"Hi, Irene . . . may I call you Irene?" the friendly voice questioned as she held out a hand in greeting.

Irene nodded, looking quizzically at the pretty older woman.

"My name is Matilda, and I am a volunteer at the Domestic Violence Center."

"There must be a mistake," Irene muttered. "My husband and I don't have any problems."

"I see," the woman answered as her eyes gave Irene the once-over. "You know that no one has the right to hurt you." Her voice was soft and motherly. "I was in your situation many years ago, Irene. That was before we had somewhere to go for help. In my generation a woman was supposed to take her husband's abuse. We had no options back then. But some of us went against the norm and filed for divorce. You have a choice today...a choice that I wish I would have had."

Irene averted her eyes from Matilda's. They seemed to look right into her very soul, right to all the hidden places no one could ever know about. "Alexander has never hurt me." She glanced at her arm, now encased in a cast. "I'm clumsy, that's all."

Matilda sighed. "Okay, I don't want to press you."

Irene wondered if Matilda could sense the fear within her. If she had once been in Irene's shoes, then she must certainly know that Alexander would deny any wrong doing and her life would become even more unbearable than it was now.

Matilda pulled a card from her pocket. "If you ever need to talk to someone, Jerry Feldon is a great guy. He's helped me through many rough times. And you can always call me." She smiled.

Irene reluctantly took the card. "Thank you, but I really don't think I'll be needing it."

Matilda patted her shoulder. "Just in case," she said softly. "Just in case."

Alexander was waiting for her.

"Who was that woman?" he asked.

Irene slipped the card and the prescription the doctor had given her for pain killers into her pocket. "Just someone the doctor sent to talk to me."

Alexander's eyes narrowed as they bore into hers. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. I told her that we have no problems and I am very accident prone."

"Good. . .good. Let's get out of here." He gently took her elbow and led her to the exit. "By the way, what was that you stuffed into your pocket?"

"A prescription for pain killers," she answered.

"Okay. We'll pick it up on the way home."



Alexander gently unbuttoned her blouse, and then helped her out of it. "The kids sure got a kick out of decorating the cast."

"Yeah, they sure put some strange things on here. Especially Serena with her artistic flare." She sat on the edge of the bed so Alexander could pull her pants off. She thought about how gentle and loving he had been all the way home. He had even been warm and kind to the girls. But would his good mood last? Could it last? She frowned. His frequent mood swings frightened her.

"Climb into bed, honey. I've got a couple of pillows to prop your arm on."

Irene bit her bottom lip as her arm began to throb. She was so tired, but she knew that sleep would never come unless she took something to deaden the pain. As opposed as she was to mind-altering drugs, she knew that she had to take one. The pain was too intense. "Honey, could you get me a pain pill, please?"

"Sure, babe. I'm going to take good care of you." He brought her a glass of water and a pill, then slipped off his clothes and climbed into bed beside her.

"Alexander, can we talk?" Her voice was low.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" He tenderly ran his fingertips across her cheek.

Irene took a deep breath. "Alexander, are you sorry that you married me?"

"Oh no, how could you ever think that?" He turned and looked down at her, staring into her eyes. "I loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I knew I had to have you for my life partner." He gently brushed his lips against hers. "I couldn't imagine life without you. I love you so much."

Irene blinked back the tears threatening to fall. "Then why, Alexander, if you love me so much, do you always hurt me?"

"Oh, honey, I could never hurt you. And I would never let anyone else ever hurt you," he said tenderly.

Irene couldn't believe his words. How could he deny what he had done? She wondered if he really didn't know what he was doing. He was as different as day and night. When he was bad, he was violent, but when he was good, he was the sweetest man alive. If only he could reach a middle ground. His levels were either high or low; he was never on an even plateau.

She touched her cast. How could Alexander not know what he had done to her only a few hours earlier? He had to know. There was no possible way he could deny his physical abuse. He couldn't beat her one moment, and then be so tender and loving the next. It didn't make any sense.

"What are you thinking about, honey?" he softly asked as he sifted her hair through his fingers.

"Alexander, I love you so much," she whispered.

"I love you too, Irene." He looked into her eyes. "What's bothering you?"

"We need to get our lives on track. This lifestyle is not healthy for the kids."

"The kids are fine. They know that parents have arguments. No one gets along all of the time. A little friction now and then is good for them. They can't go into the world expecting perfection."

"There's a difference, Alexander. What they see you do to me is not healthy. I don't want the girls to think anyone has the right to abuse them. And I certainly don't want Stephan to think that he has the right to abuse anyone." She gazed at her husband. She could see his facial muscles begin to twitch. She didn't know what to expect next. He was obviously struggling to keep himself under control.

He kissed her forehead. "Look, it's been a long day. Let's get some sleep." His voice was still soft.

"Alexander?"

He sighed tiredly. "What, Irene?"

"Would you consider counseling?"

He was silent for a moment before answering. "If it would make you happy. But I personally think it's a waste of time and money. No one really benefits from it. The past gets dragged up and then it only makes the situation worse. It's better to let sleeping dogs lie."

