Title: Cuts Like A Knife

Author: Stress

First written: May 12, 2002

Edited and replaced: January 21, 2005

Summary: Part I of the Soul Mates Series; She thought that life couldn't get any better. She had friends and a family that loved her – she was taken care of and had no complaints. But that was before he came into her life. And, no matter how hard she tries to escape his grasp, he'll never let her go.

At the DistributionCenter

The next morning, Rip arrived early at the distribution center, hoping to talk to Jess before Spindle arrived. Unfortunately for Rip, Jess and Spindle arrived at the same exact time. Not in the mood to fight with Spindle so early in the morning, Rip bought his papers and headed off by himself. He would just have to find Jess later that night and make her see that she would be his after she had finished selling her papers.

Spindle grew angry as she watched Rip walk off by himself. She now knew that there must be someone else in his life because he had left the distribution center without even giving her a kiss hello. Deciding it would be smart to keep tabs on some of the girls until she could figure out who it was that Rip had eyes for, Spindle asked the most obvious girl to sell papers with her for the second time. She smiled when she heard Jess stutter her reply, "Sh-sh-sure Spindle. I'll sell with you again."

Later that day

Jess sneaked a look over at Spindle's expression. While Spindle had given her many openings in which she could have confessed to her about what had happened between Rip and Jess, Jess kept changing the subject. She was afraid for what Spindle might say; worse yet, for what Spindle might do. What if she didn't believe her and got angry and took it out on Jess?

"It's getting late. You got to tell her," Jess scolded herself. Building a firm resolve, Jess opened her mouth to tell Spindle about Rip's advances.

And she was promptly cut off when Spindle announced that it was late and she was heading back to the lodging house. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jess," she said with a disappointed note evident in her voice. She hadn't learned anything from Jess about Rip and his "mystery girl" the entire time they were out selling together.

Jess knew it was no good arguing with Spindle and reluctantly nodded. "O.K., tomorrow then," she said with a sad smile. "Why didn't I just tell her the truth? It ain't me fault that her boyfriend don't want her no more." But Jess knew why she chickened out of telling her. Everyone knew that Spindle always stayed true to her threats and Jess wanted to live to see tomorrow.

When Jess and Spindle reached the block where they went their separate ways, Jess headed off to the O'Connor's apartment. Promising herself that she would talk to Spindle the next day, Jess tried to think of happier things than her role in Rip and Spindle's relationship.

As she walked by the brick building that Rip had leaned against the day before, Jess sighed with relief to see that he wasn't there. She had been afraid that he might decide that he wanted to talk to her again and she really didn't want to have deal with that right now.

She continued walking, a little more bounce in her step now that she was free to think of other things, at least until tomorrow morning. Smiling for the first time since she had left the apartment yesterday morning, Jess kept walking, almost tasting the dinner Mrs. O'Connor would have waiting for her. She was so preoccupied with thoughts of what she would have to eat that she didn't notice a girl with glasses, whose hair was in braids, sitting at the end of the block in front of her, just passed a dark alleyway. As Iris waved at Jess, she got up to say hello and congratulations on being accepted into their elite group of Queens newsgirls.

Jess, still not seeing Iris at the end of the block, approached the alleyway in front of her, thankful that there was only two blocks to go until she reached the O'Connor's apartment. She was hungry and she couldn't wait to ask Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor how their days went, since she wasn't able to speak to them last night. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled and jumped when she heard a voice call out from the shadows.

"So, we meet again, Miss Jess."

Jess nervously smoothed her hair as she started to walk backwards, still heading in the direction of the O'Connor's, but not quite taking her eyes off the alleyway where a dark figure had just emerged. "Oh, hiya, Rip," she squeaked out.

Rip chuckled at her obviously nervous state as he sprinted up to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. He held her close to his chest and put his lips right next to her left ear. "Come now, Jess, is that anyway to greet me?" he whispered in a deep voice.

Jess smiled weakly at him while remaining frozen in her position. "How the heck am I supposed to respond to that? What am I supposed to do?" she began to panic as her thoughts raced back and forth. Of course, the grip he had on her and the way she could feel his breath on her neck didn't make matters any easier.

Iris stopped mid-wave when she spotted Rip coming out of the shadows. Quickly ducking beneath a bush so that she could see and not be seen, she gasped in horror when she spied Rip and Jess standing by the edge of the alleyway, locked in a heated embrace. Praying that she could get out of there without either one of them knowing she was there, Iris crawled along the ground until she reached the corner. When she got to the corner she tore around it and headed straight to the girls' lodging house. Iris was in trouble. She had taken an oath to be loyal to the leader, her leader, Spindle, no matter what. But she couldn't turn Jess in. "What is I going to do" she wailed, as she kept running, trying to put as much distance between herself and the "happy" couple she had just seen together.

