*Trigger warning- mention of abuse* Rated M for depiction of abuse, language.
A/N So this chapter totally was meant to be up yesterday but I got home that afternoon and rather than facing the responsibilities of being an adult and then sitting down to write this, I opted to take a nap like a three year old before I had to make dinner for the family. Ooops. So I didn't get the finish this chapter off until today, so sorry about that guys. To make up for it this is a longer chapter for you all.
Okay, so as some of you may be aware the site had some issues the other day and reviews weren't showing up for quite some time. I spent ages going back and trying to make sure that I answered all of them- but I fear I may have missed a few in between answering them and all the PM's (thanks so much for them btw). So if I have, I sincerely apologise and please let me know and I will happily rectify the situation.
Reviews:
I3VauseMan: Firstly, yes I did receive your review. As I can't PM you, I left a comment in the review section telling you I had, so hopefully you saw that. On to your review, yay for now knowing what happened to Danny. I was hoping that the hints in the last chapter pushed everyone over the edge and made them understand. I sincerely apologise for ruining your perception of the muffin, it was never my intention and I hope that with some intense therapy you can work through it and return back to its joys and comfort. Yay for liking the flashbacks, doing it this way makes it so much easier for me to add depth and understanding without writing some long arse overloading paragraph. Exactly, we all need our own Alex and hugs to anyone who has or is currently suffering under anything similar to this. *Raises my coke zero to another excellent review*. Thanks for the song, listened to it whilst writing this chapter.
Guest: Aww thank you, much love back to you too.
Hammo59: Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully you like this chapter as well.
Enough of my ramblings and onto the chapter….
…..
They sit in complete silence, the only sound that can be heard is the faint drumming from the traction of the tyres as they turn on the pavement of the road below. Piper eyes are locked firmly away from Alex's as she stares out the glazed car window, her mind and body tumbling internally at the thought of just where she was willingly headed. Piper had known for days that this event was going to occur, yet, she still found herself each day praying internally that it was some sick and twisted nightmare she was yet to awaken from.
Alex hands grasp the black leather bound steering wheel tightly, her eyes sneaking quick concerned glances towards her girlfriend, who appears to be turning a shade paler with every mile they get closer to their destination. Piper had become unusually quiet in the days leading up towards this dreaded return to her childhood home, Alex finding that not even Nicky's efforts could rile the blonde from her trance like state.
Once Nicky had discovered the details of the events that had transpired, she was quick to offer to return 'home' with Piper as well, wanting to help act as the girl's own personal anchor, fearing the emotional damage this trip could potentially cause her best friend. True to Piper's dismissive form, she rejected this offer, even going as far as to inform Alex that she shouldn't feel obligated to return with her and could even recant her previous acceptance if she felt she had more important things to attend to. Alex had dismissed this immediately, seeing a small amount of relief flood Piper's eyes before she quickly recovered, once again locking her emotions deep down within, willing herself to delay the inevitable meltdown of emotional turmoil she would most probably suffer.
After Alex's reassurance that she would indeed come with Piper, she had remained at Piper's side, even sleeping at her apartment and comforting her through each of the ever-growing frightening dreams she was experiencing in the lead up to today. When they had woken up this morning, Alex could tell Piper was beginning to shut down under the weight of the events the day would bring, the light that usually encompasses her bright blue eyes now slowly fading into a dull oblivion. With a final check of the belongings in the car and a silent promise to Nicky to keep her updated on Piper's condition, they had set off on the journey back towards Piper's own personal hell.
"Pipes," Alex whispers softly, placing her hand on her girlfriend's toned thigh, causing her to jump slightly at the touch, her mind temporarily snapping out of its current daze.
"Mmm, sorry," Piper mumbles, bringing her eyes up to meet Alex's, her girlfriend's lips turning up into a small sympathetic smile, her heart silently burning at the sight of the apparent emotional pain Piper was in. An intense need began to fill Alex, a need to kiss away the tortured pain that was so clearly evident on her girlfriends face. Alex refrains from acting upon this need, knowing that space was the best thing for Piper in this state, having learnt early on that too much comfort could result in Piper feeling suffocated.
"You want anything?" Alex asks Piper as she removes her seatbelt, Piper only suddenly becoming aware that they were now stopped at what appeared to be a small gas station. Piper shakes her head in response, her stomach churning at the thought of ingesting any food.
Alex frowns slightly, concerned that she had not seen her girlfriend eat a proper meal since before her younger brother's phone call days prior. Pulling the handle, Alex steps herself from the car and makes her way to the shop's entrance, her arms wrapping themselves around her torso as she huddles her way through the misty rain that has begun to fall.
