Yay for another chapter so soon! That's just one of the many beauties of summer holidays! AND, to top that off, I've also started with the chapter after this... Normally I don't make a start on that for at least 2 weeks after I update.

Anyway, onto the chapter. I've had this storyline planned for ages, and I'd originally gotten ideas after re-watching Rachel's domestic abuse storyline on Packed to the Rafters, but in the last month or so, there's been 2 really fantastic storylines like it which has given me so much inspiration to write this. Firstly, the recent Stu/Sasha storyline on Home and Away has just been so moving & emotive (one of my favourite from the show this year) and Demi Harman & Brenton Thwaites have portrayed the dynamics and the depth of the issue so well together. The second was on Crownies even more recently, with Indiana in fact playing Tatum who was although in love, in love with a very aggresive man, and although her fiancee Conrad wasn't physically abusive to her, he did assault several guys and verbally abused Tatum also.

And as a side point, if anyone's interested in how I picture this Dan, what he 'looks' like or how I imagine him, then just search 'Todd Lasance' into Google images or whatever search engine you use; there'll be an abudance regardless (and you'll know who I mean).

Also, thank you so much to all of my lovely reviewers. I really enjoy reading your opinions and I greatly appreciate your support towards my story. Thank you!

Chapter 9 – Facing Demons

Bella's POV

"Good morning!" I smiled, walking into the kitchen on a beautiful Saturday morning.

When I'd walked into the room, Rikki's head was craned into the fridge, before she reversed, bringing the Apple & Strawberry juice carton out with her and closed the fridge. "Morning. You're chirpy..."

I smiled, grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl, biting into it. "I sure am!"

"Should I be worried? What have you done?" Rikki questioned cynically with a cocked eyebrow.

I smiled and shrugged. "Nothing, I'm just in a good mood today."

"Fair enough..."

Reaching into the bread bag, I grabbed a piece of bread, intending to make toast, but dropped it quickly as I saw the festering greenish-blue mould that was in the early stages of developing on the crust and outer rims of the loaf. "Ewww! There's mould on the bread!"

Nearby, I heard a groan and as I looked up, I witnessed Will's face scrunch into a frown as he placed one hand over his mouth and the other on his stomach. "Are you serious? I had a sandwich this morning!

Taking immediate action to get rid of the disgust, I put the whole loaf in the bin which was already piled up, past the lid with a banana peel and iced coffee carton delicately dominoed on top.

"Careful!" Rikki warned just as I let go of the plastic loaf bag, that due to my aimless positioning of the bulky bag, fell out of the bin, dragging the banana peel, iced coffee container and a few other scraps out of the bin with it.

"Ha! Now you have to take the rubbish out and clean up the mess, Bella. It's our rule we've got" Zane explained to me excitedly, looking as though he would start jumping up and down... assumedly because he'd palmed off yet another chore onto someone else.

"What? Why? You didn't tell me about it so it shouldn't count!" I protested, with the idea of clearing out Will & Zane's bin being very, very low on my list of things that I wanted to do.

Rikki cringed. "I did kinda warn you…"

"Fine..." I said with a sigh, giving in, but with the optimistic hope of finding a pair of gloves somewhere. It wasn't worth picking a fight with Zane over something so minor. I knew I'd cave in over the pointlessness of the argument and regardless of the little importance, any and every win was a huge ego boost for Zane...

#

10 minutes of squatting, squelching and sickening smells later, I'd finished picking everything up that had dropped out of the bin, taken in out and replaced the bag.

It was my day off, so I didn't have to bother about going in to the office at all today and considering that I'd finished my design pitch last night I didn't have any work which needed to be finished here left either, so I decided to pamper myself and paint my nails.

I only had one colour choice, a random nail polish bottle that had been floating around in my handbag for about the last month for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

After going upstairs to retrieve the bottle, I came back into the living room, walking into a silence that was extremely unusual not only for Rikki, Zane and Will individually, but it was even more unusual considering the three of them were all together in the same room.

Rikki was eating a packet of snakes, pulling each out and stretching them as far as she could without breaking them, before quickly eating them cookie-monster style. Zane was sitting cross-legged on the lounge, typing away on his laptop and Will was at the breakfast bar, scanning through the newspaper for a job, taking the occasional shot of coffee.

