Original Love

Erica's POV:

Of course their perfect moment had to be ruined. But Erica was so caught up in the kiss that she had only barely been able to register that the doorbell rang. It wasn't until Jack was chuckling as he stood from the couch to get it that she realized what was going on. But she couldn't be bothered with anything really since she kept replaying that perfect kiss in her head. Though as she sat there, moments after Jack had gotten up, something changed and she managed to look up to where Jack was. Her boyfriend was standing there with a confused expression as he continued to stare at whoever it was at the other side of the door. But because of where the couch was positioned on the same wall as the door, she could only see the skunk haired boy.

Figuring she better pull herself out of her reverie, she stood and made her way toward the door. But when she turned to face the door, her heart nearly stopped as she saw who was standing there in front of Jack. It was like a living nightmare. The past she had been so desperately trying to forget about was standing right there on the other side of the door. She was so scared that she couldn't move. All she could to was stand there, staring at the monster at the other side of the door who was wearing the all too familiar bone chilling smirk he had. Their eyes met and she whimpered when the smirk grew. She didn't even notice that Jack was right there next to her until he wrapped his arms around her making her jump and instantly back away from him in fear. There was the unmistakable look of confusion and hurt that flashed across Jack's face when she pulled away from him but that was the least of her concern since Tony was now standing inside her apartment with the door closed, trapping them all inside.

"Hey babe, happy to see me?" Tony asked. He looked exactly what he looked before she had left Texas. Tall, though not as tall as Jack thankfully, muscular football player build, short dark hair styled perfectly, and tanned skin from spending hours out in the hot Texas sun.

Erica took a deep breath, as if to build up her courage. She wasn't the same as she had been when she was back in Texas. She had changed and wasn't the same scared girl she had been there. Things were different now and she would be damned if she allowed her fear to show through once again. Tony lived off the fear he instilled in her. And she wasn't going to allow him to take advantage of that ever again.

"What are you doing here Tony?" She asked, silently praising herself that she didn't let her voice waver. "How did you find me?"

The look in his eyes told her that he noticed that she wasn't afraid of him anymore and seemed a little taken back. But the cocky exterior remained and the smirk still played on his lips. "Your mom traced your number after that lovely little phone call you two shared a while back. Then she gave your address to me to come and find you and talk some sense into you. So who's this? Are you cheating on my baby?"

"What is he talking about Erica?" Jack asked, turning to her.

"I'm her fiancé asshole."

"My ex-fiancé," Erica spat back, glaring daggers at the Texan.

Tony stepped forward wearing a look that could kill. "No one breaks up with someone like me that way! And the relationship isn't over until I say it is."

"Hey, I don't appreciate the way you're talking to my girlfriend," Jack said, taking a step forward to put Erica behind him as protection. She was all but shaking as she heard the all too familiar tone he had used with her too many times and she knew what was coming next.

And she was right, no one could even take another breath before Tony's fist was flying, connecting with a crack to Jack's jaw. The lanky boy stumbled back slightly in shock, holding his jaw and Erica cried out, finally fed up with all the shit she had been put through for so long. She had thought it was over when she had left Texas, but this was the final straw. She was putting an end to this once and for all. Erica stepped forward to stand between the two boys, glancing back for a second to make sure Jack was ok before turning back to the Texan. She didn't trust not having her eyes on him for more than a second, she had seen first hand all the damage he could do and wasn't really to see, or feel, it again.

"Jesus! Tony, get out! Now!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Tony yelled back, reaching forward and grabbing her arm roughly and squeezing.

She cried out and fought back the tears threatening to spill over as flashbacks from all the other times she had been in this situation. Before she could even think about trying to get free of his firm grasp on her arm, something black and blonde was moving quickly and a fist was flying into Tony's face. Her arm was instantly free and she quickly moved away as Tony stumbled back and she saw Jack standing in front of her with a look she had never seen before. It was a mix of protection and fury as they watched Tony recompose himself. The punch looked ten times worse than what Jack had received and Erica had never known that her boyfriend had had it in him. But she was thankful he did since Tony's once feirce and confident look wavered and he actually looked stunned and a little freaked out by it. Something she thought she would never see on her ex-fiancé's face.

"I believe she told you to leave." Jack said in an eerily calm voice. "And I suggest you do before we call the cops and get a restraining filed and arrest you before you can even make it to the Maryland border."

Tony stood his ground for a few moments, but by the look in his eyes Erica could tell that he believed every word Jack said. So he turned, with one last glare and then walked to the door, slamming it behind him when he left making all the pictures hung on the wall rattle. They both stood, facing the door for a few moments, making sure he didn't come back before Jack turned and gently walked toward her. Erica was standing there, staring and holding her bruised arm. He cautiously reached out to remove her hand and he knew he didn't want to scare her since she figured he knew the gist of the previous relationship her and Tony had had and didn't want to hurt her more. But she smiled slightly and moved her hand from the spot he had grabbed her at and let him check to see if there was anymore damage. He gently twisted her arm to get a better look and she glanced anywhere but where he was looking, ashamed she had allowed that to happen again. Finally her gaze landed on Jack's jaw, and besides the black stubble growing on the soft skin, she could already see that there was swelling coming in underneath the red skin where Tony had punched him.

"That looks like it hurts," Erica mumbled, reaching her hurt arm up to cup the sore area gently. "I should get you ice for that."