Piper watches Alex disappear into the shop before turning around and once again gazing her eyes out from the window. Her eyes begin to focus upon the other patrons of the station as they go about their business, before her breath suddenly catches in her throat and her heart begins to pound rapidly in her chest. The bile in her stomach begins to rise as she stares towards the man, who shares an uncanny resemblance to her late father, his body the same disgusting round shape and cheeks displaying the same red flush that her fathers would show because of his abuse of alcohol. The distinct memory of the smell of alcohol begins to flood her senses, her stomach reacting violently to the invasion and recollection. Piper hands desperately fumble at the door handle, only having enough time to fling the door open and shift her body out slightly before she is violently sick, her empty stomach lurching under the nervous weight of the memory of her father.
Piper continues to retch a few times before she can feel a familiar hand rubbing soothingly at her back and a body crouched in front of her, feet spread apart in an effort to avoid the small mound of bile that lies on the floor of the parking lot. A few more silent moments pass before Alex's speaks, her hand shifting towards the nape of Piper's neck. "You okay now Pipes?"
With her eyes still firmly trained on the ground before her, she nods her head slightly, the nauseous feeling in her stomach slowly descending as her nose takes in the familiar comfort that is Alex's perfume. Taking a deep breath, Piper raises her head, her eyes meeting Alex's, pure concern laced within her green orbs. Silently, Alex reaches into the small plastic bag and pulls out a drink, removing the cap and offering it to a grateful Piper, who takes it without hesitation, the taste of bile removing itself from her mouth with each small sip.
As Piper lowers the drink to her lap, Alex takes her free hand and brushes a few sweaty strands of hair from her face, her eyes looking lovingly into Piper's, the silent gesture speaking so loudly. Feeling a sudden emotional exhaustion hit her and finding herself in need of comfort, Piper leans her head forward and rests it against Alex's forehead, the two remaining silent as they wait for Piper's erratic breathing to slow.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex whispers, her voice soft as she attempts to not push the blonde to discuss whatever emotional trigger had caused the attack, understanding just from Piper's face the nerves and emotions that were presently flowing through her body.
Piper shakes her head against Alex's, wanting nothing more than to push the projected memory far away from her mind, silently hoping that this was the worst of what was to come as a result of this trip. Understanding, Alex leans forward and gives Piper a soft kiss on the side of her neck, before pulling back and gently helping her shift her body back into the seat, leaning over to fasten her seatbelt before shutting the door. Alex walks around the car quickly, opening the door and hopping into her seat before turning the keys in the ignition. She pulls the car out of the parking lot and continues on to their destination, a small amount of fear and concern for her girlfriend creeping into her stomach as she does.
….
They arrive at the front of the seemingly normal house a little after noon, its past horrors masked behind the discoloured front door and closed mint coloured curtains. Piper notes its lack of change over the last five years, the only tell-tale sign is the now un-mowed lawn and ever-growing population of weeds that are beginning to form in the small front garden patch.
Piper stares towards its entrance, her mind wandering to the past as she focuses on its faded door.
A light knocking on the front door causes Piper's father to grumble in his sleep, his large body reclined back in his blue fabric arm chair, as he attempts to sleep off the upcoming hangover from that day's incessant drinking. His stumpy hands firmly grip the near empty bottle of low-quality vodka he had drunkenly purchased merely hours before.
A young teenaged Piper tip toes towards the front door, inherently fearful of waking her sleeping father, her busted lip and bruised stomach still burning from his earlier 'welcome home', after she had accidentally transferred a small amount of mud from her shoes and onto the indoor mat. She slowly eases the front door open, her heart stopping as she hears an audible creak for its hinges. She snaps her head quickly back in the direction of her unmoved father and sighs a breath of relief, before turning her attention to the person at the door.
"Nicky," Piper breaths out in confusion, clearing having forgotten that she had agreed to go to the local park with her best friend earlier in the day.
Nicky takes in a small shocked breath as she looks at her best friend's cut lip, her eyes filling with anger and hate for the man she knew was responsible. "Pipes, you okay?" Nicky asks concerned, her eyes falling towards her friend's body as she shifts uncomfortably against her lean on the door, pain clearly radiating through her small frame.
Piper simply nods, not trusting the use of her voice, fearing that she would potentially break down under her friends caring words. Piper knew Nicky had long suspected what would go on behind the closed doors of the Chapman household, even once gasping as she witnessed the bruises that had littered her torso during one of their sleepovers. Whilst Nicky had suspected, Piper never confirmed her suspicions, the fear too great from her father's words of what would happen to her or her brother's told anyone about the abuse.
