A/N: Hm... only two ego feeding reviews for the first chapter (so far). That doesn't help with the nerves of posting a new story. Oh well. Thanks to Lizzie and DiMeraslover for the awesome reviews. Much appreciated. Slight warning for this chapter: bad language and one very bad situation for Jessie to be in.
When they got back to the hotel, Jessie hugged Roderick goodbye and then ran for the elevator. She was going to be cutting it fine but she wanted to make sure Austin wouldn't go after Roderick. As the elevator doors opened to let her out, she came face to face with Austin. He looked her up and down as she exited the confines of the elevator box.
"What happened to your lip?" He asked as she stood in front of him.
"I whacked it with a cupboard door, put my tooth through it. Nothing major, only two stitches." Jessie shrugged, forcing herself to keep eye contact with him.
"And then you called Roderick, I assume?" Austin pressed her for more information.
"Yeah, I figured it would need stitching but I didn't know of any emergency rooms around here. Roderick took me to one and then suggested the movie night." Jessie answered, trying to keep her voice as light as possible. The last thing she needed to do was provoke him in the middle of the hallway.
"Was he... upset that you ditched him?" Austin wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"Not really. I did come out here to spend time with you, after all." Jessie smiled slightly, wincing at the pull of the stitches in her lower lip.
"Let's spend some time together then, shall we?" Austin smiled as he took Jessie's hand and lead her towards his hotel room.
A small amount of fear sent shivers up her spine as she followed him. He was being too calm... he had come back early... why? Usually if he went out drinking – especially with Cassidy – he wouldn't be back until the wee small hours of the morning. It was evident by the smell of his breath that he had had at least one drink, how many more had he consumed in the small amount of time they were apart? And what the hell was that mark on his neck?
"Austin, baby... what's this?" Jessie asked, brushing her fingers lightly over the mark on the side of his neck.
"What's what?" Austin wondered, not slowing his pace.
"You have a mark on your neck. It looks an awful lot like a hickey." Jessie informed him. Austin's free hand moved to his neck and rubbed at the mark. This told Jessie that he knew exactly where it was – and what it was.
"It's just a bruise. One of the guys slipped while we were in the ring earlier." Austin told her. Jessie could see his left eye twitching. He could never lie to her, that twitch always gave him away.
"It doesn't look like a bruise, Austin. It looks pretty fresh. And, surprise surprise, there's pink lipstick on your collar. Try another lie." Jessie offered, pulling her hand free of his. Austin turned on her.
"Well, that's rich coming from you! Why don't you tell me what really happened to your lip? And the truth about you and Roderick – I know you've got the hots for him!" He yelled, pushing her so that her back was pressed against the wall.
Austin put his arms either side of her head, his hands flat against the wall. He was only inches away from her face and Jessie knew he was mad – possibly madder than he'd been when he'd beat her up earlier. Another shiver of fear raced up her spine as she tried to keep herself under control.
"Fine, the truth about my lip is that I bit it while you were hitting me earlier. I had to bite it to stop myself crying out otherwise things would have gotten worse. As far as Roderick is concerned... you have it all wrong. The only person I have the hots for around here is you... or was anyway. Now your turn for the truth... are you cheating on me?" Jessie asked straight out.
Austin glared at her, the hatred in his eyes only increasing in power. Jessie knew he was about to explode and could only hope it would be over sooner rather than later. She wasn't sure how much more pain she could stand. She could never decide which was worse – the physical pain or the emotional pain of having someone she loved hit her.
"How dare you even ask me that! I can't believe you don't trust me! Have you got a guilty conscience or what?" Austin accused, his face turning redder with every word he spoke.
"The evidence is right there, Austin! Pink lipstick and a hickey. When have I ever, EVER, come to you with a hickey on my neck that you didn't put there? And you try telling me that I'm the guilty one? Please!" Jessie yelled in his face.
She hadn't wanted to make a scene in the hallway but that was exactly where they were. Austin's room was still a few doors away on the other side of the hall. She was pressed up against the wall quite near the door to another hotel room. Austin's face had screwed up in rage and Jessie knew what would come next.
Sure enough, Austin pushed himself away from the wall and stood in front of her, flexing his hands in and out of fists. His self control wouldn't last much longer, Jessie knew. She was pretty sure she wouldn't have to say anything else before he turned violent.
