Chapter Eight: Was It Fate?


Ashlee yawned loudly as she pulled herself from the comfort of her bed. It was close to 8:30, but she was desperate for sleep. The morning was chilly, a soft breeze blowing in through the windows, providing a change from the usual hot blast Florida handed out. She breathed the air in deep, in her mind she could smell the ocean, se the bright blue waves crashing against the sandy beaches. She opened her eyes and smiled before she realized whoever was at the door was getting restless, knocking harder. She wrapped her gown around her and padded through the bedroom, across the living room to the door. She pulled the door open and frowned when she recognized who was on the other side.

"Go away Jacob" she huffed going to close the door again

He put his foot in the door and pushed it back open, wandering in uninvited.

"We need to talk" he announced flopping down on the faded couch Ashlee had borrowed from a friend.
"I have nothing but swear words to say to you, so just leave" she announced, hugging the gown around her.
"Yes you do" he growled "Sit"
"I don't take orders from you -"
"Sit your ass down bitch" he cussed

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick was roaming mindlessly through the downtown streets or Orlando. He'd not long ago taken Amanda to the studio, she'd be there a while and he was too distracted to stay there. He looked up at the tall apartment buildings to each side of him, some seemed a lot more worse for wear then what he'd pictured. Stone was crumbling, stairs stained with something he preferred not to know the origin of, people walked about him, brandishing smiles or frowns, kids played happily on the side walk. He paused for a moment, he really had no idea how it was he ended up this side of town.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Don't you ever talk to me like that" Ashlee announced through clenched teeth "get the hell out Jacob, I never want to see you again"
"You'll fucking do what I fucking tell you to" he hissed, standing from the seat
He walked up to her, as she backed against a wall.
"It's been a while huh?" he smiled, his alcohol infused breath pushing against her face, his hand traveled under her gown, caressing her leg, she slapped it back and struggled away from him. he grabbed her wrist and heavily flung her against the wall. She screamed loudly mostly out of shock.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two small boys stopped laughing on the sidewalk when the heard the scream. They blinked, remembering the nights they'd heard those screams in their own house. They were to look, they weren't to hear. They darted away, running down the street as fast as the could.

Nick heard the scream too, it was coming from one of the windows above him. he thought about running away, but something starred him up the stairs of the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Get off me" she screamed, scratching him with her unvarnished nails
"You do what I fucking tell you" he snapped, slamming her against the wall again, the back of her head knocking it with a thump

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At the 3rd floor Nick stopped and ran down the hall. He wasn't thinking straight as he ran, in fact he probably wasn't thinking at all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Please Jacob just go" she whispered, afraid to look into his venomous eyes
"Not till I'm done with you" he smiled, running his tongue along her exposed collarbone. His hand moved back to her thigh, rubbing it coarsely with his unloving hands. She tired to struggle, but his other hand had her pinned to the wall by her neck. She let out a few short coughs, he was strangling her. She begged for release, but he pushed her neck down harder. She managed to conjure up all her strength at let out a god beckoning scream.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick rushed to the door the second scream came from. He didn't bother to knock, running his body powerfully into the door, breaking it like a house of matchsticks.

He caught Jacob off guard, pulling him off the screaming and skating him across the floor. He landing a sharp punch against the side of his face knocking the surprised and half drunk Jacob to the floor in the daze. Nick spun around to face the girl he'd heard screaming, his eyes widened and he backed away in surprise.

"Ashlee?" he muttered
"Nick?" she replied, equally surprised as she tried to straighten his gown

Jacob picked himself slowly up off the floor.
"Nick, Behind" Ashlee announced as Jacob reached to garb him
Before Nick could react he'd landed a punch on the small of his neck, spinning him around sharply. They fell to the floor in a barrage of fists.

Jacob was a bigger build than Nick, and probably had more power. He pinned him to the floor and as he was about to send the final blow to Nick's face, Ashlee reached for a wooden chair and smashed it heavily on the back of Jacobs head knocking him cold.

She smiled weakly as she helped Nick up, his nose was bleeding, and his left eye red and puffy, that was definitely going to show tomorrow.
"I'm sorry" she muttered, walking to the fridge to get some ice.
"It's okay, really" Nick sniffed "I came in here" he smiled
"How did you know it was me?"
"I didn't, I don't know what made me come up here, I just did" he shrugged
Their eyes met intense with questioning, both with the same question on their minds, was it fate?


Chapter Nine
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