Henry was getting ready to leave for the dinner date with his mother.
Lucille came downstairs wearing Henry's T-shirt that fell just above her knees. He turned around and groaned when he saw her.
She smirked "down boy."
He grinned "please tell me you wearing panties."
She crossed her arms and said "wouldn't you like to know."
He growled "yes!"
She laughed when he pulled her into his arms and dove his hands under her shirt. He came in contact with her bare butt cheeks and let his fingers slip further slid along her slit. She whimpered.
He moaned "Jesus Lu!"
She smiled and ran her finger nail down his throat "Betcha wish you were staying home now don't you?"
He let her go like she was on fire "you're evil!"
She nodded "and you love me!"
He smiled "what are your plans for tonight?"
She shrugged and nonchalantly said "I thought I'd take a nice hot bath surrounded by bubbles and candle light. I might sip on some wine and go over last minute wedding plans. Nothing special."
He planted a kiss on her lips "you owe me when I get home!"
Her eyes widened "owe you?"
He nodded and grabbed her hand. He placed it in his crotch as he said "because of you I have to sit with a hard on while I have dinner with my mother and boyfriend."
She giggled "my poor darling. I'll be waiting."
He said "I'm so glad Jacob is at Maggie's tonight...no interruptions."
She smiled and nodded.
He started to step outside and she grabbed his hand "hey! Aren't you forgetting something Mr. Langston?"
He said "what?"
She pouted and said "my kiss."
He smiled "how could I have been so stupid?! Come here beautiful."
He took her in his arms and lifted her chin up. He captured her lips with his in a kiss so soft and gentle that it brought tears to her eyes. He pulled back and she whispered "wow. Can we sit in front of the fire when you get home?"
He smiled "there will be more where that came from and I'd like that."
She smiled.
He was almost out the door when he poked his head back inside. He lovingly said "lock the door baby!"
She smiled "I will."
He glared at her "I meant it Lucille!"
She cupped his cheek "I will. I'll be fine Henry. Go have fun."
He nodded and she kissed him.
Later that evening she enjoyed a quiet evening at home.
She in there bathtub surrounded by bubbles and candles. She had a glass of wine and had some soft music playing. She heard the sound of the branches hitting the house and thought 'hmm must be a storm coming. I hope Henry gets home before it hits.'
She stayed in the tub until the water got cold. She got dressed and wore Henry's t-shirt and gray sweat pants. She sat on the couch and went over some wedding plans. She must've fell asleep because she woke up to a loud noise.
Her hand flew to her chest and she gasped "my god! What was that?"
She got up and peeked through the curtain. She saw nothing but darkness. She sighed and said "calm down girl. You're mind just messing with you."
She saw her cell phone sitting on the coffee table. She began reaching for it and slapped her hand "no! It's just wind. Henry needs this time with his family."
She went into the kitchen for some comfort food.
She walked back to the living room and dropped the plate when she saw Harold smiling back at her.
For a dead, old man he sure moves fast. He grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall. He grinned and roughly grabbed her chin. His words slurred as he said "it's all your fault you bitch!"
She scrunched her face when she smelled alcohol on his breath. She struggled and said "let me go Harold. You're drunk!"
He said "my wife is out with another man because of you! That's my family damn it! What gives you the right to take her from me?"
She glared at him and said "I didn't wreck your marriage. You did that all on your own! You were horrible to her. She's never loved you nor you her! She's finally happy leave them alone."
He twists her wrist harder and she cried out in pain. He smiled "hurts doesn't it? Well too bad. You broke my heart by setting up Margaret with that bastard now I plan on hurting you just as bad! We can do this the easy way or the hard way?"
She felt her pants being pulled down and she struggled. He slapped her across the face sending her to the floor. He saw her bare legs and her black lacy panties.
He smirked as she cried "okay the hard way it is. That's alright I like 'em feisty...just ask Margaret."
She tried to stand up but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her into the hallway. He forced her on her back and covered her body with his. She fought and he grinned. He grabbed her wrist and pinned them over her head. He dug her nails into her hip and she whimpered in pain. He moved his hand between her legs. He squeezed her mound and slipped his fingers under her panties. He rubbed her most private part.
She screamed "no!"
"Just relax. You'll enjoy it more. Henry never has to know."
He kissed her and she tried to push him back. He grabbed her throat and squeezed. Her eyes widened and she panicked. She couldn't breath. Just as she was about to pass out he collapsed on top of her. She gasped for air and rolled to her side in the fetal position.
She heard a gentle voice ask "Lucille, are you okay?"
Marty!
She slowly turned over and saw him kneeling besides her with a worried look on his face. He reached out to inspect the bruise forming on her face and she flinched.
He said "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Here's your pants."
She realized she was sitting half naked in front of Marty and blushed. She grabbed them and quickly put them on.
He said "can you stand?"
She thought about it for a second and nodded. He held out his hand and she took it. She stood up and nearly fell into his chest. He caught her.
