| JESSIE: Alex slammed the door to the downstairs area of the gym and shoved a chair under the door knob, then turned to me. "That's how you wanna play this?" he sneered again as I slipped my sweat jacket off. His eyes traveled over my body and he licked his lips, making my stomach churn violently. "I ALWAYS knew you weren't mine, you know.." he smiled maliciously, "If I had known you'd turn out like THIS, I might have been nicer to you." He lustfully looked me up and down and I felt like I would puke right then. I laughed at him instead. "NO wonder she left you too.." I told him. "I'd have gone lookin' for a REAL man too. She should have stayed with Jakey's dad.." A look of pure rage came over his face and he roared incoherently as he rushed at me. I crouched down and hit him low, flipping him over me, and I spun quickly to see where he landed and be ready for him to come at me again. "You ARE good, you little bitch...alot tougher than your mother ever was.." he grinned and strode toward me. I stepped back and got into fighting stance. "Let's just call a truce right now, you can dump the pretty boy, get your half of the money from Jake and let me handle it. I'll make you more famous than your rock star, Jess.." "In your dreams asshole...Jakey is my brother, and if you bring up MY HUSBAND again, I WILL be forced to kill you. I let you off easy for touching my sister.." He stepped forward and took a swing at me, I ducked and blocked it, then elbowed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "Is that all you want from me Alex, my money? You wasted your time. I don't have any. She left it all to Jake. Moron." He had his breath back by now and he came at me again, swinging wildly.. I found myself, blocking, punching, kicking and thinking absently that I could skip my workout again today. He couldn't fight very well, he was too angry and he kept coming at me in rage. I kept fighting back, though, knowing that as soon as I let my guard down he would try to kill me. I made that mistake only once, I wasn't about to let it happen again. |
| TAYLOR: I sped into the gym parking lot and let my truck skid to a stop next to Jake's. My brother's and I piled out of my truck and caught up with him, as he was just about halfway to the entry doors. My heart jumped in my chest, if he was just getting back here what the hell was happening with Jess? "Jake, " I said breathlessly, "Please tell me your meeting with Alex is over man.." "Tay? What the hell? No I haven't, I'm late. He should be here.." "FUCK!" I exclaimed. "She's HERE Jake..the girls came in with the kids while we were meeting with Ashley.." I bolted for the front doors. "DAMN IT!" he hollered and followed me closely, Zac and Ike not far behind him. As I smashed through the doors I ran into my sister, who was crying and shaken. "Jessica? Are you okay honey? What happened?" I listened in horror as she told me what happened, but I was proud of Jess for standing up to the asshole. But I also expected nothing less from her. "Jessie where is she?" I asked handing her gently to Ike. "Upstairs..he's yelling at her, we couldn't get in Tay...Watts tried...we can't get in..." I took the stairs three at a time and crashed into the door as Watts moved quickly out of my way, Jake two steps behind me. Zac followed and tried to help break the door in, with no results. "Holy shit Tay.." Zac exclaimed as he moved around to the thick glass wall on the other side. "She's kicking the living shit out of him..LOOK!" "Check on her Tay, I got this door.." Jake said, smashing his big heavy body against it, causing the hinges to creak and pull away from the wall, little by little. I looked through the glass and saw them. Jess was covered with sweat and her muscles were pumped, like they were when she was working out, or just getting ready for a photo shoot. Alex kept charging her and she would duck quickly and get out of the way, then lambaste him with a blow that would knock him to his knees or the wind out of him. "Zac...the door.." I said, riveted to my spot by the window, amazed at her strength and ability to defend herself, and torn between letting her kill the demon that woke her screaming in the night and running to save her, and make it go away for her. Zac was instantly behind Jake, and the two of them crashed into it at the same time, violently tearing the hinges from the door frame. I moved in a flash, tearing the door the rest of the way off it's hinges and shoving the chair that kept us out aside. I was in the room where my wife was fighting, completely focused on only that, to save her own life. I looked for an opportunity to smash that asshole on the head or break his fucking neck, something, without hurting Jessie in the process. I saw Jake move to the other side of the room, doing the exact same thing I heard my sister's voice and quickly looked to see Zac and Watts heard her quickly out of the room. I looked back at my wife, everything moving in slow motion now, and saw that she was becoming exhausted. That was it. |
| JESSIE: I heard the door crash open and caught sight of Tay on one side of me, Jake on the other as I continued to fight off Alex, who was almost humorous in his efforts to get at me. He was determined, if nothing else, and I was getting tired. Jake and Tay both moved cautiously, I knew they were waiting for an opportunity to jump in without my getting caught in the middle. I concentrated harder, trying to give them one, I was becoming more tired and concerned about my baby, but I also knew I could NOT stop. Alex jumped at me again and I crouched low, leaning back to one side and kicking his feet out from underneath him, then rolling quickly out of the way. As soon as he was on the ground I saw my husband lunge at him, grab him by the back of his neck and shove him in to a very hard, sturdy table. "IF YOU EVER SHOW YOUR FACE OR LAY A HAND ON MY SISTER OR MY WIFE AGAIN I WILL KILL YOU!! ASK THE GUY SITTING IN THE PEN!! YOU GOT IT!!" Taylor raged then kneed him in the stomach. I got to my feet and caught my breath as Taylor grabbed Alex by the throat and pinned him by the neck to the table. Jake was there in an instant. "Tay...stop man..you got enough legal problems..Jess wore him out and beat the shit out of him, he can't hurt her man..LOOK AT HIM." Jake took Tay away and I ran to him. "Tay...it's alright baby..look I'm fine.." I gasped, cupping his face in my hands. "The baby..Jess do you feel alright?" he asked and laid his hand on my stomach, then huged me close. "Baby's fine, Tay..it's okay.." I said and kissed him, wanting to calm him. His breath was still coming rapidly and his eyes never left Alex's as jake roughly stood him up and told him what a moron he was. "In case you haven't realized this yet..and most people who read fan magazines and yes even tabloids...KNOW THIS.." he said. "My sister is my best friend and so is my brother-in-law. We happen to be a very close family and if you fuck with one of us, you get to deal with the rest. As far as money? You don't get JACK SHIT, you idiot. There's also no statute of limitations when it comes to child abuse cases either. Jess could sue you and you'd wind up living in a fucking box on the street corner, or in the cell next to the last guy who tried to hurt her. And I can guarantee you that if I had known where Jess was and what she had to grow up with, you would not be alive to have this conversation. Now get outta my gym before you find yourself in court on physical brutal child abuse charges.." Jake shoved him toward the door. I leaned back against Taylor with his arms around me, then stepped away and looked at him in panic. "Tay! Jessica! Where is she? Is she alright? Oh god..." I started to run down the stairs to find her, but as soon as I was out of Tay's arms Alex turned and lunged at him. Taylor was not expecting it and suddenly he was on the ground, Alex's fist raised to hit him and I knew he was going to hit him in the face. "NOOOOOO JAAAAAAKKKKEEE!!!" I screamed, grabbed the chair theat Alex had used to block the door and swung it, crashing it down on the back of Alex's head as Taylor kicked him in the stomach and rolled away, out of the path of the fying debris as the chair broke apart and Alex slumped to the ground. Jake was next to me in a flash and I was on the floor with Tay, clutching wildly at him, holding him to me. "Baby..are you okay? Oh god..." I heard Jacob chuckle behind me. "Jess he's in more danger of you suffocating him..let him up.." he told me and grabbed my arms. "Jessie..Jess..I'm alright..holy shit baby.." he grinned at me and then nodded toward Alex's limp body, crumpled on the ground amidst the splintered chair. |