Author's note: first of all, thank you all so much for the kind reviews.

second thing: I just wanted to say that this story came to my mind after some reading/research I was doing on domestic violence and the effects of it. It isn't a light topic under ANY circumstances and I hope that no one will ever make fun of such a serious thing. This story WILL NOT romanticise abuse of any shape or form.

I decided to write this story as a way to show that domestic violence can happen to ANYONE, regardless of their status, gender, orientation, career or the amount of money they earn.

I am so grateful that people are enjoying this story and expressing opinions on characters (really guys, whenever I read your reviews I'm feeling so giddy I need to shut everything down bc I can't think straight) but I also hope to bring some focus on such a sensitive topic that should be more acknowledged, seeing that in the United States, as many as one in four women and one in nine men are victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence causes diminished psychological and physical health, decreases the quality of life, and results in decreased productivity.

If you know anyone who might be a victim of domestic violence talk to them, be there for them. It may not seem much to you, but it makes a difference for them to know that they can rely on someone.

That's all I wanted to say for now, so here we go with the story!

Rachel woke up just a couple of minutes after seven, her body responding to the presence of sunlight. She wouldn't exactly describe herself as a 'morning person', but a lifetime of early rises and 20-hour shifts would do that to someone. Her body felt sore just about everywhere and she knew it wasn't just because she had slept on the couch. Judging by the sounds in the house, or the lack thereof, she concluded that Michael had probably already left. She wasn't remotely surprised: after all, that's what he always did after one of their "arguments". He would leave the house before she was awake because, as he had once told her, he was "ashamed to see what he had done".

She wondered if she was being pathetic. Why did she stay with him after the way he treated her? Why did she keep forgiving him? It wasn't normal, the way he treated her. This wasn't what marriage was supposed to be. He was just drunk, she kept repeating herself. He doesn't do it that often. He just needs to release sometimes.

She painfully made her way at the top of the stairs, her back sending burning pangs of pain throughout the whole process. As she entered her bedroom, her previous conclusion had been right; Michael had indeed already left.

Thankfully the room had an ensuite bathroom, so she wouldn't have to move too much around the place. She picked up a towel and hopped in the shower, moving the setting towards the hot water. It might have been a little too hot, but she welcomed it anyway. It felt nice, to have something else to focus on. The hot water was relaxing her sore muscles and it kept her attention away from what had happened the night before. Rachel allowed herself to shed a few tears before turning off the stream.

After she had dried herself, she was applying some cream on her back, to help the bruises heal faster and ease the soreness, when she caught a glimpse of her face on the mirror. She was assessing the bruised cheek and was relieved to conclude the damage had been minimal; it could have been worse. It already had been worse. She shuddered at the memory.

It seemed like she finished her morning routine on autopilot. She vaguely remembered getting dressed, or covering the bruise with makeup, or even bandaging her wrist. She was just unsure on one thing; what would be appropriate to wear on her first day of work. Should she go wearing jeans and a sweater? Or maybe a dress? A suit? So many options to chose from and so little time.

Rachel looked at the time and realised she was going to be late if she didn't leave the house in the following ten minutes. She still had to figure out where exactly she was supposed to be and drive there.

She ended up putting on a pair of somewhat elegant trousers and a pastel pink shirt. She wasn't sure anyone would actually care about her attire, but it would be nice to make a good first impression.

She put on a pair of heels and was out of the door.

The research centre she was going to work at happened to be around fifteen minutes away from the house, with the car. It wasn't an overly complicated drive and Rachel was able to reach her destination well before her scheduled meeting with her new supervisor, a certain Sami Roberts.

"Ah, Doctor Scott, welcome to the Connecticut Research Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. I'm Doctor Sami Roberts. I'm Head of the Research Department, I'll be your supervisor for your work here"

Dr Roberts turned out to be a five-foot-eight, long-legged goddess, with perfect, olive skin and big brown curls. She was also very friendly and Rachel sensed she could be a great company in a less formal environment. "I'm sure you're very familiar with this type of environment, Doctor Scott, you're resume was certainly extremely impressive" she added and she couldn't help the redness that rose on her cheeks "So, I'm only going to show you a fair amount around, I'm sure you'll be able to discover the rest yourself. You have to know, this floor right here is only really meant for welcoming and serves as a waiting area in some cases. The true action is happening upstairs" her supervisor then laughed like she had just delivered a very successful joke. Rachel found herself smiling, taking a liking in this woman.

