A/N: GOSH! I was kicking myself for not being able to get a chapter to you. I am seriously very sorry, so I decided to connect the chapter I just wrote and one I wrote about a month ago that was waiting to be posted. So it should be longer than usual. You guys deserve it. The reviews mean the world to me. School just started 2 weeks ago, and then there is band (GO BAND!) and driving classes and homework and everything else that complicates my life. AGAIN SORRY!

And about me sharing an account with Bebop, well, I didn't really want to worry about learning how to work everything on Also, Bebop is a wonderful friend of mine who moved away over a year ago. I have lost contact with so many friends in my life and I don't want that to happen here. Having her post my stories keeps me in contact with her. I LOVE YA BEBOP!!

Continuing, here is your long awaited chapter. Hope it pleases!

Warning: Ends in rape, but I write nothing about that. I can't write something like that, I'm just not able. So this is just a warning, but this chapter doesn't get into it.

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing.

Chapter 6: The River in Egypt

Lucy shifted nervously in her seat, unconsciously fiddling with her car keys. She hated this. She had been avoiding talking to Alyn all week, not really wanting to face the facts–the facts that were laid out perfectly in front of her. And Lucy Kinkirk could do nothing to help her, but talk.

Yes, she was becoming a minister, which would require her to deal with other peoples' problems and dilemmas. But those were different. This was too personal to be like a counseling session.

It didn't help Lucy's nerves that Alyn was late.

Finally, her friend stumbled through the restaurant's double-doors, catching herself quickly, but roughly on the doorframe. Lucy gracefully rose from her seat, but Alyn had already recovered and was coming her way.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, gently taking back her seat.

"Yeah, great," she answered, her voice a little too calm for Lucy's liking. Alyn's eyes were unfocused, Lucy observed, as Alyn glanced her way. They were dry and emotionless; the usually acute ocean gray was now dark and dull.

Alyn abruptly took the menu between her fingers and thumbed through it, her dull eyes drifting across the page.

"Alyn?" Lucy started cautiously, furrowing her brow.

"Huh?" she replied, not looking up from the menu.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, placing her hand over Alyn's menu and gently bringing it down to the tabletop. Alyn glanced up at her, confused.

"Nothing's wrong," Alyn said, as if it were rehearsed. Lucy didn't buy it.

"Alyn, something's wrong! What's going on?" She wanted to scream; she didn't know what it would take to get Alyn to talk. Hesitantly, Lucy added, "Is it Chris?"

Snapping her head up suddenly, Alyn stared at Lucy for a moment. Did she know? Chris's voice entered her head.

Lucy can't know because there is nothing to know.

"What about Chris?" she finally answered, trying to keep her voice even.

Lucy sighed. This was not how she had wanted to approach this, but the moment had come.

"Alyn . . .what's going on? And I'm not talking about you walking through that door just really out-of-it, but what's going on at home?" Lucy said firmly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Alyn replied, not sounding as confident as she had before, if you could call that confident. She leisurely took a sip of the ice water she was provided.

"Alyn, you can't bottle this all inside of you. How did you keep this kind of secret for so long?" she asked more softly.

"What secret?" Alyn replied nervously, not meeting Lucy's gaze.

"Chris," Lucy stated simply. "Alyn . . .does he hit you?"

Still darting Lucy's stern gaze, Alyn replied just as simply, "Chris loves me."

"Alyn, if he loves you, why does he give you these bruises." Lucy reached across the table and forcefully pulled up Alyn's arm and turned it over. Blue, purple bruises covered her pale skin. Alyn instinctively pulled back her arm, hiding it under the table.

"He hurts you, and that's not right. No one deserves that kind of life." Lucy leaned across the table. "Alyn, you need to tell the police!"

"I have nothing to tell them!" Alyn objected. "Chris loves me."

"Yes, you said that, but what makes you believe that?" she reasoned gently, finally making eye contact.

"My marriage may not be the fairytale your perfect marriage is, but that doesn't mean anything! I love Chris and Chris loves me no matter what!" Alyn nearly screamed

Releasing herself from Lucy's gaze, Alyn jerked up from her seat and dashed out of the restaurant. Lucy leaned over and sighed, resting her head in her hands.

Things were not going well.

"YOUR LATE AGAIN!" he screamed as Alyn entered the kitchen.

"I'm sorry. I had plans with Lucy," she said breezing past him and setting her keys on the countertop.

"Excuse me?" he asked surprised, fire in his eyes. "You had plans? What about dinner?"

"You're a grown man. You can fend for yourself." She was scared of him, but standing up to him was the only thing she could do without getting others involved. Chris would kill her if anyone found out.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that!" he glared siezing her shoulder and slamming her against the wall. Alyn tried to keep a straight face, not wanting him to see her pain.

"Maybe he'll calm down," she thought. "He loves me."

"Chris," Alyn whispered, closing her eyes.

"Oh don't you dare think your going to get away with this one!"

With his hands clutching her shoulders, Chris violently crushed his mouth onto hers. It hurt, he was pressing so hard. Alyn tried to push him away, wanting to scream at the top of her lungs.

"No," she thought. "He only does this when he's drunk."

The harder she fought, the more he slammed her against the wall. He then dragged her to their room. Catching hold of the doorframe of their bedroom, Alyn pulled free, fresh air filling her lungs.

"No," she cried, falling to the floor as Chris wrapped his arms viciously around her waist.

"You asked for it," he hissed, aggressively hoisting her fragile body onto the bed and slamming the door shut behind him. The light from the hallway disappeared, darkness filling the room. The only light present in the room was the fire in Chris's eyes.

"Please, Chris. Please," she whispered, as her husband approached the bed.

Her wings would soon carry her free.

A/N: Man, I scare myself sometimes.