Author: Amaroqwolf.
Synopsis: Jeff learns there's more to his Uncle then he originally thought, and he meets some of Chris's friends.
Rateing: R for now.
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Chris held still ignoring the pain rippling through his body. He tried not to make a sound but another rip of pain dragged a soft cry from his lips. He opened his eyes and something caught his eyes. His sapphire eyes caught with a pair of Jade ones. He closed his eyes then opened them again as the pain intensified. He stared into those jade eyes it looked like they were confused. Those eyes staring at him, and watching what was being done to him didn't understand what was going on. He closed his eyes begging silently that Jeff would get away from the door. That he wouldn't try coming in and find out what was going on.
He felt something warm and wet brush his ear and he turned his head to look. He let out a soft whimper and closed his eyes again. "What are you looking at Chris?" The voice whispered in his ear.
"N--n--nothing." He managed to stammer out.
Tom snorted and grinned. "That's Right Chrissie, you're a nothing. Nothing more then a waste of your mother's time."
He winced and closed his eyes again tears leaking out of his eyes. He heard one of the floor boards creak outside his room and Tom held still starring at the door. Chris silently prayed that Tom would forget about the noise and finish what he was doing.
He felt Tom move off the bed from behind him. Chris slowly sat up wincing in pain he watched his Step-dad stalk towards the door. He could still sense Jeff was out there now too afraid to run. To afraid to even probably say he was just going to the bathroom when that door opened.
He watched silently as Tom took the doorknob in his hand and yanked the door open. He was standing there shaking in terror looking properly mortified. Tom glared down at the waif and before the boy could run his huge hand grabbed him and yanked him into the room. He smirked and looked at Chris.
"Look what we have here Chrissie." He said with a laugh.
Chris stared at Jeff silently knowing what was coming next, remembering what had happened to him. Jeff was cowering in Tom's grip.
"Move aside here Chrissie, were going to play this game with Jeff here." He said petting the blondish brown hair.
Jeff whimpered as Tom set him gently on the bed next to Chris. Tom kneeled down and looked at Jeff silently for several minutes his dark brown eyes boring holes into the pale child. Chris wanted to pull him to his side and hide him from Tom but he couldn't move anymore then Jeff could. He took a deep shaky breath and looked at Tom silently.
"I don't want to play that game with him!" He said trying his best to sound whiney even though he was terrified as hell.
Tom shot a look at him and frowned. "But, it's more fun with two people."
Chris looked down and closed his eyes tears leaking out and down his cheeks. He quickly reached up and brushed them away.
"Aw are you crying Chrissie?" Tom asked snidely and the blow smashed him down to the bed. He held his ear silently and clamped his eyes shut. "Shut up wimp!" Tom snarled.
Chris held still now keeping his eyes closed. He couldn't look at Jeff, couldn't see what Tom would do to him. He didn't want to know Jeff was too young. He felt the bed move and he opened one eye and watched silently as Tom pressed Jeff to the mattress. He watched the man pick up the silver blade he'd been using only moments ago on himself. His back still hurt.
He heard a soft cry of pain and he turned his head away shaking with tears. Another cry reached his ears and he wanted to kill Tom for this. He slowly rolled over and faced Jeff and stared into his pain filled green eyes. He smiled weakly and rubbed his arm gently as he heard the knife ripping through the flesh on the smaller boys back. He grabbed at Jeff's hand and held it tightly.
He closed his eyes and motioned for Jeff to do the same. He watched him close his eyes and then squeezed his hand listening to Tom's heavy breathing as he continued carving thin barley visible, except for the blood, lines on his back.
Jeff let out a high-pitched whine and wiggled trying to get away. Tom's hand slammed down hard on Jeff's shoulder holding him motionless on the bed. "Hold still, ya little RAT," he snarled in anger.
Jeff clamped his eyes shut again whimpering softly. Chris just rubbed Jeff's arm and kept his own eyes shut thanking god that Jeff was to young to do what Tom did to himself.
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Morning rose with a loud bang as Jeff's door was tossed open. Tom stalked in and yanked him out of his bed. He sat him down on the bed hard and stared him in the eyes.
"You say one word to Auntie Margie about what me and you did Last night," He said his dark eyes evil and cold. "You don't say a word ever!" He snarled.
He nodded whimpering softly and closed his eyes tightly then nodded again. "Okay," he whispered and regretted it instantly as a hand slammed him into the bed. It shoved him down hard and held him still.
Tom leaned over him glaring down with dark eyes. A hand went where he didn't want it and he whimpered softly. "Not, a word ya understand me boy." He snarled. "EVER!"
Jeff nodded weakly unable to move under the heavily pressing weight.
Tom sat up and patted Jeff's cheek. "Good boy." He moved out of the room. "Get your ass down stairs boy, we got to get to work."
Tom stomped off downstairs leaving Jeff alone with his pain and humiliation. He slowly got up wincing at the sharp tugging pains in his back but he remained silent not a sound escaped his lips. He slowly pulled on a pair of jeans then a T-shirt over his head. He shivered as the soft cloth rubbed across his scabbed back. He slowly brushed his hair which was getting long Momma would of cut it by now but, it seemed like no one was going to cut his hair for him here. He heard a noise at his door and he whirled around expecting Tom. But, standing there was Chris with a sad look on his face.
"You okay Jeffo?" He asked kindly.
Jeff nodded and walked to the door. He smiled wanly at Chris and took his hand and then headed for the stairs. He felt Chris's hand drift away then he heard the footsteps as he was followed downstairs to the kitchen.
