Nick and Jessica lay side by side, enveloped in the warmth of Nick�s comforter. Nick�s arms were wrapped protectively around Jessica, hugging her body close to his. Despite her intentions of only staying with him for one night, somehow her stay had already lasted a week.

In the course of the week, the two had spent many nights together, cradled in each other�s arms as they slept peacefully. The sleeping arrangement was purely innocent and they had successfully managed to keep it so until now. Unknown to Jessica however, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Nick not to take things to the next level. In the end, it was always the fact that he cared about her so deeply that enabled him to stifle his impulses. There were times though when his body and very soul ached to reach out and touch her. Often it was impossible to resist.

Many hours of Nick�s time were spent watching her sleep, in silent contemplation. Usually, he finally gave in to his feelings, running his fingers gently over her soft skin or through her silky hair. Each time, Nick made certain that he pulled away before she awoke.

Watching Jessica sleep had this incredible soothing effect upon Nick. She was a picture of breathtaking beauty as she instinctively pressed her body close to his. It was times like these that provoked the revelation of Nick�s true feelings. While she slept, he would whisper thoughts and feelings to her that he was never able to say when she was awake for fear that it would be too much, too soon. Unknown to Nick, Jessica often heard his sweet mutterings while she feigned sleep. She never acknowledged any of them though, possibly because she was too afraid to admit to herself that she felt much the same way about him.

Tonight as Nick gazed at Jessica with both rapture and awe, he felt his heart swell. At that very moment what he was feeling was completely inexplicable. It was so enthralling and exhilarating that he could feel it overpowering his body completely. Gently, Nick reached up and delicately smoothed Jessica�s fallen hair from her face. Her hair was silky soft beneath his fingertips and incredibly tempting as he ran his fingers through it. Jessica stirred slightly just then, forcing Nick to quickly withdraw his hand in haste.

He eyed her cautiously, a smile twitching upon his lips as he noted that his oversized sweatshirt practically drowned her petite figure. As his eyes carefully travelled her body, his smile suddenly faded completely as a look of confusion took over his face.

Somehow, the neck of his large shirt had managed to slip off her shoulder, revealing her bruised, tender flesh. The garish bruise on her shoulder, still tinged with purple, stood out against her fair skin. Nick�s first instinct was to reach out and touch it, but he was unable to. It looked too painful. For a few minutes, it was like he was in a trance. It was as if he was frozen as he eyed it with disbelief. Nick blinked repeatedly; desperately hoping that what he saw before him was merely some sort of sick illusion. He felt his stomach churn as the realization that he wasn�t imagining things dawned upon him.

To Nick, Jessica�s wound symbolized so much more that just physical pain. It was as if the bruise was not only a blemish on her body, but one on her soul as well. Both hideous and horrible, Nick was aware that the scar the bruise would leave would eventually fade with time, but it was the emotional scars which would last forever.

Feelings of contempt and disgust plagued Nick as he thought of the ill-minded person who had inflicted such pain on her. It broke his heart because he knew that she was a person who never deserved to cry and yet undoubtedly had shed many a tear in her life.

Jessica stretched languidly, completely unaware of Nick�s penetrating gaze. The smile, which had become a permanent fixture open her face this past week quickly appeared. As she opened her eyes, she was slightly surprised to see Nick�s blue eyes peering back at her worriedly. The smile on her face faded slightly as she noted Nick�s inquisitive stare.

Jessica remained silent for a few moments, feeling quite uncomfortable under Nick�s gaze. Something about the way he looked at her was different. It was as though something had changed. The look he cast her was one, not of contentment or admiration, but one of concern and confusion.

�Morning Nick,� she stammered, trying to disguise her nervousness.

It was almost as if her greeting had gone totally unheard as he spoke quickly. �Jess, if you were in trouble, you would tell me right?� he asked, his tone almost pleading.

A fleeting sense of doom clutched at Jessica�s heart. She fought desperately to quell the rising feelings in her stomach. �Of course I would,� she said, her voice wavering as she spoke. In haste, she quickly averted her eyes to the ground, hoping that he wouldn�t be able to detect her guilt.

Carefully, Nick leaned forward and with a touch that nothing could make ungentle, he slowly titled her face upwards. "Promise?� he whispered, his voice slightly hoarse.

Jessica�s mind instantly began to reel as Nick�s eyes bore holes into hers. Her eyes burned profusely as the hot tears stung at them. He knows, was the only decipherable thought which ran through her head. �Why are you asking me this?� she asked him, her voice suddenly defensive. A pained look crossed Nick�s face, followed by an uncomfortable silence. Jessica watched uneasily, nervously awaiting his answer. He can�t know. No one can ever know, she told herself worriedly.