"So, this is the calibrating area, where instruments are measured. We have special workers specialised in this sector, and they're the best of the best, so whenever you feel like one of your pieces of equipment is working in a funky way just give these guys a shout. Oh, and you also have to know that they work on commission as well. If you ever need to calibrate something for your own personal use just let them now and an employee discount is applied. It can come in handy" she told her enthusiastically "I'll introduce you to Andrea Garnett later. She's the supervisor of that area and her hands are truly chef's kiss" Dr Roberts went on to actually mimic the action and laughed out loud, making Rachel giggle as well.

"Now come here, come here, Rachel. Wait, can I call you Rachel? Do you mind? It's just that I know everyone very well around here, we either grew up together or we have friends in common so I don't really do formal with them, but if you wish I can call you Doctor-" Rachel took pity on the rambling woman before her and cut her off before she could continue "Rachel's perfect" giving her one of her big, dimpled smiles.

Sami, as Dr Roberts had insisted Rachel to call her, was still showing her around with the same enthusiasm she had manifested looking at the first labs and Rachel was feeling so much better about this whole day.

First days weren't always easy with her. They were a piece of cake on the professional side, but she always had a hard time fitting in with her colleagues, so it was a nice change that Dr Roberts was being so chill around her.

"Alright, so here we have the section that will probably most interest you: medical research. There are still many subdivisions inside and yes, it can be very confusing sometimes, but I'll assure you, you'll get a hang of it before you even know. So, here is" Sami stopped talking for a moment, looking around for something or someone, when she cried "Ah! Rios! Just the man I was looking for! Come here"

A medium height, Hispanic looking man came towards them, smiling at Dr Roberts, his demeanour relaxed. "I want you to meet our newest asset"

"Doctor Rachel Scott"

"Wait, you two know each other?" Sami was frantically looking between the two of them, hardly keeping herself from jumping up and down.

"No, no we don't. But I've read many of her publishings" this Rios guy explained "I especially loved the one on the Gulf War Illness" he told Rachel

"Oh, that one" Rachel was almost disappointed that that one piece of research was actually going to be their topic of conversation "I got so much backlash for that one"

"I feel like the media missed the mark with your paper. They were focusing too much on the effects of the ordeal on veterans more than on the possible causes for the neurological effects, which you smartly identified to be the exposure to pesticides and pills containing pyridostigmine bromide"

"That is... exactly it. I couldn't have been able to explain it better" Rachel told him, and she was genuinely impressed.

"Alright then Rachel, I'll pass you on to Doc Rios. I sense that you two are gonna do some great work together!" Sami clapped her hands passionately and a small grin formed on her lips.

"If you want to follow me, Dr Scott, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. They'll be delighted to meet you"

And so they were.

The group of scientists was a really great one. Every single one of them was highly trained and specialised, but they were also good to be around to. They showed her the place some more, revealing her some of the newest machinery they were experimenting with. Rachel felt like she was back in kindergarten, playing outside with all the nice toys.

The day passed by pretty quickly, and a lot better than she had expected. She was definitely very satisfied with it. Her shift was almost over when she heard some footsteps approach her.

"Hey, Rachel" Sami called her "Some guys and I are going to grab something to eat now. Do you wanna come? They're really chill and I'm sure they'd love it if you joined us"

She considered saying no. Michael would probably be waiting for her at home, but she just wanted the happiness she was feeling to last a little bit more "I'd love to"

It had been a pretty busy day at work for Tom. On top of having a mountain load of paperwork, he had been prompted to attend a really long meeting with the town Mayor, a pointless bureaucratic conference and had to go out on a case.

