Phoebe

"Please pass the sashimi."

I looked at my husband, quietly passing him the bowl of raw fish. He thanked me before returning back to his meal. I looked at Haruhi, happily munching on a pork cutlet before dipping it into her bowl or rice and raw egg. I commanded she slow down and drink her water before she chocked from eating like a ravaged hound. There was, again, silence. Kato continued to read his evening paper as Haruhi happily ate while humming the tune to her favorite afternoon show. I began playing with my food, suddenly losing my appetite.

I stood to excuse myself. "I'll go run your bath." I said towards Kato.

"I can do it myself, Phoebe. I don't need any trollop who was groped by some African banshee to do anything for me."

My breath was caught in my throat. I stared at Kato in disbelief. "W-what did you say?"

He deviated his gaze from the uneventful newspaper. He took a small sip from his cup before he looked at me, eyes full of malicious intent as that sly smirk on his face showed he had something up his sleeve. "You heard me wife dearest. I don't want any part of a woman that is tainted by the hands of a filthy black man. Your parents told me about this behavior but I thought you outgrew it once you moved here. I see now you are still chasing the tails of those animalistic Nig-"

"Don't you DARE say that about him!" I shrieked, slamming my dishes against the table in a wave of anger. I began shaking, heart beating at record pace as I felt my mouth grow dry. "You know nothing about Gerald."

"So this monkey has a name, huh?" He took another sip from his drink, grinning as he turned back to his paper. "I will have to research him since he obviously has quite the hold over my wife."

"Kato…"

"Papa, don't call papa Gerald mean and nasty names. He is good to okasaan."

"Haruhi!" I scolded, completely baffled and overtaken with fear. I watched as Kato's amused grin turned into one of pure hatred. He told Haruhi to take the rest of her dinner to her room to let he and I talk in private. She was reluctant to leave me but I told her it was alright and to shut the door so she wouldn't hear any adult language. Before Haruhi could even turn the corner, I felt the hard stinging slap of my husband's hand against my face. It caught me so off-guard that I stumbled backwards.

"You have my daughter calling that animal 'daddy'?" he slapped me again, this time with much more force. I feel back against the tatami mats, holding my face in pain. "What else has he done for my daughter? What about my wife? Has he pleased her as well?"

"K-Kato…" I watched in fear as he rose from his seat to loom over me, beginning to kick me in my sides. I curled into a small ball to fight off the brunt of the attack but felt myself begin to cry. Kato has hit me before, many times intoxicated, but it was never like this. He has pulled my hair, slapped me, and even pushed me but never has he ever really tried to physically harm me. "Kato! Stop! Please!"

"Oh, so you want me to show mercy on the adulterous wife?" He spoke with venom, grabbing my ponytail as he dragged me from the kitchen to the living room. He tossed me like a rag doll against the sofa bed as he straddled me, beginning to punch me in the face and stomach. "What has he done for my wife, hm?"

"Kato! Stop!"

"He has already won the heart of my daughter, so does he have my wife as well?" He spoke the last two words with much more vigor, removing himself from atop of me to pull my hair again and drag me to the middle of the floor. I began to cough up blood as I felt my face become slightly swollen from the mass attack. I tried to crawl away but Kato kicked my forearm, making me lose my balance and fall to the floor in a loud thud. I could feel him begin to slink down my floral patterned dress, ripping off my panties as he briskly unbuckled his belt loop. I began trying to kick and punch him but he was much too strong. He would slap and punch me every time I tried to fight back.

"STOP!" I screamed. I watched in horror as he pooled my dress into nothing more than a jumble of fabric along my waist as he entered me roughly, beginning to bang my body to match the fury of his anger. I shrieked in agony as I tried to push him from atop of me. I watched as Haruhi emerged from her bedroom to stand in the entranceway of the living room, screaming for Kato to stop hurting me. I tried to tell Haruhi it was alright; that daddy and I were just playing but Haruhi lunged towards her father and began hitting him with her doll. Kato stopped raping me to backhand Haruhi into the sofa. I immediately bit him as my motherly instincts went into hyper drive; kicking Kato with more force than I thought I could muster as I went to go aid Haruhi. I quickly escorted her back to the kitchen, scribbling on a piece of a paper an address for her to go to. I was too afraid that Kato might hurt her again, seeing as how he showed no sympathy for trying to damn near kill me. Haruhi began weeping but I hushed her with a small kiss, yelling at her to run before her papa could find her. I could not even close and lock the back door before Kato stormed into the kitchen; grabbing my hair again as he threw me against the edge of one of the countertops. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs as I knelt down in pain. I felt him kick me again, one time to the head and twice to the back. I fell towards the floor. Everything went black.

"Pheobes?" I fluttered my eyes open, coughing as I tried adjusting the bright light above me. I saw Helga, smiling as small tears streamed down her face. She hugged me but I winced in pain. She apologized repeatedly before placing a small kiss on my cheek. "Crimeny, I thought I lost my best-friend."

