Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and not to me… sigh.I also don't own Sleeping with the Enemy. The book belongs to Nancy Price and the movie belongs to Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.

Sleeping with a Monster

Previously…

"You need to know that I can't just get up and leave. If James thinks I'm alive he will find me and when he does he will make good on his threats and kill me." My small spark of hope almost felt defeated.

"Then I guess we will just have to kill you first, now won't we," Carlisle said with a slightly devious smirk.


Chapter 3 - Fear

The next morning dawned and I felt the stirrings of hope touch my broken heart. The sensation was an almost painful ache; it was so foreign to me. I vowed to keep the feeling buried deep inside so James would not track it down and kill it. He so enjoyed destroying anything that brought me even the smallest amount of joy.

That morning James he left me with warning that he felt I wasn't doing a good enough job with the already spotless house. I knew my time was shorter than I thought. I decided I had to do something to assuage the beast that James was, so I decided it was time for his favorite meal – steamed clams.

I donned my tan clam diggers, a light green button down shirt and a straw hat. I slipped on my sandals and grabbed a basket before I made my way down to the beach. I loved the feel of the sand between my toes as I walked down to the edge of the wet sand. I tossed my sandals just out of the water's reach as I walked across the wet sand toward the water to go treading for clams.

I relished the sensation of the water dancing around my feet as my toes burrowed into the sand looking for the hard mass, indicating a clam. As I would bend down to plunge my hand into the swirling tan and white liquid to claim my prize, the water would push against my arm causing ripples in the wave as it sped around my offending obstruction. I quietly laughed as the water bounced off my arm and splashed my face from time to time.

I marveled at my buoyant mood as I made my way back to the house with my basket of clams. I reminded myself to hide any signs of my happy mood once James came home. Nevertheless, for the time being, I was going to relish in the wonderful change hope had brought to my mood. As I made my way along the boardwalk that led up to the house, I was startled out of my reverie by the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

"Hey, pretty lady!" I heard the clear baritone voice say. I wasn't sure who he was talking to, but I had to take a quick peak to see who the voice belonged to. The owner of the voice was waving as he jogged towards me. I took a quick look around only to find there was no one else near me. I stopped and waited for him to catch up to me.

"Are these your sandals?" he asked holding up the sandals I left at the water's edge.

"Oh, yes! Thanks so much," I blurted out blushing at my mistake. "I'm not even sure why I brought them out with me." I laughed a little at my silliness. I looked at the stranger standing before me and took in his appearance. I could see his lean sculpted muscles through his white short-sleeved button down shirt and blue linen shorts. He had a refined air about him as he stood at around 5 feet 10 inches, not quite as tall as James. He was a handsome man with dark hair, black eyes, and a dark complexion. His voice held the faint hint of an accent indicating that English was not his first language. But it was obvious by his mastery of the language and his lack of a heavy accent that he had probably been in the country for quite a while.

"Not harm. I'm just glad I was the one to rescue them," he said with a grin.

I gave him a questioning look before I said, "Really? Is it your life's work to save unsuspecting sandals from the dangers of the ocean?" 'Whoa, where did that come from' my brain said as I realized I was flirting a little. If James found out, there's no telling what he'd do to me. It dawned on my how paranoid that last thought was, but for some reason, I still believe it. James always seemed to find these things out. I almost missed the man's response while I wrestled with my thoughts.

"It gave me the opportunity to meet you." He winked and I quickly looked down avoiding eye contact. I couldn't risk even this simple exchange getting back to James. Noticing my discomfort at his compliment, he introduced himself.

"I'm Laurent. I apologize for being so forward. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Marie. Thanks for returning my sandals," I said before I quickly hurried away, wanting nothing more than to return to the false safety of the house I hated.

As I entered the house, I heard the telephone ringing. I quickly ran to answer it before it rang again, knowing that if it were James he would be angry that I had not answered by the third ring. Moreover, since I didn't know how long it had been ringing, I couldn't risk another ring.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver a little breathless.

"Marie?" the voice on the other end said, raising a little at the end. 'James' I thought, of course, who else would call me. He had me isolated and alone, right where he wanted me.

"What are you doing and why are you breathless?" he growled in an accusatory tone.