"But would you go with me, Alexander?" she persisted.

He leaned on one elbow and gazed down at her. "Yes, Irene. If it will make you happy, I'll go."

"Thank you. It's a start, honey. A positive start."



"Lita . . . Lita Johnson!"

Lita jumped. "Sorry, Miss Cole, I didn't hear the question."

The class burst into laughter as Lita's face reddened. She had no idea what Miss Cole had asked her. Her mind had drifted far away. Away to a place that was happy and secure, far away from her home.

Heather Miller poked her in the back. "Way to go, Lita," she snickered. "It's about time you got knocked off of your goody-two-shoes pedestal."

"I asked you if you finished your math assignment last night. Please come to the board and write down the equation," the teacher said sharply. "We have a lot of work to cover."

Lita quickly shuffled through her folder. "Yeah, it's here somewhere." She continued searching for the missing assignment.

"You don't have it, do you, Lita?" Miss Cole asked.

"Yeah, I think I do. I thought I did it." She tossed her head. "I know it's here somewhere." She flipped through her math book.

"Lita, I do not have time for these games. Either you have your assignment or you don't. Which is it?"

"Give me a break," Lita muttered.

"You know the rules. No homework, then detention until the assignment is completed. I'll see you after school."

"I can't, Miss Cole," she pleaded.

Heather snickered. "Join the crowd, Lita."

Lita turned around in her seat facing Heather. "Just shut up, Heather!"

The class broke into an uproar as Lita turned back around, red-faced and embarrassed.

"That's enough!" Miss Cole shouted. "Lita Johnson, go to the principal's office immediately!"

"But Miss Cole!" Lita pleaded.

"Now!" the teacher ordered as Heather snickered.

"Heather Miller, if you'd like to join her, you may, otherwise keep your mouth closed."

Heather bit her bottom lip to suppress her laughter. "Yes, Miss Cole."

Lita grabbed her books. "I think you're being unfair, Miss Cole."

"We'll discuss it later, Lita. But not on my class time!"



"I got you a cola, Serena," Darien Ross said as he set the drink on Serena 's tray.

"Thanks."

"Want to see a movie tonight?" he asked.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I'd like to, but I don't know if I should leave my mom right now."

Darien touched her shoulder. "What's wrong with your mom? Is she sick?"

Serena stared down at her uneaten lunch. "No."

"Did your step-Dad do something again?" he persisted.

She looked into her boyfriend's caring eyes. "Yes, he broke her arm last night."

Darien protectively put an arm around her shoulder. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No. I think he would have hit me if my mom hadn't stopped him." Tears filled her eyes. "Darien, I can't take it anymore. We don't live in a home. We live in a war-zone. It keeps getting worse. I don't know how much more I can take."

He rubbed her shoulder. "He'd better not lay a hand on you. I mean it. I just wish there was something I could do."

"You're so sweet." Serena kissed his cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She looked at his handsome face. "I still don't know why you even put up with me when you could have any girl in this school."

"I don't want any other girl. I only want you." He squeezed her shoulder. "I wish you would believe me when I tell you how special you are to me." He cupped her face with his clumsy, boyish hands. "How about if I come over after baseball practice, and if you don't feel like going to a movie, we can watch some TV at your place." He kissed the tip of her nose.

She smiled. "Okay, boss. But I can't promise what the home front will be like."

"I'll take my chances. Just so I get to spend time with you."

The bell rang, sending everyone scurrying to empty lunch trays and gather books for the next class.

"I have to get to math," Serena said, rolling her eyes.

"I'll take your tray. I've got gym. Get going, and I'll see you after school."



Lita caught Serena 's arm as Serena closed her locker.

"What's up?" Serena asked as she grabbed a stack of books.

"I got in trouble in math class and Cole sent me to the principal and I got a week's detention." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know how to tell Mom."

"Yeah, she certainly doesn't need this after everything she's been through." She shot a sharp look at her younger sister.

"What do you want from me, Serena --blood? It was just one of those things. I couldn't help it."

"Well, maybe you should try growing up! I suppose Heather was involved."

"Why do you always pick on her? I don't do that to your friends."

"Because Heather is a bad influence on you. Face it Lita, Heather is a loser. She's such an airhead that if anyone pricked her head she'd go floating off into never land. She couldn't care less about anything except having a good time."

"Serena, get off my case! Your head is always in the clouds over Darien the Geek. You don't live in the real world. Face reality! Our life stinks! Ever since Mom married Alexander we've gone downhill. We certainly aren't the Brady Bunch!"

"Okay, calm down. I'll handle Mom, but don't you ever call Darien a Geek again. You don't even know him. If you did, you would see what a great guy he is. He's definitely not like that loser Mike Williams you were gawking after. The Acne King."

"Come on, Mike wasn't that bad. He just has problems."

"Whatever. Look, I've got to get to class. Try to stay out of trouble."

"Thanks for covering with Mom for me. I owe you one, Sis. Gotta go. I can't afford to be late for history."