I sat down next to Rikki, who offered me an unappealingly morphed lolly snake, which I declined as I put my nail polish bottle on the coffee table, getting ready to add some fresh colour to my currently half painted/half chipped off nails before there was a knock at the door.

"You're the closest, Bella" Zane informed, not even bothering to look up or add a glare to the rule. The 'whoever's closest to the door or the phone answers it' rule was one of the few that I'd been brought up to scratch with.

"Seriously? When did you guys last slave die off?" I asked hypothetically, in an attempt to make my annoyance evident.

"She didn't. She's about to answer the door" Zane smirked at me, this time looking up.

I sluggishly got up from the lounge, and likely due to the long waiting time period since the first knock with no response, whoever was waiting outside knocked yet again.

"Someone's impatient…" I murmured under my breath as I opened the door.

"Hello?" I generically asked, before I'd registered who it was. "Dan. Oh, um, hi. What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be getting home for another week" I said, as my increasing heart rate prompted my reaction to babble on nervously.

"Surprise!" was the only explanation I received before being hurled into a hug.

As soon I pulled out of the very long, very intense, very tight hug, Dan's lips were pursed onto mine before I knew it. That's when I got the first taste of it. The first taste that things were about to go terribly wrong again. A wave of anger swept through my body again, adding to my currently strong, bittersweet emotions.

He pulled away to take a breath and before he could go in for round two, I started talking being extra careful to mask my emotions. "So what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you and come home a bit early. I was missing you so much, Bella" he gushed, stroking my cheek.

How could he just act like everything was back to normal? Like nothing happened? Looking into his eyes before I replied, I couldn't even see one ounce of recognition or regret over what had happened the night before he left.

"But-" I started to say, before being cut off by Rikki who was approaching the two of us.

"Saliva exchanging over yet?" she smirked. "Like your surprise, Bella?"

"You knew he was coming home early?"

"Yeah. Dan called me to help him plan this out" she said, informing me with a smile. "Come in" she added, gesturing for Daniel to walk inside the house to the living and kitchen area, where we all were prior to the interruption.

He smiled, grabbing my hand and walking inside, behind Rikki, to where the other two boys still were.

"Introductions?" Dan asked me quietly, but at a volume which must've just been loud enough for Rikki to overhear.

"Oh yeah, right! Zane. Will." Rikki called out.

The two boys heads simultaneously turned around, rotating towards the three of us.

"Zane, Will, this is Daniel Shapiro. Dan, this is Zane Bennett and Will Benjamin" Rikki said, introducing the three guys to each other, with her arms gesturing to the appropriate guy as she did so.

For the next minute or so, they shook hands, greeting each other as Rikki and I stood back watching. It was surprisingly less awkward than I'd imagined - if something like this ever were to happen.

As I continued watching the boys interact, I was certain that Will had made the connection that Daniel was Dan especially from our actions so far, but he didn't look affected, or even like he cared. I could live with that.

Dan on the other hand, I would've expected more of a fuss from if he had made the connection with Will, as in Will and me. He generally didn't let things like that just be. His mood at the time would've depended on how he would've reacted and if he was in a pleasant or relaxed mood, he would've teased us a bit or joked around with the situation, otherwise he would've given us, or more so me, a hard time about it and we definitely wouldn't be here for long. He liked to be in control with things like that and I'd just follow his lead. At the end of the day, I knew he had good intentions and he only was like that because he cared about me.

Anyway, the guys appeared to be getting deep into a conversation, so I thought that this would as good of time as any to pull Dan out and start asking questions.

"Dan?" I quietly asked as I walked over to the three boys.

"Yeah?" he replied, before getting distracted, affectionately and softly stroking my eyebrow, before lightly kissing the side of my face where my bruises and cuts were healing. "That looks so sore Bella."

"I know. It is. Can we have a couple of minutes alone?"

He smiled and grabbed my hand. "Course we can. Lead the way Bel." I lead him out of the room by the hand, then upstairs toward the guest room where I'd been staying for the last week or so.

Walking in, he sat down on the side of the bed and I leant against the wardrobe.

"Where's Allie, Dan?" I asked with a frown.

"I left her with my parents."

I nodded. "Alright. Was she okay on the plane and stuff?"

"Yeah she was fine. Slept half of the way and drew pictures for every person she's ever met for the rest."

I took a deep breath, desperately trying to think of ways to extend the current conversation, knowing that as much as I wanted the answers to the next questions I had to ask, I really wanted to forget about it at the same time.

