Diamond in the Rough

"Thirteen stitches" Jem blows out a stream of smoke"And it didn't stop there"

Doug rubs his face, wiping his own tears away. He feels nauseous, sick to his stomach. He listens quietly as Jem recalls the other fifteen times he was held down and brutally raped, spending a few days in the infirmary to rest. He tells Doug how it felt walking around and everyone knowing what happened. His attackers laughing at him.

"Did you report it?"

Jem shoots him a look that says, no way. He tells Doug how it finally stopped, how he got the six attackers on their own and beat them within an inch of their lives. His actions built his reputation slowly.

"Should have shanked me" Jem let's out a rusty laugh.

"Who knows about it?"

"You, Fiona" Jem shrugs. He hadn't told anyone what had happened to him, not even his own sister.

"Why did you break-up with her?"

"'Cause I'm ashamed, alright?" Jem snaps losing his temper"Do you have any fuckin' idea what it's like to have that happen and to try and be normal? For her to know that happened still want to be with me?"

Doug doesn't know what to say or do. The only thing he can think of is Fiona and how upset she looked and how worried she had been.

"Fiona's a nice girl, Jem. I don't think what happened will make her love you any less. Go talk to her"

Jem runs his hands over his head repeatedly.

"And say what, Dougy? Say that I'm sorry I ditched you cause I got scared?" Jem gets up and takes a beer from the fridge.

"Tell her how you feel"

"Nobody can find out about this, Dougy." Jem looks Doug in the eye"No one can know"

***
Maybe it was the vodka and the pills that made his head spin or maybe it was the thought of Fiona and what he had done, how he had acted, how he had pushed her away.

He rings the doorbell and waits, her house in complete darkness. Maybe she's out or got bored of waiting for him to call. If she slammed the door in his face he knows he deserves it.

The hallway light snaps on and Jem leans against the railing, his balance wavering. As expected the door opens slightly, the security chain in place.

"Jem?" Fiona says surprised. She removes the chain and opens the door wider, still surprised that he has suddenly turned up like this.

She's grateful that he hasn't been beaten black and blue.

"What are you doing here? It's one-thirty in the morning"

"I came to see ya" he replies, his hands shoves into his pockets.

"One-thirty isn't the time for social calls, Jem." She says in an even tone, maybe slightly harsh."I have work in the morning"

"I'm sorry...for waking you" He realises that waking her at stupid o'clock wasn't one of his smartest moves. "I'll go"

"You obviously came here to say something" Fiona folds her arms across her chest, wrapping he robe tighter around her slender body.

"I'm sorry..." He says "for blowin' you off. You were tryin' to help"

Fiona agrees with him. She's still mad at him, not for giving her the cold shoulder but for worrying her.

"I was an asshole" he admits."Doug knows"

"How does he know?"

"He said he was talkin' to you and
came round. Flattened me to the floor 'till I told him." Jem replies in a quiet voice.

After telling his story to Doug he had went to a bar, drowning his sorrows like he always did.

"I didn't mean to imply anything. I was worried. I didn't know if you were alive or dead"

"I should have called"He shivers as the cold wind starts to howl."I'm sorry. Maybe I'll see you around"

He turns and starts descending down the steps, pulling his hood up and shoving his hands back into his warm pockets.

"Jem. Wait" Fiona calls after him.

He looks back up at her from the sidewalk, a mixture of guilt and shame pulling at him.

"Why don't you come inside and I'll make you a coffee? You'll freeze to death out here"

Jem finishes his coffee and grabs his coat from the back of the chair. The thought of leaving the warmth of the house to return home is the furthest thing on his mind. The coffee and sandwich had helped sober him up, that and the talk with Fiona.

For the first time he talked to her about those hellish days in Walpole, put there by his own stupidity and loyalty. He told her how he feels about it, how at night he will wake up in a cold sweat at the thought of the five men holding him down. It certainly explained why Jem liked to be in control of everything; work, in the bedroom, always. His solution to his problem, like any of his problems was to act before anyone else did.

"I've missed you" Jem says as they reach the front door."You've been the best thing to ever happen to me and I blew it"

Fiona caresses his cheek, his eyes meeting hers.

"You didn't blow it, Jem. I'm still crazy about you"

Jem kisses her on the lips, slow and passionate compared to his usual roughness. One hand grips the back of her neck, pulling her closer and the other rests on her cheek. She feels his tongue push into her mouth, she eagerly accepts and runs her hands up and down his back. She's missed this, the feel of him, his softer side.

Fiona breaks away from the kiss breathless as he backs off.

"I should go..i-"

She pushes him against the wall, her mouth smothering his and stopping any words he is trying to say. His hands grip her waist, her tongue flicking against his.

They undress each other as they climb the stairs, their mouths still connected until they reach her bedroom. He looks at her and smiles. This is better than all the drugs and highs. He's falling in love with her.