He said "why don't you stay right here until you gain your balance okay? I won't try anything I promise."
She began to smile at the humor in his voice. He said "is that a smile I see? That's much better!"
She held onto his arms and tried not to laugh.
He said "did he break anything?"
She whispered "just my heart. Henry's going to hate me!"
Marty was stunned "Henry loves you. I'm sure he will understand when you tell..."
She shouted "no! We're not telling him! He doesn't need to deal with this. It will crush him Marty. Harold's his father."
Marty said "and your his wife. You're more important than that bastard!"
She grabbed his face and said "Marty please! Don't tell Henry. I can this handle this. Harold was drunk. He didn't know what he was doing. Forget this ever happened."
Marty was torn "Lucille, you can't deal with this on your own."
Lucille's voice cracked "please Marty. I'll do anything you want."
He smiled sadly "I would never black mail you like that. I don't like this but fine. I'll do this for you."
She hugged him tightly "oh thank you Marty!"
He nodded slowly "sure. I just came over to get Jacob's things."
She said "oh of course. I have his bag made upstairs."
She stepped back and almost stepped on Harold's foot.
Marty said "I'll put him outside."
She nodded and squeezed his arm "thanks."
A few minutes later she returned with her son's things. She saw that Harold had been removed. She said "where did you put him?"
He sighed "in my car. I'll drive him to his place and toss him out. I won't say a word."
She looked relieved.
Marty left and she quickly locked the door.
She picked up the picture that fell on the floor during the scuffle. She frowned when she saw the cracked glass over Henry's face. She took it with her upstairs and hid it until she could replace the frame. She stood in front of the full length mirror. She was please to find no marks on her skin from Harold. It was however incredibly sore. She went back downstairs and put an icepack on her cheek.
After a while the ice pack had melted. She looked at the clock which read 9:38 p.m. She didn't normally go to bed this early but after tonight she was exhausted. She got up and turned off the lights with Jack following close behind.
Henry came home about 10:45 and saw the lights were out. He took off his jacket as he went inside. He went upstairs and found his wife asleep. He went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. He crawled into bed and slid his arms around his wife. He kissed her cheek and he swore she flinched in her sleep.
He gently rubbed her stomach and whispered "Luce wake up."
She remained in her spot but groggily asked "did you have fun?"
He whispered "Yeah. He's a nice guy and really good to my mom."
She pulled his arm under her neck and whispered "told you."
He laughed and moved his leg between hers. He put his lips next to her and whispered "you okay babe?"
She tensed and opened one eye "fine. Why do you ask?"
He said "I figured you want to know all about the dinner and I was hoping to lay with my wife in front of the fire possible on a pallet and make love."
She couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"I'm sorry but I'm not feeling well. I'm quite content here if you don't mind."
He furrowed his brow and said "do you have a fever?"
She whispered "no. I'm just feeling nauseous. I'm sorry I ruined our evening."
He smiled and kissed her cheek. He thought 'there it was again! She did flinch.'
He lovingly said "You didn't ruin anything. It's not you're fault feeling under the weather. I have my beautiful wife in my arms. Everything is perfect in my opinion."
She felt her heart burst with love for him. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his arms slip around her waist and pull her close.
He said "you know you can tell me anything right?"
She nodded.
He said "I would never judge you or get angry at you. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
She panicked and thought 'he knows!'
He sighed "okay. You don't have to tell me but when you're ready to talk I'm here."
She tightened her arms around his neck and nodded.
He said "so Ma scolded me for getting drunk during the family dinner. Can you believe she actually said she'd spank me if I ever do that again?"
Lucille giggled "you're lying!"
He said "am not! Ask Fred. The bastard laughed. I wasn't going down alone. I totally sold him out and told her he was the one that put a rooster in her room."
She pushed back "a rooster?"
He laughed "dad was out of town so we wanted to mess with Ma. Fred could never turn down a dare and I was bored. He put the rooster in her room and it screeched when the sun rose. It was hilarious. You should've heard her scream. She called us every name in the book and some I've never even heard of."
She laughed "what was wrong with you two?!"
He smirked "we liked to keep Ma on her toes."
She rolled her eyes "you're terrible!"
He said "we wanted her to loosen up. I know it wasn't easy being married to dad. If I looked up quick enough I'd always see a sad look on her face. We thought we could help."
She grinned "by nearly giving her a heart attack?"
He smiled "admit it. You're impressed."
She nodded "very."
They got quiet and he said "mom told me something interesting."
She said "what's that?"
He sighed "my so called father paid a visit to her. He attempted to rough her up for old times sake but Bill swooped in and stopped him. Have I mentioned how much I like him?"
She began shaking and he said "don't worry she's okay. Fred and I both agreed at dinner were cutting ties with Harold Langston. He's never going to change and quite frankly I hate him. I don't know how he can hurt a woman much less his own wife. It makes me sick."