"What about you? How'd you go on your own?" he asked, beating me from speaking first.

"Well after the, um, fight, I went to see Rikki and I've been staying here since."

He got off the bed and grabbed my hand. "But you're coming home now, aren't you?"

I looked down, squirming my foot on the carpet, avoiding Daniel's desperate gaze. "I've had fun staying with Rikki – it's just been like one long sleepover."

"So?"

I took another deep breath, fearing my boyfriend's reaction. "So, I want to stay with Rikki a bit longer. I'm not ready to go back there yet."

"Yeah right, Bella! You want to stay here with Rikki AND those two other guys" he said with an eye roll and an increasingly angry tone.

"Well, it's their house so I kind of have to stay with them if I want to stay with Rikki."

Looking back at me again from where his gaze had been focused on his clenching fists, his nostrils were flaring up again and I felt the anger in his eyes penetrating in my direction, just as it had been the night before he left for Cairns.

"You're cheating on me, aren't you?"

"What? No!"

"Then come back with me."

All I did was clearly shake my head in response.

"But it's your home. You have to come back with me. And what about Allie? She needs you too."

My eyes started to well up with water, which I tried to hold back, in a desperate attempt to keep my fresh vulnerability unexposed.

"No! You hit me Dan! You really hurt me."

He kissed my hand as his voice softened. "I'm so sorry. I hated myself the whole time I was away for doing that to you."

"But you didn't even check to make sure I was okay! You just left."

"I know, I know. But I was just so angry, Bella. You have to understand that!"

I rolled my eyes, battling between my anger and hurt. "When you're angry with someone you yell at them. You don't hit them!"

"I'm sorry. I just lost my temper, but I'll make sure that it won't happen ever again."

I took another deep breath. "You're going to have to prove that to me first."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm staying with Rikki until you've proven that I can trust you not to do something like that again" I told him, turning around to walk out of the room in an attempt to end the conversation.

"Don't! Come back home with me, Bella! I can't live without you" he pleaded with me as he grabbed a hold and latched onto my wrist before I had the chance to walk back out to the hallway.

I turned around, looking him deep into the eye. "Dan, listen to me. We're not breaking up, I just really need some space and I need time to forgive you and forget about what happened. I know that you only did it and reacted that way because of everything that's happened in the past, but I can't excuse the fact that you did hit me. There's no excuse for violence."

"But please! If I don't have you, I'll end up hurting myself" Daniel said, continuing to plea with me, even going so far as to pull out the guilt card, that I must say, was working.

I loved him, and I really didn't want him to hurt himself and I didn't want my conscience to have to live with the burden of that either, but I was still so traumatized from the change of person that I saw in him after his irrational freak-out.

"I just need time."

He sighed and stroked my hand. "Fine, but on one condition; you promise me that you will come back soon."

I nodded, knowing that it would be the only way I could stop Daniel from getting angry all over again. I hated it though. I hated the feeling of being 'owned' and like I was just some dog that always had to be loyal and go back to my owner. Sometimes, it felt like he was keeping me on a leash...

"Good" he confirmed, with a smile. "Now let's go back down to Rikki."

I nodded and hand-in-hand, we walked back down to the lounge room where Zane, Will and Rikki were talking.

"Back so soon?" Rikki smirked. "You guys were gone for ages."

"Yeah I know" I said, before turning to face Daniel. "Want a drink?"

"Beer would be great" he smiled, kissing my cheek.

I nodded, walking over and opening the fridge, where only very clearly labelled 'ZANE'S' and 'WILL'S' bottles were left. "Can he have one of you guy's beers? I'll pay you back for it."

"Sure; you can just grab one of mine" Will yelled out from the lounge room, prompting me to grab a 'WILL'S' beer and take it back over to my boyfriend.

"Thanks mate" Dan said thanking Will, before opening the beer and taking one huge gulp, causing the remaining liquid to be clouded by white foam sitting on top of it.

"So how was Cairns?" Rikki asked when an awkward silence was starting to form in the room.

"It was okay, but the weather was quite hot and humid and I really missed Bella" Dan said, looking over to me and putting his hand around my shoulders as we stood.

"What about Allie? How'd she go?"

He laughed. "Oh she was fine. I think she was in paradise up there, getting spoilt rotten!"

"Who's Allie?" Zane asked, before Rikki instantly grabbed my arm and pulled me into the next room.

