~ What Lies Beneath ~

Author's Note - THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS :D You're the best readers ever :) And as a reward for so many amazingly lovely reviews you get two chapters in two days! I'm also making up for the fact I have exams coming up and may not be able to update as fast as I'd like so this is my offering :) hope you like it!

Warnings - Strong language throughout and possible scenes of a sexual nature ;)

Disclaimer - I own no-one but Abbie in this story. This is merely a work of fiction; it all came from my brain. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

~ What Lies Beneath ~

~ Chapter Twenty Five: ~

Phil barely had time to find a shirt to throw on before Abbie was outside his door. As he buzzed her into the building and opened the front door, he found a sad sight. Her hair was wet from the rain and hung limply around her face and she made no effort to wipe away the mascara tracks down her cheeks.

Before he had the chance to ask her what happened, she stepped into his apartment and wrapped her arms around herself. He closed the door and watched her curiously.

"Whose ass do I need to kick?"

She shook her head, letting out a breath. She was shivering slightly as he motioned for her to sit down on the couch.

"Do you want a drink? Towel for your hair?" he suggested. She nodded. He recognised the mood she was in. The arms folded around herself and the lack of talking usually meant she wanted to talk to him about something but her mind wasn't letting her open up.

He passed her a warm towel from the rail and she wrapped it around herself. Shaking his head, he fetched a blanket from the bedroom and draped it over her, taking back the towel and wrapping it around her hair.

"Hot chocolate?" he asked, rifling through his cupboards.

"Phil don't"

He popped his head over the counter and looked at her with a questioning expression.

"I didn't come here to make you wait on me…it's okay you go to bed, do you mind if I sleep here? I'm really sorry to be a pain in the ass"

"Shhh you. You're not making me do anything; I'm trying to be a friend. I'm not going to bed until I know you're okay and I get a smile out of you. Now you're getting hot chocolate whether you like or not" he quipped, making up two mugs. He watched as she rubbed her hair lightly and settled into the cushions.

He set the mugs on the table in front of them and sat down next to her. He couldn't be patient for much longer.

"Are you gonna tell me what's caused all this?" he asked, pointing to the make-up trails down her face.

She sighed deeply and took a sip of her drink. "Thank you for this…"

"You're welcome. Now don't avoid the question…whose ass am I kicking?"

She looked down at her drink and studied it as if she found it incredibly interesting. Then she placed it back down on the table and met his eyes.

"No ones" she shook her head, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

"Abbie, you know I don't mind helping you out, I know you'd do the same for me but why won't you tell me what's going on?…you came here for a reason" he probed as gently as he could.

"…I came here because I feel safe" she whispered, almost ashamed to admit it.

Phil took a moment to think about what she said. Sensing she was finding the words to speak he waited.

"I came here with the intention of telling you why but now I'm here…I already feel much better for one…and secondly, it just doesn't feel right…"

"What doesn't feel right?" he asked, confused.

"Talking to you about it…"

"Why not?" he asked, watching the way she bit her lip nervously and her arms were tightly locked around her.

"Because I've had some wine and although I'm feeling pretty sober now, I don't want to say something stupid…and because it's Cody…"

"I already assumed that much"

"You did?" she asked, meeting his eyes and looking surprised.

"Well you were with him tonight so it doesn't take a brain surgeon to put two and two together" he said softly. "Why don't you feel like you can talk to me about whatever's going on with Cody?"

He regretted that the second it came out of his mouth. His mind flashed back to the night he sort of almost but did actually admit how he felt about her. What if she remembered and she knew he liked her? What if that's why she feels uncomfortable talking to him about Cody?

"I don't know" she admitted.

"You can talk to me about anything" he winked putting his arm around her. He noted how she relaxed into his embrace and rested her head against his chest, curling up on the couch. "What happened today?"

She took a deep breath. "We had a fight last night…well actually there's been a few, and it just went too far tonight" she whispered, tears threatening as she felt Phil's stare on her. She was turning the edge of his shirt around her finger nervously, trying to distract herself.

"What do you mean too far?" he asked, concerned.

"Just too far as in I think we're done…like I don't see me ever being able to go back there"

"I'm sorry" he said softly, brushing her damp hair back and rubbing her arm a little as she breathed deeply against his chest. "Are you upset because it's over?"

"Not really…I mean I really liked him but it's not that" she replied slowly as he watched her play with his shirt.

"If you don't want to talk about it tonight it's okay, but what upset you so much then? Did he do something?"

He watched her pause for a moment. "I do want to talk about it…it's just hard"

He rubbed her arm soothingly, encouraging her to go on.

"When you say did he do something…yes and no" she replied, swallowing hard.

