Thanks To: You great wonderful reviewers!!! *smirks at TigerStorm* Growl? Me? Never...*sneaks away*
Note: *~*~*this is a flashback*~*~*
2nd Note: Though this isn't in the same timeline as my other fics with Hallie in 'em (The Drifters [comic-verse] and Stolen [movie-verse]), the truth about her past goes for all the stories. So if you've read The Drifters, a scene in there should make more sense once you read this.
Warning: This chapter may be considered 'R' rated for violence.
Time Warp: Chapter 8-Hallie's Secret
*****
*~*~*
The rain made soft 'pitter-patter' noises on the ground, but all the dark haired little girl thought as she looked up into the blackened sky, was that the heavens were spitting down upon her. The cold water hit her face in small drops at first, then the soft 'pitter-pattering' turned to loud 'plunk-plunk' noises and the 12 year old girl felt as though the rain could split her apart.
"Hallie! Get in here right now!" a loud male voice called from behind.
The little girl turned around slowly, her sopping wet clothes clinging to her body. She heaved a heavy sigh and gloomily trudged back to the little house.
~*~
It was that night that her parents had been fighting, and it was bad. Her dad was a raging alcoholic, and her mother was all kindness and roses. That is until he started hitting her. Hallie's Dad had come home raving drunk, screaming that he wanted his dinner that wasn't already prepared for him. Her mother had been sweet and soothing towards him, saying that she would make something. Apparently, that wasn't good enough. He had hit her, and hit her hard. After the first blow had taken place, Hallie tightened her jaw, clenched her fists by her side and ran out the door into the rain.
~*~
As Hallie hesitantly stepped through the door, she was immediately grabbed by the arm from her father as he roughly held her in front of himself, making her face her mother who was crying with a bruised left cheek, cringing against the wall in the kitchen.
"Greg please! You're scaring her!" Hallie's mother cried, reaching out for her daughter.
Hallie didn't understand what was going on at first. Her mother stood back against the wall, her long black hair tangled messily and falling into her tear-stained face. Then Hallie saw the gun. It was black, black like the raining sky; and it was pointed at her mother. "Mom!" she cried, reaching out, though she was pulled back again by her father who held tight.
"Fuck you Sarah!" he yelled, his finger on the trigger and his hand shaking. "She's my fuckin' kid! You're the one making her scared of me! Making her afraid! You turned her against me Sarah, my own fuckin' kid!" he rambled on, tears silently falling down his face as if he were sad, but Hallie knew it was something else. Maybe...anger? Or was that fear?
"Daddy, please-" Hallie pleaded, tugging on her father's arm that held her back.
He looked down at her, and offered a sickly smile. "Tell me you love me sweetie, c'mon, say you love Daddy!" he raised his voice in a threatening yell.
Tears were streaming down the small girl's face now. She didn't want to die, she didn't want her mother to die. "I love you Daddy! I do! I love you!" she screamed between sobs. But she didn't love him, she hated him with a passion. She hated him for all the times he'd hit her mother, called them both stupid, and said Hallie wasn't even his kid and called her mother a dirty whore. She wished he'd just go away right then, but that wasn't going to happen. This had to have been a dream, she'd thought. But deep down, Hallie knew it was cold, harsh reality that was kicking her in the face and ruining her world, forcing her to grow up.
"Greg, don't do this." Hallie's mother begged, getting to her knees as he pointed the gun to her forehead.
Greg cocked the gun, positioning his finger on the trigger, a twisted look of anger on his face. "Sorry Sarah," he cocked his head to the side, a sick and sadistic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and crinkling his eyes. "You're just not a good enough bitch."
Hallie's mother shrieked. "Don't-!"
Bang.
Hallie stared, unable to look away. Everything happened so fast that she couldn't do anything, she couldn't even breathe. The click of the hammer on the gun, the loud bang, the screaming, and the bullet that went through her mother's skull. She was too shocked to even cry.
Without even realizing it, Hallie's father had shoved her away from him and started to point his gun at her. "Sorry baby...my little girl...you're against me still." he shook his head, the sweat pouring from his brow as he lazily raised his gun. "You saw what I did, you'll tell the police. Goodbye, my sweet, innocent baby."
Hallie's eyes widened, and right then there was no doubt in her mind that her father was completely insane. She raised her hands infront of her face as if to stop the bullet that she waited to come. Before her father had the chance to pull the trigger, a sharp, bluish-white beam of pure electricity shot from the twelve year old's hands, knocking her 'would-be-murderer' backwards into the wall.
