Disclaimer: As always, nada, I repeat, NADA belongs to me
AN: Sorry it took so long to get a chapter of this up, but I've just been going back and forth with the exact direction that I wanted to take the story in. I think I've settled on something that I'm happy with. That being said, I hope everyone else it happy with it too. For those who reviewed, scroll on down to the bottom, there's some thanks and questions answered. Enjoy!
Woody jarringly parked the car in the space and gave a sideways glance in Annie's direction. The light grin that had decorated her pretty mouth when they had left the station had disappeared quickly, replaced with a frown. She hadn't spoken since they left, nor had she looked at him. Instead, Annie remained silent, staring out the rain streaked window. Her fist was pressed firmly against her lips, as if keeping them closed. Woody flipped off the radio and began to unbuckle his seatbelt, still looking at her.
"We're here," he announced after a beat.
She turned to him, the same faint smile trying to overcome her lips, but losing the battle. Shaking her head, Annie too, unbuckled herself and exited the car along with Woody.
It had stopped raining somewhere on the way, but the air was still cool. As the breeze whipped past them, Annie shivered and retreated deeper into Woody's jacket. She slipped her hands deep into the pockets and around her middle, closing the coat across her body. Woody had grabbed her large purse from the car and held it tightly. He motioned with his free hand for her to follow him.
Reaching the door to his studio apartment, Woody fumbled around for his keys and let the bag fall to the floor with a loud thump. Annie crouched down to grab for it before any more of the contents spilled out. Woody, having now opened the door, knelt beside her to help.
"It's fine," she insisted, gathering up her phone, lipstick and some crumpled scraps of paper.
"Alright," he nodded and stood.
"Thank you," Annie whispered and pushed past him into the apartment.
"Welcome," Woody murmured in response.
Annie set her purse down on the counter and stripped herself of the wet jacket. Running her slender hands through her damp hair, she let out an uneasy sigh. She could tell from the stern look on Woody's face that he wanted to get into it as soon as possible. But he just wiped a hand across the back of his neck and loosened his tie.
"That all you bring?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of her purse. Annie sort of shrugged and nodded at the same time. "Well, I'll lend you some clothes, can't stand around all drenched."
"Thank you," she repeated.
This time Woody said nothing in return, only wordlessly retreated into his bedroom. He emerged not too long after, barefoot in a pair of old jeans and T-shirt, holding a similar outfit in his hands.
"Bathroom's right there," he pointed to a door behind Annie and tossed her the clothes. "Just hang the wet stuff on the shower rod."
"Okay," she replied.
Woody stood; staring at the door as it clicked closed behind her. Although he still hadn't made heads or tails of exactly what she was doing here, he knew it had something to do with that gash on her lower lip. Their exchange at the station had told him that much. And, if it was what Woody was thinking of, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Or what he was supposed to do. Why she had come to him specifically for help? There must have been somebody else that she could have turned to. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and took a seat atop his kitchen table.
"They're a little big," Annie stated softly.
At the sound of her voice, Woody turned his head. The clothes were more than a little big. Just as his jacket had swallowed Annie, she drowned in the large shirt and sweatpants. Tugging uncomfortably at the old shirt that read 'Wisconsin: Come Cut the Cheese', she sat in one of the chairs around the table. Woody had always liked the look of Annie in his clothes. Of course back then, Woody had liked the look of Annie even more in the absence of clothing altogether. Woody hopped off the table and took a seat beside her.
"So, you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked.
She averted her eyes from his gaze. Woody reached out and tilted her chin upwards, forcing her to look at him. His thumb passed over her lips and lightly across the deep wound. Annie flinched.
"Have something to do with that I'm guessing?" Woody inquired in a worried voice. He wanted so badly for it not to be what he was thinking.
"I swore I would never be one of those women," she said quietly.
"What women?"
"A woman who lets her husband hit her," Annie admitted, her head dropping again. She quickly wiped at the tears that fell down her cheeks. Woody gently reached for her hands. As his fingers curled over hers, he could feel the diamond of her wedding ring digging lightly into his palm.
"So Carl did that to you?" Woody tried to suppress the anger that had began to boil in his stomach.
"We've been having problems for awhile now. Mostly after my dad died," she started. "The first time it happened I couldn't even believe it. And he seemed so sorry after. He apologized over and over. I didn't know what to do."
"I thought it wasn't like that," he growled. "Christ! How did this happen?"