"So, do you like your surprise?" Rikki smiled.

I nodded, figuring I should just keep our fight to myself. I mean, it'd pass over eventually and there's no real point in making a big deal about it, especially with Rikki. Cleo would be better to talk to if this ever came up in conversation.

"But is it okay if I stay here for a few days longer?"

She nodded, but with a furrowed eyebrow. "Why?"

Damn. Damn. Damn.

There in lay the fatal flaw of my secrecy.

"Oh, um, you know" I started to say, laughing awkwardly as I tried to come up with an excuse. "I'm playing 'hard to get'."

"But he's already 'got' you."

I let out another awkward laugh, in an extremely fake manner. "Yeah, I know, but what's that saying? 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'."

"Okay... Has anyone told you you're weird? And I thought I was bad with that!" Rikki laughed and I joined with her again, until Dan stormed into the room, looking angrier and fiercer than I'd seen him all day.

"Bella" he said, grabbing my wrist and forcing me to follow him on his warpath to the front door. "Come with me."

I kept following, wordlessly; not wanting to cause a scene about whatever it was while we were in front of and in hearing-length of Rikki.

"What's going on?" I asked as we finally stopped before Daniel stopped on the driveway, pacing it back and forth angrily.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT YOU WERE WITH THAT BLONDE IDIOT IN THERE?" he yelled at me so loudly that I flinched in shock, while he threw his arms in my direction as well as towards the house.

"What? Will? Who told you about that?"

"YES. Or whatever that guy's name is, I DON'T CARE, but he said it was good how comfortable it was for us all and I didn't know what he meant so he explained that you guys were together for a while. WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING BELLA?"

I took a step back while my ears rung from the unanticipated screaming. "I was going to, but I just didn't get the chance to before now! Calm down Dan!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, YOU LIAR!"

"That's not fair! I haven't been lying to you!" I said, raising my voice in desperation, my face aching from the tears that I was forcing and willing myself to not let go of in front of Daniel, especially during our current argument.

"THAT'S WHY YOU'RE WANTING TO STAY HERE! HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON ME AND THEN LIE ABOUT IT!"

"No! I haven't ever and won't ever cheat on you! Will's got nothing to do with why I want to stay here – I told you I just want to stay here because I need time to trust you again."

Dan stopped yelling and instead his anger channelled to his fists as he clenched them tighter and tighter in contractions while he went back to pacing up and down the driveway. "It's all your fault. It's all your fault that I lost my temper in the first place! I mean, how was I supposed to react when my mate saw you out at lunch with another guy without you telling me?"

"But you immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion! Again, that was Will and I'd only seen him for the first time since we broke up and nothing happened. I told him that I was with you. Ask him!"

"Whatever…" he mumbled, continuing to pace before he stepped out of the invisible circuit that he'd been trailing within, walking over to me and grabbing a hold of my wrist again. "Just get in the car, you're coming with me."

"No."

"What did you say?" he asked, although I knew that he knew perfectly well what I'd said.

"No…" I repeated so softly that I wondered whether Dan would even be able to hear me this time.

"I SAID, GET IN THE CAR!" he yelled even louder than he had in the whole yelling match before this present moment, yanking my arm to follow him.

I nodded to him as warm tears started to fill my eyes before dripping down my cheek which I quickly wiped away before following Dan, trying not to cause much more of a scene in the middle of the street.

"Okay. I'll go, just calm down. If you drive off like this, you'll kill us both" I whimpered as I was harshly pulled over to my boyfriend's car.

"Like I care right now..." I would've sworn I'd heard him mumble gruffly while he was pulling me along.

I got in, figuring that I'd just try to calm Dan down while he was driving. Either that or be silent the whole drive back to my apartment, which would just let him stew about it more ... meaning he was likely blow up at me again when we got home. I was damned if I do and damned if I don't.

I couldn't even make sense of things anymore...

The day before the first attack happened and before any of this started, we'd been fine. We'd been perfect. It was just me, Dan & Allie against the world. We were a team. However, the next morning, Dan had gotten a call from one of his mates, it was Lincoln, I think, then straight after he'd gotten off the phone, Dan lost it. And I mean lost it...

He started yelling at me, swearing his head off, slamming doors and walking in and out of rooms aimlessly in a rage. He even broke a porcelain bowl that he Frisbee-slid off of the kitchen bench for no reason. I don't even know what Lincoln said to him, but I was assuming from what Dan was yelling at me, that Lincoln had seen me and Will out for lunch, and even though nothing happened between us, he could've exaggerated the truth or been drunk and stupidly added bits to his 'report'.