Piper hears the distinct grumble of her father as he begins to waken from his slumber, cursing at the lack of alcohol that was presently available to him, not understanding, or caring, that he was to blame for it. Fearing of being in the pathway of his raging wrath, Piper mumbles a quick goodbye to her friend, before quietly shutting the door and racing towards her bedroom, hoping to find solace from whatever mistake her father would believe she had committed and return to add yet another marking to her.
"Pipes," Alex whispers as she cuts off the engine, turning her full attention towards her frozen girlfriend who continues to stare towards the door of the home in front of them. Alex slowly reaches out, placing her hand at the back of Piper's neck, feeling the skin underneath shaking at whatever memory her girlfriend was remembering.
Feeling Alex's warm touch, Piper shifts her attention back to the present, locking her fearful eyes with those of her concerned girlfriend, who smiles comfortingly at her. Stroking the back of Piper neck soothingly, Alex lets Piper begin to calm before speaking again. "Are you ready to go?" she asks, noticing the small hatchback that was already parked in the driveway indicating Piper's younger brother had already arrived.
Piper takes a deep breath, before nodding slowly and turning to exit from the door of the vehicle. Piper shakily walks her way around the car and steps up from the kerb and onto the sidewalk that lies in front of the house. Piper stills, her feet locking in place as if they don't want to allow her to move towards the object that had haunted her for so many years.
Piper feels Alex interlace her fingers in her own, the warmth of her hand, providing a small amount of relaxing comfort as her nerves fly into overdrive. Piper turns her head to face Alex, who gives her a reassuring smile and squeeze of the hand, patiently waiting for Piper to take the first steeling steps towards the front door. Keeping their hands intertwined, Piper takes a small step forward and places a small kiss on Alex's lips, before pulling back and resting her forehead against Alex's. "Let's go," Piper whispers out in a small nerved voice, turning and beginning to slowly take the dreaded walk up the pathway, the heat of Alex's body providing the only sense of comfort.
Arriving at the door, Piper takes a deep breath in before knocking soundly, hearing the shuffling of footsteps immediately coming from behind the door before it is wretched upon the reveal a tall, well-built man whose scruffy, plump face hides the same blue eyes as her own.
"Pipes," the man beams at the sight of his sister, before stepping forward and eloping her into a bone crushing hug, pooling every missing moment from the last few years into that embrace.
Letting go from the warmth of Alex's hand, Piper returns the hug, in that moment loving the feeling of having her baby brother in her arms regardless of the circumstances or horrific memories it might bring. Piper had missed Cal immensely, knowing that their minimal contact was not out of a lack of love, but rather the understanding of the difficulty each other's presence could be considering the abuse they had faced together.
The two siblings continue to embrace, Alex smiling as she watches the reunion, never having seen Piper react to another person the way she responded to Cal. Alex felt her heart warming and she hoped that the presence of this man could mean that Piper would be okay, that she wouldn't suffer as greatly under the weight of this trip.
Pulling back from the hug, Piper winds her hand back with Alex's before beaming towards her brother, feeling the overwhelming urge to show off her company for the first time in her life. "Cal this is Alex, my girlfriend," she says proudly towards her brother before turning to Alex. "Alex this is Cal, my shithead little brother."
The three laugh at Piper's description, Cal immediately offering his hand to shake Alex's spare, clearly beaming at the fact that his previous serial dating sister had finally found someone to settle her down, and a hot someone at that. Alex shakes his large hand firmly. "Nice to meet you, Cal. I just hope it was under better circumstances," Alex says politely, fearing that an 'I'm sorry for your loss' wouldn't be appropriate considering Piper's nonchalant reaction to the news of the death of her mother.
Nodding before releasing her hand, Cal steps to the side and gestures for the two girls to enter the home, Piper's breathing spiking slightly at the thought. Alex gives Piper's hand another reassuring squeeze, prompting Piper to take a deep breath in and step over the threshold. Piper can feel her stomach churning as she walks down the long hallway and, knowing the layout of the double storey home well, she pulls herself and Alex towards the living room. Entering the living space, Piper watches as an unknown brunette perks up and stands herself from the 3 seater couch and walks towards her, a welcoming smile on her face.
"Pipes, this is my girlfriend, Neri," Cal speaks from behind her before stepping around her and placing an arm around Neri's waist. "Neri, this is my sister Piper and her girlfriend Alex."
Neri continues to smile and offers her hand, a wave of relief rushing over Piper at the fact that she had not attempted to hug her, secretly believing that Cal may have warned her not to considering he knew Piper wasn't too keen on the whole intimacy thing unless she felt extremely comfortable with the person. Piper shakes her hand before stepping aside to let Alex, her eyes falling upon the large blue recliner that still occupies the room, even after all this time. Piper's eyes directly fall upon the small dark stain that rests in the fabric of the arm.