"Hey, Tom, you wanna head to Stephen's? Tex and I are done for the day"

Tom looked up from his documents to look at his second-in-command Mike Slattery.

"Mike, I don't think th-"

"Nonsense, Chief. You need to get out of that office every once in a while, and not just to go home. You need to live a little" Tex came into his office before he could finish his sentence "Maybe we'll even be lucky enough to come across Rachel" Tom's stomach fell at the sound of her name but was determined not to let it show.

"She's married, Nolan" he told his friend. Tex didn't even make an effort to hide his disappointment "I met him the other day at the town festival"

"Rachel, huh?" Mike inquired, clearly amused at the thought of them both being attracted to a married woman.

"She's new to Peak Highs. Tex and Green were helping her with the boxes when she first came"

"She's British" Tex added like it was the part of the story that was more relevant

"And married" Tom had to shake his head at Tex's persistence, deep down wishing that he could as well show his disappointment publicly.

"She's either incredibly gorgeous or a witch"

"So that's why she didn't call" Tex shook his head in a sad type of way, "I thought I gave her the wrong number and I was kicking myself for it"

"You two clearly need a distraction, boys. We're going out. Come on"

And with that, the three men left the police station.

There was something that was bothering him the minute they passed the threshold of "The Rustic Roof", but he couldn't quite figure out what.

Tex, Mike and him took a table on the far right corner of the place, achieving some privacy in such a public environment. They each ordered some food and while his friends got a beer, he ordered some water.

"You really are one hell of a man, Chandler. You said you were giving up on alcohol and you truly are. I don't know if I could live without this baby here"

"It's a matter of principles, Tex. Plus, you have to remember why you decided to do it in the first place"

Mike saw the opportunity and took it to press him for answers "And why did you? Decide to do it"

Tom grinned at his friends' curiosity.

"I'm going to get some more dips. Want anything?" he got up, already knowing they wouldn't.

Tom was talking with Sarah, one of the waitresses at the Rustic Roof when he realised why he had felt off at the beginning.

He turned his head around while waiting for his dips and saw her. She was sitting at a table with some people he knew well, others that he didn't, and she looked gorgeous. She seemed very relaxed and carefree as she was listening to some story being told. He heard her laugh and he could have sworn that's what heaven sounded like.

"Here are your dips, Tom" Sarah told him, forcing him to snap his head back. He hoped he could make his way back to his table without being noticed when he heard his name being called.

He saw his friend Sami was the one who had shouted for him and in his mind, there was no doubt he was going to go to her table. In all the years he had known her, there hadn't been one time where she hadn't gotten what she wanted. As she often told him, resistance was futile.

"Tom come on! Come here!"

He walked up to her slowly, trying not to make eye-contact with Rachel, but failing miserably.

"Ah, my favourite brain-ies! What is it? If you want to tell me about some new theory that you have developed, then I'm sorry but I gotta go" he joked with the group, making them all giggle. Rachel included.

"It's nice to see you, Andrea. How's your girl?"

"She's great, thanks. Getting taller by the day. I wonder when is she going to stop. What about your little monsters? It seems like I haven't seen them in ages!"

"They're doing fine. They find a new hobby every other day, I'm going crazy"

"Aw, bless them. Remember when Ashley took those ballet classes because she liked the pointy shoes but decided to drop out after one day because of Miss Kramer?" Sylvia, another friend if his, got in the conversation, telling the story to the whole table.

He zoned out after a while, his eyes pointed at her. She was listening to the story, nodding every here and then and throwing her head back to laugh. He seemed to be unable to stop staring at her .

When he realised the conversation had shifted away from his children, he made his way to the other side of the table where she was sitting.

"Didn't know you were one of the brainies" he told her with a smirk.

"Why? Don't I look like one?" she asked him without missing a beat.

He shook his head ever so slightly, thinking of a smart response, but was cut off short by Sami.

