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Mac was definitely not going into work today. The fact that it was no mid day and he hadn't yet called his boss to tell him so was neither here nor there. As it was, he was sat in his truck clutching his latest bottle of whiskey. He'd drank just enough lately to keep him nicely numb. He'd spent the last week and a half sleeping, well passing out drunk on the sofa. As much as he could, He'd given Lucy the space she'd asked for, even though it was killing him. Most of the time he'd stay out while she was awake, coming back only when he knew she'd be in bed. It's not that he didn't want to be around her, quite the opposite in fact. But right now he just couldn't. Not without being able to touch her whenever he wanted. Yeah, it was killing him. And last night had been a prime example. He'd come up behind her while she was at the fridge, and out of habit and instinct she'd reached in and got him a beer. Suddenly seeming to realise what she'd done, she passed it over her shoulder without looking back at him. As she did though and their skin brushed, Mac took the chance and hooked the tips of his fingers with hers, then slipped them down, so for a little while were they linked. His stomach had knotted when he hadn't felt her let go straight away, and even more so when she's turned around to face him. She'd locked eyes with for him for a minute he couldn't read them. But then that unbearable sadness came flooding back into them and her hand slid from his.

"Not yet." she'd said quietly, before she walked out of the kitchen. He knew she had to have heard when not long after, Mac's fist connected painfully with the fridge door, even if at though at that moment the agony running through the rest of his body over rode the pain in his knuckles.

Back in his truck, he looked down at the bruised and cut up flesh of his hand, wincing at the pain as he flexed them. Fuck waiting his time, fuck planning, the ache in his guts wouldn't let him wait any more. He was gonna deal with that little prick today.

Lucy looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked like shit, there was no away around that. She hadn't had anything like a good nights sleep in the last week, due to her brain refusing to switch off at night, and it was starting to tell. It would have been easy if she could have just walked away. It wasn't like he'd just forgotten her birthday or something. He chosen not to tell her he was dealing drugs for fuck sake and right now part of her couldn't help but think what else he'd kept her in the dark about. She wasn't dumb, she knew life with him was never going to be a garden of roses and white picket fence, but this? That's when the tears began to gather behind her eyes and the frustration balled up in her stomach. Frustration because the tears weren't down to his deceit. They were down to the thought of of leaving him. Or not being able to. The thought of carrying on day to day and him not being in her life any more made her feel sick and she hated that. Hated feeling so weak and right now hated him even more making her feel like this. She was suddenly ripped out of her thoughts by the banging at the door. She looked back up at the mirror, ran her hands through her hair and wiped the tears from her eyes as she headed out.

She placed the cup of coffee on the kitchen table and sat down.

"I didn't mean for you to get hurt." Mike said as he took a sip from his cup. "Kay that's stupid, course I knew you were gonna get hurt but I couldn't sit back and watch you get lied to. You see that right?" Lucy gave a small unconvincing smile.

"Yeah. Sure. You're my friend. You were just looking out for me." she said quietly. Mike swallowed painfully, there was that word again. 'Friend.' He bit his tongue and forced himself to stay calm. She'd found Mac out now. This was just the beginning. He just had to be patient.

"You know. If you need somewhere to stay when you move out, you can come stay with me and guys until we work out when we're heading home."

Lucy looked up at him then, her brow furrowed a little. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying. You don't have to move back to Melissa's when you leave here. Makes sense that you come stay with me for a little while then we can just head for home together whenever we like. You know, when you have your head together." Slowly Lucy stood up and took her coffee cup to the sink, emptying the remaining contents into it. She placed it on the counter and turned to him.

"Mike, I don't know what you've been thinking but...I'm not leaving." He just shook his head and smiled.

"Look I know the thought of going back to your mom's can't exactly fill you with joy, but you don't have to worry. When we get home you can stay with us as long as you need. You know my parents love you." it was Lucy's turn to shake her head. But it was mainly to clear it.

"What..." she wanted to say more but her brain wasn't processing his words quick enough for her to come up with her own. Mike stood and walked to her. Her mind was at that point too clouded to register that he'd stopped a little closer to her than she felt comfortable with as he laid his hands in the tops of her arms.

"Listen..." and for no reason she could think of, the word was like a switch went off in her head.

"No Mike look. Please you need to listen. I'm not talking about not leaving town. I'm not leaving this house. I'm staying." He looked at her for a few minutes and smiled again. But this time there was no feeling behind it.

"What...so what are you saying? Is he leaving?" Lucy shook her head.

"No. Mike this is his house."

"You're gonna FORGIVE him?" she couldn't help but start to notice that his grip on her shoulders had begun to get a little tighter.

"I didn't say that. I have no idea what's going to happen yet, and I know I must sound crazy but I'm not ready to walk away. I can't, I'm in love with..."

"No!" his hands on her arms suddenly turned vice like and unconsciously he shook her slightly. "Don't say it! Don't finish that sentence when you know you don't mean it."

"Mike..."

"Lulu listen to me. I know what he's done to you. He's played with you, fucked with your mind but you know now. He doesn't have a hold on you any more, you don't have to stay. He can't keep you here."

"Mike!" she snapped a little louder "No one is keeping me here. What do you think? He drugs me before he leaves the house so I wont escape? I'm here because I want to be." There was silence for a while, and one that Lucy wasn't comfortable with. And there was good reason. Out of nowhere, Mike moved one hand from her arm and gripped the back of her head before slamming his lips to hers. She tried to squeal her objection as she pushed as hard as she could to get him away from her. Finally he pulled away and took her face in one hand, forcing her to look up at him.

"It's OK." he said all too calmly "It's OK. You'll see. After this you'll see how much I love you..."

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Mike's friends sat on the sofa and chair in their living like scalded children as Robbie and Marshall kept an eye on them. It had only been a few minutes (even though it felt like 2 weeks to them) when Mac walked back into the room after scouring their place for Mike. He'd done a little of his own redecorating in each room as he went. He went to stand just in front of his two friends as they continued to stare down at the terrified college boys.

"Where is he?"

"Fuck you!"

"Jackson knock it the fuck off!" the one in the chair, the one called Nathan warned his mouthy friend.

"Yeah Jackson! Knock it off!" Mac said sarcastically.

"Don't you 3 have road kill you need to go fuck or something!" he foolishly spit again. With that Mac stepped up, grabbed his right hand, and held it down tight to the arm of the sofa. Jackson started to thrash in his seat as Mac flicked open the pocket knife he'd just retrieved from his jacket and held it just under the knuckle of Jackson's pinky finger.

"So JACKSON. I'd sure be interested to know how ya' gonna play all that collage football with fingers missin'.''

"Crazy fuck what are you doing!" he screamed.

"Please man..." Nathan pleaded from the chair.

"Shut the fuck up!" Marshall ordered suddenly.

"Where is he?" Mac said low into Jacksons ear. When he did nothing but continue to yell and protest, Mac pressed the knife down just enough to slice into the skin. A very loud "Agggghhhhhhhh!" was all he got in way of an answer.

"Lucy!" at the sound of her name, Mac's head snapped up to look at Nathan, as he swallowed nervously and continued "he went to see Lucy. Said today was the day."