"Sorry, I just got back from treading clams. I heard the phone ring as I walked in and didn't want to miss your call." My voice was even and devoid of all emotion. I found myself hoping he was calling to say he would be working late, but it was Friday. No chance of that. James never works late on Friday. FRIDAY! The realization that it was Friday and I had the entire weekend a head of me with James hit me like a freight train. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. It barely registered that James had started speaking again.

"Clams? Hmmm. I was going to say I would be late for dinner, but I think I can make it home early tonight for my favorite - say 7 o'clock," James taunted much to my dismay. He's going to be home early, meaning we get an early start to the weekend. Way to go Marie, your brilliant plan backfired.

"Seven o'clock will work fine, James," I said calmly. James didn't respond and it made me feel uneasy. "Is there anything else?" I prompted hoping he would throw me a bone and give me a hint at to what's going on in his head.

"I ran into an old friend of mine. He's coming by the house tomorrow evening," James said as his voice turned deadly. I gulped. "After you cook us dinner, we will all go for a midnight sail on the boat. Tomorrow morning, I'll be busy getting the boat ready." James knew how much I hated going sailing with him. The only benefit was that his friend would be there, which meant James had to act like a caring husband around me. The only down side, was that I had to act like a caring wife.

"Good-bye," he said.

"Good-bye," I returned just before the line went dead.

I could tell he was looking forward the acting out our little charade for his friend. I did the only thing I could. I did my chores, showered and started to cook dinner. I was in a rush now that I had lost and hour, thanks to James's eagerness to have clams.

As I cooked dinner, I found myself racking my brain trying to think of a way to fake my death.

"Ahh!" I exclaimed as I realized I had the perfect opportunity tomorrow night when we went sailing. If I could manage to 'fall' off the boat and 'drown,' I could swim back to shore. I would have to make sure we weren't too far out when I 'fell' off. I was a strong swimmer, but I had never swum in the ocean at night. Judging distance would be difficult. I could pack a bag before hand and stash it away. But how to know where to swim to in the dark. I didn't want to get lost trying to get back to the house. So much to do, but this might work. I would have time tomorrow to work on it. Right now I needed to work on getting through tonight. Hopefully James would put off his tirade until tomorrow night. 'Wouldn't want your wife wincing in pain in from your latest beating as you introduce her to your old friend, now would we.' I said in my head sarcastically.

When James came home, everything was perfect, as usual. I could tell he was about to explode with his frustration, but he contained himself. I knew he needed me in top form tomorrow to impress his friend. But the longer he waited the worse it would be for me later. I really needed to make sure I 'died' tomorrow night.

"Marie," he sneered my name as he walked in.

"James," I replied with the same fake smile I had been wearing for more than a year now.

"What's on the menu today?" he said as we continued to go through our never-ending routine. He seemed to relax just a little when I mentioned the steamed clams.

We sat down to eat; he interrogated me about my day. He seemed to be listening with a little more attention than usual. I wondered what was wrong, when I suddenly remembered the encounter I had earlier with Laurent. I found myself wondering if he knew. I dismissed it as silly, but still considered telling him. In the end, I thought better of it. I knew if I said anything, he would use it against me later. As I finished, he looked at me as if he expected me to say something else. I held my tongue and my breath.

"Marie." I watched as a malicious smile spread across his face, his eyes cruel. "Don't you have something to add?" he said through the clenched teeth behind the smile.

I decided to come clean. I don't know what came over me but it was the only thing I could think of that I hadn't told him about. Oh, no! What if he knew about Dr. Cullen and the birth control shots. No, he would have killed me by now for that betrayal, I'm sure of it. I started with the least offensive thing to see if that appeased him.

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot," I started, trying to hide the quiver in my voice. I clearly didn't succeed and his eye grew hostile.

"I left my sandals on the beach while I was treading for clams. A man returned them to me. I thanked him and went home," I said calmly, belying the fear threatening to paralyze me.

"Did he tell you his name?" James said, still clenching his teeth.

"Laurent," I whispered as I watched in horror as his hands clenched into fists. James let out a bitter laugh.

"Yes, Laurent. He told me all about the little encounter he had with the flirty Marie," he spat at me.

