Ah, a new chapter. Yay. So this chapter, makes you feel like some questions were answered but the next one... well you'll just have to wait and see.So nothing really to say about this one except enjoy. Wait I take that back, lyrics are from Rob Thomas' Now Comes The Night.
Enjoy.
putting the pressure on much harder now
to return again and again
just let the red rain splash you
let the rain fall on your skin
Sydney was in Vaughn's apartment again. She always came back, she always came crawling back. He leaned casually against the wall in the kitchen. Vaughn laughed at her as she cowered in the corner.
"Please don't hurt me." She pleaded.
"Sydney, it's your fault. You do these stupid things you make me crazy and the only thing that makes me sane again is to hurt you."
"But, I don't mean to make you mad."
"Well you just can't seem to help it, you do it over and over and over and over… I think you get the point." He pulled the kitchen drawer openly pulling out a long sharp knife.
She shook her head as he started walking.
"When you tell me that I'm crazy, that I need help, it just pushes me over the edge."
"Let's just talk about it."
"Sydney, I don't want to talk about it. Everything about you makes me angry, those annoying dimples, the way you always smile at me, your friends, how much you cry. So I think now is the perfect opportunity to save myself from all this frustration."
She felt herself backing away from him. Her foot slipped on the stair and tumbled down a small set of stairs. He ran down towards her. She got up to her feet and tried to run but he pulled her back to him. The cool blade slid effortlessly into her stomach. He shoved it deeper into her stomach watching her face contort in pain.
"I'm so relieved." He slid down to the floor with her body in his arms. He stroked her hair as Sydney felt herself bleed to death in her lover's arms.
"I think I went a little overboard." He winced, he knew he went overboard.
"YOU WHAT!" She yelled in the phone.
"It was such a perfect opportunity to hurt her again."
"You couldn't wait until Monday."
"No, you don't understand how perfect it was, beautiful. She's so screwed up right now. I think she's starting to think she's crazy."
"She better be able to come on the mission."
"Of course, I'll get her back."
"Perfect," she replied. "You're going to have to regain her trust somehow."
"I will, I can do this."
"Alright, see you soon, love."
-
She sat up quickly on the couch. She felt the tears streaming down her face. Sydney checked her stomach, there was no blood. She was confused, and then it all came back, the fight with Vaughn, Will, the hospital, her broken hand, the birthday party. She smiled as she looked around at the half eaten birthday cake, the streamers and balloons in the room, and the credits on the tv from the movie none of them had lasted through.
Sydney whimpered as she stood up from the couch. Her body ached all over, she slowly made her way to the kitchen and swallowed a couple of pills. She jumped when she heard someone moving behind her.
"Syd, it's just me." Will gave her a little smile as he pulled the fridge open.
She felt different talking to him now. He knew all her secrets. She had told them both everything. Francie and Will, what a birthday party, she sat sobbing for hours telling them everything about the past few months. They stared dumbfounded and surprised as she stumbled through abusive stories and weak moments. After she finished her rant, they simply stared, their mouths wide open, gawking at her. She felt awkward but relieved.
"I have a question for you," he plopped down at the kitchen table. He took her good hand in his.
"Anything, I think." She said.
"Why did you stay with him?"
"I love him, Will. I love him so much it scares me. It took him almost killing me to realize that there was something wrong. Each time he would hurt me, I thought I deserved it. That's why I never fought back. Then I realized I never did anything wrong, it was him. It was always him thinking of ridiculous excuses to hurt me. Even then, not being with him scared me more than being with him. I can't explain it to you, you can't understand you just have to take my word that he always redeemed himself."
"You're right, I don't understand. Sydney look at me," he pulled her face so she was looking at him. "You are too good for him, anyone that would hurt you like that doesn't deserve you."
"He needs my help, Will. He can get help and then he'll be fine. We'll be fine."
"No, Sydney, you don't know that. He might never be alright, he could go too far next time. He won't stop beating you and you'll be gone. I don't know if I could live with myself if anything happens to you."
"You don't have to protect me, Will. That's not what I want you to do. I just wanted you to know, I needed to talk about it. You can't tell me what to do."
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I want you to know the truth. I just want to protect you. You are still so in love with him you can't see it."
"He wouldn't kill me, Will. He would never go that far." She pushed herself out from the table grabbing her jacket.
"Syd, don't leave."
