he called her the next day, he had gotten her number from one of his friends, and he knew he needed to help her.

all that he got was her answering machine, and her voice sounded so happy and much younger than she was now.

he wondered what had happened to make her so tired and worn now, even before she had told him the news, she had always seemed to hold the weight of the world in those beautiful eyes.

maybe she was as broken and shattered as he was.

after three more days, he decided to go out and find her, not knowing that she was no longer living at home.

he called his friends, started to walk around town, he searched until nightfall.

and that's when he found her.

curled up in nothing but a ratty shirt, in one of the worst alleyways in the city, was the beautiful girl.

she was unconscious, and as he approached her, he could see a large bruise on her delicate cheek.

it made him see red.

he gently scooped her up into his arms, whispering soothing words as she started to stir, and he slowly trudged home with her in his arms.

his father's car was not in the driveway when he got back, and he took her inside carefully.

she opened her eyes sleepily, and whispered a few incoherent words, before she fell unconscious once more.

a lifetime of taking care of his own injuries was how he knew to bandage and treat her wounds.

the baby bump was still there, and luckily there was no sign of it being harmed in any way.

thank god.

just as he had stripped of his shirt to go to bed, he heard the door open, and then slam shut.

she was lying on his bed.

his heart was pounding as he tried to hide her underneath sheets and blankets and pillows, but he couldn't seem to move fast enough, fear crippling him, fear for this innocent girl in front of him.

a silent tear fell down his cheek when a shadow appeared in front of his doorframe, blocking out all the dim light from the hallway.

please god.

he felt his heart pounding, thought it was so loud that his father could hear it.

but he heard the cold laugh from the man when he stalked into his bedroom, ripping away the sheets from the girl, a cruel smirk forming on his lips when he saw her.

please help.

he tried to shove his father away, but his father grabbed him by the throat, starting to choke him.

someone please.

The girl was starting to stir one more, and his father threw him against the wall like he was nothing. he was nothing, he was nothing, he knew he was nothing.

but she was something, something beautiful and his father was ripping her clothes off and there was screaming and shouting and oh god couldn't anyone help him, please, for he feared he couldn't save her.

an animalistic cry left his lips as he slammed into his father, the first time he had ever dared to fight back. he threw punch after punch, the taste of blood in his mouth, there was blood everywhere he looked, and he remembered screaming at her to go, get out, find somewhere safe, don't wait for him, just find help for herself, her and the baby, his baby, their baby, please!

and she ran for her life, tears running down her cheeks, clutching one of his shirts close to her bare body, slipping it on as she ran out into the night, illuminated only by the moonlight that shone from up above.