"Fuck you, Jessie! Always trying to be the innocent one! You're not as innocent as you make out, though, are you? I know all your dirty little secrets, babe, don't ever forget that!" Austin warned through clenched teeth.
"How the hell can I forget when you remind me every damn day? Why don't you just come right out and tell me you don't care about me, Austin? Why can't you set me free instead of using me the way you do?" Jessie screamed, shoving Austin back into the opposite wall.
Austin snapped. He advanced on Jessie and slammed her back into the wall, placing a hand over her mouth to stop her screaming for help. With his free hand, he grabbed for her thigh, lifting her leg off the ground slightly and pressing himself into her. He leaned in and kissed her on the neck, making a point of biting slightly. She jumped at the sensation. Austin almost felt like laughing at the fear he saw in her eyes.
"But using you is so much more fun, baby. Now play nice and I won't have to hurt you. Then again, you truly like the pain, don't you? I'll make it hurt, just for you. I'll have you begging for more, won't I, sweetness." Austin smirked hungrily as he hooked her leg around his waist and then moved his hand to the button and zip on her tight black pants.
Jessie couldn't breathe with Austin's hand over her mouth and the panic rising in her throat. He was crushing her swollen lip against her teeth, the stitches splitting as he tried to maneuver her into a better position with his free hand. The tears in her eyes blurred her vision as she felt his hand snake down the front of her pants. She tried to get free, struggled against his weight, but got nowhere. She stopped fighting, giving in to the sobs of anger, fear and frustration as Austin's hand continued its quest. She clenched her eyes closed, praying for it to be over. And then it was.
"Hey, Aries! It doesn't look like she's enjoying that too much. Let her go." A gruff voice spoke up off to one side of them.
Jessie opened her eyes and tried to turn her head in the direction of the voice but couldn't. Austin's grip on her was too strong. Jessie silently pleaded that the person would help her. Whoever they were, they had definitely gotten Austin's attention.
"Fuck off! This is none of your damn business!" He yelled at them. Jessie again began to struggle, hoping this renewed fight wouldn't be in vain.
"Well, if you didn't want me to be part of it, then you shouldn't have started it outside my room. Let her go or I'll show you exactly how she's probably feeling right now. Trust me, that would be more fun for me than it would for you." The person stated with a slight laugh. Austin pulled himself away from Jessie slightly, leaving his hand over her mouth.
"For the last time, Raven, FUCK OFF!" Austin ordered. Jessie managed to turn her head just enough to see Raven shaking his head slightly.
"Wrong answer." He smiled before reaching over and pulling Austin off Jessie.
Jessie collapsed to the ground, sobbing, barely registering what was happening around her. By the time she realized what was happening, Raven was kneeling down in front of her, talking to her.
"Are you alright?" He asked calmly, noticing that her attention seemed to be fixing on him finally.
Jessie couldn't answer. She looked around the hallway, trying to spot Austin. She needed to know where he was, needed to know what had happened. How had it ended up this way?
"Don't you worry about him. I gave his ass a good kicking and sent him to his room. Can you stand up for me? We really need to get you out of this hallway." Raven told her, trying to keep his voice calm so as not to panic her any further.
She was vaguely familiar to him – he'd seen her around a few times before, when she'd visited Austin previously. Raven had been able to tell, just by looking at her, that things weren't right in their relationship. He'd quietly observed from a distance, knowing she probably wouldn't have accepted his help – until now. Austin had taken it too far, had tried to control another human being past the point of reason.
Jessie felt Raven helping her to her feet but she didn't aid his efforts. She was like a dead weight. Her lip was bleeding again, blood pouring down her chin. She could taste the metallic tang in her mouth. All she could think about was Austin. Where was he? Why wasn't he the one helping her? How had everything gone so horribly wrong?
"Come on, girl. You can rest a while in my room, you'll be safe." Raven assured her, gently leading her over to his door.
Jessie's tears had mixed with the blood from her lip, making it run in rivers down her neck and off her chin. Her white shirt was now stained with red. In that one moment, Jessie knew nothing would be the same again. It was over... everything she'd believed in and hoped for was over. She didn't utter a word as her world crashed down around her.