Meanwhile, Rip had not loosened his grip on Jess at all. He looked down upon her with something like lust in his eyes as he began to speak to her again. "Do you remember the conversation that me and you had last night?", he waited until he saw her stiffly nod her head, and he continued, "Well, I figured that I would be a nice guy and give you another chance to reconsider me offer."

Though she could still feel his eyes on her, Jess refused to give in and look back up at them. "I can't be with Spindle's guy, I just can't" she said to herself, trying to justify the answer that she was going to give Rip. If she ever was able to give it.

As it turned out, she didn't have to give her answer; Rip could tell by her silence that she still had not agreed to be his girl. Jess felt his body go tense and rigid and she let out a squeal of pain when the pressure of his grip on her tripled in intensity. "Ya know, there is an easy way to do this and a hard way. I had really hoped that we could have this the easy way. But, nooo. Well, now you forced me to have to teach you that I don't never take no for an answer." The flirtatious warmth was gone from his voice as an icy tone, which resulted in chilling her to the bone, replaced it.

Still holding tight onto her, Rip began to drag her deep into the dark alley so that no one would be able to see what he was going to do to her. To make sure that Jess didn't call any attention to them he brought out his insurance and placed it up against her smooth flesh.

Before Jess had even thought to open her mouth to scream for help she felt a piece of cool metal being pressed up against her cheek. Keeping the hand holding the switchblade steady, Rip whispered to her, "Now, since this is going to be our first time together, let's try to make it a memorable experience, eh, Miss Jess?"

She had let him lead her down the end of the dark alley before the meaning of what he was saying to her actually sunk in. When she realized what Rip was planning to do to her, Jess collapsed right onto the cold ground.

Rip grinned to himself as he took her position on the ground to be her consent. Laying the switchblade next to her head where she would be sure to see it, he began to lift up her long, black skirt. "See, Jess, I just love girls in skirts. They make things so much easier for me." As he began to unbutton his own shirt he leaned over so that his eager face was only inches away from her terrified one. "I'm only doing this to show you how much I like you," he whispered huskily as he leaned in to give her a kiss.

When she turned her head and his kiss landed in her hair, Rip grew angry. She was ruining their magical moment and he was not going to let her get away with that. He drew his hand back and slapped her across the face. Repeatedly. After the fifth slap, he looked down and saw a fine line of blood coming from the corner of her mouth, as she laid on the ground, crying softly, looking horrified at his actions.

He immediately regretted letting his temper get the best of him. "Jess, I'm sorry. But I'm doing this for us," he murmured as he stood up and started to unbutton his pants. He was genuinely sorry, but he needed to show her that he was the boss and this was the only way he knew how to.

The last image Jess saw before slipping into a state of unconsciousness was Rip shimmying out of his pants as he forcefully held her down with one hand.

When it was all over, Rip gently shook Jess awake. Leaning against the wall of the alley, he pulled her into a sitting position on his lap, resting her head against his bare chest. She slowly came to, feeling disoriented at first, but once the pain hit her like a sledgehammer, the memory of the event came flooding back.

Even though she was sitting up against a guy who had just finished raping her out of his twisted idea of "love", she held onto him for dear life as she curled up into a little ball and began to weep softly, trying to hide the fact that she was doing so from Rip. She didn't want him to know how violated and weak his one action had resulted in making her feel.

If there was one thing Jess hated, it was weakness.

Rip, aware that she was awake and equally aware that she was crying, held her tight as he tried to calm her down so she could see the beauty of the act they had just shared. Because, to him, it wasn't an act of violence, it was an act of love. "Jess, me dear, please don't cry. That was all for you, for me, for us. I love you."

"Love?! You don't even know what love is then, cause that sure ain't love! That's pain and force and cruelty but it ain't love!" Jess wanted to scream at him.

But she didn't. Instead she managed to croak out, "I love you, too, Rip." She didn't like getting slapped across the face.

Whether Rip noticed the lack of sincerity in her voice or not, it didn't matter, he just pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently on the forehead. "That's just what I wanted to hear. I'm glad you're finally seeing things me way, Miss Jess." He picked up his switchblade, that had laid forgotten next to Jess while she was passed out, and ran it gently across one of her bare thighs as he used his other hand to freely reach up her skirt and massage her other leg. "Cause I would hate for anything to happen to that pretty little head of yours," he said with an evil grin as he placed his switchblade in his back pocket. His grin widened when he felt Jess's petite frame shudder against his chest.

No doubt about it, she knew who the boss was now.