THE PAYBACK

"What do you want?" Marsal asked the intruder.

He sat alone in an abandoned building not too far away from the Cohen's house.

The new company made no reply.

"Look, I ain't got nothing for you," Marsal stated.

"How about information?" They finally said, stepping out of the dark.

Marsal's eyes fell on a young man with dark brown hair and inquisitive eyes.

"It'll cost you," he spat.

The man pulled out a blue, metal crowbar from behind his back and began to casually tap it on the palm of his hand.

"Oh really?" He said.

Marsal's eyes ticked from the mans face to the weapon in his hands and the back again.

"Okay, maybe we can make a deal. What do you want to know?"

"Rachel Atwood," he said. "She mean anything to you?"

Marsal smiled at the question. "She's my girl," he gleamed.

"Really?" The man said moving a little further into the room. "Because that's not what she said to me last night. I think it was between me kissing her and us going to sleep in the same bed."

Marsal coked his head to the side and smiled menacingly. "So you're that Seth Cohen guy right?" Well nice to finally get aquatinted. Sorry about my rudeness but I gotta run." Marsal rose from his stop and turned to leave. "I have another appointment."

Opening the back door, Marsal realised that another young man blocked his way – this one looking very pissed off.

"Look brother," Marsal said, backing away into the room slightly.

"I'm not your brother," the man growled taking a step closer. "But I am the brother of someone, a brother you really don't want to mess with."

"Ryan Atwood," Marsal stated. "I've heard stories about you. Running with gangs, robberies, shootings, do you want me to continue?"

"Oh please do," Ryan said, stepping closer, his hands now turning into fists. "You're only making me madder."

"And you don't want to see him mad," Seth added. "Tends to end with someone getting punched."

"Is that so?" Marsal asked curiously.

"You hurt my sister," Ryan snarled stepping closer again. "No one hurts my sister."

Marsal cocked his head to the side. "Funny. You said no one hurts her but then I swear you just admitted that I did –"

Marsal didn't have a chance to finish his thought because Ryan's fist connected with his face, with a fast and deadly accuracy.

Marsal was knocked back by its power but only laughed.

"I warned you," Seth smirked.

"You think you're pretty tough huh? But who was the one that wasn't there when Rachel really needed them? When she screamed so loud that from the fear and the pain the walls shook. When I drove her so far over the edge that I knew she could never come back."

"Shut up you bastard!" Seth screamed.

Marsal turned to him now. "And you, thinking that you're enough of a man to hold her, and give her what she needs."

Seth glared at him before stepping closer, taking a tighter hold on the crowbar in his hands.

"I give her everything she wants," he stated.

Marsal took a step toward him. "Does she scream for you?" He asked causing Seth's muscles to tighten. "When you're alone and the room is dark, and there is nothing between you and her body. Does she cry out like she did with me?"

Seth took a tighter grip on his weapon and swung it high above his head, slamming it down on Marsal who staggered backward.

"You sick son of a bitch! You put her through all of it and you didn't feel a thing!"

Seth could feel his body shaking, his emotions running on high. He couldn't believe that he was standing there with the person who had put the love of his life through hell and he was refraining from killing him.

"And I loved every minute of it," Marsal said, spitting out his blood.

Seth let out a scream and slammed the crowbar into him again and again.

.........

"Hey Coop," Rachel said coming down the stairs from Seth's room and into the kitchen.

Marissa smiled at her. "Hey Rach, how are you feeling?" She placed her hand on the young girls shoulder.

Rachel shrugged. Since Ryan had brought her back with him from the display home she had felt oddly calm. Everything seemed to be falling into place around her and the fear of being pregnant was becoming less and less as people gave her more and more support.

"I'm okay." Rachel looked at Marissa for a moment. "Have you seen the guys?"

"They went out for a while," Marissa answered.

Rachel studied her face, not believing that she and Ryan had actually parted for more than thirty seconds.

"Seth's crowbar's missing from his room," Rachel said slightly suspiscious.

Marissa shrugged. "Maybe he left it out in the shed."

"Or maybe you're not telling me everything," Rachel stated. "I grew up in Chino, Marissa, I know when someone's lying to me."

Marissa looked at Ryan's little sister standing in front of her. "Rachel..."

"Where did they go Coop?"

"I don't..."

"Where the hell did they go?" Rachel voice was powerful now, so much so that Marissa slightly jumped.

"It doesn't matter, you shouldn't worry. You need some rest."

"What I need is for you to give me answers."

Marissa let out long sigh knowing that she wasn't going to win this fight.

"The address you gave Ryan," Marissa admitted. "They went to find Marsal."

Rachel stood numb for a moment before turning away from Marissa and running from the house, praying that she wasn't too late.