Hallie gasped, unwilling to put thought into what had just happened. She saw her father start to move on the floor, and before he could get up, she was gone.
Hallie was gone, and she'd been running ever since, fearing that her father was still after her to tie up the loose ends, kill the witness to her mother's murder so that she'd never tell a soul. And she hadn't either, until now.
*~*~*
"Hallie," Logan started softly, pulling her into his arms again. "I'm so sorry."
She shuddered against him and clenched her eyes shut as she felt tears whelling up in her eyes again. "I know it's stupid, but I still get scared sometimes you know?" Hallie mumbled between sobs. "That's why I've kept running. I'm afraid he'll catch up to me." she shook her head against Logan's chest. "I don't even know if he's alive, if he was caught, put in jail, a loony bin, or what." Hallie sniffled, then wiped a hand across her face to brush some of the tears away. "I ran off, never looking back, lying to nearly everyone I met, always changing my age, my last name, whatever it took to survive."
Logan was unconsciously clenching his fists, angered with Hallie's father for what he'd done, for what he'd put her through, for stealing her childhood. He gently ran a hand through her hair and stood up slowly, pulling her to her feet and wrapping his arms around her again in a crushing hug. "So, that's what yer nightmares are about?" he asked gently.
Hallie nodded slowly, then unexpectantly pulled away. "Oh man," she sniffled. "I'm a mess." she shook her head, then raised her wrist to look at her watch. "It's nearly 5 o'clock, you'd better go." she told him sadly, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Detention ends at four, I'm sure your other institute pals're wondering where you are."
Logan sighed, realizing she'd just told him alot about herself without asking anything in return, and the emotions rising from the memories were probably making her feel awkward around him. He slowly shuffled toward the door, then turned to face her again. "Hallie...you gonna be okay?"
"Yeh." she smiled, and although it was pained, Logan knew it was genuine. She seemed happy to have finally told someone.
"I'll see ya tomorrow?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Tomorrow's Saturday Logan."
"Oh, right. No school, no detention." he scratched the back of his head, then looked back up at her. "Well, ya mind if I come by here? We can...do somethin'." he shrugged.
"Sure Logan, I'd really like that." Hallie backed toward the couch as he nodded and walked out of the loft, closing the door behind him. She sighed loudly, then turned off the tv and ran into her room, diving into the bed and burying her face in her pillow.
*****
Note: *~*~*this is a flashback*~*~*
2nd Note: Though this isn't in the same timeline as my other fics with Hallie in 'em (The Drifters [comic-verse] and Stolen [movie-verse]), the truth about her past goes for all the stories. So if you've read The Drifters, a scene in there should make more sense once you read this.
Warning: This chapter may be considered 'R' rated for violence.
Time Warp: Chapter 8-Hallie's Secret
*****
*~*~*
The rain made soft 'pitter-patter' noises on the ground, but all the dark haired little girl thought as she looked up into the blackened sky, was that the heavens were spitting down upon her. The cold water hit her face in small drops at first, then the soft 'pitter-pattering' turned to loud 'plunk-plunk' noises and the 12 year old girl felt as though the rain could split her apart.
"Hallie! Get in here right now!" a loud male voice called from behind.
The little girl turned around slowly, her sopping wet clothes clinging to her body. She heaved a heavy sigh and gloomily trudged back to the little house.
~*~
It was that night that her parents had been fighting, and it was bad. Her dad was a raging alcoholic, and her mother was all kindness and roses. That is until he started hitting her. Hallie's Dad had come home raving drunk, screaming that he wanted his dinner that wasn't already prepared for him. Her mother had been sweet and soothing towards him, saying that she would make something. Apparently, that wasn't good enough. He had hit her, and hit her hard. After the first blow had taken place, Hallie tightened her jaw, clenched her fists by her side and ran out the door into the rain.
~*~
As Hallie hesitantly stepped through the door, she was immediately grabbed by the arm from her father as he roughly held her in front of himself, making her face her mother who was crying with a bruised left cheek, cringing against the wall in the kitchen.
"Greg please! You're scaring her!" Hallie's mother cried, reaching out for her daughter.
Hallie didn't understand what was going on at first. Her mother stood back against the wall, her long black hair tangled messily and falling into her tear-stained face. Then Hallie saw the gun. It was black, black like the raining sky; and it was pointed at her mother. "Mom!" she cried, reaching out, though she was pulled back again by her father who held tight.