As Raven led the girl over to the couch in his hotel room, it struck him that he didn't even know her name. He tried to remember if he'd ever heard it mentioned but came up blank. He helped her settle herself on the couch and then knelt in front of her again.
"I know you don't know me... I'm Scott Levy, or Raven. Can you tell me your name?" Raven asked quietly, still not wanting her to be afraid of him.
Her silence was all he got in return – until her cellphone rang in the bag he'd brought in with her. He offered the bag to her but she stared straight through it, as if it wasn't even there. Figuring that it was probably Austin calling her, Raven tipped the contents of the bag onto the floor between them before pulling the cellphone out of the pile. He hit the button to accept the call and put the phone to his ear without saying a word.
"Jessie? Jess... you there?" A familiar voice asked on the line.
"Strong?" Raven wondered, wanting to be sure.
"Yeah... this is Roderick Strong. Who are you and what are you doing with Jessie's cellphone?" Roderick asked, puzzled by the stranger answering his friend's phone.
"It's Raven. Ah... there's been a bit of a... problem." Raven told him, not sure how best to put it.
"What? Is Jessie alright? What the hell happened?" Roderick asked, panic edging into his voice.
"Aries was trying something with her and she was clearly not into it. Jessie's a little shaken up, I think... and her lip's bleeding pretty bad..." Raven tried to fill him in but Roderick cut him off.
"Fuck! She had stitches put into her lip not even two hours ago. Where's Jessie now? And Austin?" Roderick asked in a rush.
"Jessie's in room 509, with me. Austin's... fucked if I ever see him again." Raven figured, not really caring about the instigator of all the trouble.
"I'll be right there. God help Austin if I see him on the way." Roderick vowed, the icy tone of his voice letting Raven know he meant it.
"If you're a friend of Jessie's then I'd say she needs you more than you need to hurt Aries." Raven advised.
"I'm on my way, just waiting for the damn elevator." Roderick told him before ending the call.
Raven dropped the cellphone carefully into the pile of Jessie's belongings on the floor. She hadn't moved or made a sound while he'd been on the phone. The only sign that she was really still there was the slight sparkle in her eyes when Raven had mentioned Roderick's last name. It had since faded.
"Roderick's on his way. Let's get that blood cleaned up, shall we?" Raven smiled slightly.
The sparkle returned to Jessie's eyes momentarily (at the mention of her friend's name) before more tears streamed from them. She sat, lost in her own world, as Raven moved around, finding a washcloth and wetting it. He returned to the couch and knelt in front of her to assess the damage to her lip while trying to clean up the blood. Jessie winced every time he touched her and pushed his hands away, not even aware that she was doing it.
Raven gave up just as someone knocked at the hotel room door. Raven excused himself from Jessie and let Roderick into his room, grabbing the younger man's arm to stop him from going straight to Jessie's side. The concern in Raven's eyes startled Roderick slightly.
"Just thought you should know that she hasn't said a word to me. I'm figuring that this wasn't the first fight between her and Aries." Raven guessed, having taken in the sight of the bruising to Jessie's face and neck.
"He hit her around a bit a few hours ago – that's what the split lip and fresher bruises are from. Even that wasn't their first fight and it probably won't be the last. I swear to god, she doesn't have an evil bone in her body. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this." Roderick fumed.
"So... why does she put up with it?" Raven wondered, glancing over at the young woman who had yet to register Roderick's appearance in the room.
"She says she loves him and that, deep down, he loves her too. I've tried to get her to see that it isn't right – so has her best friend in Milwaukee. I can't watch him tear her apart anymore... I just can't." Roderick confided, coming close to tears as he looked over at his female friend.
"Go see if she'll talk to you... or at least let you clean up a bit of the blood. I can't tell how bad her lip is yet." Raven urged.
Roderick nodded, thankful for the distraction, before heading over to the shell of a person who was sitting on the couch. She'd lost so much of herself, thanks to Austin and his 'love'. She was no longer the happy, vibrant, lively young woman that she'd been when she'd first caught his attention at a mutual friend's party.
He couldn't even remember the last time she'd cracked a joke, laughed or even smiled. Austin was killing her, a little bit at a time, and it was killing Roderick to see it happen right in front of him. Every time he'd tried to make her see what Austin was doing, she'd turned her back on him and clung to Austin even tighter.
