I am soooo sorry for the long wait. I went through a HUGE writing slump. And...I just...kinda didn't want to write this chapter. But I have, and I hope it doesn't suck. Much. Don't worry, though, it's summer and I have plenty of time to work on the next chapter, so hopefully there won't be any more longwaits. Oh, and a good song to have playing in the background while reading this(or just in general, it's a really good song) is'Easy Tonight' by Five for Fighting. Enjoy the chappie!

The darkness was penetrated by the glowing streetlight. She did not mind the dark, it was peaceful to be walking alone at night. Marietta bobbed her head to the quiet music playing on her headphones. She was on her way to meet Benvolio, who was at his bachelor party. It should be over by now, and so Marietta had decided to walk and meet him. There was never enough time for them to be alone. The wedding was two days away, and this made everyone go completely crazy planning-wise. Thank God it would soon all be over and she and Benvolio would have a lifetime to spend together.

Marietta was not far from the bar where Benvolio was, it was just around the corner now. She walked in front of an alley, completely unaware of the threat hiding in the shadows. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, another clamped her mouth shut. Her headphones were knocked off her head. Her arm was twisted behind her back, she was held tight to someone.

"Hello, Marietta." Her eyes widened in fright as the voice whispered in her ear. She knew that voice all too well. She whimpered, her mind racing. What could she do to get out of this? How did he find her? If she called for help, would anyone hear?

"I can't leave you alone, can I?" Abra hissed. "The minute my back is turned, you go and become engaged to the Montague bastard." There was anger in his voice now, and he tightened his hold. "You are mine. I'll teach you to remember that."

He released her, but before she had a chance to run away, he hit her across the face. The blow caused her to stumble, fall to her knees. She had to get away.

She had paused for too long. He kicked her side, and she fell to the ground, unable to breathe. He raised his foot to kick her again, but she scrambled away, gasping for breath. He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her to her feet, one arm snaking around her neck, the other holding her close to him.

"You whore." He tightened his grip on her neck. "You filthy, lying, disgusting whore."

She managed to wiggle an arm free and elbow him in the stomach. He lessened his grip on her, enough for her to run to the alley opening. She almost clear, just a few more steps--

A force from behind knocked her to the ground. Her head hurt, her vision blurred from a moment. She could tell from the weight on her back that Abra had straddled her. "I'll admit, I expected more of a fight from you. But you've never been a match for me." He reached for her arms, and tied them behind her back with some rope. "Marriage is difficult to gain at this point, so I will just have to take what I can get."

He turned her over onto her back, her arms pressed uncomfortably beneath her. She noticed that while the rope was tight, it was not tied securely. He had been in too much of a hurry to worry about that. She now had a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could free herself. She tried to move her hands. But that was impossible. He sat firmly on her hips, her arms were immobile beneath her. Her hands were pressed too hard into the ground for her to try and untie the knot. It was useless. She was doomed.

He leaned close to her face, his eyes searching her maliciously. One hand undid the button of her jeans, the other covered her mouth. "No one can hear you scream." He whispered.

With one last attempt to free herself, she bit his hand. He yelled in pain, pulling it away. She threw all her strength, hope, and prayers into her cry.

"BENVOLIO!"

And then Abra hit her across the face, and covered her mouth with duct tape. She lost all will to fight back. She could not save herself. She could only pray that someone, anyone, had heard her scream.

Benvolio laughed as he bid his brothers good-bye. He left the bar, intoxicated with more happiness than alcohol. He stood a moment under the glow of the streetlight, thinking about what his future held. In two days he would marry the woman of his dreams. Before Marietta, he always thought his wedding would be forced upon him, and he would not be enthusiastic or even remotely optimistic about it. But now…he would soon pledge eternal faithfulness to a woman he loved more than life itself. And in approximately seven months time, she would give birth to their child.

He had never been more happy in his entire life.

That happiness was quickly shattered by a piercing scream through the night.

"BENVOLIO!"

He recognized the voice at once as Marietta's, and immediately panicked. Where was she? What was wrong? Why had she screamed? He stood a moment, unsure of where the scream had come from or what he should do.

And then, a sudden realization came to him like a kick in the head: Abra.

And Benvolio ran, as fast as he could, shouting her name into the night.

"Marietta! Marietta, where are you!"

He ran down the street, and tripped over a CD player and headphones discarded on the ground in front of an alley. Stumbling, he saw in the darkness the outline of bodies in the alley. He caught himself, and stepped into the alley, terrified of what he may find.

He saw Abra, straddled over Marietta.

The bastard was going to rape his wife.

The hell if Benvolio was going to let that happen.