"Fuck you Sarah!" he yelled, his finger on the trigger and his hand shaking. "She's my fuckin' kid! You're the one making her scared of me! Making her afraid! You turned her against me Sarah, my own fuckin' kid!" he rambled on, tears silently falling down his face as if he were sad, but Hallie knew it was something else. Maybe...anger? Or was that fear?
"Daddy, please-" Hallie pleaded, tugging on her father's arm that held her back.
He looked down at her, and offered a sickly smile. "Tell me you love me sweetie, c'mon, say you love Daddy!" he raised his voice in a threatening yell.
Tears were streaming down the small girl's face now. She didn't want to die, she didn't want her mother to die. "I love you Daddy! I do! I love you!" she screamed between sobs. But she didn't love him, she hated him with a passion. She hated him for all the times he'd hit her mother, called them both stupid, and said Hallie wasn't even his kid and called her mother a dirty whore. She wished he'd just go away right then, but that wasn't going to happen. This had to have been a dream, she'd thought. But deep down, Hallie knew it was cold, harsh reality that was kicking her in the face and ruining her world, forcing her to grow up.
"Greg, don't do this." Hallie's mother begged, getting to her knees as he pointed the gun to her forehead.
Greg cocked the gun, positioning his finger on the trigger, a twisted look of anger on his face. "Sorry Sarah," he cocked his head to the side, a sick and sadistic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and crinkling his eyes. "You're just not a good enough bitch."
Hallie's mother shrieked. "Don't-!"
Bang.
Hallie stared, unable to look away. Everything happened so fast that she couldn't do anything, she couldn't even breathe. The click of the hammer on the gun, the loud bang, the screaming, and the bullet that went through her mother's skull. She was too shocked to even cry.
Without even realizing it, Hallie's father had shoved her away from him and started to point his gun at her. "Sorry baby...my little girl...you're against me still." he shook his head, the sweat pouring from his brow as he lazily raised his gun. "You saw what I did, you'll tell the police. Goodbye, my sweet, innocent baby."
Hallie's eyes widened, and right then there was no doubt in her mind that her father was completely insane. She raised her hands infront of her face as if to stop the bullet that she waited to come. Before her father had the chance to pull the trigger, a sharp, bluish-white beam of pure electricity shot from the twelve year old's hands, knocking her 'would-be-murderer' backwards into the wall.
Hallie gasped, unwilling to put thought into what had just happened. She saw her father start to move on the floor, and before he could get up, she was gone.
Hallie was gone, and she'd been running ever since, fearing that her father was still after her to tie up the loose ends, kill the witness to her mother's murder so that she'd never tell a soul. And she hadn't either, until now.
*~*~*
"Hallie," Logan started softly, pulling her into his arms again. "I'm so sorry."
She shuddered against him and clenched her eyes shut as she felt tears whelling up in her eyes again. "I know it's stupid, but I still get scared sometimes you know?" Hallie mumbled between sobs. "That's why I've kept running. I'm afraid he'll catch up to me." she shook her head against Logan's chest. "I don't even know if he's alive, if he was caught, put in jail, a loony bin, or what." Hallie sniffled, then wiped a hand across her face to brush some of the tears away. "I ran off, never looking back, lying to nearly everyone I met, always changing my age, my last name, whatever it took to survive."
Logan was unconsciously clenching his fists, angered with Hallie's father for what he'd done, for what he'd put her through, for stealing her childhood. He gently ran a hand through her hair and stood up slowly, pulling her to her feet and wrapping his arms around her again in a crushing hug. "So, that's what yer nightmares are about?" he asked gently.
Hallie nodded slowly, then unexpectantly pulled away. "Oh man," she sniffled. "I'm a mess." she shook her head, then raised her wrist to look at her watch. "It's nearly 5 o'clock, you'd better go." she told him sadly, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Detention ends at four, I'm sure your other institute pals're wondering where you are."
Logan sighed, realizing she'd just told him alot about herself without asking anything in return, and the emotions rising from the memories were probably making her feel awkward around him. He slowly shuffled toward the door, then turned to face her again. "Hallie...you gonna be okay?"
"Yeh." she smiled, and although it was pained, Logan knew it was genuine. She seemed happy to have finally told someone.
"I'll see ya tomorrow?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Tomorrow's Saturday Logan."
"Oh, right. No school, no detention." he scratched the back of his head, then looked back up at her. "Well, ya mind if I come by here? We can...do somethin'." he shrugged.
"Sure Logan, I'd really like that." Hallie backed toward the couch as he nodded and walked out of the loft, closing the door behind him. She sighed loudly, then turned off the tv and ran into her room, diving into the bed and burying her face in her pillow.
*****