~prologue~
William held his breath as he heard the steps coming closer, praying that somehow, just tonight, Ethan would have forgotten about him. But, as always, the footsteps stopped in the hallway, just outside his bedroom door. He had no idea what he had done wrong this time, what he had done to deserve the usual punishment, but it didn’t matter. There was always something, no matter how hard he tried to be good, the man who had been married to his mother for as long as he could remember would always find a reason.
The door slammed open, so hard that it hit the wall behind and left a mark. He closed his eyes, knowing that he would be punished for that as well, even though it wasn’t his fault. The man would find a way to blame it on him, he always did. Resisting the urge to hide under the covers, knowing that hiding would only make things worse, he just lay there in bed, waiting for what he knew was about to come. It was the same thing almost every night, and tonight would be no different.
His stepfather; Ethan Rayne, sat down on the bed next to him. William could smell the alcohol, coming off him in waves, and didn’t know whether or not he should be relieved. He was only ten years old, but he had long since learned the meaning of being drunk. It could mean that the man was too tired to do things properly and would speed things up, wanting to get it over with so he could go to bed. But he also knew that the alcohol sometimes effected his stepfather’s temper in a bad way. He could be lucky and get away easy. But the years of experience told him that it wasn’t likely.
The first blow came as a total surprise, causing him to accidentally bite his tongue. He could feel the blood, both in his mouth and from the way it started trickling down his nose, but he didn’t register the pain. However, the fear caused his heart to start beating faster. The fact that Ethan had started hitting him without even explaining why was not a good sign; usually the man made a big show of letting him know what he was being punished for this time, the exact reason for every single punch, so that he would remember not to make the same mistakes again.
Another hard blow caused him to gasp for air, but apart from that, he remained silent. He would never give Ethan the satisfaction of seeing him cry, besides, he had learned the hard way that showing any sign of pain or fear would only make the punishment worse. Finally, the hitting stopped, and he felt relief welling up inside him. It hadn’t been too bad this time, only a few punches. He would probably be able to go to school again in a couple of days, not having to stay home a whole week like last time.
Then he heard the familiar sound of a zipper being pulled down, and the relief he had been feeling only moments before quickly got replaced with despair. He had been wrong, it was far from over. It was only the beginning…
***
~10 years later~
Spike Pratt reached for the bottle, quickly downing his third beer. The bartender glanced at him, but then turned his attention back to mixing his drinks. Spike looked around the room, debating with himself if he should leave, or order another beer. However, judging by the look the guy behind the bar had given him, he probably wouldn’t be allowed to order anything more, anyway. Sighing, he got up, turned around to leave, and accidentally bumped into two men about his age. They had each been carrying a drink, and now he cursed loudly when he realized that the contents in their glasses had splashed all over his black leather duster.
“Oh bollocks!” He glared at the guy closest to him. “Would you bloody watch where you’re going, you stupid wanker!”
The young man looked terrified, nervously mumbling an apology. It was something vaguely familiar about him, and Spike realized that the guy obviously recognized him as well. He had only lived in the states for two years, but had already earned himself quite a reputation. For a moment, he considered punching the little ponce, just to make a point, but decided against it. Instead he started to leave, but unfortunately, the guy’s much taller friend would have none of that.
Crossing his arms over his chest, the tall, blond guy did his best to look intimidating. “Hey, it was your fault, man! Apologize to my friend.”
Spike raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
The nervous guy gulped, and grabbed his friend’s arm. “It’s no big deal, Riley. Let’s just go.” He lowered his voice to a whisper; “Don’t you know who he is?”
Riley kept his attention on Spike. “Oh, I know exactly who he is. And I think it’s time that someone would teach him a lesson.” He took a step closer, and since he was almost a head taller than Spike, he got a smug look on his face. “Guess what? That someone would be me.”
Spike rolled his eyes, not the least bit frightened. He was a little annoyed though, just for once it would be nice to be able to go out without running into some pathetic loser who wanted a piece of him. He supposed that this night wouldn’t be different from most others. Sighing, he decided to make it quick and be done with it. Before Riley had the chance to even react, Spike punched him in the face, not hard enough to make him go down, but hard enough for blood to start flowing down his face. Yelling in pain, Riley brought his hand up to cover his bleeding nose. “Fuck! I think you broke my nose!”
“You asked for it, mate.” With that, Spike shoved him aside and headed for the exit, fully prepared to deliver another blow should Riley follow him. But obviously the guy had had enough, and he managed to leave the night club without any more inconveniences. Well outside, he decided to go home, intending to take a short cut through the dark alley behind the club. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the other man until he was just about to walk past him.
The man, who was large with wide shoulders and dark hair, was kneeling on the ground, something that Spike found a little strange. Though he assumed the guy was just drunk, until he suddenly looked up, scrambled to his feet and struggled to pull up his pants. Then Spike noticed the girl. She was trapped in the corner, trembling violently as she desperately tried to cover herself with her arms. She was almost naked.
TBC
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!