She moved away without saying anything more and headed toward the kitchen. As she started to rummage through her freezer, she couldn't help but be grateful that Jack hadn't said anything yet. There was a look in his eye that she knew he had so many unanswered questions and she was willing to answer them. Hell, after what he did for her she couldn't not answer them. She owed him that much. But she needed a moment to pull herself together before she began to explain the past she had tried so hard to cover up and never have to speak of again. Grabbing a bag of frozen peas and a hand towel, she shut the freezer door and then made her way back to she had left Jack.

Jack was now sitting on the couch, watching her as she walked back in the room. Sitting next to him, right on the edge of the couch, she gently raised the bag now covered in the towel and pressed it against his swollen jaw. He flinched and gave a low hiss as it touched his skin making her give him a small apologetic smile in return.

"I guess I owe you an explanation," she mumbled.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He touched the hand that she was using to hold the bag to his jaw and replaced it with his own. Then he twined his free hand with hers, giving it an encouraging squeeze knowing that she was going to start explaining what just happened. His touch was comforting and she took a deep breath trying to prepare herself for what she was about to say.

"It all started my freshmen year of high school. Tony was a sophomore and I was head over heels. He was so sweet and kind and amazing and I just fell deeper and deeper in love. He was the star football player, I was head cheerleader, and by the time it came for college, we both had full scholarship to the same college. Then one night my freshman year of college, he got really drunk and hit me. I was all prepared to break up with him, knowing that usually when it happened once, no matter what was said as an apology, it would happen a second. But then he used our favorite song and a bouquet of my favorite flowers to change my mind."

She paused, looking up at Jack, expecting pity or sympathy in his eyes. But all she saw was sadness. She was all prepared for him to tell her to not say anything more, that he got what else happened, but he never did. Jack just sat there holding her hand and giving her hand another squeeze as if to say that it was her choice to either stop or continue. But she knew that she needed to tell him.

"The second time it happened he was sober and I accidentally dropped a vase on the floor. The next day I went to my mom to tell her what happened and she just told me that it was a ridiculous lie and that I should be grateful to have such an amazing boyfriend as him. It happened more and more, starting at months at a time to weeks then days. Then finally nearly every day. But then he proposed after we had been together nearly eight years and I was fully ready to say no, that we needed to break up. But then he promised me that he would never hurt me again. I should have known that the promise was empty and would be broken just like the others, but something in his eyes convinced me to do otherwise. So I said yes. Then a few weeks later after I told my mom that we were engaged we started to plan the wedding. We wanted a spring wedding, something outdoors and beautiful."

By that time there were tears in her eyes and she wasn't even trying to stop them anymore. Jack reached up and brushed them away making her smile slightly at his kindness. Anyone else would just sneer and call her stupid for staying in such a horrible relationship and get away from her as soon as possible. But not Jack, and she was seeing more and more how he was different from the last.

"Finally it was when I was getting my wedding dress fitted after picking it out that I realized what a big mistake I was making. I caught sight of one of the visible bruises I had in the mirror that made me realize this. Instantly I told the lady that I needed to leave, trying to keep the tears at bay. I changed into my clothes and then rushed out of the shop. I still had my own apartment at that time but I was already finished packing to move into the apartment Tony and I had found and my landlord knew I was leaving. So I grabbed a map, closed my eyes, and pointed to the first spot my finger landed on. It was Baltimore. I hired a moving van that day, got all my stuff packed inside, only leaving my most important things with me in my car and left. I wrote notes to my family, leaving them on the counter in the kitchen knowing that when they didn't hear from me after a few days they would come and check. I left my engagement ring in the envelope I had left with Tony's note and then planned on never hearing from them again. And the rest is history, I met you the first day I got here, and the rest is history."

They were both quiet after she finished. She cautiously watched Jack's reaction to her story. Worried about what he thought.

"I understand you know if you want to take back asking me to be your girlfriend," she finally managed to whisper.

Jack's head snapped up, eyes wide as he looked at her in horror. "What?"

"You don't have to feel guilty if you don't want-"

"I heard what you said," Jack said quickly, cutting her off. He moved closer to her, setting the bag of peas down and cupping her face in both of his hands. "Don't think for a moment that any of what you told me was your fault. That you deserved those beatings. You didn't, and you never did. I'm proud of you, so proud of you that you got out. I don't care if it took you years or days to get out of that relationship, all I care about is that you built up enough courage to do so. I've never been in a situation like that, never want to be, but I've heard stories. And I know how hard it is for women to realize that's not a proper way to live and that they deserve better. Some never even realize this. But you did. And you got out and moved here. And I would never think of breaking up with you after hearing that. Hell, it makes me love you even more to think that you were brave enough to do something like that."

She was stunned. "You love me?"

"That's all you got out of what I just said?"

"No, but that's what stood out most. I'm really not all that brave or courageous. I'm just another domestic abuse victim who took too long to come to her senses and get out. After multiple broken bones and bruises and a few concussions, I finally decided to get out. I should have left the first time. But I was too scared to do so."

Jack shook his head, "I don't ever want to hear you say anything about yourself like that ever again! I love you, and that's all that matters. To me you're everything you say you're not. Beautiful, sexy, sweet, kind, an amazing photographer. Please don't ever doubt yourself again."

"I love you too," she whispered, almost inaudible.

The smile on his face was proof enough that he loved her and he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. When it ended, he pulled just enough so he could speak again, lips touching hers as they moved. "I know you might not believe any promises made to you anymore, but I do love you, and I promise I'll love you until the day after forever."