By the time Alana reached her apartment, she was going in and out of consciousness every five seconds. She kept feeling for the gash on the side of her head, feeling blood trickle out every time. Her vision was blurred and she could barely see where she was going. She let out groans and whimpers as she limped to her door, tears still pouring out of her eyes. She raised her hand to the door and she knocked as hard as she could, a cough emitting from her. She could barely breathe from the amount if hits she took to her stomach, and she couldn't feel the left side of her face anymore.

"Laurent," she called weakly. She heard the TV on behind her door and she knocked louder. Seconds later, the TV stopped and she took that chance to call his name again.

"Laurent," she sobbed, feeling a sharp pain spread through the lower part of her body. She heard the lock click and the door opened quickly, revealing Laurent, who's expression changed from worried to shocked.

"Shit," he swore under his breath, catching Alana as she fell into him. He held her up carefully, dragging her into the apartment slowly. Alana whimpered loudly and Laurent kicked the door shut, his eyes never leaving Alana's face.

"Baby," he said softly, shifting her so she was facing him. When she cried out, he flinched a little, deciding to lay her down on the couch, throwing off anything that was on it. He laid her down carefully, making sure he didn't hurt her. Her small hand reached for his and he held it, her small fingers wrapping around his big ones tightly.

"Laurent," she cried, looking up at him with pained eyes. He looked away from her quickly, knowing that if he did look at her, the only thing he'd be worried about was slaughtering the person who did it to her. "I-I... I can't.."

"Shh," he hushed, attempting to take off her work clothes. Her shirt was covered in blood he could only assume was hers, and he wanted to rip it off of her, but he didn't. He tried to lift it up but she winced and moved away from him, curling into a ball slightly. He watched as tears fell from her eyes when she closed them and he shut his eyes, trying his best to ignore the feeling the rushed through him. He could already feel his hands begin to shake as he thought about getting ahold of the fucked up person who hurt his girl.

Don't, he thought to himself, attempting to calm himself down. He looked at Alana again, but this time, she wasn't moving anymore. She was completely still.

"Baby?" He said, shaking her a little bit. She didn't respond, and Laurent started to panic. He immediately reached for her neck, putting his fingers on the spot under her chin. He felt a wave of relief wash over him when he felt her pulse beat against his fingers, indicating that she had only passed out. He ran a hand through his hair and he picked her up slowly, carrying her to her room. He looked down at her briefly, watching as her chest rse and fell at a steady pace.

He looked away from her, his eyes burning with tears. He blinked them back quickly, clenching his jaw. He walked over to her bed and he laid her down gently, making sure that she was lying straight.

"Who do this to you, baby?" He said, his voice breaking at the sight of her. She was almost unrecognizable with the cuts on her face, and he felt the tears slip out of his eyes, rolling down his face. He shook his head wildly and he backed away from her, his eyes staying glued to her body. A sigh left his lips and he looked down at her, his eyes twitching just the slightest.

"Whoever do this," he said, clenching his jaw. "I promise you, I will kill them."

☯

Alana woke up around four o'clock in the morning, drenched in a cold sweat. She could feel all of the pain from earlier slowly coming back to her, creeping inside of her from her head to her toes. She winced slightly as she attempted to peel her eyes open, her breathing coming out ragged as she did. Her lips were dry and so was her throat, and her lungs were damn near screaming for some, any, type of liquid.

She craned her neck to the side, trying to see her surroundings through the thick darkness, but to no avail. It was cold and hot at the same time, but she couldn't even shift  herself so she could be comfortable. She turned her head back to it's original position and she tried to sit up, but the pain bubbling inside of her midsection prevented her form even sitting up an inch. She laid back down slowly, a whimper leaving her lips.

She felt someone shift beside her and she stiffened when a hand touched her face, but the warmth that radiated from it made her relax.

"Alana?" Laurent said quietly, sitting up next to her. He supported himself on his elbow, his thumb running over her cheek as gently as he could. "How you feeling?"

"Bad," she replied hoarsely. "My throat is dry."

Laurent nodded and he slid out of the bed on the opposite side, standing to his feet. He walked towards her bathroom and he stepped inside of it walking to her sink. Alana heard him moving something around before the faucet turn on and cut off as quick as it did. Laurent strided back over to her bed afterwards, climbing onto it again.

"Here you go, baby," he said, holding the cup to her lips. Alana's lip touched the rim of the cup a little, allowing the water to pour into her mouth and slide down her throat. The water soothed the dryness that she felt and she shut her eyes as she finished the rest of it. Laurent removed the small cup from her lips and she licked her lips slowly, a cough escaping her lips.

"Thank you," she said quietly. He could see her face a little bit due to the streetlights shining through the blinds, but he decided to turn the lamp on to get a better look. He reached over her carefully, turning the lamp on. She flinched at the sudden light source, but she got used to it after a few seconds, her eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"I clean you up earlier," Laurent said, placing the cup on the night stand. "When you passed out, I cleaned you cuts and I gave you a bath and fresh clothes. I hope they comfortable, chéri."

"Thank you, Laurent," she said sweetly.

"Who do this to you, baby?" He asked, worry crossing over his features.

"I don't want to say it," Alana said, tears pricking her eyelids. "I don't want you to hurt them, and go back down that bad road again."

Laurent shook his head, a sigh leaving his lips. "I won't, princess. Just tell me, okay?"

Alana nodded and she tried to sit up again, this time having the help of Laurent. He sat her up against her pillows gently, making sure her back didn't touch the headboard.

"I was," Alana started. "I was sitting at my computer before my shift had ended. Everyone else left, so it was just me. I started to pack my things when I heard Matthew talking to me -"

"Matthew?" Laurent said bitterly, his hands balling into fists. Alana nodded and she sighed, continuing.

