THE REVIEWS! OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! TYSM

Now:

- 1st of all: you have to know that i stopped watching TLS after the s2 finale so I don't know any of the characters that appear later in the series. I will be using Sasha's character in this fic because i really like Bridget and i felt like i could work with this character, so just bear in mind that im not aware of any backstory between her and tom, except that they're exes.

-2nd: i gotta warn you this chapter contains scenes of violence. I will put a further warning before the actual scene, but just so you're informed.

Alright, i think that's all! Good reading ;))

Rachel had, in fact, wanted to go out with Tom and his children, but hadn't deemed it to be very appropriate. What if his wife saw them? Granted, they weren't doing anything, but she would probably become circumspect at the thought of her children spending time with a stranger, that was Rachel.

Once she got home she decided to take a long hot bath, to take her mind off things. Off him. She couldn't help but wonder who his wife was. She was probably a blonde, very pretty. Runaway model type. But she was also smart, finely educated. She would probably have a degree in Arts. Her guesses would be a photographer or painter. She also spoke a foreign language, something like French or Italian.
Yes, Rachel would most definitely look like a sack of potatoes next to her.
Well, if she had to look like a sack of potatoes, she might as well look like a nice one.

She got out of the bath and started to get ready for the evening. She didn't want to admit it but she really did hope Tom would be there.
To her, it was like she was in college again, except no one was forcing her to go out this time. She hadn't tried to impress anyone in years and she did feel silly thinking about what she was about to do.
She put some makeup on and, although she didn't really trust herself with it, she decided to curl her hair. She put on the dress that Michael has proposed that morning, a black wrap dress, with a cleavage cut out. No, she didn't feel completely comfortable in it, but she supposed she could make it work to avoid an argument.
"Well, I don't completely look like shit" she mumbled to herself at the mirror.

Michael came home some minutes later. He hopped in the shower immediately and changed into one of his white shirts and elegant trousers.
He was very attractive, with his ruffled black hair, piercing blue eyes and broad shoulders perfectly covered by his shirt.

He moved towards her and kissed her softly on the lips, pulling her closer to him "Shall we?" he asked and, looking at him, she really wanted to believe things were going to be okay now.

Oh, how wrong she was.

The town looked even nicer at night. The gazebo was illuminated with white and orange lights, giving a comfortable vibe to the ensemble. "Peak Highs 250th Anniversary" banners had been put up everywhere in the town: on windows of buildings and shops, all around the square and on the streets. Stands with food were present all around, selling everything from hot dogs and beer to cotton candies and cake slices, people already starting to queue. She could see men and women of all ages standing in line, trays in hand, loading their plates with potato salad, coleslaw, and overly-generous portions of pork and chicken, slathered with a sauce that looked mouth-watering.

She felt Michael's strong arm possessively pull her closer to his body and she forced herself to maintain a happy face. They'd arrived at the other end of the tents and surveyed the drink options. A folding table held large yellow barrels filled with lemonade and iced tea. Metal tubs were stuffed with melting ice and sweating cans of soda and bottled water. A beer keg was visible behind the security barrier created by a frowning old couple, who sat like guard dogs, judging the beverages chosen by the citizens of Peak Highs.

"I'm getting myself a beer. Do you want something, love?"
She stopped for a second to think about it "Do you think they sell chips?" her smile wide
"I don't think that's a good idea, dear. You've put up some weight lately, don't you reckon?" Her smile fell slowly, as she nodded at him "Alright, I'll go get myself that drink. Don't get lost" he kissed her on the lips and left before she could react.

She turned around a few times and then she saw him. If she weren't a scientist and didn't know that such things could not be possible, she would have sworn her heart flatlined. He looked handsome wearing a simple black shirt and dark jeans. Damn, did he look good.

He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that the only reason he came to the festival was to see her. Tom was looking around to see if he could spot a certain brunette, but it was s difficult to do so in a sea of people.
He was trying to be engaged in a conversation with his good friend Ms Van Der Twinker however, he couldn't help but drift his eyes away in the hope of spotting her.
The lady stopped talking, seemingly finding a new prey, and that's when he turned his head and saw her. She was standing in the footpath around the gazebo and she looked beautiful; her hair fell softly in curls, he could almost imagine what they must feel like at the touch. The dress she was wearing was gorgeous, hugging her form in all the damn right places.

And he noticed she was staring at him.

His heart was jumping out of his chest. He crossed the short distance between them and found himself standing right in front of her. Her scent was making him dizzy, just like the first time he had met her.
"Fancy seeing you here" he hoped he was maintaining a cool exterior, all too conscious about his inner turmoil.
"Well, I thought I'd see what the town looked like in the night,"
"Is that beer?" she asked after a moment of pause, motioning to the neglected cup in his hand. "Oh, no, dear God, no. This is just good old lemonade" he saw the look of amusement on her face and felt so proud knowing he had done it "I don't drink" he offered. It was her turn to nod now "What about you? Do you need me to escort you personally to the beer stand?"
"I don't drink, Chief" he laughed at that
He thought he saw a dangerous gleam in her eyes, but he could have easily imagined it. He was gathering the courage to ask her the million-dollar question, the one that had been lingering in his mind since he'd met her when a tall man appeared from behind her and put his arm around her hip.

"Rachel, love, here you are!" he exclaimed and Tom felt a sharp pain in his stomach like he had been stabbed. She only gave him a weak smile.
"I'm Thomas Chandler, pleasure to meet you" he was quick to act on the situation before it possibly became awkward.
He discovered the guy's name was Michael King and he was Rachel's husband. The pain he had felt at the beginning was nothing compared to what he was feeling now; it felt like someone had stabbed him repeatedly and then decided to move the knife around his wound. He was trying to find her eyes, but her head was turned down.

