Back To Bed

Chapter 2

------- Laura's Memories -------

"What are you doing, Laura?" His rough voice demanded. A bottle of whiskey, half empty in his left hand, and nothing but anger in his right.

"I'm cooking dinner, Jeff," I started to say "It's almost finished, would you like some-"

"What is it," he demanded, lumbering into the kitchen.

"P-pasta. I-it's chicken alfredo,"

He sighed in frustration, and advanced on me, pulling back his right hand full of anger to strike my face. The stroke fell, and I clattered back into the counter. I turned my head away, for fear of receiving another lash.

"You know damn well, that I hate it when you make that," he yelled. Tears streamed down my face, and the blackish purple mark of hate began to surface on my cheek.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Please. I'm sorry," I sobbed, as my knees gave way and I crouched in a puddle on the floor. I didn't expect it, when he threw the glass whiskey bottle at the floor in front of me. Effectively showering my body with broken glass, and whiskey that stung the open cut on my leg made by the glass. And with that he left the kitchen.

-------------Dean ----------------

I was almost regretting asking Laura to tell me how Jeff had hurt her. She only told me one abuse story, but even that was enough to send shivers down my spine.

"I guess I know why you were so afraid when you saw him in the store, then," I said. We were sitting together on the couch, Sam sitting in the arm chair.

"You don't know the half if it... That was a relatively good day,"

"That was a good day?" Sam asked sadly.

"He usually beat me more..." She paused for an unending second then added "he'd touch me... Hurt me..."

"Why didn't you leave? Like before we came and took you away?" I asked as gently as I could.

"I had no where to go. I didn't have a job, Jeff didn't want me to work... Said he didn't want people looking at me," she wiped her eye, and leaned a little more into my chest. "I...I couldn't go home... Because that's where my dad was..."

Tears streamed down her face, as she stopped talking.

"Shhh shhh shhh, you don't have to keep going baby. You can stop now,"

"No," she said. "There's something else you need to know,"

"Tell us," Sam urged her.

"Wh-when the two of you offered to take me with you. I went back to the apartment. And he was waiting for me,"

"He beat you for being around us." I said without thinking.

"Yeah.... But be-before that, I said it was over. And that I was going with you, and never coming back. He yelled and screamed terrible things. And then beat me. He said if I left that he would find me and bring me back. That he would kill the people keeping me from him,"

She stopped to take some deep breaths. I rubbed her shoulder affectionately, she reached up her hand to hold it. I took it as a sign to stop, but that changed when she pulled my hand and my arm with it under her arm and around to rest over her stomach. She laced her delicate fingers in mine.

"Why did he want you to stay so badly? I mean... Come on... It's a little weird," Sam pointed out.

"I was too weak to stand up to him... And too dependent on his income... He could use me in whatever way he desired, and I could do anything about it,"

It was quiet for a very long time. Until Sam spoke up again.

"Did he..." He started. "Did you..."

"Take my virginity? Yeah..." She hung her head.

It went quiet again. Silently I was making plots of violent murder for Jeff, I was about to voice my thoughts, but the words caught in my throat when Laura spoke again,

"The worst part is. I let him do it. It wasn't even abuse yet. It was under a false sense of security and affection,"

And that's when it hit me. Why I hate Jeff so freakin much. It wasn't that he was hurting her, it wasn't even that, Laura was my girlfriend now. It was that, he started out trying to fix her.

Help her move on from her abusive dad.

And that's when all the gears clicked into place, that's why it took her so long to accept Sam and I's friendship... I know I was taking my time with the "emotional" bit, for my own reasons I was getting through my own crap, I knew she was wading through her own issues. But I never knew just how bad the hurt was for her. And now I just feel guilty, because I didn't know all this time.

As if sensing my guilt she looked up at me, catching my gaze and holding it. Her small had gave mine a squeeze,

"It's okay, Dean. I wasn't ready for you to know. I didn't even know I was ready until just now,"

I smiled at her, finding happiness in how far she was come sense then. And the small kiss she left on my cheek just made it all the better.

It's been a few days sense Jeff came to the house, sense then he's stopped calling, but now he's watching the house. And throwing stones at Laura and I's window. This morning, he knocked on the door. Thank Chuck, Sam opened the door... Because if it had been me, I would have ripped out his throat.

Sam said he had tried diplomacy, and just wanted to "talk" to Laura. But Sam wouldn't have it.

But as the conversation wrapped up, and we were about to put in a movie.... There was a knock at the door, impulsively i wanted to toss Laura off of me, and rip Jeff's head off. But instead, Laura stood up, wiped her face. And made for the door.

No one said a word. Until the door opened.