"Tom, my dear, oblivious friend Tom" she shook her head at him like he had committed a serious crime "Rachel here, is basically the top of the top" he looked at the woman in question, who was blushing heavily "Would you like to tell him dear, or should I?" she asked her. Rachel shook her head vigorously, like the idea of telling him whatever she had to tell him was crazy "Very well. I shall proceed. Like I was saying, we are very lucky to have Rachel working here. She is one smart bean, this lady here. She literally has four separate degrees! She has an honours BS in chemistry, a Medical Degree, a PhD in Virology and a PhD in Public Health! How crazy is that? This girl is brains and beauty! She's a total catch!"

Tom looked at Rachel's way and she seemed completely embarrassed by Sami's little show. He was going to congratulate her, or something like that, but couldn't find any words for this amazing woman. "Everyone knows she's a catch" he winked at Rachel, immediately regretting it. But then he saw her relax and even grin at him and continued on "Too bad she's already been caught" he managed to sound sad about it and he wasn't totally sure he was pretending to be.

Sami's jaw seemed to fall on the ground, her eyes became as big as tennis balls. "Oh. My. God. Rachel, I'm so sorry, my goodness, I didn't think about it at all, I'm so sorry I put you in such an uncomfortable position. Please forgive me, I get just too excited sometimes"

Rachel seemed so unfazed by Tom's response and he was actually a bit disappointed "There's nothing to be sorry for, Sami. It's not like you did it on purpose. Don't even worry about it" she reassured the other woman.

"Here you are! I knew you hadn't just gone to get some dips!" Tex and Mike appeared literally out of nowhere, shouting at him.

"Hey, I did go to get some dips but this woman over here distracted me!" Tom replied with a grin, pointing at Sami.

"Roberts, of course, I should have figured" Mike told her.

"Yes, you should have. Oh, by the way, this is Rachel" she told them

Mike's eyes flickered to him, a weird look on his face, something between knowledge and amusement. "Ah, the famous Rachel. I'm Mike" he offered her his hand.

"Famous?" Rachel adorably furrowed her brows in confusion and Tom mentally kicked himself again for thinking of her that way.

Mike got closer to her ear and whispered "You are all Tom talks about. Same with Tex"

Rachel's eyes dilated in horror and shock. "Don't worry, it's only good things I've heard"

"Come, guys, why don't you sit down? There's so much to talk about!" Sami told them, making the rest of the group scooch in to make place for the three men.

Tom had to sit next to Rachel and he had been sure he could have kept a straight face, until he felt his thigh come in contact with hers, and he was sure his heart was beating at a thousand beats per minute.

The group had started a discussion but he was too distracted to even bother figuring out what the topic of conversation was. He was standing too close to Rachel for his liking. When he was far from her he could control himself, but being so close was proving to be an impossible task.

He took a minute to study her from up close, making sure no one was looking at him. There was no doubt she looked amazing, but she seemed quite stressed. He noticed she kept biting her lower lip, capturing it between her teeth and letting it go. She kept moving her hands under the table, massaging her wrists in an almost frantic way. Why was she so agitated? Was he making her nervous?

And that's when he saw it: the bandage around her left wrist. He was pretty sure it hadn't been there the day before, or the one before that. That meant she had been hurt anytime from yesterday evening to before he had come to her table. Maybe it had been an accident at work? For whatever reason he deemed that very unlikely. Rachel didn't give him the impress of being a clumsy person.

Well, she hadn't given him the impression of being a top scientist either, but still.

He got closer to her, so his lips were just an inch from her ear "Hey, Rachel" he whispered, not missing the way that her hair was standing up on her neck "Where did you get that?" he asked pointing at her wrist.

She just shrugged her shoulders slightly "I fell off the bed trying to turn off the alarm this morning. Thought I would put a bandage around it just to be careful"

He nodded. Her explanation did make sense. So why couldn't he believe it?

Rachel gave him a small smile and turned around again, listening to the evolving conversation. He tried to shake off any concerns about it.

He was trying to listen to the conversation when he got distracted yet again by her. She was laughing at something Tex had said, looking at Tom with those big eyes of hers. He forced a smile for her.