"Will, I have to. I need to talk to him."
"Sydney, I'm scared that if you leave now, the next time I'll see you will be in a coroner's office. You'll be so mangled no one will recognize you except us." He walked over to her holding the door close. "Please, stay."
He pulled her into his embrace, she pounded his chest. "Let me go." He let her out of his arms hesitantly. Their eyes locked and she just started. "He won't hurt me, I won't let him. I just need to talk." And with that the door slammed and she disappeared into the night.
She realized when she tried to pull her car out of the driveway that she wouldn't be able to drive with a broken hand. She fumbled with her cellphone, which proved to be just as difficult. She called a cab and sat down on the curb. She checked the voicemail on her phone. The voice was small but it was definitely his. "Sydney, meet me where we can always talk." She braced herself as she the cab pulled up to her. She slid in and headed for the pier.
Sydney saw Vaughn sitting on the pier waiting for her before she got out of the cab. She heard the crashing of the waves; they were the only people there. She walked up to the bench and sat down cautiously beside him. She shook, she was terrified but she grinned when she noticed the small velvet box beside her.
"I didn't forget." He stated quietly, he looked straight ahead staring at the water.
She pulled the box open and looked at a pair of diamond earrings.
"They're beautiful."
"Francie helped me pick them out; I had the perfect night planned out. I was supposed to get you all ready. Will was going to come and you guys were going to go out. After a couple of hours you were supposed to come back, we were going to have a romantic dinner. But then…"
She shivered pulling her the sweater closer to her body, but the wind wasn't making her cold.
"Vaughn, we have to talk."
He brought his finger to his lips.
"Sh…Sydney, just listen."
"I have a problem, I fell in love with a woman, the perfect woman. That's obviously not the problem."
When the hour is upon us
And our beauty surely gone
Sydney smiled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Vaughn didn't look over, he just stared at the crashing waves.
"The problem is that I am so in love with this woman that for the most ridiculous reasons I just become crazy. It's this intense rage and jealousy. I love her so much, I can't imagine her leaving me, I can't imagine life without her. I can't believe I'm saying this but I beat her beautiful face, I ruined her perfect body I was just so scared. I was scared that she would leave me and I don't know what I would do without her."
And when the day has all but ended
And our echo starts to fade
No you will not be alone then
And you will not be afraid
"I wasn't sure if this woman I loved so much loved me back the same way. I scared her though, I scarred her. I would wake up in the middle of the night; I would hear her crying in the middle of night, bleeding and bruised in the bathroom. I couldn't deal with the fact I hurt her so much."
When the fog has finally lifted
From my cold and tired brow
No I will not leave you crying
"So I started making up stories. I would push my violent nights to the back of my head and I would make up stories that would take their place. When she would make up excuses for her bruises I would believe them and think that's actually what happened."
"I remember this one time when she told her dad that someone elbowed her in the face by mistake in a crowded subway. I made a memory out of that, I remembered when she came home and I gave her an ice pack to put on her swollen eye. That's not what happened. She came home late one night from a movie with her best friend. I punched her in the face. But I still made that memory and that scares me."
"Tonight, she confronted me, she told me I hurt her and I never admitted it. And she left, for awhile I was enraged, I trashed the apartment. I wouldn't let myself believe that. Then I sat down and I let all come back. I was sick, I made myself sick. I remember everything."
Now comes the night
Feel it fading away
And the soul underneath
Is it all that remains?
So just slide over here
Leave your fear in the fray
"Sydney," he turned towards her. "I can't tell you how sorry I am; I can't put it into words. I just hope that you can find it in yourself to stay with me, I know there's something wrong with me, I know that I can't get through this by myself."
"Of course, I'll stay with you." She put her hand on his cheek. "I love you."
Vaughn lay down on the small bench, putting his head in Sydney's lap. She sighed, a wave of relief washed over her. She put her arms around him, for the first time, she comforted him.
"I love you, Sydney." He whispered. She leaned over to kiss his forehead.
And they cried.
Let us hold to each other till the end of our days
The end?
Just kidding! Please review! So anyone have theories about what's going to happen next because I've still got a lot up my sleeve. And I just realized after I put Rob Thomas' credits, the lyrics and minor inspiration for the story are from Red Rain By Peter Gabriel. If you decide to download the song download the live version with Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe. Most fantastic song ever. ) So anyway, thanks for reading.
-Erica