Hold On
Chapter 2/?
A 7th Heaven Fan Fic by Lucky Star and Jordan
*Angry All The Time sequel
~*Victoria*~
I've been awake for almost a half hour, cursing myself for being so foolish as to fall asleep. I'm alert to everything now, so even though my mind is elsewhere when Simon and Lucy return, as soon as the front door opens I snap to attention. Bella still sleeps in the crib; I can see her clearly as the last rays of the setting sun are just touching the opposite wall. I don't want to leave her, but I must keep things normal as possible.
"How was the shopping trip?" I ask as I drift down the stairs.
"Mommy!" Autumn, clutching a new doll, runs to throw her arms around my waist. My hands briefly touch her soft dark hair before she pulls back and thrusts the doll up to me. "Look what Daddy got me."
"That's lovely, darling." I smile at her, then lift my eyes to Simon's. His brows are wrinkled in concern, but they smooth when he sees my smile. I glance next at Lucy, who's watching me. She doesn't smile, and in fact she looks away. I know what she's thinking.
***
Outside of the motel, Simon and I watched as the paramedics wheeled Kevin out of the room on a stretcher. His jaw was clenched in determined silence, a surprise to me since I had expected him to rant and rave. But what did I care about him now that I was safe again, now that everything would be all right? But it wouldn't; I knew that in the deepest part of my soul. The sight of Kevin's blood filled me with nausea; some of it was splattered on my jeans, but my shirt remained spotless. I hadn't been wearing it when I shot him, and now I didn't remember putting it back on. Panic fluttered dark wings in my mind. I couldn't remember...not that, but I remembered everything else. Lucy stood beside the door, talking to some of the cops. What was she telling them?
"Simon." I pulled away gently, and felt the tightening of his arm on my waist before he let me go, as if he didn't want to. "I need to talk to Lucy for a minute."
"Okay." He wanted to go with me but stood back as I headed towards her. She saw me coming, said something to the cops, and they moved away.
"Victoria, are you doing okay?"
There was a bond between us now, a bond forged in a manner I would rather do without, but for the moment I welcomed it. "Lucy, I need to talk to you. About Simon."
"Simon?" She looked at her brother, then back to me.
"Yes, I...please don't tell him what happened in there."
She blinked. "You mean..."
"I don't want him to know."
Lucy's face was troubled. "It's not my story to tell him, Victoria. It's yours, when you're ready."
"I don't ever want him to know. Ever."
Her mouth opened, then closed before any words came out. She sighed, emotions warring in her eyes. "Let me just say one thing. He's your husband. He can help you--"
"No." Anguish squeezed my heart. "Not this. Please, Lucy."
Finally she nodded. If anyone, Lucy understood what it was like to keep secrets, why sometimes there was the need. I touched her arm, the only thing I could do to show thanks before I turned and went back to him. I didn't want to look at her again, not right now, so when he gathered me into his arms I let him, pressing my face against his neck, my eyes closed tightly.
~*Lucy*~
I understood all too well why Victoria didn't want to tell Simon what really happened in the hotel room with Kevin. There were things about my life with Kevin I would never tell Simon, or anyone, because knowing would change the way a person looked at me. I knew this because I had lived with it for thirteen years of marriage, and because I thought of the scene every time I looked at Victoria now.
I saw her, us, back in that dingy, dirty, horrible room. I felt the handcuff keeping me pinned to the chair. I saw Kevin, his eyes dancing with sick, psychotic pleasure. I knew how he sometimes enjoyed the hunt, sometimes he just enjoyed the terror staring up at him, the knowledge and the power.
I looked at Victoria and I saw my husband touching her, assaulting her. I knew he would have raped her eventually if he had been able to. He would have raped her and then he would have beat her. I don't think he would have killed her, unless he killed us both, and really I wasn't sure he wouldn't do that.
I knew Victoria had to remember every excruciating detail as well, every time she looked at me. Simon had said the kids and I could stay as long as we needed to, but I knew we had to find somewhere else to stay. Mom and Dad would probably let us stay with them, if I asked. I told Simon my plan in the car, after we had been to the mall.