"Where am I?"

"The hospital." She gripped my hand, smiling. "Hair boy…I mean Gerald brought you here late last night."

I became alarmed, suddenly realizing what happened last night. "Where is my baby!?" I sat up, fully erect to search for her. "Is she alright?!"

"She's fine." Helga cooed, turning to show little Haruhi fast asleep in one of the chairs. She was blanketed by Gerald's jacket and had a stuffed rabbit serving as a pillow. In her hand showed a cute card that read 'Get Well Soon Mommy'.

I smiled, coming to tears. "Thank you."

She nodded. "You have some people who would like to see you."

"Who?"

Before she could answer, Hanna and Neptune both appeared holding a bouquet of balloons and a large stuffed pink elephant. I smiled and giggled, feeling small pain. I hugged both of them lightly. "Hanna-chan, Neptune-san, what a surprise."

"By the grace of God you are alive, Phoebe. I shall spite your husband into the darkness of hell for what he has done to you!"

Neptune popped her wad of cherry-flavored gum. "What she said."

I smiled. "Thank you, Hanna. But I am sure it was just an accident."

Helga scoffed, getting upset. "How can you defend that monster for what did to you!? He hurt little Haruhi!"

"Helga…"

"I swear if Arnold didn't hide my keys and take my wallet, I would escort ol Betsey and the Five Avengers to his workplace and give him a good pounding. He likes to hit on defenseless girls, huh. Let him try someone his own size. That will teach him ol' pencil dick!"

Neptune giggled, flipping back a wave of her pink hair. "I agree with Helga. Spiting him to hell won't make Phoebe feel any better now."

Hanna huffed, crossing her arms. "Violence is not the answer you guys. We have to pray for him! Maybe he was going through a tough time. You know evil spirits sometimes can take over a person."

"Save the mumbo jumbo, Princess." Helga spat. "I have known Phoebe longer than you two combined and I know she wants me to put a good beating on the scumbag!"

I smiled at my three friends, overjoyed. "I appreciate all gestures, thank you."

"See!" Hanna beamed. "Phoebe liked it."

I watched both Neptune and Helga roll their eyes as Gerald and Arnold both returned with cups of coffee and bagels for everyone. I didn't even get a chance to formulate a single coherent thought before Gerald kissed me. To my surprised I kissed back, not wanting to let go. We broke the kiss, gazing longingly at each other, my cheeks reddening as I turned away. I heard Helga clear her throat to make the moment less awkward and liven up the suddenly quiet room. Arnold suggested he take the girls out for a quick walk to give us a chance to talk privately. I watched Gerald turn around and thank Arnold, earning much disagreement from Hanna. I reassured them I would only be a few moments and watched them disappear behind the ugly dark blue curtain of my single. I moved a few stray strands of hair from my face, blushing deeper as Gerald pulled up a stool to sit beside me. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in my heart rate monitor and saw that I looked absolutely horrendous. I hid underneath my bed sheet.

I heard Gerald chuckle. "Phoebe, what are you doing?"

"I look hideous! I have chapped lips, my hair is a mess, and my face is half purple! Plus I bet I smell like sewage! You can't see me like this!"

He chuckled again, this time pulling down my makeshift tent. He grabbed my hand. "You look beautiful, purple bruises and all."

"I don't smell beautiful."

"No argument there." I caught my breath, hitting him in the shoulder; embarrassed. He smiled. "But I love you enough to not care."

I smiled. "How did I get here?"

He grew quiet for a minute, gripping his coffee tighter. His breathing picked up pace. "That bastard rolled you out of his car like you were a pile of garbage. I brought you here last night. Luckily, there were no broken bones or fractures."

"Haruhi made it to your place safely?" he nodded, gazing lovingly at the three year old. "She has her room picked out and everything. We are going to the paint store today to pick out the colors for her room."

"E-excuse me?"

He sipped his coffee, raising a single brow. "You didn't think I was going to let you go back there did you?"

"But Gerald…"

"It's settled Phoebe. We shall iron out the details later but as of now, you and Haruhi are staying with me until you have other arrangements in place."

"I would hate to impose." I spoke softly, feeling like a freeloader. "At least let me give you some money. I have a couple thousand yen in my private bank account."

He shook his head, clenching my hand. "No. I could not take anything from you."

"Gerald…"

"That's final, Phoebe." He spoke firmly. "End of discussion. Once you get cleared to leave, you will come live with me."

I didn't argue with him. I just nodded and embraced him in another kiss. We pulled away quickly once we saw my doctor come in. He explained to me the severity of my injuries and said it was nothing more than a few bruises and a sprained ankle- thankfully. I was cleared to leave today or tomorrow depending on how I was feeling and the choice was entirely my decison. I choose to leave that afternoon since I was feeling up to it. I was given a few painkillers and a refill of my prescription of Benedryl before I was discharged. The rest of the celebration occurred over Gerald's house once we returned. His shared apartment/dorm was decorated with streamers and balloons as a gathering of our friends and his friends warmly greeted me. Rhonda and Nadine were the first to hug me and meet Haruhi. Harold, Stinky, and Sid all embraced me next as they gave me 'Get Well' gifts and cards. Eugene performed his personal rendition of his favorite song from 'Rats' before falling off the side table and into a pile of debris; shouting out 'I'm okay'. Big Patty baked me a cake as Lila wrote me a poem and delivered me flowers- much to Helga's dislike.