I really didn't know who the monster was that Daniel turned into after that, but he demanded to search my phone, checking all of my calls, texts, emails and even photos. He checked my bag, purse, checked my lunch dockets, bank account, everything. He went psycho. When he'd started going through all of my things, I had yelled back at him, telling him he was overreacting over nothing, which resulted in him slapping me for the first time...

I was in shock after that. I'd never, ever expected that he'd lose it that badly. Before he'd even attacked me, I was aching and hurting so badly inside after the slab of trust that I'd had in him being shattered beyond belief just from one slap. I retreated to another room, locking myself inside, just sitting there sobbing on my own while I heard the continuation of the banging, smashing and grunts of anger outside the room. I knew he'd get a bit angry if he knew I'd had lunch with another guy and he wasn't there, that's why I was so hesitant to accept Will's offer in the first place, but Dan could and should trust me - nothing would've happened...

By about half an hour later, he'd calmed down and he'd started knocking on the door of the locked room, pleading with me to open up and let him. After five minutes, I gave in, letting him in, knowing that he'd start getting really angry again if I didn't soon which would then likely result in a broken door too. He started apologizing to me like crazy, attempting to hug and kiss me, but I didn't want to have a bar of it. I knew he wouldn't be happy with that either, but I couldn't just let it pass and let him think that he could do that without there being any consequences, so I ignored him, walking off, not even looking him in the eye. It was after that when the night reached its climax...

Trying to get my attention and trying to force me to acknowledge him, he started shoving me; shoving my arm, shoulders, hip and stomach - whatever was in reach of his hand. I finally succumbed, giving him the attention he was wanting and longing for before his continuous shoves would start to form bruises. I begged him to go away and leave me alone, but by this stage he was fuming again. He yelled things about how I supposedly thought that I wasn't good enough for him, that I was cheating on him and that I'd get what I deserved. I was so scared. So, so scared.

His voice was so loud that it made my heart pound.. it was the only noise I could hear. His eyes were filled with hate and rage.. opened so wide, looking so threatening and unpredictable. I noticed his body and muscles clenching up, moving closer to me as his fierce yelling got more intense. My stomach was churning and I was fighting back tears when he let that anger out on me...

I can't remember the whole attack and the sequencing, only segments. I remember hitting the wall from the impact of one punch which brought more shock and bruises than anything, I remember the rhythm of several violent hand swings which resulted in scratches on my face, I remember several more hits and kicks that then made up the other bruises and scratches and then I remember falling in the path of the kitchen bench from the impact of a hit, which created the nasty cut over my eyebrow.

I remember the only noises I could hear was the noise from the impact of me landing on or against objects and the continous yelling. I remember holding my hands against the most sore and painful points and either not being able to touch the bruising or taking my hand away, to discover my fingertips were tainted with fresh blood from what I didn't realize where cuts.

But the overwhelming pain, the traumatic noise and the memories of the attack were nothing. Nothing compared to the pain which followed Daniel's outburst...

I remember crying, begging, pleading for Dan to help me, but all he did was take one last shocked look at me, turn around and walk out. I knew his anger caused his outburst... it was my fault. My mistake of not telling him triggered the anger, which lead to the attack, but the last look I got of him before he walked out, I saw the real Daniel. I could see it in his eyes. He was shocked and he just left. He could see that I was hurt, he could see that I was in pain, he could see what he had done, but no, he just turned around, walked out and acted as though nothing had happened.

That's what hurt me the most...

That's what left me wondering whether he even cared about me anymore and whether our relationship was even salvageable.

I loved Daniel, I really did and I would be more than willing to forgive him about this... if he was sorry. But he wasn't.

So, how's everyone feeling about Daniel now? I doubt that he's going to have very many supporters at the moment and some of you might even be wondering why the heck Bella's still with him, but in an upcoming deep & meaningful conversation, you'll see the more stable and loving side of their relationship.

Also, any Aussies out there heard about H&A star Dan Ewing's real life arrest and assault charges against his fiancee Marni last Tuesday?

Anyway, I would love to know what you thought. Reviews really mean the world to me and make my day!

Next chapter: Will & Zane make a very startling and confusing discovery... What is it and who is affected?