"Don't be silly," he said. "It's not a problem to have you stay with us."
"Yes it is." I almost told him how awkward I felt around Victoria, and how I knew the feeling was mutual. "There's not enough beds, and it's not fair to ask Autumn to sleep on the floor in her baby sister's room."
"Autumn doesn't mind, do you honey?" Simon glanced at his daughter in the rearview mirror.
"No, daddy," Autumn smiled.
"But for how long? We can't stay with you indefinitely. I'm going to call Mom and Dad tonight, and maybe head over there tomorrow." Simon could not argue that Mom and Dad had the room. There were seven of us kids in the house, eight counting Robbie, when the twins were born. The girls and I could share a room, the boys could share a room.
Simon sighed, admitting defeat. "I wish you wouldn't. I kind of like having you around."
"I know. And I'll still be around. What is it? Five miles from their house to yours?"
"Four."
"That's not so bad It's not like New York."
You're not going back there, are you?"
I shook my head. "There's nothing for us there. I don't have any friends, and the kids don't either, really. So no, I'm not going back to New York. There's no reason."
The rest of the drive back to Simon's was quiet. Autumn and Rory Anne played with the new dolls Simon had bought them, Caroline kept her nose in a teen-idol magazine, Brian played with an action figure, and Vincent just stared out the window, gently caressing the floppy ear of the stuffed rabbit Simon had bought for Bella.
Vincent wouldn't let Uncle Simon buy him anything, even after he had bought the dolls, the magazine, the action figure, and the rabbit for the other kids. I worried about him, and how all this craziness with his father was going to affect him in the long run. He never said a word about Kevin, never asked about him or what would happen to him now, or to us without him.
I wondered what was going on in that mind of his. Vincent has always been a bright boy, a curious boy. His virtual silence now unnerved me. I felt I was losing him, like he was slipping right through my fingers and I had no way to hold on to him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End chapter 2. Jordan wrote Victoria's POV, I wrote Lucy's section. Please read and review, let us know what you think. Thanks so much! ~Lucky Star (JJsLuckyStar@aol.com)
Chapter 2/?
A 7th Heaven Fan Fic by Lucky Star and Jordan
*Angry All The Time sequel
~*Victoria*~
I've been awake for almost a half hour, cursing myself for being so foolish as to fall asleep. I'm alert to everything now, so even though my mind is elsewhere when Simon and Lucy return, as soon as the front door opens I snap to attention. Bella still sleeps in the crib; I can see her clearly as the last rays of the setting sun are just touching the opposite wall. I don't want to leave her, but I must keep things normal as possible.
"How was the shopping trip?" I ask as I drift down the stairs.
"Mommy!" Autumn, clutching a new doll, runs to throw her arms around my waist. My hands briefly touch her soft dark hair before she pulls back and thrusts the doll up to me. "Look what Daddy got me."
"That's lovely, darling." I smile at her, then lift my eyes to Simon's. His brows are wrinkled in concern, but they smooth when he sees my smile. I glance next at Lucy, who's watching me. She doesn't smile, and in fact she looks away. I know what she's thinking.
***
Outside of the motel, Simon and I watched as the paramedics wheeled Kevin out of the room on a stretcher. His jaw was clenched in determined silence, a surprise to me since I had expected him to rant and rave. But what did I care about him now that I was safe again, now that everything would be all right? But it wouldn't; I knew that in the deepest part of my soul. The sight of Kevin's blood filled me with nausea; some of it was splattered on my jeans, but my shirt remained spotless. I hadn't been wearing it when I shot him, and now I didn't remember putting it back on. Panic fluttered dark wings in my mind. I couldn't remember...not that, but I remembered everything else. Lucy stood beside the door, talking to some of the cops. What was she telling them?
"Simon." I pulled away gently, and felt the tightening of his arm on my waist before he let me go, as if he didn't want to. "I need to talk to Lucy for a minute."
"Okay." He wanted to go with me but stood back as I headed towards her. She saw me coming, said something to the cops, and they moved away.
"Victoria, are you doing okay?"
