Scenario 14- ''He Hit Me.''

When Neal saw Kel that day, he felt himself tighten with dread and horror. It was just something on her face that made his head ache and his heart break with sadness. The look on her face looked like that was the same thing happening within her.

He heard her sobs from a distance and immediately ran to her. At the time, he didn't know whose sobs they were exactly, because she had never cried in front of him before. All he knew was that they were the most heart-wrenching sounds that he'd ever heard.

And when he saw her.... Well, he couldn't believe it was her. Dark circles ringed around her eyes. Her right eye was swollen, and bruises filled her face. Blood dribbled from her jaw and nose. Of course, he had seen her like that before. After all, that was usually how she ended up when she had fought the bullies as a page. However this.... He sensed something much more sinister about this. Then, a determined look glowed in her eyes; now, a defeated, forlorn look shadowed them.

''Kel?'' he said, stooping to her level.

Upon seeing him, she sobbed even harder. Somehow, Neal found his arms instinctively around her. His heart was sick with pity, horror and fear.

''What happened?'' he asked, having a feeling that he wouldn't want to know the answer.

Her sobs increased once more. ''Shh, shh, shh...'' he whispered, ''I'm here now.''

''He....he... he...'' Her confession was choked off by sobs.

Oh, Mithros, no, he thought, no, no, no. He knew he didn't want to know now.

''He hit me.''

Now that was an understatement if he had ever heard.

Neal felt as if he was going to sick.

''Joren?''

Kel nodded weakly against him.

He couldn't say he was that surprised; Joren had conveyed violent tendencies when he was younger. The things that he and his cronies had done to Kel when she was younger was absolutely horrible.

However, he had told them that he had changed. Neal was a little edgy about this at first, and Kel was too. But then... Then he had really convinced Kel, and even made her fall in love with him. Neal figured then that even though he didn't like Joren, he was going to put their differences aside, because he wanted Kel to be happy. He knew now that he was stupid to do that; he should have been continually edgy. But, gods- dammit, he had been trapped in Joren's spell, too. He had been among those who really thought Joren loved Kel.

''I shouldn't have believed him...''

''I know but we were all fooled when he said that he'd changed.''

Kel looked up him with regretful hazel eyes. ''I shouldn't have believed him then,'' she agreed softly, ''but... I also shouldn't have believed him when he said that he wasn't going to do again.''

Neal's heart fell in his chest. That bastard had done that not only one, but twice?

That's it. Neal was going to kill him.

''He did it before, Kel?'' Neal spoke his thoughts aloud.

''Yes,'' she admitted, looking away from him, ''but it wasn't this bad.''

''And you went back?''

''He just punched me in the jaw that time. He said... he said he lost his temper for a moment and that he was sorry. I told him that I wasn't going to go back to a man who hit his women but he... He was crying, and begging me, and he was just so persuasive...''

Neal could have never guessed that Kel would have ever been one of those women. If a man hit her, he would have thought she would have immediately left. Yet again, he could have never guessed that she would have picked an abusive partner in the first place. He could see Joren wanting to prove how strong he was by breaking a woman as strong as Kel...

He felt his muscles tense at such a revolting thought.

''I'm sorry,'' she whispered, her voice so hoarse that he could barely hear it.

''This... this isn't your fault, Kel,'' Neal said, ''it's his.''

''I've had things worse than this,'' Kel said, ''bruises worse than this. But... this is different. This is so different. When Joren and I fought as pages.... I didn't care that he hurt me; I hated him then. Now...''

Once more, her speech dissolved into sobs. Neal held her closer and felt a helpless rage fuel within him. He hated seeing someone he thought was so strong break like this, especially someone he had so closely loved and revered. He didn't understand how anyone could treat a woman so precious like leftover trash from dinner.

''Now you love him,'' he finished for her, ''and he has your relationship with him to use against you.''

She flinched. For a long moment, that statement filled the air, its truth ringing in their hearts. There was nothing else for either of them to say.

''You can't use that a reason to stay,'' he said,'' you can't. You can't see this through love; love is so...so blinding. At the end of the day, you don't deserve to be treated like that. It's only going to get worse. You're so much better than him, or that kind of treatment.''