He was suddenly much more concerned. If that bastard hurt her he was going to be getting a late-night visit…

She must have felt him tense under her because she stopped playing with his shirt and rested the hand on his stomach. "Not like that, he just said some things…"

"Such as?" he asked.

She fell silent, going back to twisting his shirt. "Abbie?" he asked, worried she was crying.

"This is really hard to talk about, so bear with me okay?" she said shakily.

He squeezed the top of her arm and she continued, eyes firmly set on his torso even when she could feel his gaze burning into the top of her head.

"It was probably an issue from the start thinking back…you know how I have problems with people touching me…" she started, feeling strange saying that when she was curled into Phil's warm chest as it rose and fell beneath her.

"Mmm" he encouraged her to go on.

"Cody's very…hands on"

"I noticed" slipped out before he could stop it. Abbie seemed to think nothing of it and continued.

"He started complaining about the way I'd get uncomfortable or be a bit reluctant when he asked me to stay with him and stuff…the first time we had a proper fight over it was before we went on the boat, remember?"

"Yeah"

"He thought I was pushing him away…maybe I was…and then last night he pushed me a bit too far. We were having a good time and I fell asleep on him and when I woke up he kissed me and he got a bit carried away and I freaked out…and there was a big shouting match over it. Then tonight…" she whispered, voice failing her slightly as she fought with the tears.

She stopped talking and her shaky hands tugged at the bottom of his shirt more. She looked so vulnerable…that wasn't the Abbie he knew. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up to meet his gaze. That's when the tears started falling and she tried to look away.

"Abbie, look at me" he instructed. She forced her eyes back to his. He wiped some of the tears away with his thumb. "Don't cry over him, he's not worth it. I hate seeing you cry" he told her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she sobbed into his shirt.

Because I think I love you…he mentally slapped himself and returned his focus to the real world.

"Because you mean the world to me Abs…what happened tonight?"

"It's my fault…I'm messed up, he took me to bed and…"

Phil wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more of this story.

"…he was being really sweet and then I just had a flashback to when I was eighteen…behind that arena all the time ago when that sick man put his hands on me!" she sobbed angrily. "It's not Cody's fault…I'm damaged goods" she wept heartbreakingly. "I begged him to stop…I don't blame him for saying the things he said" she spat.

"You had to beg him to stop?" he asked, anger rising in his chest again.

"He didn't force me…I was just scared"

"He should never have put you in a position that made you feel that way…what did he say?" he asked quietly, heart breaking as he felt her tremble in his arms.

"He pretty much said he wanted to have sex like a normal couple…and then he dragged you into it and then he called me a…a frigid…bitch" she whispered.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him" Phil growled, furious that he could be so insensitive.

"It's not him…it's me"

"Abbie look at me right now" he ordered, holding her at arms length. "You have done NOTHING wrong. Nothing at all. Nothing that ever happened to you, those people who hurt you in the past, none of that was your fault. You are NOT damaged goods; you're a beautiful, funny, intelligent girl who deserves better than some dickhead who's insensitive enough to upset you like that okay?" he ranted. "Okay?" he asked when she didn't respond. She nodded a little before hugging him, burying her face in his neck.

It was bad timing, but she smelled fantastic. His hand instinctively ran its fingers through her hair, it was so incredibly soft. He couldn't believe that asshole had upset her this much. But he suspected it wasn't Cody she was crying for, it was her past.

His phone buzzed on the coffee table.

"Aren't you going to check who that is?" she sniffed, eyes red and puffy.

"It can wait"

"Just see if it's someone important" she told him, sitting up and composing herself.

"Eve" he sighed.

"Answer it…and tell her the truth if she asks if you're alone. I don't want you lying to her because of me"

"Hello?" he answered.

"Baby…sorry to wake you but I miss you"

"I'm not sleeping, I wouldn't have answered if I was" he chuckled.

"I wish you were here with me tonight" she growled.

"Eve I'm really sorry but Abbie's here at the moment, she's upset about something that happened with Cody. I'll speak to you in the morning though yeah?"

"Oh…okay…I hope she's okay"

"Goodnight"

"Night" she told him, hanging up.

He shrugged at an expectant looking Abbie. "She seems fine"

"Was she looking for some late-night phone sex?" Abbie winked cheekily. "Did you leave her unsatisfied?" she teased.

"Oi! You can be such a bitch Abbie Evans"

She just shrugged and grinned.

"Nice to see that smile again, told you I'd find it" he smiled.

"You always make me smile" she sighed.

"When you said my name came up in your argument…"

"Just shit about you carrying me back and how I'm comfortable with you but not him" she looked down.

"Maybe that's cause he's a dick"

"Phil!" she laughed.

"What? He is" Phil chuckled.