"I guess you will get to know him better tomorrow. He's joining us for dinner," James snarled, much to my amazed horror. How did he know? I couldn't fathom it. Did he send Laurent to spy on me; to test me? Please God, NO! My head was screaming. The last thing I remembered was James coming around the table and lunging at me as he knocked me over in my chair. I distinctly remember the pain in my head as it hit the hard marble floor just before I black out.

***********

When I awoke the next morning, I was still on the floor in the dining room in the dress I had on last night. My chair was laying on the floor next to me. I could smell the stale remains of last night's meal in the air, telling me I still had some cleaning to do. I started to move to get up, but found myself immediately overcome by the pain searing in the back of my head. I reached my hand back to the source of the ache to find a lump the width of a small walnut. I waited until the pain subsided before I tried to move again, this time taking it much slower. It helped. I was able to sit up after a few minutes. I glanced down at my watch and realized it was still early – 6:00 a.m. James wouldn't be up for another hour. He liked to 'sleep in' on the weekend. Saturday, the boat, my death – I gasped as I realized what I had to do today. I still needed to call Dr. Cullen. He had no idea I planned to die today.

I slowly made my way to my feet. My body ached from head to toe as I stifled a moan, afraid it would wake James. I surveyed the table and realized the mess wasn't that bad. I opened a few windows to air out the house because of the smell. I started to clear the table, albeit very slowly. Once the dining room and kitchen were clean, I quietly made my way upstairs. I still had 30 minutes before James would get up, and I needed a shower. I slipped into the bathroom to get ready unnoticed as James slept.

The hot water from the shower did nothing to relieve the throb in my head. I finished my shower and put on my robe before I brushed my teeth and applied my makeup. I saved my hair until James woke up. Didn't want the blow dryer to wake him prematurely. Right on cue, James woke up at 7:00 a.m. He didn't even acknowledge me as he walked into the bathroom to use the 'facilities' before getting into the shower. As he showered, I blew my hair straight, just finishing up before he finished. I was out of the bathroom before he grabbed his towel. I hurriedly dressed in a pair of light blue capris and a matching blue and white stripped, button-down, short-sleeved shirt, hoping to deter any ideas James might have of getting me in that bed this morning. I slipped on my white mary janes and headed downstairs.

I was dusting the living room after closing the windows, when James finally came out of the bedroom, fully dressed. I repressed a sigh of relief at the sight of him in clothing. My ears were ringing from the pain in my head, but I continued with my chores as if nothing had happened the night before. I was concentrating so hard on appearing normal that I didn't notice how close James was until he was already at the bottom of the stairs and standing right behind me.

He grabbed my wrist and jerked me around to face him. As my eyes looked up at his face, I was met with was a calculating look from James. He placed his hand on the back of my head until he felt the bump and slowly pressed. I had to bite my lip so hard I almost broke the skin as I tried to keep from crying out in pain.

"Stop biting your lip, Marie," James said roughly as he brought his head down for a kiss. I obeyed but I let out small whimper as the pain I was biting back escaped. His eyes lit up with excitement at the obvious torture he was inflicting and he increased the pressure on the bump at the back of my head. By the time he kissed me, my lips were trembling. He kissed me hard and rough as my entire body started to tremble with a mixture of terror and anguish. By the time he pulled away from me, I had noiseless tears running freely down my face. I could see the anticipation rolling off him as he contemplated the possibilities of tonight when we would be alone together.

James inhaled deeply through his nose as if he could smell my fear before he quickly released me so he could walk to the door.

"I'll be getting the boat ready. Have dinner ready by seven o'clock," he shot over his shoulder. As he reached for his keys, he turned and looked at me.

"Where will you be today, Marie?" The way his eyes raked over my body made me feel violated.

"I'll be at the grocery story and the farmers market to pickup the items for tonight's meal," I said in as even a tone as I could muster. 'Packing my bag, making arrangements to run away, plotting my death…' I added in my head. I remained glued to my spot until I heard the garage door close. Only then did I allow myself to collapse in a quivering heap on the floor, sobbing my eyes out for a few minutes.

As soon as my sobs quieted, I swore that would be the last time James Cook ever made me cry. With a newfound determination, I walked out the door as my final day as Marie Cook began.


A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reading and/or reviewing! You are the wind beneath my wings XD (Corny, I know, he he he!) - SavageWoman