I met Gerald's new friend, Robert, and his twin brother, Rob. Robert was dark-skinned and muscular, a bit crass and hypersexual while his twin brother, Rob, was light-skinned, a bit lanky, laid-back, and more of a prude. The entire party when Stinky and Harold weren't telling jokes or if Eugene wasn't singing another song, Robert was conversing about sex- sex positions, sex toys, sex, sex, sex. Rob, however, was more into video-games than his brother so took the latter and ignored the explicit conversation for some competitive racing between Arnold, Gerald, and Helga. Hanna and Neptune baked cookies- well at least Hanna did, Neptune simply ate them- and Helga ordered the 'Fiesta Grande' platter of tacos from this Mexican place around their campus. I enjoyed my party, especially when all my friends got to meet Haruhi for the first time. Many of them did not know I had a daughter and showered her with attention for majority of the afternoon. Her little ego got a huge boost to put it lightly.

Around seven, the party was beginning to wind down and Gerald had kicked everybody, including Arnold, out of the apartment to spend some alone time with Haruhi and I. Helga protested but Arnold insisted he did not mind and went to go spend the night at Helga's. Hanna and Neptune yelled out that they would see me tomorrow for breakfast, their treat, before having the door slammed in their faces. I giggled and told Gerald he was rather rude but he did not care. He embraced me in a loving kiss before picking me up bridal style and taking me to his bedroom. Haruhi was sprawled across the sheets, wrapped in her pink elephant. I watched closely as Gerald swooped Haruhi into his arms to carry her to her room. It was not quite finished yet but Gerald took the liberty of buying Haruhi a bed and a few stuffed animals to make the room more inviting. He tucked her in before planting a small kiss on her forehead, whispering goodnight in her ear. I felt warm just watching, coming to tears as I watched Haruhi smile in her sleep. For the first time in a long time, Haruhi had a man in her life that was not going to abandon her. When she was born, Kato was around almost every waking hour of the day. As his work schedule grew more hectic and his life with his mistress become a priority, he started spending less and less time with his daughter; often blowing off play dates, father-daughter afternoons, school meetings, her violin recitals, everything. Seeing Gerald become the father Haruhi so desperately deserved brought a feeling of joy I could not begin to fathom.

He wiped away a few stray tears, cracking Haruhi's bedroom door slightly. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." I dismissed. "I'm just happy. You are so great with her."

He kissed me, grabbing my hand soft to lead me to the bathroom where a fresh bath awaited. "She is the only girl I love aside from you."

"Gerald." I spoke gently, watching slowly as he began to undress me, removing my glasses first to set them on the edge of the sink. "Kato will come back for me. I know this. As much as I want to stay here, I can't."

"Why not?" he kissed my cheek, pulling down the straps of my dress to expose my breasts. I covered them, blushing. He kissed me again. "You are still the same Phoebe; still embarrassed to have me see you naked though I have seen every crevice of your body numerous of times."

My face grew hot. I turned away. "I just…I….I'm married."

"I know." There was defeat laced within his voice, then silence as he undid my high-bun and allowed my hair to cascade down my back. I finally looked at him, eyes filled with tears. He kissed them away gently before leading me into the rather large basin. The water was very warm and soothed my sore limbs from the beating I endured only a few hours ago. I observed my body and saw the bruise from Kato's strikes, trying to shield them from Gerald's prying eyes. He grabbed a body sponge and lathered it with soap beginning to caress me. I bit my bottom lip, holding back a small moan as he ran against my nipples. Technically the bath in Japan was only to soak and the shower next to it was for cleansing, but I did not mind. There was a certain American simplicity that I missed.

"…Will you join me?" my voice was no higher than a murmur. I grabbed the body sponge, shifting to face Gerald. "…Please…?"

"Are you sure, Phoebe? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

I nodded, blushing a deeper shade of crimson. I swallowed hard as I watched him stand to remove his burgundy sweater. "Y-yes…I don't want to be alone."

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I got caught up with my in-laws…(Insert fake sarcastic smiley face here). I have the…um…uncut version per say of the rest of this scene in the 'M' section for those who have not read it already. I thought I would give you kittens something to snack on while you waited for this. Thank you again for the support and love. I appreciate all feedback. I hope you all like your cameo's thus far. I have one more person to insert and I am sure they will like it. I would like to recommend HannaCabrodi's 'Romance Languages' as a good read for the Helga and Arnold lovers out there and to also forewarn to be on the lookout for BlackRob88's story. It should be published soon I believe. Thank you again and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved writing it. Until next time kittens.