"I don't know! It didn't seem so horrible after, like it maybe didn't happen at all. He kept telling me he was sorry, that he loved me and I just didn't think…" More tears formed behind her eyes. "It's not like I just let it happen Woody. I didn't think he would do it again. And then…"
"How many other times were there?" he pressed, letting his detective instincts take over.
"Not many," Annie shook her head and removed her hands from Woody's, brushing away her tears. Woody gave her a disbelieving look.
"How many Annie?" he repeated.
"Three, maybe four. I just…" she broke off her sentence. "I had to get away from him. So, I came here. To you."
"Annie," Woody breathed. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. What he should say. He did know, however, that more than anything he wanted to wring Carl's neck with his bare hands. "Did you go to the police?"
"No," she mumbled. "You're the only other person who knows besides Lauren. You remember Lauren Ingram?"
Woody remembered. She had been one of Annie's friends in college. Last Woody had heard, Lauren was married, had three kids and moved to Connecticut.
"You need to go to the police Annie," he stated solemnly. She began to open her mouth in protest. "Annie I can't do much in Boston. There's jurestriction."
"It's complicated Woody…I," Annie started. She was having trouble getting through her sentences, the words kept getting caught in the back of her throat. Inhaling a shaky breath she began once more. "I had to come to you, because I needed somebody I could trust."
"What else aren't you telling me?" Woody's eyes became narrowed slits as he looked at her both questioningly and critically.
"It's…I can't…" she heaved a sigh that came out in waves through her trembling lips.
"Annie, you just said you could trust me. That's why you came here, because you felt safe with me. So if there's more…" Woody's heart began to race as he said the words. But it would be nothing compared to how he would feel after what she was about to tell him.
"I do trust you Woody and that's why I came to you," Annie paused and placed a hand on her chest as if that would force the words out or slow her now heavy breathing. "But there's another reason. I knew if I came here to Boston that I'd be safe and I knew that Molly would be safe too."
"Molly?" Woody's eyebrows rose in confusion. "Who's Molly?"
"Molly is my daughter," she answered quietly.
"Your daughter?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes. That's why Lauren knows. She agreed to take care of her while I was here. And Connecticut isn't too far," Annie explained.
"Are you kidding me Annie?" Woody pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "You can't just take your child and leave the state. Carl could charge you with kidnapping."
"He won't," she insisted.
"How do you know? Annie, I know you think that you're not in trouble here, but you are."
"Look he won't think to look for me here and if he does, he won't have any idea where Molly is. Please Woody, you have to help me," she whimpered.
Woody shook his head and sighed. Exactly what did she expect him to do? He couldn't very well march back to Wisconsin and give Carl what he had coming to him, no matter how much he wanted to. And now she was telling him that she had a child? What on earth was she coming to him for? He didn't even have the slightest clue what he was supposed to do with all the problems that she had decided to dump in his lap.
"I just don't understand why you came to me," he said, still shaking his head.
"With my father…" Annie's eyes welled up with tears and she shrugged somewhat helplessly. "I had to get away from Carl. And I had to get Molly away from him too."
"Listen to me Annie, I can be here as your friend, but…" Woody paused and looked at her face. Her tearstained cheeks were red, making her freckles blurry through the splotches; her eyes were swollen from crying and then there was her lip, cut and bruised.
"Any way I can help, I will," he told her.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Reaching across the table, Woody hugged her tightly. She didn't cling to him like she had before, just stayed in his arms. Annie just didn't have the strength anymore. She had been through too much, too soon.
"Why don't you lie down?" Woody suggested, wiping the remaining tears from her face with his shirt. "I need to make some calls and you need the rest."
"I don't think I could sleep," she said.
"Just try," he pressed the issue, pointing to his bedroom. "I'll take care of everything, I promise."
"Thank you," she repeated, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
Woody nodded, still not sure how he was going to 'take care of everything'. He watched her walk into his room and shut the door. Looking around his apartment, he let his head fall into his hands. What the hell was going to do?
FrenchKissingWoody: Thanks! Glad you liked it.
RoxieHart1: Thank you. I hope to do 'a lot of stuff with it'. LOL, or something along those lines.
Tez: Well that's what happens next. As for Jordan, she'll probably make an appearance in the next chapter. And due to Annie's situation, she'll most likely have a strong reaction. Wait and see ;)
Kimmers: So that's the reason Annie is there. Mostly…
Hope y'all enjoyed. And oodles of thanks for the kind reviews!