She pulled back and cupped his cheek "you really mean that Henry? You never going to talk to him again?"
He said "absolutely. We maybe blood related but that's the only connection we have."
She sat up and said "something did happen tonight and you need to know."
He sat against the headboard and stared intently at her.
She said "Harold snuck into the house and tried to...he tried to..."
She took another breath and Henry said "did he hurt you?"
She could feel the heat coming off of him. She grabbed his hand and said "no. At least. Not like that."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
She cupped his cheek "you can thank Marty. He stopped him."
Henry looked confused "Marty?"
She said "he came over for Jacob's bag remember?"
He nodded "of course."
She said "Henry talk to me."
He rubbed her fingers and said "how far did he get?"
She closed her eyes and said "he hit me and pinned me to the floor. He grabbed my throat. He felt me up and managed to take my pants off. He ran his hands up my legs and touched me. He didn't get any farther because Marty hit him over the head and he collapsed."
She looked up and saw her strong husband crying. She straddled him and pulled his head into her chest. She ran her hands over his head and he pulled her even closer.
She kissed the top of his bald head and said "shh. Don't cry my darling. I'm alright. It just a few bruises."
He said "he hurt you again! My own father."
She heard him sob and it broke her heart. She grabbed his face and said "hey. Listen to me. I'm not going to lie. He hurt me and scared me but this is not your fault. He was mad at me!"
Henry was take aback "at you?"
She brushed her finger down his cheek "yes me. He was angry that I hooked Margaret up with her old flame. He wanted to hurt me like I hurt him. It had nothing to do with you my darling. Nothing!"
He said "why does he care about Ma now? He never did before."
"That's what I told him and it set him off."
He got quiet.
"Henry?"
He said "Are you sure you're okay?"
She nodded and kissed his nose "I'm fine."
He said "does anything hurt? Anything at all Lucille?"
She said "my cheek, wrist and neck."
"Let me see!"
She sighed "don't do this to yourself."
"Now!"
She jumped but held out her wrist. He gently grabbed her wrist to inspect it. He saw a faint bruise. He looked at her throat and saw red marks. He grabbed her chin and looked at her cheek. He brushed his finger over it and she hissed.
He muttered "that bastard!"
He gently brushed his lips over her cheek and pulled her back in his arms.
"I'm so sorry."
In a soft voice she said "it's not your fault Henry."
"He's my father. That makes it my fault. I left you alone. I should've known he wouldn't give up that easily."
She placed her finger under his chin and she made him look at her. She watched as he continued to stare at her stomach. She smiled and in a gentle voice said "look at me."
He finally looked at her and she kissed his eye lids. She brushed her nose against his and moved her hands to his cheeks.
"Henry, you can't control what your father does. I felt uneasy all evening. The wind kept causing the branches to hit the house and I was tipsy from the wine. I wasn't thinking clearly. I should've paid closer attention to all the signs but I didn't and he snuck in the house. I never had a chance. He was to drunk to realize right from wrong."
He snapped "he knew what he was doing! He's been after you since I met you."
She was astonished by his revelation "what?"
He said "I saw the way he looked at you. It was the same look he gave all the other young women that he nailed. I called him on it one night and told him you were off limits. Surprisingly, he listened. I guess he realized how much you meant to me and backed off. I also told him I'd make his life miserable if he ever laid a hand on you."
She smiled "my protector."
He scoffed "some protector even in death he still manages to hurt the woman I love."
She rested her forehead against his and said "please don't do this to yourself. It's just a few bruises. He didn't get very far. I promise."
He sighed "but he touched you!"
She whispered "I know."
He said "I'm just supposed to let him get away with this?"
She rubbed his ears to calm him down "no. There are other ways to handle this. We do know the police captain after all."
He pulled back and said "what are you up to?"
She smiled and ran her hand over his chest "why my darling husband what makes you think that I'm up to something?"
He raised his eyebrow and slid his arms around her butt. He pulled her closer and said "because I know you! Seriously, what are you thinking about?"
She shrugged "I just think it'd be nice to use our connections rather than you be the one to go after your father. I told you before Henry, you're a Returned. We don't know how long we have together. I don't need you in you jail for hurting your father. I need you here...with me."
He took in what she said and after a long moment he nodded "okay."
She furrowed her brow and slowly said "okay?"
He said "you're right. I don't always have to take matters into my own hands. I just want to protect you. Is that so wrong?"
She smiled "no it's not but our time together is to precious to be worrying about things that just don't matter. I know he's your father but he has proven himself time and time again. It's time to let him go Henry. Forget about Harold please."
He looked at her and rubbed her back "no."
She blinked "no?!"
He quickly flipped them over. He cradled her body close to his and said "how can I forget about someone that's already dead to me? My family is complicated but after thinking about it I've learned something very important."
She said "what's that?"
He leaned down inches from her face and said "I don't need anyone in my life but you. You've made my life everything it is today and I love you for it."
He kissed her before she could say anything.