.........

"You like pain?" Seth asked honestly.

Marsal made no reply as he stood, torn and bloody before the pair. Ryan slammed his fists into his face – once...twice...three times.

"Cos we can give you plenty of it," Seth finished, taking the crowbar and smashing it into Marsal's chest. "And that way..."

Smash.

"You."

Smash."

"Can feel what it was like."

Footsteps sounded from outside, fast and swift and before anyone knew what had happened Rachel burst into the room.

"Seth no!" She screamed.

Ryan ran to her then, taking a hold of her arms and blocking her view with his body. He began to walk her back to the door.

"Rach, get out of here."

Rachel didn't hesitate to pull out of her brother's grip and run to Seth, forcing him to lower the crowbar and look at her.

"Seth please don't do this," she said, her voice full of want.

"I have too," he replied.

"No you don't," Rachel insisted. "You do this and I lose you forever. Don't make me go through that." She took his free hand and placed it on her stomach where they both knew a life was developing. "Please."

Seth looked at her, seeing that her eyes were aching for him to stop.

"Well isn't this magical," Marsal hissed. "Instead of screaming, she's begging for you."

"Believe me, you haven't heard me beg for him," Rachel said all too slyly for Marsal's liking.

Marsal growled deep in his throat when he realised what she was implying.

"Slut!" He spat. "Filthy slut!"

He moved in for the kill, Seth turning to face him, shielding Rachel as he did.

"Touch her and I kill you," Ryan threatened moving up behind Marsal.

Marsal looked into Rachel's eyes for a time before smiling. She only realised what he was about to do once it was too late. Marsal turned and flicked open his pocket knife stabbing Ryan deep in the abdomen and causing him to stop short.

Seth took in a shallow breath and watched as Ryan wavered on his spot for a moment before falling to the floor.

Rachel broke from his grasp and ran to her brother.

"Ryan!" She screamed, using his full name for the first time in her entire life.

Rachel knelt beside her brother whose wound was bleeding heavily as his eyes glazed over.

"You would have been mine," Marsal said moving too quickly for Seth to intercept him.

He crouched down and grabbed onto Rachel's arm, hauling her into a standing position as she screamed out her brother's name. Rachel felt her feet leave the ground as Marsal threw her across the room.

Seth grabbed onto Rachel as she fell, but his strength could not battle Marsal's and they both fell to the floor in a heap.

Rachel cried our as an unspeakable pain shot through her middle and her vision went blank for a time.

Seth crawled to his knees quickly moving to her as she lay on her back breathing hard, hands clutched on her stomach.

"Rach...oh God," he said dreading the worst.

Seth could tell that she was forcing herself not to scream from the pain and instead only let out small sounds of agony as he placed a hand atop hers.

"Ry'," she said cringing in utter torment as waves of pain ran through her. "Get Ry'."

Seth took one last look at her, knowing that his best chance of helping her was to get her brother back on their side. He moved away from Rachel who was now on her side, trying to avert the pain.

Seth took one look at Ryan who was slowly beginning to try and regain is footing, before running over to him.

"Oh no you don't," Marsal said intercepting Seth.

Seth took one look at the man before him, thinking of how he had caused the people around him to be in such life threatening trouble and punched him with a strength that could have only come from sheer hatred.

Marsal slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Are you okay man?" Seth asked when he reached Ryan who was slowly getting to his feet, the wound the bleeding as freely as before.

"I will be," Ryan cringed.

He heard her before he saw her. His sister's cry to him. Ryan ran to Rachel's side in a complete panic noticing she was holding her stomach and instantly thinking the worst.

"Rach..." he said helping her onto her back as she shut her eyes against the pain. "Call 911!" He screamed to Seth who was quick on his cell-phone.

"Ry'..." Rachel managed, recoiling against the ache. "You're okay." She let out another agonising scream.

Ryan looked down at his sister whose breathing was now short and sharp as she battled against the need to cry out.

"Rach look at me, look at me."

Rachel obeyed and met her brother's eyes.

"Breathe, just breathe, okay."

Rachel did as she was told, trying to take deep, steady breaths but found that even they didn't work.

"Ry'," she whispered letting out another cry.

"Don't talk," he insisted hearing Seth on the phone behind him.

Rachel pulled a shaking hand away from her midsection placing it in Ryan's and looking deep within his eyes.

"Don't let me fall," she murmured before everything went black.

TO BE CONTINUED.........

(Mwahaha!! I love not finishing chapters properly, and letting you deal with the suspense. LOL. Okay if that wasn't Seth sticking up for her the I don't know what the hell is and I am a failure as a writer. See I told you the best was still to come, I told you. Please review.)