Earlier that evening, when Benvolio was about to head out for his party, he had contemplated bringing his gun. True, the feud was definitely over, and there would be no real reason for him to have it. But even fair Verona had it's muggers and murderers, and most would consider themselves lucky to find the heir to the Montague estates alone and unarmed at night. So he had tucked the gun in it's holster beneath his shirt, for more of a safety precaution than anything.

He was incredibly glad of that decision now.

He pulled it out and pointed it at Abra. "Get away from her."

Abra looked up and had the nerve to smile. "Well, well. The knight in shining armor has arrived."

"Get away from her!" Benvolio repeated, louder and, to his dismay, slightly more panicked.

He stood up and placed one foot on Marietta's chest, keeping her from moving. She squirmed but he held her fast beneath her. "If you knew what was good for you, Montague, you would have ended this affair long ago."

"And you should have left her alone! She doesn't love you!" He couldn't help the last four words escaping his lips. They had haunted his mind since the first time Abra had confronted him, in an alley much like this one. He had always wanted to grab Abra by the collar and shake him, and scream those words. Part of him had hoped that that would be enough to persuade Abra to leave her be.

But he had always known Abra was not a man who loved.

To prove this, Abra gave an evil laugh. "Love? You think love has anything to do with this?" He laughed again. "I don't give a damn about love, I don't even care if this woman hates me. It's not about the way she or I feel. It's about power. It's about money. It's about a deal Tybalt and I made. I intend to get my half of the bargain. And this…" He bent down and trailed his fingers along Marietta's body. "…this is my half."

Benvolio wanted to kill him. He wanted to shoot him, he wanted to hit him, he wanted to scream in rage and make that man feel every ounce of pain he had ever dealt to her. It was all he could do not to strangle him then and there.

"I swear to God," Benvolio said through clenched teeth. "If you don't get away from her I will kill you."

Abra pulled a gun from his back pocket and pointed it at Benvolio. "I warned you long ago, Montague, that I am powerful. I get what I want. And I swear, if you don't leave now and let me do what I was promised I could do, I will kill you."

"Unless he left in his will the right for you to sleep with her, which I seriously doubt, then that promise expired the day Tybalt died." Benvolio narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

"Promises made in blood are not to be broken." Abra cocked his gun. "Unless you want to die, I suggest you leave now."

"I will not let you hurt her!" Benvolio shouted. "I have stood by and watched you harm her, and I refuse to do it any longer!"

He glanced at Marietta and noticed she was moving slightly. Abra's pressure on her had become increasingly lax since he had started talking. It appeared to Benvolio that she was trying to untie herself. Abra didn't notice, he was too busy trying to kill him.

"I love her, and I would rather die trying to save her then walk away knowing what you were going to do to her!" Benvolio cried, knowing this would egg Abra on and give Marietta a little more time to free herself.

"Then you have chosen death!" Abra proclaimed.

He was about to pull the trigger, when Marietta reached up and grabbed his leg, her bonds untied. He cried out in shock and looked down at her. She let go and rolled over, catching Abra off-balance, and threw him off her. He fell to the ground, his gun flying through the air, and she quickly stood up and kicked him.

She pulled the duct tape off her mouth. "I hope you rot in Hell!" she spat, taking a few steps back from him.

He grabbed his gun, sat up and pointed it at her. "You'll get there before I do, bitch."

"Marietta!" Benvolio shouted. "Run!"

She spun around and raced towards him. Abra got to his feet and, before Benvolio could do anything, pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Marietta ran. She'd heard the gunshot. She was not hurt. He had shot Benvolio. Her mind formed incoherent thoughts, but one stuck with her. Get away. Get help. Get away. Get help. So she ran, out of the alley, up the street to the corner with the streetlight. She recalled the bar there, and threw open the door. She stumbled in, aware of tears streaming down her face. The bartender and patrons stared at her.

"Help!" she cried. "Please, help me! He's been shot! Help, please, he's shot, he could be dead, oh please, please, help me, oh God, he was shot, oh God, oh God…" She fell to her knees, babbling.

A hand grabbed her elbow. She screamed, it had to be Abra, he'd followed her, he was going to kill her--

It was Sampson. "Oh my God, Marietta, what happened?"

"Benvolio!" she clutched the front of his shirt. "He was shot, oh God, Abra…" she couldn't talk anymore, she could only sob.

Sampson was pale. "Holy shit." He looked around wildly. "Somebody call 911!"

"The bartender's already on the phone." A woman at the bar said.

Gregory walked out of the men's room. He stared at the scene. "What the hell…?"

"Ben's been shot!" Sampson told him, pulling Marietta to her feet.

The woman from the bar walked over. "I'm a nurse, I can help." She turned to Marietta. "Honey, where is he?"

"In the alley…" Marietta choked out. "Down the street…"

"Let's go." The woman took Marietta from Sampson and gently led her out of the bar and down the street, Sampson and Gregory following behind.

