co-written by RatedrKjErIcHo.

About an hour later, John looked over and saw that Holly had curled up and gone to sleep on the couch. He smiled a little. She looked peaceful. Something he hadn't seen in the few weeks that she'd been there. He grabbed the throw from the back of the couch and covered her up before he grabbed the cartons and the soda cans and carried them into the kitchen. He was glad that he'd seen her smiling. He hoped that he saw it more. He turned back to the living room when he heard her cry out.

"No, no. NO Alex, please don't make me do this." He walked over and heard her sob in her sleep. "I don't want to drink that." He walked around the couch and looked at her as she grabbed the side of her head and then started coughing like she was gasping for air. He sat down on the end of the couch and gently shook her shoulders.

"Holly." He said to her.

"No!" She screamed as she woke up. She quickly moved away from him.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe here." He said softly to calm her. "I promise you're safe here. No one is going to hurt you."

She sat there for a minute trying to calm herself. She looked around and realized she was in John's apartment. She looked at him. "I'm sorry. It was just a nightmare."

"It's okay. Stephanie said you would have some nightmares. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just the same I've had. When I was pregnant before this last time. And we found out it was a girl and he made me drink something he had made and then I miscarried that night."

"How many times did he do that?"

"Well, the first three times were just miscarriages. Stress related the doctor said. The fourth time, when we found out it was a girl, he flipped out and said it couldn't be a girl. It had to be a boy. He uh…..he put a gun to my stomach and told he he'd shoot me if I didn't drink the stuff. It was after that when I started having to sleep with his friends. And then this last time, when he found out it was a girl and that there was a chance it wasn't his baby, he freaked. He tried to make me drink the same stuff as before and I wouldn't. I refused. He hit me in the head with the glass and tried to choke me. And that's all I can remember until I woke up in the hospital." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Nobody is expecting you to remember everything right off the bat. I'm proud of you for

Remembering so much and for being brave enough to tell me what happened." He said as he hugged her again. She closed her eyes and embraced the feeling that was currently running through her. Safety. She hadn't felt safe since the first few years of her marriage. Before the switch inside Alex flipped and he became what she needed to be protected from.

"I should go to bed." She said pulling away.

"It is late and this is a break through. Stephanie gave you some sleeping pills. Would you like one?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright." He got up and walked over to where he had put her stuff earlier. He took the bottle of medication out and got a pill and then a glass of water. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She took it from him and took the medication.

"Alright, we'll see you in the morning."

"Okay." She smiled as she got up and headed to the guest room.

John took both medication bottles in his room. He knew everyone was worried she would try to kill herself again. He lay down and thought about what she had told him. She had been pregnant five times and two Alex had purposely made sure she would lose. Who does that to someone they love? To child that was not yet born.

Randy hung up with Stephanie who told him that she had set up a family therapy session with Amber's therapist. It would take place the next day. She wanted to explore their relationship as siblings. Randy sighed. He wasn't looking forward to it but he knew it was what needed to be done. For both of them. He slid into bed next to Dena and wrapped his arms around her hoping that everything would be okay. He wondered what would come out in therapy between the three of them.

Amber hung up with Mike who told her about the family therapy session that would take place at John's apartment with her, Holly, Randy, Stephanie and Mike.

"Everything okay?" Ted asked her as they lay in the guest room.

"Family therapy session tomorrow. Mike and Holly's therapist think it's a good idea."

"Are they going to make you talk about your Barbie killing days?" He smiled trying to make her feel better.

"Hey, in my defense, she deserved it plus they were mainly Holly's Barbies. Every toy I pretty much broke as a child was Holly's." Amber replied. "What if that's what happen to her?"

"I don't think you killing Barbie had any effect on things."

She laughed despite things. "I'm just worried what will come out in therapy. And I'm worried about us. What if I'm never comfortable having sex again? You've always wanted kids and it kills me to think that I may never be comfortable enough to give them to you." He leaned in and kissed her.

"Nothing and I mean nothing is going to scare me away. I said till death do us part and I meant it. Randy couldn't scare me away and he tried." She laughed.

"I remember that. When he first caught us in bed. He chased you around in your boxers."

"And I'm still here. Because I love you and I have faith that we'll get through this together. I'll wait as long as you need me to." She smiled and rested her head on his chest.

"When this is all over, can we go away somewhere? Just the two of us?"

"Anywhere you want to go."

She smiled at her husband as they got comfortable. She didn't tense when he put his arms around her. Her thoughts went to therapy. She was making progress with Mike and it was really helping. She wondered what family therapy would be like and what feelings would come out. But she knew it would be all for the best. It was going to be something they had to work through together.

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