"He told me that he was expecting you to be there and I said that you obviously weren't. He started to tell me about how you beat him up, causing him to take off of work. I didn't really care until he said he was going to back at you, and I asked him what he meant. Then he grabbed his crotch and I just wanted to leave at that point. When I tried to... he grabbed me and he threw me against the desk and he punched me in my face."

Alana peeked up at Laurent when he shifted so that he was sitting at the edge of the bed, his jaw clenching hard. Laurent felt like he knew where she was going with her story, and he prayed to God that Matthew didn't do what he assumed.

"He, um," she said quietly. "He tried to take my pants off but I kept kicking him and trying to hit him. The whole time he kept dodging them. He had flipped me over on the desk after that, and he managed to get my pants off. When he got to my underwear, I tried to squirm so that he couldn't touch me, but he grabbed my hair and slammed my head on the desk. I couldn't even do anything after that... my vision had blurred as well, and I felt blood leaking out of my head. I guess when he saw that I couldn't fight back anymore, he -"

"Don't say it," Laurent said, shaking his head wildly. Alana glanced at him and she swallowed nervously, watching him. His hands were balled into fists in his lap and his eyes were screwed shut. "Don't say or so help me God I'll kill him and everyone he ever fucking loved."

"Laurent -"

"He beat you after that, didn't he?" Laurent spat, not even daring to look at her.

"Yes."

Laurent scoffed and he stood to his feet, running his hands through his twists.

"I'm going to kill him, Alana," he said, his voice trembling with anger as it burned through him, replacing his blood with the hottest fire you could ever feel. "I swear to God."

"Laurent, please don't -"

"Give me one fucking reason why!" He shouted, turning towards her fully. Alana inched at his tone of voice and she stopped talking, starting to pick at he nails. He felt hot tears burning at his eyelids and he paid them no mind as they rolled down his face, staining his cheeks. "I always told you I will never let anything happen to you. Nothing. And I fucking beg you not to go to work yesterday, Alana. I wanted you to stay here with me, where you was safe. But you went anyway, and I tell myself she'll be okay. She's good, she don't let nothing happen. Then you come home with blood all over you face. You can barely stand, even now. And you just tell that he take advantage of you! HE FUCKING RAPED YOU!"

Alana looked down at her hands as silent tears rolled down her face, her lip trembling as they did. She held her hands to her face as she started to sob, her breath hitching in her throat. Laurent looked down at her and he started to sob himself, staring at his broken girl. She looked so weak, and fragile sitting in her spot on the bed. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her body was covered in bruises. Her face had a bunch of cuts on it, and Laurent could no longer see the same girl he saw before she left.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" She cried, looking up at him. "I should've listened to you. I-I should've stayed home, I -"

"No, baby," he said quickly, sitting back on the bed. He grabbed her hands gently, the anger in his eyes fading away as sadness and guilt took over them.

"It's not your fault, at all. I just...Alana, he... he hurt my girl. He violate you, and you not going to be the same after that. He beat you, like you was nothing. I can't let him go away with that."

Alana sobbed harder and she shook her head, looking away from him. "I feel dirty, Laurent. I don't... I don't know what to do. I'm in so much pain...I can't feel my stomach area...I can't even sit up without wincing...I can't do anything..."

"Shh, baby," he said softly, pulling her into him carefully. She clutched onto his shirt tightly as she cried onto him, her whole body shaking as she did. Laurent squeezed his eyes shut and he let out a shaky breath, trying to gather his thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to make Matthew suffer for what he did to her. He wanted to go back to the godforsaken hospital, he wanted to grab Matthew, look him in the eye, and make him feel the pain that he put in his girl. He wanted him to feel what it was like to be beaten so bad you can't even move. He wanted to slam his head on anything but a soft surface, to make him feel how Alana felt when he caused her to bleed like she did. He wanted Matthew to look him in the eye and beg him to stop hitting him. He wanted Matthew to say that he was sorry, and that he regretted it, only for Laurent to grab his head and rip it clean off of his body.

He felt the familiar itching in his hands. The itch that needed to be scratched with the blood of someone who deserved it. He could feel the burning feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he thought about what he wanted to do to Matthew. It didn't help that he kept picturing the situation. He pictured Alana trying to fight off Matthew, trying to get him off of her, and push him away as far as she could. He imagined how it sounded when he slammed her head on the desk, and how she cried when he took advantage of her. All of the bruises and cuts on her, he could only imagine how Alana cried relentlessly. How powerless she must've been after the whole ordeal. All of this fueled Laurent, and it only encouraged him to make Matthew pay for what he did.

Alana sniffled against him a little bit, snapping him away from his thoughts. He looked down at her, his fingers running through her hair. For the first time ever, he could feel his heart breaking into pieces inside of him. He  never felt that kind of pain before in his life, and having Alana break down in his arms made him want to hurt everyone that ever hurt her, even in her past.

"Princess?" Laurent said once Alana stopped crying.

"Hmm?" She responded, sniffling a little more.

"I love you," he whispered. "So much, baby."

"I love you, too."

Laurent smiled and she looked up at him, a weak smile painting her lips.

"You'll love me even when I look like this?" She asked, her smile faltering a little. Laurent shook his head, frowning.

"There is nothing wrong with you, baby."

"It's a lot wrong with me."

"And there is a lot wrong with me, too," he shrugged. "I guess we're just two peas in one pod."

☯

leeduhleeduhleeduhlee, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I kind of got emotional while writing this😥 I hope you liked it ❤ x Rose