Marietta didn't want to look into the alley. She didn't want to see him dead. The woman handed Marietta back to Sampson, then walked over to the body. She examined him gently.

And then, the sweetest sound Marietta had ever heard echoed through the alley. The body groaned.

"Benvolio!" She cried, running to him and kneeling beside him. "You're alive!"

"Shot in the shoulder." The nurse said, taking off her sweater. "We need to apply pressure to the wound."

"I can do that." Marietta took the woman's sweater and placed over the wound, pressing hard to stop the flow of blood.

"Marietta…" he whispered.

"I'm here, I'm here." She caressed his cheek, unable to keep from crying. "Just rest. You'll be okay. I love you, it's all alright."

And she sat with him, listening to the tinny music and applying pressure, telling him it was alright and they would all be okay, and crying in terror and relief until the ambulance pulled up.

Marietta leaned her head against the wall, allowing her eyes to flutter closed. She was so tired. She sat outside Benvolio's room in the hospital, waiting for the nurses to let her in to see him. She had already been examined by a doctor, who had mercifully told her that the child was alright. She protectively lay a hand on her stomach, thanking God that she, Benvolio and their child were safe and sound.

"Marietta!"

She looked up to see her father and Benvolio's parents running towards her. "Oh my God," Anna cried when she reached her. "Are you alright? Is Benny alright? How's the baby? Have you spoken to any doctrors?"

"Anna, sweetheart." Her husband, Christopher, put his arm around her shoulders. "Calm down, love. You'll send her back into shock."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Anna shook her head. "I just--The police said there was both attempted rape and attempted murder and that we should get here as soon as possible. We didn't know anything else. Oh, God." She leaned against her husband, breathing heavily.

"Oh, Marietta, thank God." Her father pulled her into a hug. "I thought something horrible had happened."

"I'm okay." She reassured him and the others. "Just a little bruised. And the baby is fine. I--I don't know about Benvolio, though. I got to the hospital after he did, the police wanted to speak with me about what had happened. I've been sitting here for…I don't know how long. He was shot in the shoulder, so it's not life threatening." She swallowed. "I think."

Just then, the door opened. They all turned to see the doctor stepping out of the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Montague?"

"Yes?" Anna replied, stepping forward.

"Your son is fine." The doctor told them.

"Oh, thank God." Anna cried in relief, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"He was shot in the shoulder. The bullet went straight through, hitting only muscle. We bandaged it and gave him painkillers. We'll keep him overnight, and most of tomorrow too, if possible. He did keep muttering about a wedding."

"Yes," Marietta told him. "Our wedding's in two days."

"One, actually." Christopher said, mostly to himself. "It's one in the morning."

"Well, he should be up and about by then. He'll probably need to have his arm in a sling, which may inhibit dancing at the reception, but you two should be able to get married without any problems." The doctor smiled at her.

"Thank you." She replied, grinning. "Can I see him?"

"Yes, he's awake, but only just." The doctor opened the door behind him.

Marietta stepped into the room. She immediately became aware of the hum of machinery, and faint music playing on a radio. Benvolio lay on the bed, a large bandage wrapping over his shoulder and across most of his chest. He turned his head slightly to look at her. His smile was weak, but genuine. "Marietta."

"Hey, love." She sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand in hers. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." He closed his eyes. "But I can stay awake for you."

She smiled, but her eyes welled up with tears. She felt incredibly guilty for him getting shot. If he hadn't come to her rescue, it wouldn't have happened. "I hear you won't be able to show off your moves at the wedding."

"Yeah," He frowned, his eyes opening. "And I was gonna challenge Sam to a dance-off too." He saw that she looked a little upset and squeezed her hand. "Marietta, I'm sorry about the dancing. I know you and Bern had this perfect song picked out."

She scooted closer to him. "It doesn't matter to me. You're alive, I could care less if we danced at our wedding." She looked down at their hands. "It's all my fault you're hurt."

He stared at her. "Don't even say that. It's not your fault at all. You didn't shoot me, Abra did." He reached up and pushed her hair out of her face. "Marietta, listen to me. I would rather have a bullet wound than have you hurt by him. You mean the world to me. I would gladly sacrifice myself to keep you safe."

She gently kissed him. "You know I love you, right?"

Benvolio smiled sleepily. "I know." Marietta gently lay down beside him. He held her close with his good arm. "And I love you."

Marietta closed her eyes. She felt his chest rise and fall, her tiredness returning. She was tired from the whole ordeal, the worry, the shock, the relief. She heard the soft music playing in the background and relaxed, sighing in content. She wanted to spend forever like this, lying here in his arms.

Forgetting about Abra, and the wedding, and the adults outside, and everything else in the world, she fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.