Roderick and Lacey really were at a loss as to how to get Jessie away from Austin safely. They knew they had to do it sooner, rather than later. If they waited too long, Austin would take things that one step too far and physically kill her instead of continuing with the emotional death he was currently putting her through.
"Hey, Jess. You okay?" Roderick asked quietly as he sat down beside her on the couch.
She turned to look in his general direction but didn't focus on him, nor did she reply to his question. Roderick picked up the washcloth and held it in both hands for a moment, trying to gather his strength in order to help his friend... again.
"I have to clean the blood off you so I can tell how bad your lip is now, okay." He told her before slowly raising the cloth in one hand.
As the cloth connected with the skin of her chin, Roderick watched her flinch. She tried to push his hand away but he grabbed both her hands in his free one and held onto them tightly. Fear crossed her face as she realized her hands were trapped and she began to struggle.
"Baby, it's okay. It's just me... I don't want to hurt you but I need to take care of that lip. Please don't fight me, Jessie-bear, please." Roderick pleaded, using the nickname he and Lacey often used when talking to her.
Upon hearing it, Jessie visibly relaxed and stopped fighting. Jessie's eyes focused on Roderick and he caught a faint sign of life behind them... as if she'd put up a fence between them but then peeked through a gap in the planks of wood. He smiled, hoping to reassure her that everything was alright, before once again raising the cloth to her chin.
This time, she didn't fight. Her eyes glazed over again and she stayed quiet. When he'd cleaned up as much blood as he could, Roderick inspected the state of Jessie's lip. The stitches had been pulled almost completely out and the wound looked almost twice as big as it had when he'd taken her to the emergency room. Raven watched from a little way away as Roderick sighed and hung his head.
"She's going to need to be stitched again." Roderick stated, loud enough for Raven to hear him.
Raven could tell that this was almost the final nail in Roderick's coffin, as if he was the one dying from every blow that Austin had delivered to Jessie. He walked over and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed slightly, letting him know he had support now. Roderick looked up and offered a weak smile.
"Guess I should take her back to the emergency room. They'll probably ask a bunch of stupid questions about it." He sighed again and dropped the washcloth onto the table.
"We could always wait until the morning and take her to see the team doc." Raven suggested. Roderick thought it over and nodded.
"That would work." He figured before looking over at the woman sitting next to him. Another sigh.
"She's out of it. She won't care if we wait. I... I don't know what to do anymore. How the hell do you help someone that won't admit that there's a problem?" Roderick begged for advice.
"Well... now that this has happened, chances are she may see there's a problem." Raven shrugged. Roderick got to his feet and began pacing in front of the older man.
"I doubt it. It's been worse, honestly. She'll shrug it off and still claim that he loves her, somehow." Roderick figured.
Raven looked past the pacing man to stare at Jessie. She hadn't moved, had barely blinked. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes glazed over. Raven hung his head, fighting to keep his memories down so he could try to help the two people in front of him that clearly needed it. His past would be an invaluable tool in doing this, so the memories probably wouldn't stay buried for long.
"Look, why don't you go get some sleep? She can stay here on the couch but... I'm rooming with Cass and he'll probably be back soon." Raven reasoned. Roderick looked up and almost laughed.
"Austin was out with Cass between his beatings on Jessie. I'm surprised Cass didn't come back with him." He said, clearly confused as to why Austin came back alone.
"I'll talk to Cass when he gets in, see if he knows why Austin left. Now, seriously, go get some sleep. She'll be safe here." Raven assured. Roderick looked back at Jessie and nodded.
"Yeah, thanks. Call me in the morning?" He wondered.
"Sure. The two of you can ride in with me, if you want? Cass can find his own way." Raven offered.
"That would be good. Thanks again." Roderick nodded before going over to Jessie.
"Hey, Jessie-bear. I'm going to go get some sleep. You'll be safe here so you should try to sleep too. You know you can call me if you need me." Roderick told her.
It looked to Raven like he wanted to say more but, instead, Roderick turned and left the room. Raven set about making a bed on the couch for Jessie who remained silent the whole time. Her eyes occasionally followed his movement but she tended to stare off into the distance, not focusing on anything at all. Once the bed was made, Raven turned to Jessie.
"I'll get you something to sleep in from Cassidy's bag. It'd fit you better than anything from my bag. You can change in my room." He told her before disappearing into Cassidy's room. He emerged a few moments later with a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt.