Aunt Margie smiled at them. "You boys hungry?" She asked pointing them to seats at the table. Kevin was playing with his spoon shoving the food around and making loud noises with his mouth as he did.
Jeff slowly sat down and was careful to keep his back from touching the chair only inches away. Tom came in and he lowered his gaze to the plate Aunt Margie had put before him. He picked up the fork and slowly silently began eating.
"I think I'll take Chris and Jeff here to the Restaurant early today." He said happily kissing Margie on the cheek.
She smiled and nodded kissing him back. "Sounds like a good idea Tom." She said. "I'll be there after I drop Kevin off at The Morgan's." She said with a little laugh.
Tom nodded then looked at Jeff and Chris. "So, you two hurry up and get ready, you hear me no dilly dallying around today." He snapped. "Having the Restaurant closed for one day was long enough."
He turned picked up a mug of coffee and stomped upstairs to get dressed himself.
Jeff sighed softly when Tom vanished and went back to eating his breakfast silently. He didn't know what Tom was going to have him doing down at the Restaurant today but he guess he'd be busy.
He looked over at Chris and watched him as he pushed the food around on his plate. He sighed and looked away silently. He continued eating silently now scared of what Tom could have planned for them.
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Chris watched Jeff silently from behind the counter. The small boy was pushing the broom around the dining room getting smiles from the old ladies who were eating lunch. One old lady kept saying how cute he was and would reach out and pinch his cheek whenever he walked by. He could tell Jeff was uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting. He felt eyes on him and he looked up and Saw Tom looking at him expectantly.
"Get to work Chris, your break isn't for another hour." He said coolly.
Chris nodded and got back to work as quickly as he could scrubbing at the pots and pans that Cookie would toss in the sink for him all afternoon. Jeff came back dragging the broom with him and put it in the corner. He sighed softly and moved over towards Chris.
"Can I help?" He asked.
Tom stepped up behind them both boys stiffened instantly. "What did I say this morning boy!" He snarled at Jeff.
His head dropped and he stared at his hands his small bony shoulders hunched in protection. Tom yanked a bucket off the counter and shoved it with a rag into Jeff's hands. "Go clean the bird shit off the tables outside!"
Jeff turned to go slowly and Tom snarled and smacked him. "MOVE IT!" He snarled.
Jeff ran quickly outside vanishing through the door as quickly. Chris continued scrubbing the pans thinking about how to get away for the afternoon and if it was possible to sneak Jeff off with him. He sighed and struggled with the big pan yanking it up out of the water to rinse it off and then set it in the drainer to drip for a minute. Cookie would come grab it before it would even be completely dry. He turned his head as he picked up the next pan and he could see Jeff scrubbing hard at the metal outdoor tables trying to get the bird Shit off. He sighed and went back to scrubbing the pans.
On Fridays the Diner closed at 5, which left Chris an hour to himself most of the time. It looked that way today and he was planning to head over to the gym to work out again. He wanted to be strong so one day he could kick Tom's ass and run away forever. He was only 12 now. So it would take a couple years to do what he had to do. He grabbed his jacket it was still cool enough in the evening to need it. He was about to head out the door when his Mom called out. "Christopher!" She called.
He turned and looked at her. "Yeah, Mom?" He asked.
"Why don't you take Jeffrey with you today honey." She suggested.
Chris slowly turned and looked at Jeff and thought silently. He saw the hopeful look in Jeff's eyes then nodded. "Come on Kid." He said beckoning with his hand.
Jeff smiled and hurried over grabbing his jacket as he raced over. He went to grab Chris's hand then stopped just put his jacket on and looked up expectantly.
"Will be back in time for dinner!" He called then hurried out the door before Tom could stop them.
Chris led the way through the streets not talking and enjoying the silence after the slamming and banging from the kitchen all day. He took a deep breath and through his head back. He turned and walked backwards looking down at Jeff. "You ever heard of wrestling Jeffo?" He asked.
Jeff smiled and nodded quickly arching his eyebrows.
"Well, I'm going to be a wrestler." Chris continued. "Me and a couple of my buddy's go to a gym every day before it closes and this guy teaches us how to build up our muscles so we can work in the ring when we turn 16." He said smiling.
"I..I want to be a wrestler!" Jeff said quickly then looked around as if expecting a blow.
Chris looked at him silently speculating he grinned. "Come on, I'll introduce ya to Jay and Adam."
Jeff followed him grinning back he hopped every couple steps trying to keep up with him.
Chris led him to a field next-door to a brick building. There were two blonde boys waiting patiently. One was a little older then Chris, and the other was around Jeff's age but probably older.
"Hey, Adam!" Chris called waving his hand.
The older boy hopped up and dragged the younger one to his feet. "Come on Jason Chris is here!" The two boys jogged across the field and came to halt on the sidewalk.
"Hey, Jerky!" Adam said with a grin.
"Shut it monkey!" Chris responded with a matching grin.
"Whose the kid?" The other boy, Jason, asked.
Chris looked at Jason blinking then realized he meant Jeff. "Oh, this is Jeff." He said. "He's the kid I was telling you guys about."
Adam and Jay turned their gaze onto Jeff who shrunk down nervously.
"Kind of puny isn't he?" Jay asked with a smirk.
TBC….
A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates, first I got a virus 100 dollars in the hole to fix that. So yay I'm all ready to continue then lo and behold, we have an electrical storm blow out our phone lines for three days, I get that back up and running and I find out the ports on my Modem are Fused open. So, fixed and ready to run again. What an eventful past two weeks.
Peace,
This life and the Next,
Amaroqwolf.
