"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" He couldn't stop repeating it. I held the ice to my cheek, wincing at the pressure. His face mirrored my expressions, as if feeling all of my pain himself, tears still reddening his face. We sat on the couch downstairs, tending to my face.
My Link. It was hard to imagine that had been him, in the dark, hitting me without restraint. This beautiful man who sat before me wasn't the same guy. It couldn't be. My confusion obviously showed, because he looked down in shame.
"I... I have no excuses."
Part of me so very much wanted to find one for him, though. "Link, why... Rhett said you had done this kind of thing before. But... Why? Where did you learn this?" My heart and my head were giving me very different directions at the moment, but in this instance I listened to my heart. I knew with certainty that this man loved me. I knew he would never in his right mind hurt me, and that this behavior was not him. Whatever had triggered his reaction up there had been the real enemy. My head screamed at me the entire time, and it took every bit of self control to ignore it.

He just hit you, to HURT you, and you're staying? How stupid can you be?

Link put his head in his hands. After a few deep breaths, he was able to start. "My uh- my sitter used to hit me, growing up." He spoke as if it were painful for him. I watched as he struggled to choke out the words, swallowing sobs, obviously with difficulty. "The things she would do... I was like a punching bag... Mom never knew. She would tell her I fell playing outside or something. And I was too much of a coward to say anything." His eyes closed, as if remembering. My one good eye was wide, unable to believe my ears.
"One day, she took me to the basement... Told me to take off my pants, and do things to her, and she would do things to me..." He grimaced, wiping his eyes with his palms. "Anyway, she beat me to a pulp that day, when she was done. I got a concussion. She told Mom that some kids had beat me up, but Mom finally realized something was going on..."
I had heard enough. I moved closer to him, putting my arm around his shoulder, tears falling for that little boy. He looked at me and shook his head.
"Sometimes, I just get so... It just takes me back. It's like I'm not even in my own body anymore. All of a sudden I feel all those things I felt back then: the anger, the fear...It doesn't happen a lot anymore like it used to. I was getting better, with Rhett's help...He kept me in the present and focused." He looked pitiful, his anguish tearing my heart in two. "I hated women for a long time. I'd use them, usually just be a little rough with them, sometimes I would lose control. Rhett brought me back. He helps me control it. And then you came along."
"Des... I love you. You have to believe that..." He trailed off, looking distant. "I'm sick. You shouldn't feel afraid when you are with me. You're the first woman I've really actually cared for, that I haven't wanted to hurt, and now that I have... Oh God, I hate myself for it."
I struggled to digest what he was telling me. A borderline pyschopathic Link was not what I'd expected. His damage, his inner struggle was so well hidden that there wasn't even a hint of it day to day. Now, knowing that I was the only female he hadn't wanted to hurt, that he had desires to do these things... It was a lot to take in.
His relationship with Rhett made so much more sense, now. Even when they had explained it, it hadn't hit home. Now that I'd become a victim of it, a part of the struggle, I felt an even more intense wish that Rhett was there with us.
Link looked at me with pleading eyes. "Please. Please Desiree. I'll never- I'll never hurt you again. Please forgive me." He knelt in front of me and put his head on my knees.
My heartstrings thrummed again with that familiar tug. Cautiously, I touched his hair. I began to run my fingers through it. "Link, you could have seriously injured me. More than this."
He murmured his acknowledgement.
"You are going to have to earn my trust back. I'll stay, but we are being careful from now on, and one more INKLING that something is off and I'm gone." It was more than I should have allowed.
His face lifted to look at me, his tears turning into joyful ones. "Thank you." He said quietly.
...

That night, we crawled into bed, with a small distance between us. I still couldn't quite bring myself to let him touch me too much. My face throbbed in a painful reminder. I fell into a restless sleep.

My hand hurt. She was pulling me hard. We walked down into the darkness. Her words were muffled, but I obeyed her, knowing what she wanted me to do. She touched me, where I knew she wasn't supposed to. I was crying, and she hit me. I couldn't fight her, I was too small, too weak. She began to hit me more, more until I couldn't stand up...

"Link!" I cried, sitting up. The pounding in my head caused me to fall back to the pillows.
Link woke with a start and rolled towards me. "What- what is it? Are you okay?" He reached to comfort me tentatively, not knowing if I was ready yet. I buried myself in his arms.
"Link, I love you." I began to cry into his chest. His musky scent enveloped me, somehow feeling safe, familiar. My sympathy for him was overwhelming. His story had disturbed me to my core, and the dream had felt so vivid... I knew that I needed to hold on for him.
He sighed with relief. "I love you," he said softly, "So much. And I'm going to prove it to you."

...

The bruising was horrific. The entire left side of my face was different shades of purple and blue. The swelling had gone down with the help of some Ibuprofen, but there was no hiding this with make up. I greeted the shocked stares at work with the explaination of falling down the stairs at my house; after my clumsiness yesterday, it was a believable story.
Link clicked the icon to start the Skype with Rhett. "All right, how goes it, buddy?"
"So get this- my great great great great however many greats grandfather's name was Loche. Isn't that a great name?" Rhett exclaimed.
"Sure?" Link responded.
Rhett was excited. His eyes twinkled like a schoolboy's. "So the great Loche was the only guy willing to stand up to the Dragon. Got his whole town to set up traps for him. As soon as the Dragon guy showed up, they were ready for him, and were able to capture him."
Link smiled as he joked, "So, your great whatever grandfather was a home defense guy. Like an alarm system entrepreneur."
Rhett thought about that a second. "Well, I guess if you put it THAT way..." The two men laughed. "He was a home defense genius!"
Rhett continued, "That was the beginning, though. There are a bunch of legends that stemmed from that. My research the next couple days is going to be over those."
I jumped as I heard my name mentioned. "I found stuff for Desiree, Stevie, Chase, Alex- you are ALL getting some pretty cool souvenirs when I get back!"

...

There were roses on my desk. I looked around, closed the door, and stepped close to examine them. The card read, "I love you." Of course he hadn't signed it, that would have been too risky at work. I couldn't help but smile. He was trying.
I received a text on my phone.

I would like to take you to dinner. Can you be ready by 7? - Link

Wow. He is REALLY trying.

That sounds lovely. Yes, I'll be ready. - Dizzy