CHAPTER 11

Mark didn't move from his spot, kissing down Lily's neck and let out a shaky breath before pulling away to stare into her eyes. He knew he loved her, the woman had managed to worm her way deep inside of him and had stolen his black heart. Though he couldn't –he wouldn't- apologize for what he had done either.

He had warned her before they started their relationship that he was a violent, dangerous man.

He had also promised he would never physically hurt her.

He had just broken that promise in the worst of ways. He had taken the physical act of love and made it something dirty, something wicked.

Even if he had gentled his love making at the end it didn't change the fact that he still had hurt her. That was something he could never change or erase from her mind and he knew it.

Or his own mind.

Carefully, he set her back on her feet and stepped away. Without looking back at her, he disappeared into the bathroom.

Her bag was trapped under the now flipped over bed. Sighing, Lily looked around the room for something to wear that wasn't torn. She quickly located and pulled on one of Mark's discarded shirts, wiping away her tears before glancing at the closed bathroom door.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, she walked over to the door; opened it and stepped out into the hallway, knowing better than to let Jeff inside.

If he was panicking over just a feeling, she could only imagine what he would do if he seen the state of the hotel room.

"Your twin sense?" She smirked with an arched eyebrow though she was mentally cursing. Of course if she was panicking or in trouble he'd know, just like she usually did with him.

It was just one of those weird, freaky twin things.

Usually a blessing, today it had proven to be a curse.

"What happened?" Jeff demanded, spotting the tear tracks on her pale cheeks. He could feel a strange mixture of fear and anger slowly consuming him, growling softly. "What did he do to you?" He whispered, not trusting his real voice at the moment, fearing exploding and going into that room only to get his ass handed to him. "Lily, did he hurt you?"

She lowered her head. When Jeff tried moving past her, she stopped him.

"DID HE?"

"No, not really." Lily had to physically restrain her brother now. "Jeff, listen to me! He didn't hurt me, okay"

Well, he did but then she had started liking it so… she was getting confused.

"Let me go get a shower and dressed. We'll go have breakfast or something, okay? Please?" She did not need her brother dying by provoking Mark when Mark was already in the mood to kill someone. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll meet you back out here." She didn't give him time to answer, just shut the door in his face and locked it.

Lily turned around and slid down to the floor, her knees coming up to her chin, eyes taking in the room.

Mark walked out shortly after, fresh from the shower. He had to scrub himself clean after what he had done to her. He seen the terrified look in her gaze and felt his heart doing a painful lurch.

"I think it would be best if you didn't stay with me anymore, Liliana." He said finally, watching her head snap up. "I hurt you. I can't… allow it to happen again."

Getting to her feet, Lily shook her head. "It won't happen again." She said softly, watching him shaking his own head and frowned. "Mark, I won't give you a reason for it to happen again." She walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and refused to budge when he tried pulling away. "Unless you physically throw me out of this room, I'm not going. And even then, I'm coming right back."

"Do you understand what I just did to you?" Mark demanded, pushing her away. "I RAPED YOU!" He finally shouted. "I TOOK you without you wanting it and it doesn't fucking matter that you began to enjoy it! Because of my anger, I RAPED you! I'm dangerous and you need to run as far away from me as you possibly can!"

"I can't!" She exclaimed, staring at him and finally dropped down into a chair. "You told me what I was getting into right from the beginning. I couldn't walk away from you then and I still can't. No matter what it costs, I want to be with you, I want you." She knew it sounded insane and she probably WAS insane but it was the truth.

"I don't want to hurt you again, Liliana."

She folded her arms over her chest, obviously not about to budge.

His voice changed abruptly, cruelty sharpening his features as he kneeled between her legs, reaching up to caress her bruised cheek with his knuckles. "You said you loved me."

She nodded hesitantly.

"What a foolish notion. Do you know what you are to me, Liliana Hardy?"

Lily shook her head, hurt already welling up inside.

"A possession. You are my possession and nothing more. I am now relinquishing you. I'm done with you. Now get out of my room. I have more important things to deal with than a crying little girl."

If not for the coldness, the lack of any positive emotion in his eyes, Lily might not believe him. As it was, there was nothing but disdain in Mark's eyes. She felt her cheeks, realizing she was crying. She stared at him, her face draining of color as her eyes went blank.

"I should have realized," She whispered, getting to her feet. "I'm sorry, 'TAKER. It should have hit home when you RAPED me AFTER I said I loved you that you obviously didn't care for me."

Mark felt his knees giving out on him after she had walked out, hitting the floor. His head dropped, hair cascading around his face as he brought his fists down; ignoring the pain that radiated through the hand he'd put through the window.

He had raped Lily.

He had sent her away for her own good. She had to get away from him before he completely destroyed her. Of course she was more than a possession, even though at first that's what she had started out as. As time went by though, he had genuinely started caring for her and now… now he loved her.

He fucking loved her and he had sent her away to protect her.

***

Jeff arched an eyebrow when Lily walked out of the room, still not dressed. "What the hell?"

"My bag is trapped under the bed. I want to go home, Jeff."

Jeff frowned, studying her thoughtfully. Something was very, very wrong and he knew it. He also knew Lily wouldn't tell him until she was damn good and ready. He could see the bitter pain, the anguish in her eyes and knew whatever had just happened in that room had left one hell of a mark on her.

***

Lily went home after giving Jeff the PG version of what had happened. She didn't mention the 'rape' at all, just told him everything else, including the kiss with John.

Reliving that had hurt like a bitch. Mark's –no, he wasn't Mark to her anymore. He was simply 'Taker- cruel, hurtful words had pierced her in ways she had never thought possible. The pain that had seared through her was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Movies, books, songs… none of them could ever adequately describe the pain she felt.