As she anxiously awaited his response, she felt her heart beating at a maddening pace. It seemed like an eternity before Nick carefully reached up and hesitantly drew nearer to her. With shaking fingers, he slowly placed his hand upon Jessica�s trembling shoulder. Wincing, he carefully pulled the neck of the shirt slightly, revealing the horrid bruise.

Her whole body froze. Not a sound escaped her lips as her mind spun mercilessly. She felt the lump in her throat rising uncontrollably. Hot tears cascaded down her face as her eyes skirted the room in desperation. The walls of the room seemed to close in on her and suddenly, she was unbearably uncomfortable. She couldn�t explain. She didn�t want to explain. It hurt too much to explain.

As the floodgates opened, she felt Nick�s weary gaze upon her. His look was not one of pity or disgust, moreover one of utmost concern. The emotion evident upon his face was enough in itself and suddenly, Jessica could no longer control herself. A loud sob escaped her throat and her body began to shake vehemently. And once again, just like in the past, the moment Nick�s powerful arms surrounded her, she let everything go. In the safety of Nick�s arms, she quickly became a sorry mess of salty tears.

Nick lay on alone on his bed, angry and impossibly frustrated. Jessica had left almost an hour ago. He was angry with himself, both for being unable to help her and for letting her go. There was nothing he could do about it now though.

Nick had never felt as helpless as he had cradling her in his arms, watching as her body convulsed with sobs. After she finished crying, she had quickly retreated with embarrassment to the bathroom to take a hot shower, claiming that it would calm her down some. Nick had anxiously waited outside the bathroom, hoping to talk to her more when she came out. However, when she exited the bathroom, looking only slightly refreshed, she had announced in a subdued tone that she was leaving.

Nick had tried in desperation to make her stay, but she had been adamant about leaving. He had even contemplated following her home, but was aware of how resolute she was about him not coming to her house. Feeling both helpless and dejected, Nick had decided against going over to her house for fear of alienating her any more than he already had.

Unconsciously, Nick let out an angry sigh which he had been suppressing for a while. The thought of someone inflicting such cruelty upon Jessica made his blood boil. He wanted to rip the person limb from limb. In his heart though, Nick knew that even that wouldn�t be punishment enough. He could see it in Jessica�s eyes that what she had been put through was so horrible that the damage was irreparable.

Angrily pulling himself off the bed, he began pacing the length of the room. It all made sense to him now. He understood all the tears, vague answers and terror-filled looks. When he held her in his arms today, he had almost felt her pain. It had been an utterly heart wrenching experience for him.

As he paced furiously, visions of her tear-streaked face loomed before him. Her eyes were so unbearably sad, that Nick felt a lump rising in his throat. He winced involuntarily, closing his eyes as if to banish her miserable face from his mind.

He had to help her. Somehow, someway, as impossible as it seemed, he had to make it all hurt less. With determination, Nick vowed to do anything and everything in his power to make the sadness in her beautiful blue eyes disappear.

Jessica climbed the steps slowly with each step, she could feel her heart sinking lower and lower. Her legs felt like a ton of bricks as she moved slowly.

She was dreading going through that door. Everything had changed this week and for some reason �home� no longer felt like home � not that it ever really had.

For a split second, Jessica actually regretted leaving Nick�s place. There was no way she could have stayed there though. His inquisitive stares and gentle yet persistent prodding tore at her heart. Knowing that letting Nick in on her secret would make him view her differently was enough it itself to keep her from opening up to him.

There were times however when the emotional wounds were so unrelenting that Jessica desperately wished that Nick knew everything. The times when she had flashbacks or when something triggered her memory were the worst. It was at times like those that she felt so alone, even with Nick right by her side.

With a sigh, Jessica opened the door. Looking around, even the house looked different. At once, the exquisite, fashionable looked drab and unwelcoming. The whole house seemed to have this strange cold aura about it. Involuntarily, she shuddered, rubbing her arms for warmth.

Slowly, Jessica climbed the stairs to her room, suddenly feeling quite tired. She entered her room, subconsciously feeling slightly disappointed as she did so. She hadn�t realized it, but in the past week, she had become very accustomed to seeing Nick�s face wherever she went. Nick�s lack of presence seemed to make the whole room seem lonely.

With a dejected sigh, she flopped down on the bed, burying her face beneath the only slightly comforting pillow. She closed her eyes, half expected sleep to take over her body, but knowing full well that she wouldn�t be able to sleep easily without Nick by her side.

Turning over onto her side, she opened her eyes. As she did so, she suddenly felt her heart sieze as the blood drained from her face. In the door way, her mother stood, her arms crossed angrily as shot Jessica a look of pure contempt. Her throat dried up quickly at the anticipation of her mother�s reaction. The usual sinking feeling arose in Jessica stomach as she helplessly awaited her fate.

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