allowed me to be a normal teenager."
"Only for a while?" Meg murmured, unable to help herself. Chris nodded.
"Yeah, only for a while. She was fifteen when she met this guy. I didn't trust him from the get-go, and I told her that, but Ivy… she was stubborn. They got together, and this guy, well let's just say that he proved me right within a month."
Meg swallowed as Chris's eyes darkened with anger.
"I lost count of how many times I had to beg Wyatt to heal her. I also lost count of how many times I begged her to leave him, as well as how many times she had to talk me out of attacking him. I can't believe now that I listened to her, but that girl was always able to twist me around her little finger."
"What happened to her?" Meg asked as Chris smiled gently, his eyes shadowy with memories. Chris's face hardened.
"I found her one day, lying on her bedroom floor. She was dead. She'd been dead for a few hours, while I'd been sitting there, waiting for her to come over. He'd beaten her to death, and then he just walked away, scot free."
Meg inhaled sharply, sorrow running though her. "What did you do?" she whispered. Chris laughed bitterly.
"Nothing. I did absolutely nothing," he said. "Wyatt wouldn't let me. He locked me up for a month, and by that time, the guy had disappeared. I couldn't find him anywhere."
He sighed. "Ivy's family didn't care about her either, she'd spent a lot of time at mine and Granddad's place until this guy came along, so the police investigation was only half-hearted. I don't think they would have even reported it if I hadn't made them. The police eventually ruled it as an accident, which was complete bullshit."
"Oh God. I'm so sorry Chris," Meg whispered. Chris grimaced.
"So am I. But that's the main reason why I reacted the way I did. Seeing him do that to you brought it all back." He looked at her, his eyes hesitant. "I'm sorry if I scared you at the hospital. I didn't mean too. It's just that you did the same thing Ivy did time and time again. She didn't listen to me then, and, well, you didn't listen to me now, so I just…"
"It's okay," Meg said, taking his hand and squeezing it. "Yes I was scared, but it was more of an instinctual reaction than anything else. I know you would never hurt me Christopher. You don't have it in you. Thank you for telling me."
Chris smiled and Meg's heart stuttered as his eyes warmed. They weren't green, but they were still Chris.
Oh Lord, I'm seriously in trouble, she thought as she held his gaze. Her breath caught as his eyes continued to darken, her heart beginning to pound. Chris leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes heated, and-
The front door opened. Meg jumped, her head shooting round. Danni's smile fell off her face as she saw how close the two of them were sitting, or least how close they had been sitting. Chris moved the instant Danni walked into the room. He was now heading over to the computer.
"Umm, hi," Danni said, the expression she threw Meg very clearly saying shit, sorry! Meg shrugged and sighed; somewhat glad they'd been interrupted. Though she would have enjoyed kissing Chris – understatement! – she really needed to get her head straight first. Danni looked at Chris, who was now checking Meg's emails.
"Are you going to my place?" she asked. "You should. I'm here with Meg and you might enjoy it. Someone to, ah, talk to maybe?"
Chris turned around and looked at her, a frown on his face. He'd just opened his mouth to answered when they were once again interrupted.
A swirl of bright, goldish lights appeared out of nowhere, collating into a form. Chris shot over to Meg as Danni's mouth fell open.
"What the hell?"
Meg's own mouth fell open as the light cleared, and she stared at the figure who was looking around the room suspiciously. His gaze fell on Chris and he frowned.
"Chris? There you are. What happened?" he asked and Meg blinked in shock.
"What… L-Leo?"
Hehe! Sorry, shouldn't be laughing, but I do love my cliffys! :D Anyway, what do you think? Let me know.
Kirsty: Thanks for your last review and I hope this chapter answered your questions. Oh, and there's one more chapter to go on Hide and Seek, which should (will) be up tomorrow!
Thanks everyone for reading!