Ever.

At first Jeff had wanted to go back and knock 'Taker's head off but after she had convinced Jeff he was better looking with all his limbs attached, he had settled down. She had returned home to Cameron.

The next six months she spent time with her dad, bounced around between her friends; dad and then would stay with Jeff when he was home from the road at his house; along with his cute but semi annoying dog Jack.

Matt wasn't talking to her, still. But that was okay as she wasn't ready to make amends with him either.

Bit by bit she was healing. Though late at night, memories of 'Taker would assault her. All of them bittersweet because now she knew exactly what she had meant to him when he was giving her those soul searing, heated kisses.

Absolutely nothing.

***

"Lil, that's Jeff corvette…"

Lily frowned, following Shannon's finger to find the familiar car parked alongside the road. "Hurry up, I see smoke." She said, wondering what the hell Jeff was doing back so soon.

Jeff wasn't scheduled home for another week and even then, why would he move the 'vette from the garage to the side of the road?

Automatically she knew something bad had happened, her stomach coiling itself into knots.

They exchanged looks as they drew closer.

***

Jeff wasn't at home though. He was currently icing down his shoulder after getting his ass handed to him by Umaga. He currently hated his job. Stumbling from the bathroom to his hotel bed, he was all set to drop down and just die but the sudden ringing of his cell phone demanded his attention.

"WHAT?" He snapped.

"J-Jeff…" Matt's voice sounded shaky even over the distance.

"Look man, this really isn't-"

"You need to get home, man. Your house caught fire and…" Matt couldn't go on, his voice breaking. "Jeff…"

"Matt, my dog… Is Jack alright?"

"No."

***

Lily could only stare at what had been a house. She had found out neighbors had moved Jeff's car to the road by pushing it, afraid it would explode and make things worse.

If that were even possible.

Her arms were wrapped around herself, unable to tear her eyes away. "Jack was caught in the fire." She whispered.

Shannon nodded, raking a hand through his hair as fire fighters and volunteers combed the ash. "Yeah…"

"Poor Jeff…"

***

When Jeff finally got home after what seemed like an anxious eternity, he was driving perched on the edge of his seat, his eyes widening as what remained of his house came into view. "What the hell happened?" He whispered, parking alongside the road and slid from the jeep without bothering to shut it off. He spotted his corvette, the frown deepening.

Matt spotted him, walking over with a sad expression on his face. He could see how distraught Jeff was and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jeff…"

Lily appeared at Jeff's other side, tears in her eyes.

"Jack…" Jeff whispered, his knees hitting the hard ground.

Looking at Matt helplessly, Lily crouched down and wrapped her arms around Jeff; wincing when he clung to her like she was his life cord. "Jeff… calm down, bro." She whispered, trying to soothe him but how did you soothe someone when they had lost a pet? Especially Jeff, he was always so sensitive and took to animals like they were his kids. "The fire fighters said… they said it was quick. Jack was probably asleep and didn't feel a thing."

That was the only thing she could tell him, besides 'sorry, he burnt to a crisp'.

"C'mon bro, there's nothing more to be done." Matt said softly, bending down to help Lily pull Jeff to his feet. "Come on, come to my house."

Shannon stepped forward to take Lily's place, shooting her a worried look.

Jeff couldn't say anything more, in too much shock over losing everything along with his dog. His home. His music. His art. Everything.

It was all gone.

Lily was silent the entire ride to Matt's, sitting in the back of the jeep with Jeff; holding his hand even though he probably didn't even realize it. She watched as Matt and Shannon helped him inside Matt's house, following slowly.

"Matt, he needs to lie down." She whispered; observing Shannon trying to coax Jeff into drinking something. "Before he-"

Jeff fainted.

***

Lily woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a pencil flying on paper. Slowly sitting up from one of Matt's couches, she found Jeff sprawled on the floor; apparently sketching ideas for his new house. She could see he was still crying even as he worked and moved so she was leaning back against the cushions.

Jeff was ignoring the tears that steadily ran down his face, over his nose and then splashed onto the paper. He couldn't think, he didn't want to think. Sniffling, Jeff ripped the paper up and tossed it over his shoulder where dozens of over rejects had been so carelessly tossed.

Lily watched as he started all over again, noting how his fingers trembled, wincing when the pencil snapped clean in two.

"GODDAMN IT!" Jeff bellowed, hurling the sketchbook away from him. He pushed himself from the floor and stormed out of the house, the slamming door echoing throughout the unnaturally silent house.

Knowing Jeff was very likely to blow her off at the moment –not that she blamed him-, Lily got down on the floor and began cleaning the mess. She stared at some of the sketches, finally assembling them into a neat stack and set them on the couch.

When she was done, she slipped out the back door to go home. When Jeff was ready to talk or be around people, he'd come to her.

***

It took nearly a month before Jeff started talking again. He had reluctantly started putting together plans for his new house, realizing he couldn't stand living with Matt, at all. His brother was worried about the online Hardy show shit while Jeff was more concerned with piecing together his personal life, not airing it to the public.

The support poured in for him, from friends and fans alike. He was blessed and he knew it, knowing he was eventually going to have to stop living in his safe little shell and come back out into the world.

That and he needed to go talk to Lily. He hadn't seen her since that night at Matt's. He knew she was bouncing between staying with their dad, Shannon and one of her girlfriends from Matt but that was about it. His 'twin sense' hadn't gone off but then again, he wouldn't have noticed anyways since he had been so submerged in his own pain.

It was time to dive back in reality and he wanted his twin by his side when he did it.