Just as he was about to formulate some lame excuse and leave the couple alone, Sasha approached them "Tom! Here you are, I've been looking for you". He didn't think he'd ever been this happy to see her in his life, that of course excluding that one time she had nearly taken a bullet for him. Rachel was looking at him curiously and he swore he saw a flash of hurt in those spectacular eyes of hers. But he couldn't, wouldn't, allow himself to think about it. She was married for crying out loud!

"Sasha, I want you to meet Rachel and her husband Michael. They just moved to Peak Highs. Rachel, Micahel this is Sasha. She's a really good friend of mine"
Sasha was, objectively, a very attractive woman. She was tall and slender, was well educated and could take some good old humour. He wasn't a stranger to the effect that she had on most men, he had been under her spell for a period of time himself, but he felt his blood boil in veins when he saw the look of lust in Michael's eyes. He couldn't believe that he would look at another woman when he had someone like Rachel in his arms. He subconsciously balled his hands into fists.

There was another great thing to Sasha: she could turn around almost every awkward situation. Soon enough she had engaged the couple in a conversation on the weather, history and business, all without a pause. He was glad she was holding the conversation, now intently discussing the importance of online media coverage for the growth of businesses with Michael. Tom was using the time to study Rachel: she was several centimetres shorter than her husband and she looked kinda uncomfortable in the whole situation. Tom wondered why.
Michael was looking at Sasha with big, lustful eyes, as he seemed to have forgotten Rachel was still in his arms.
If Tom could have, he would have ripped his head off.

"It was great meeting you. If you don't mind, Rachel and I would like to roam around some more, take in as much of this as we can" Michael told them several minutes later "I'm sure we'll meet again" he pulled Rachel closer to his side and Tom wondered if this is what hell looked like "Tom. Sasha" he smirked when looking at her, and Tom could barely contain himself. He left before he could say anything else to anger him, pulling Rachel with him. She looked at him with those big eyes of her, with an unreadable expression. It as almost like she was asking him to forgive her. She turned around abruptly and he could only see her back as she walked away.

Tom just couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong.

[warning: scenes of violence ahead]

Neither of them spoke on the way home. The atmosphere was thick and heavy and Rachel knew it in her bones that an argument was coming. It was almost like she had developed a sixth sense to it.
She tried looking at Michael's way a couple of times, but his face was a solid mask of neutrality.

She quickly got out of the car and walked towards the door without waiting for him, wanting to avoid what was to come for as long as possible.
Once she was inside the house she heard the door click behind her and she noticed her hands had started shaking.
She was unsure whether or not she should turn around, but decided that facing him would probably be her best chance to try and reason with him. She couldn't quite decipher his face yet, but she knew that he was pissed.

He moved closer towards her and she moved backwards, without thinking. Soon enough her back was against the wall and she mentally kicked herself for falling right into his trap.
He was eventually standing right in front of her as she could only stay there, unable to move away.
He grabbed her wrist roughly, which made her wince in pain.

"I'm only gonna ask you once, Rachel, and I want you to answer me honestly" he said while bending her arm behind her back. She couldn't help but wince again, the pressure he was using too strong "Did you sleep with him?" she felt his hot, angry breath against her face, smelling the beers he had drank, and was paralysed. When she didn't answer immediately, he twisted her arm, making her moan in pain. She was trying not to cry, but the pain was horrible. She swallowed the lump that was forming on her throat "No, no, of course, I didn't. I would never cheat on you, you know that!" she shook her head violently, trying to make him stop. He twisted her arm more, clearly not accepting her side of the story.
"Please, Michael, you have to believe me" a sob escaped her mouth, soon followed by another, and another again.

"When did you meet him, huh?" he pushed her against the wall and a sharp pain crossed her back
"Yesterday" tears were streaming freely down her face "He was with the guys who were helping unload the truck" she hadn't wanted to tell him the whole truth, sensing he would get angrier, settling for half the truth "Please, Michael, stop. You're hurting me"
"Do you think about him, Rachel? Do you want him?" he gripped her hip with his free hand, pressing her against the surface.

"No! No, of course not! I'm not thinking of anyone else! You're my husband, Michael" she raised her voice, just a bit, hoping he would stop.
It seemed to work, as he pulled away letting her go, though still glaring at her "You better not forget that"

Before she could even realise what was going on, his hand collided full force with her face, making her shriek in pain. She pulled her hand up to hold her burning cheek, while he made no attempt whatsoever to apologise.

He turned around and went upstairs and, only when she heard the bedroom door close shut, did she allow herself to slunk down the wall and let it all out.
She couldn't stop sobbing. She felt sick and her whole body seemed to be on fire, and she couldn't stop thinking how pathetic she was.

She looked down at her wrist, that was flaming red and she could see that no damage had been inflicted. Thankfully. She would need to put a bandage around it though, as she wouldn't be able to cover it with a long-sleeved shirt of any kind.
As for her cheek, that would turn out to be a bigger problem. She had yet to asses how much of her face was affected, but she supposed she could cover it with some good ol' makeup. At least, she hoped she would be able to.

Ta da! idk you guys but I actually quite like this chapter.
Also, im so sorry JOYS of October, i knew from the beginning that i was going to make Rachel the victim here, hope this doesn't ruin the story for you :(
Ps. Tysm for reviewing guys, it truly does make my day to know that people are enjoying this story. I love you all so much!

Last thing, I'm sure that Tom and Rachel do drink alcohol in canon, but since this is an AU i thought I would change that.

Alright, kudos to all of you and leave a review if you want to make a girl happy. Yes, that would be me ;P