"You fucking little shits," Piper's dad bellows from the lounge, causing the three siblings to freeze at the dinner table, their plates of food quickly becoming untouched as the clanking of forks echoes through the room. They all look between each other, fear riddling all three sets of eyes as they hear the loud thumping of the footsteps coming down the hall and towards the dining room.
Piper's father bursts through the archway of the room, his body already in a fit of drunken rage. "Okay, which one of you little fuckers was it?" he demands, the siblings giving him a look of confusion as they struggle to understand the reason behind his sudden anger.
The lack of response only further infuriates their father, who face is now red in pure anger. "Which one of you little arseholes spilt something on the arm of my chair," Piper's father yells before turning to her. "I bet it was you, you fucking bitch," he spits out, taking a step towards a cowering Piper, his fists raised.
Danny immediately stands, stepping protectively in between his father and his sister. "Dad, it wasn't us. We don't go near that chair as it's yours and we all know that," he tries to reason, his small hands held up cautiously, trying to convey to his father that he was not a threat and hoping in vain that he would begin to calm under his explanation. "You might have spilt your drink last night when you fell asleep," Danny continues, knowing that this is the only explanation as to why his father's favourite chair would be stained.
Piper watches terrified as her father's focus turns from her towards her older brother. In one swift movement, he swings his arms and backhands Danny square across the face, causing the scrawny teenager to fall to the floor instantly moaning as he grabs the side of his face. Showing no regard for his injured son, Piper's father steps over his body and picks up one of the untouched plates of food and hurls it at Piper's head, Piper ducks just in time, before the plate crashes loudly against the pale wall behind her head.
Piper quickly moves from her seat, ducking under her father's arm, him unable to move quick enough to grab her in his drunken and swaying state. In pure fear, Piper runs as fast as she can towards the protectiveness of her bedroom, her father's booming footsteps banging loudly close behind her as he attempts to catch her.
Entering her bedroom, Piper slams the door shut as fast as she can and flips the small lock, praying that it will hold the door closed long enough for her father to tire and decide to make his way back towards the lounge for another drink. Piper braces her back up against the door, tucking her knees into her chest, tears falling freely from her terrified blue eyes as she hears the sounds of his booming footsteps stop outside her door.
Piper feels her body lurch forward under the sheer force of his body slamming against the wooden door, it rattling heavily under the strain. He slams into the door again and again, each bang causing Piper to sink further into a pure fear of what would happen if he managed to get it open. The banging continues and Piper can hear a string of profanities being hurled towards her through the door, the disgusting man always finding the need to remind her how useless he believed she was.
Slinking away from the door, Piper curls herself onto her bed, pulling her pillow over her head in an effort to distance herself from the noise and closes her eyes and prays that that door remains closed.
Piper can feel the bile rise once again in her stomach as she recounts the memory, knowing that the chair would be the first thing to be thrown away in their efforts to empty their mother's home. Fearing she may vomit, Piper quickly excuses herself and darts towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her before dry retching over the old toilet.
Realising nothing would come up, Piper attempts to calm herself before standing up and walking towards the small hand basin, turning its tap and splashing some cold water on her face. Looking in the mirror at her broken form, Piper takes a deep breath before standing and turning the knob of the door, having the intention to join the other three back in the living room.
Walking from the door, Piper begins her way back down the long hallway she had just practically sprinted up. She suddenly stops in front of one the rooms, having not comprehended that she had passed it in her frenzied state. Looking at the small blue letters on the door, Piper's heart drops as she reads the words.
Danny's Room…..
A/N Ugh seriously, is anyone else loving this ridiculously caring version of Alex as much as I am? Big things to come in this next chapter- the Danny situation will be explained. So far a fair few of you have guessed correctly so your cookies are in the mail. Everyone seemed to agree upon the use of the flashbacks, so I have decided to continue to use them to provide a bit more depth and understanding into Piper's life.
Quick question for you all about stuff happening later on which I am now beginning to plan for- Does anyone have any preferences for any future dates between the two girls to show a bit more of their relationship dynamics? I have a few cute ideas floating around in my head, one involving a carnival double-date with a certain annoying sex interrupting friend, but I want to know if you guys have any 'dream' dates you would like me to have a go at portraying. I would love to hear your suggestions, so either leave it in your review or shoot me a PM. Thanks in advance.
I have been asked this quite a bit so might just quickly answer it here for you all. Yes, I have every intention of delving into Alex's backstory and establishing her more as a character. I'm only currently focused on Piper at the moment (because I feel she needs all the attention) and once all the drama of Chapman household visit is done, I'll be having a few chapters which will focus on the establishment/development of Alex.
Also, would love to hear your feedback on this chapter. It was originally was a slight filler, but I developed it a bit more as it was needed to help set up the events of next chapter. I hope you all still liked it.
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