Title: The Aftermath
Author: SneetchesToo
Rating: Mature (mentions of attempted rape)
Pairing: Ethan/Rox; Leanne/Ed; mentions to Ethan/Leanne
Summary: In the aftermath of Ariel's attack, everyone struggles to pick up the pieces.
Author's Note: Once again, I clearly fudged the canon timeline, don't shoot me.
—
Two nights after Ariel's attack Ethan was woken up in the middle of the night by a blood curdling scream.
He took the stairs two at a time, his heart pounding in his chest as he raced toward his bedroom.
The past 48 hours had been a nightmare, one they were living in fast forward it seemed, and he just wanted it all to be over.
When he got to the room he expected to find Ariel in a fit, panicking and crying, like he had last night and the night before.
But instead it was Rox that he found sitting upright in bed, tears streaming down her face as she tried to calm her breathing.
"Rox, baby…" He rushed to her side as he watched Ariel scoot closer to the woman, her arms reaching out to wrap around her shoulders.
"She… she was mumbling in her sleep." The teen whispered. "The next thing I knew she was screaming for someone to stop."
Ethan took a deep breath as he brushed Rox's hair from her tear soaked face.
He should have known that her involvement in this would trigger her memories.
He should have known that it would send her mind into overdrive.
That it would send her back to that place where she had lost herself so long ago.
"It's okay sweetie." He turned his attention to the girl as he offered her a soft smile. "Can you go get her some water?"
Ariel looked uncertain at first, but she must have sensed his urgency because she nodded her head and crawled out of the bed slowly.
She gave them one last glance before heading out the door with a sigh.
"Rox, talk to me." He whispered.
"He… he was here." She whispered back.
Her eyes filled with tears once more as she turned toward him.
"Who was here honey?" He pushed the rest of her hair aside, cupping her cheek as he spoke in a hushed tone.
He was doing his best not to scare her even more than she already was.
"Him… the… the kid who raped me." She huffed out.
He felt his heart shatter in two.
He should have known not to let Rox get to close.
But he thought that her experience could help Ariel through this.
He thought that she would be able to bring the girl some peace.
Instead, it seemed, he had awaken a beast she had a long ago buried.
"I'm sorry baby." He pulled her into his arms then, his lips pressing against her temple as he held her close. "Take a deep breath."
"I…" She was shaking so hard that he thought she might lose it completely. "I was trying so hard to help her."
Her whispered voice was shaky and it made him want to cry.
"I just wanted to help her through this." She dragged out. "You said she needed me. I…"
"Rox, it's okay." He felt horrible for dragging her into this. "Shhh, it's okay."
He heard Ariel's footsteps on the stairs once more and he took a deep breath as she pushed the bedroom door open.
"Dad?" She asked softly.
"It's okay honey." He turned toward her slowly, eyeing her through his own set of tears.
He noticed her hands shaking as she handed him the water bottle and his heart hurt.
His little girl had been through enough.
And now she was having to watch her would be step-mother fall apart at the seams.
"It's all my fault." She sobbed out, her eyes filling with tears as she stared at the woman in his arms.
"Ariel, no…" But then she was gone, her legs carrying her down the stairs as fast as possible.
He could hear her sobs echoing through the downstairs and then he heard it.
The sound of the front door opening and then slamming shut.
And he felt every fiber of his being erupt into pure panic.
— — — — — — —
Rox had spent the last twelve hours in a total panic.
And not just because she had dreamt that her rapist was right there in their bedroom, hurting her all over again.
But also because Ariel had run out the door as soon as she had realized what was happening.
Rox felt guilty and scared and overwhelmed.
She just wanted to run and hide.
So she completely understood why Ariel had done just that.
As soon as she heard the front door slam shut last night she had jumped from the bed, Ethan hot on her heels as she raced downstairs, shouting Ariel's name as she went.
They found the girl sitting on the porch, tears streaming down her face as she breathed heavily.
Rox had fallen to her knees beside her, pulling her into her arms as she hushed her softly.
And once the girl was calm, they had walked her upstairs and tucked her into bed between them, neither one of them willing to let the teen out of their sight.
—
The next morning Rox had woken up to an empty bed and she instantly panicked.
But when she descended the stairs she saw them both in the kitchen, Ethan stirring something on the stove, Ariel scrolling through her phone quietly.
She didn't know what to say or what to do so she just stood there for a second as she tried to silently judge the situation.
After a minute or two she heard movement behind her and it startled her, causing her to jump slightly.
"Sorry Rox." It was Leanne's voice that she heard first and she felt her heart drop. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay." She whispered softly.
She never heard the woman come in.
She wished she had had some kind of warning.
At least then she wouldn't be standing in the middle of the hallway in her pajama shorts and one of Ethan's old t-shirts.
This was just beyond embarrassing.
"Just letting yourself in I see." She watched as Ethan turned toward Leanne and offered her a small grin.
She felt her heart fall to the pit of her stomach.
"Actually," The other woman replied quietly as she stopped next to him at the stove, "your father let me in."
And that was when she noticed Martin standing beside her, an eyebrow raised at the scene before him.
"Thanks dad." He mumbled, removing the stuff from the pan and dumping it onto a plate.
"Hey sweetie." Leanne moved toward the teen and dropped a kiss to her head.
But the teen never even flinched.
Instead she turned toward Rox and then back to her phone, letting out a soft sigh.
If Rox had to hazard a guess she'd bet that she wasn't quite up for all the attention it seemed she was going to be getting.
Ethan placed the plate he had just fixed on the table in front of her and offered her a soft look.
She could tell that Ethan hadn't invited the other woman over.
That he was just as uncomfortable with her presence as she and the teen were.
"Can I talk to you," Ethan turned to Leanne with a soft sigh, "alone?"
Leanne cast her eyes in the direction of the teen before shaking her head.
And then they were exiting the kitchen through the back door and she was left alone with the teen, Martin having vanished off to somewhere else in the house.
"How do you feel?" Rox asked softly as she moved toward the girl.
"Okay." Ariel shrugged her shoulders before dropping her phone to the table and picking up her fork, digging into her eggs without another word.
Rox simply nodded her head before moving to grab a yogurt from the fridge.
She had just sat down across from the girl when Ethan returned through the back door, alone.
"Where's mom?" The teen asked softly.
"I sent her home." He said quietly, moving to sit down between them at the table. "She wasn't too happy about it, but it is what it is."
"Thank you." The girl whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she tried to calm herself.
"I didn't invite her here." He said pointedly. "She came on her own."
Ariel simply nodded her head, but Ethan's eyes were focused on her instead.
She knew that he was trying to make her feel better about the situation.
That he wanted her to know that he wasn't looking to have the woman in his house right now.
He must have sensed her worry and sensitivity because he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently, as he offered her a smile.
She wanted to return it, she really did.
But she couldn't force herself to be happy about something that was killing her inside.
So she pulled her hand from his grasp and stood from her spot at the table.
"I'm gonna shower." She whispered.
And with those three words she headed upstairs, her eyes filling with tears as she made her way into the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind her.
*Don't forget to comment!