It was only when he turned around again that he seemed to notice. Her right side of the face seemed to be swollen. Maybe it was just the lighting and he was imagining, but he was almost sure it was indeed swollen.

He wondered how she got it if it was true? Could Michael...? No, no, he couldn't have. But he actually could, couldn't he? It wasn't too far-fetched to think he could have.

The realisation that something like that could be happening to Rachel was physically painful for him and he was sure he would have thrown up if he weren't in public.

Maybe he was wrong. He had been wrong previously, he could be wrong this time as well.

However, for some reason, he couldn't help but think this time he wasn't.

She pulled the car up on her driveway, turning the engine off and looking at the house. She took a shaky breath, tightly clutching to the wheel, her knuckles white. Would he be angry at her? The rational side in her knew she had done nothing wrong so Michael had nothing to be angry about, but the other part in her, the bigger, more insecure part didn't think that's how he was going to see that.

Exhaling, she left the car and walked towards the door. She fumbled with the keys, her hands shaky and, when she finally got the door open, she looked around for her husband.

However, Michael seemed nowhere to be found. She checked the living room but the couch was in perfect conditions. He wasn't in the pool room or in the studio.

He's not home yet. That was the only rational conclusion she could come up to. This was perfect, for her. She wouldn't even need to tell him she had gone out with her new friends.

A further look in the bedroom confirmed that Michael was indeed away and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

She hopped on the shower, taking her time with her hair and body. Her back still felt sore.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine a different life for her; a life where she wasn't who she was. She wondered what she could have been if she had never met Michael. Would she still be this sad, shy woman? Would she be more confident?

She was still in the shower when she felt a pair of arms slowly hug her from behind. Her eyes were still closed. His hands moved up to her head, her neck. Suddenly a light object was added to her frame, softly touching her collarbones. She looked down and saw the exquisite piece of jewellery around her.

Michael. He would do that sometimes, often really. Bring her some expensive bijouterie to make up for what he had done. Another piece for her collection. Another piece she would never wear. And he would never ask why.

She turned around to him ever so slowly and he gave her his trademark grin. The same grin he had given her when she had first seen him at that boring conference. The same one he always gave her before she let him in again.

He leant into her, pressing his lips with hers. She kissed him back.

This was her life. There were no what ifs. This was it.

She was used to it. Had to.

Tom went home that day to find out his children were already fast asleep. His father was home with them, waiting for him to come back.

"How was your day, son?"

"Same old, same old, Pop" he told his dad "Being Chief has become boring though. I miss those days when I was a rookie"

His father just nodded. "I heard there's some new chick in town... apparently she's really pretty. And smart"

"Did you also hear she's married?" to be honest, Tom didn't know why he kept reminding people Rachel was married. Maybe he was reminding himself more than anyone else.

"Eh, figures. She wasn't gonna be single for too long if she hadn't been"

Tom nodded. "Well, I better get going now. I'm meeting a couple of old friends for a game, Tommy. I'll see you tomorrow, huh. Take care" the two men hugged each other as the older Chandler left the house.

Tom went into his children's bedroom to make sure they were actually asleep and then roamed around the house for several minutes. What should I do? He couldn't stop thinking about Rachel. Should he be worried? Was there something more going on in her life? What if he was wrong and lost any chance of a friendship with her?

Too many questions were going through his mind and he didn't have an answer for any of them.

He tried to go to bed, really did.

After about half an hour of tossing around, and trying to shut his mind off, he logged onto his computer and typed into the search engine, Michael King.

If he wanted an answer for all his questions, might as well start from the start.

Oh my god im so sorry! I was so busy yesterday I didn't have time to write anything!

So!

1. I just want to thank all of yous again for the super lovely reviews. I really cannot believe this story is getting a following and honestly tyvm, without you guys non of this would be here.

2. I'm trying not to create too many new characters but I just can't stop writing sometimes. I got the idea for Sami while I was trying to sleep and I just had to write her down. I like her a lot and I hope you guys do as well

3. there was something else I wanted to say but I forgot, so just let me know what you're thinking i guess.

Love you all loads,

E xx