Abbie yawned and looked up at him. "I'll let you go to sleep now…sorry"

"Stop apologising" he laughed, ruffling her hair.

"Thank you so so much for this Phil"

"You're welcome. Now there's no need for you to sleep on the couch, I have a spare bed remember" he told her. She untangled herself from him and gathered the blankets.

Phil bid her goodnight and climbed into his own bed. His shirt was damp from her hair and stuck to him so he slipped it off and settled in for the night. He lay awake a long time mulling things over. He finally drifted off…

His eyes snapped open again when he heard a noise. He listened carefully, realising it came from next door. He sighed and climbed out of bed, he wasn't going to sleep if he didn't check it out.

As he got closer to the door, the noises got louder. For a second he stopped and listened, wondering what he was going to walk in on. That was until he heard crying. He knocked quietly. When he got no response he tried again before opening the door slightly. He heard a whimper, crossing the distance to the bed when he saw she was shaking.

"Abbie what's wrong?"

"Sorry I woke you up…had a nightmare" she whispered.

He sat on the edge of the bed and she shuffled up to let him in. He wasn't sure if he was crossing the line but it felt like the most natural thing to do.

"What happened?" he asked, lying down beside her.

"I've never told anyone this before…in fact a lot of the stuff you know, I've never told another soul but since that day when he…that man did that to me…I've been scared of anyone touching me like that again" she whispered, voice shaky and body still trembling as she recalled what happened to her over and over.

"That's completely understandable" he tried to comfort her, letting out a small sigh as she wriggled back until her back was pressed to his bare chest. He instinctively draped an arm over her waist and she put her arm over his, pulling him close.

"What man wants someone like me though Phil? I'm cold and unresponsive…no man has enough patience to deal with me, the moods I get in and walls I put up" she breathed, letting her tears fall onto the pillow. He buried his face in her hair and kissed her shoulder.

"Plenty of guys Abbie. Anyone can see how special you are, they just have to talk to you for five minutes to see that. You've been hurt…we all have skeletons in our closet and you need someone you trust. Trust takes longer to build" he soothed.

"I don't have any desire at all to sleep with someone that I don't trust and love…clearly he's different"

"Most guys are different Abs, and what you've been through means you're afraid of that situation when you're not in control anymore. That's a completely understandable reaction to what happened to you. You just have to find the guy who loves you enough to understand you and wait for you to be ready" he assured her. "And you're not cold, you're warm and loving when you get past those walls…I know that"

She leaned back until her head rested under his chin. She felt much safer in his arms, like nothing could hurt her and like the memories that haunted her were far away. She took a deep breath and clutched his arm tighter, as if scared he was going to leave.

"That's just it though Phil…I don't think I'll ever be ready" she whispered, voice faltering as more tears spilled from her eyes.

"What makes you think that? You'll trust people in time Abbie"

"I've never…before…"

Phil had an idea of what he though she was getting at, but did she really mean…?

"You've never had sex before?" he asked gently, pulling her hair back so he could see her face.

She shook her head, body heaving with sobs as she covered her face again. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her properly.

"You'll find him someday Abbie, the one…and you'll know when, you won't even have to think about it. You'll be ready and it'll just happen…"

As her breathing slowed and she fell asleep in his arms, it started to dawn on him. Here he was, in bed with her…spooning…holding her like she was his to hold. But that wasn't the case, she wasn't his.

Abbie awoke with a heavy feeling in her chest. The kind that you get when you wake up the after something bad…

Her right arm was numb, trapped under her body and as she moved a little to free it, she was reminded of last night, feeling Phil's chest pressing against her back and his arm around her. She felt sick, sick that she'd been so weak in front of him…sick that she'd slept in a bed with her best friend in an intimate embrace when he had a girlfriend. Sure it was innocent but would Eve see it that way? As if her feelings didn't confuse her enough, she felt even worse that she could feel evidence of his manhood pushing against her lower back and it didn't freak her out the way it had with Cody.

Sniffing, she shuffled away from him, taking care not to wake him and climbed out of bed. She wandered into the bathroom, gazing at her reflection. She laughed. She actually laughed at herself. What a mess she looked. Her hair was stuck up at all angles; make-up migrated halfway down her face and still in her dress from last night. Not wanting to face the embarrassment of seeing Phil this morning, she washed her face and called a cab, uncaring that she looked like the result of a one-night stand that had ended badly. She headed back to the hotel to grab her things before catching her flight early to the next city and on to her first Pay Per View…

There we go you wonderful people! Sounding like a broken record - Opinions? Thoughts? Comments? Feelings? Favourite parts? Least favourite parts? I want to know them all! Thank you so very much for reading and I look forward immensely to your feedback! As usual the more reviews, the sooner I update :)