There was a bond between us now, a bond forged in a manner I would rather do without, but for the moment I welcomed it. "Lucy, I need to talk to you. About Simon."
"Simon?" She looked at her brother, then back to me.
"Yes, I...please don't tell him what happened in there."
She blinked. "You mean..."
"I don't want him to know."
Lucy's face was troubled. "It's not my story to tell him, Victoria. It's yours, when you're ready."
"I don't ever want him to know. Ever."
Her mouth opened, then closed before any words came out. She sighed, emotions warring in her eyes. "Let me just say one thing. He's your husband. He can help you--"
"No." Anguish squeezed my heart. "Not this. Please, Lucy."
Finally she nodded. If anyone, Lucy understood what it was like to keep secrets, why sometimes there was the need. I touched her arm, the only thing I could do to show thanks before I turned and went back to him. I didn't want to look at her again, not right now, so when he gathered me into his arms I let him, pressing my face against his neck, my eyes closed tightly.
~*Lucy*~
I understood all too well why Victoria didn't want to tell Simon what really happened in the hotel room with Kevin. There were things about my life with Kevin I would never tell Simon, or anyone, because knowing would change the way a person looked at me. I knew this because I had lived with it for thirteen years of marriage, and because I thought of the scene every time I looked at Victoria now.
I saw her, us, back in that dingy, dirty, horrible room. I felt the handcuff keeping me pinned to the chair. I saw Kevin, his eyes dancing with sick, psychotic pleasure. I knew how he sometimes enjoyed the hunt, sometimes he just enjoyed the terror staring up at him, the knowledge and the power.
I looked at Victoria and I saw my husband touching her, assaulting her. I knew he would have raped her eventually if he had been able to. He would have raped her and then he would have beat her. I don't think he would have killed her, unless he killed us both, and really I wasn't sure he wouldn't do that.
I knew Victoria had to remember every excruciating detail as well, every time she looked at me. Simon had said the kids and I could stay as long as we needed to, but I knew we had to find somewhere else to stay. Mom and Dad would probably let us stay with them, if I asked. I told Simon my plan in the car, after we had been to the mall.
"Don't be silly," he said. "It's not a problem to have you stay with us."
"Yes it is." I almost told him how awkward I felt around Victoria, and how I knew the feeling was mutual. "There's not enough beds, and it's not fair to ask Autumn to sleep on the floor in her baby sister's room."
"Autumn doesn't mind, do you honey?" Simon glanced at his daughter in the rearview mirror.
"No, daddy," Autumn smiled.
"But for how long? We can't stay with you indefinitely. I'm going to call Mom and Dad tonight, and maybe head over there tomorrow." Simon could not argue that Mom and Dad had the room. There were seven of us kids in the house, eight counting Robbie, when the twins were born. The girls and I could share a room, the boys could share a room.
Simon sighed, admitting defeat. "I wish you wouldn't. I kind of like having you around."
"I know. And I'll still be around. What is it? Five miles from their house to yours?"
"Four."
"That's not so bad It's not like New York."
You're not going back there, are you?"
I shook my head. "There's nothing for us there. I don't have any friends, and the kids don't either, really. So no, I'm not going back to New York. There's no reason."
The rest of the drive back to Simon's was quiet. Autumn and Rory Anne played with the new dolls Simon had bought them, Caroline kept her nose in a teen-idol magazine, Brian played with an action figure, and Vincent just stared out the window, gently caressing the floppy ear of the stuffed rabbit Simon had bought for Bella.
Vincent wouldn't let Uncle Simon buy him anything, even after he had bought the dolls, the magazine, the action figure, and the rabbit for the other kids. I worried about him, and how all this craziness with his father was going to affect him in the long run. He never said a word about Kevin, never asked about him or what would happen to him now, or to us without him.
I wondered what was going on in that mind of his. Vincent has always been a bright boy, a curious boy. His virtual silence now unnerved me. I felt I was losing him, like he was slipping right through my fingers and I had no way to hold on to him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End chapter 2. Jordan wrote Victoria's POV, I wrote Lucy's section. Please read and review, let us know what you think. Thanks so much! ~Lucky Star (JJsLuckyStar@aol.com)