Kel didn't know what to say to that. The value of his statement to her couldn't be measured in words. ''Thank you,'' she said, ''That means a lot to me.''

''Kel,'' he said, ''you've always been like a little sister to me, you know that? I don't want to see you get hurt, especially like this.''

''Thank you,'' she said, the weight of his words measuring on her soul once more.

Neal didn't even need to say ''you're welcome.'' To him, the words would sound too terse considering the entirety of the situation.

''Um... you should probably get you cleaned up,'' he said, ''You should probably go to a healer, too. I can go with you if you want.''

''No, you don't have to,'' she said, ''I'd rather go alone.''

''All right,'' he said, nodding.

There was so much more that he wanted to say to her, but then it just wasn't the right time.

And with that, she walked away from him.

The next day, as was expected, Joren did come knocking at the door.

''Kel,'' he said, ''I'm sorry.''

Kel sensed a certain blandness and scorn in his voice. He knew that he was automatically expecting that she would go back to him, as she did before. However, Kel had the night to think. The more she thought about it, the more she knew how that couldn't be an option. She had to much to lose for him- her dignity, her self-respect, her passion, her friends...herself, basically.

Yes, she loved him. Yes, leaving him was like carving out a piece of heart and throwing it on the floor. Yes, she was going to stay up for the next couple of nights and regret what she did. But... She couldn't stay with him.

''No, you're not,'' she whispered, stretching a Yamani mask across her features, ''I'm breaking up with you.''

''But Kel...'' he said, crocodile tears shining in his beautiful blue eyes, ''I just lost my temper. I can fix it. I won't do it again.''

''You said that the last time,'' she said, ''No.''

''Kel...''

''Are you going to keep losing your temper, Joren?''

''Kel, I'm trying...''

''Look, Joren...''

''Look, Kel,'' he said, his voice becoming a command. He gripped her arm, and held it tight. ''You're not leaving me.''

''Yes, I am, Joren.''

''No,'' he said, his voice gaining heat, ''You're not.'' He gripped her arm tighter.

''Let me go.''

''No. You're staying here, now.''

He slapped her across the jaw. ''You really think you're going to find anyone better than me?'' he asked, his nails now digging so hard in her flesh that he was drawing blood, ''You're not. I know you love me, this is stupid.''

''Just let me go, Joren.''

He slapped her again. ''No.''

An icy fear prickled within her. She pulled herself from his grip and ran, her cheek still stinging with his slaps.

The next day, Owen and Neal happened to be in the same lunch line.

Owen, along with Kel's other friends, knew something had happened. None of them knew what; they just knew that Neal was there when it did, Kel's parents were notified and that she wasn't coming back with her knight-master for a while.

''What's wrong with Kel, Neal?'' he asked, ''What happened?''

Neal looked down, the memories of two nights ago coming back. ''He beat her up,'' Neal said, ''I know she could have defended herself, but she couldn't...''

''Joren?'' he asked, his eyes wide, ''Are they calling on the Temple of the Goddess?''

''Yes,'' Neal said, ''He hit her again when she told him she was leaving.''

Owen's eyes grew wide with horror. ''But...''

''She left him. She came to me afterward.''

''You were there when...''

''I found her,'' he said, grimacing, ''after it happened.''

There was a pause. ''He should be punished,'' Owen said, his fists clenched against the tray.

''Definitely,'' Neal said, pain in his voice, ''I saw her and... it was horrible, Owen. She broke down and everything. It wasn't like when she was a page.''

Owen said nothing as his eyes grew bigger and angrier.''

''She'll be never be completely okay but... she'll get through it,'' Neal said, ''She's strong, and she's better than him and that.''

Silence pursued as the lunch lady poured slop onto Neal's tray.

Now, I know it's shocking that I am updating this now. I am totally and utterly shocked with myself... When I started typing though, the story just poured out of me. This story is actually pretty close to my heart; one of my friends was abused emotionally by her boyfriend this past year (he was possessive, sent her harassing texts, told her he only loved her 75%, etc.) . Despite the intense sadness and level of depression in the story, I really think it needed to be written. The next story will be lighter, I assure you, but I have no idea when it will come out.