After receiving the clothes, Jessie wandered into Raven's bedroom and closed the door behind herself. She leaned back against the door and hung her head. Having heard every word that Roderick had said to Raven, she knew he didn't understand her – or Austin. And how could he? He'd never been as in love as they were.
Jessie laughed a hollow laugh and threw the clothes onto Raven's bed. Roderick was jealous, that's all. They all were. None of them understood the feelings and passion she shared with Austin. Things like that didn't happen every day, so she couldn't blame them. She pitied them, more than anything. She was sorry that they'd never been in love to the point of losing themselves in the other person.
"Jessie? You okay in there?" Raven called as he knocked on the door.
Jessie stayed quiet, moving to sit on the end of Raven's bed. She didn't know what to do now. Roderick didn't understand, Lacey was in the same frame of mind as Rods so that didn't help her any. The only person she could think of that even possibly cared now was... Raven. And she wasn't sure why. Raven banged on the door again, this time waiting until afterwards to speak.
"Jessie, look. I know you're not up for the whole talking thing right now but I need some sort of sign that you're okay or I'm just going to open the door. That may make things a little awkward between us if I walk in on you changing, ya know? So, all I ask is that you... uh... knock twice to let me know you're okay. If you need help, knock once." Raven requested.
Jessie sat staring at the door for a moment. She sat there until Raven rattled the doorknob. Then, in one swift motion, Jessie moved to the door and knocked on it twice. On the other side of the door, Raven smiled.
"Thank you. I'll leave you to it, then. If you need any help, feel free to let me know." He told her before walking away.
As he walked back over towards the couch, he caught sight of the mess he'd made when he'd tipped the contents out of Jessie's bag when her cellphone had rung. Getting onto his knees, he grabbed the bag and began stuffing things back into it. As he grabbed for something else to put into the bag, his hand came to rest on something familiar to him. He dropped the bag to the floor and held up a syringe. The contents, too, seemed familiar to him. He sat back on his heels and stared down at the syringe, the needle glinting as it caught the light.
"You have got to be kidding me." He mumbled before dropping the syringe onto the coffee table beside him.
Raven finished putting things back in Jessie's bag and zipped it up, leaving it sitting just below the pillow he'd left for her on the couch. Then he turned his attention back to the syringe. Every fiber of his being wanted to barge into the other room and confront Jessie about it but he knew there would be no point. He'd never listened when his friends had tried to convince him that his drug habit was killing him. Why would Jessie listen to a total stranger?
Instead, he tucked the syringe into the pocket of the jeans he was wearing and paced the room, trying to work out what to do next. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Jessie leave the safety of his room. She stood behind him, watching him pace the living room. Her eyes gently traced the tattoos she could see on his shirtless torso.
After staring at him for a few moments, Jessie walked further into the room and over to the couch silently. Noticing her bag sitting there, Jessie picked it up and placed it on her lap on top of her folded clothes as she sat down. Raven watched her movements now that he knew she was there. He wondered if she'd bother checking her bag or if she'd just put it aside. Jessie caught his eye for a moment before looking away.
"Well, I guess I'll let you get some sleep now. Like I said before, if you need anything, let me know. Cass isn't back yet... he'll probably stumble past you anyway. If he doesn't, just point him to my door." Raven offered before heading into his room.
Jessie wanted to say something... to thank him for everything, but she couldn't. Instead she watched silently as the door to his room shut in front of her. She let out a deep breath and placed her pile of stuff on the floor at her feet. She was tired, so tired of having to put up with the pain. Tired of having to hide bruises and of lying to everyone. But, there was no end in sight.
She knew in her heart that Austin loved her, knew he'd keep her safe from her past. He had kept her secrets this long, he wouldn't betray her now... would he? Sinking down to lie on the couch, Jessie pulled a blanket over herself and up to her chin. Her head rested on the pillow and she tried her best to clear her mind but... all she could think about was Austin.
A/N2: And there we have it -Raven's grand enterence into the mix. I'm really nervous about this story because it is dealing with a lot of difficult subjects so, if you've read the first two chapters, please leave me a review and let me know how you think I'm doing. If you have any concerns or costructive criticism, I'd love to hear from you.
Phoenix