Rumored Nights

Alice couldn't quite wrap her mind around the sight of seeing Luke in her room, the whole image being so wrong.

"Hey kid, did I wake you?" He whispered.

Squirming more under the covers Alice nodded, watching him walk in till he stopped and sat at the foot of her bed.

"I came back early from my business trip." He explained, lightly. "I heard your mom and Caroline left with Ryan today."

Nodding Alice spoke up. "Yeah, yeah, they wanted to meet his girlfriend. They'll be back today I'm sure."

She could just make out the slight frown on his face in the moonlight.

"Well then, it looks like it's just you and me kid." He grinned suddenly, patting her leg under the covers.

When he didn't remove his hand Alice couldn't quite understand why, goosebumps trailing her arms in reaction to what her mind was too slow to realize.

"Luke?"

He shushed her like a father would do to a crying child, but none of that was true now or as he moved toward her on the bed.

Panic fled through her veins, adrenaline coursing after it as Luke's figure darkened everything in her sight, making the light he had let through seem only like a distant dream.

"Luke what are you doing?" Alice asked in a shaky voice, too nervous to say her fears aloud.

He shook his head still in a shushing voice.

"It's okay kid, it's okay."

He kept repeating those words as he left his hand on her thigh, reaching over with his other to rub her shoulder.

Alice was too numb to feel the fear creeping upon her like Luke, her mind equally frozen of the situation.

Her mouth, tasting of cold metallic, somehow found the ability to function through all of this.

Not when his hand slipped over her exposed collar bone.

Not when he grazed it over her hyperventilating chest.

"No." She whispered shaking as his hand on her thigh went higher with a purpose.

His finger hooked under the waistband of her sweat pants, his thumb rubbing circles on her chest almost as an attempt to distract her or comfort her.

That one small move seemed to be the catalyst to the rest of the night.

Alice lay there, frozen in fear with all logic gone from her mind, just wishing Luke would go away.

And he did.

The scene that had flooded Alice's senses with unparalleled fear had only taken up about three minutes.

In those three minutes William had caught on just in time to what was going on, and where Alice became numb, William became angry.

Beyond angry as his vision tinted red, a sudden rushing filling his ears as he bolted out into the room.

For a moment William thought he was back at that party so long ago with Alice passed out on the bed, the predator this time not a testosterone fueled teen but her own step father.

The whole time he had known Alice he'd held this desire to protect her, most recently for the vaguest of things only right in social atmospheres.

This moment it was simply primal as he lunged forward and pulled Luke off of Alice, in the same gesture turning him and landing a heavy right hook straight across his face.

As Luke stumbled over onto the floor William rushed over to a near catatonic Alice, dazed and wide eyed.

"Alice, Alice did he hurt you?" He rushed, shaking her slightly.

As she realized who he was, she quickly latched onto his arm, feeling like the eight year old bleeding and scared on the sidewalk with only William to turn to.

William held her just as tightly, pulling her up with him as he turned to confront a reeling Luke.

He pushed Alice behind him, shielding her from Luke as he pulled himself off the floor.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Luke growled, clutching his face.

"Me?" William asked incrediously. "What the fuck were you doing? You sick bastard!"

Alice held onto William tighter as he attempted to hit Luke again.

She couldn't quite feel much of anything at the moment, anger like William's too far out of her reach.

Alice had fallen into a world of her own.

From behind Bill she stared at her reflection, not even recognizing herself.

Her eyes, wide with shock and fear, stared back at her with a haunting familiarity.

She had seen the same innocence lost stare before, the wary eyes, on features so much like hers.

It clicked right then, the numb fading away as if she had stepped in from the cold to the warmth, turning everything into mindless fury.

Alice turned on Luke filled with sudden murderous rage.

"You bastard... you bastard... you fucking son of a bitch!" She screamed, nearly lunging at Luke.

"How could you?! My sister!" Alice yelled, William now holding her back.

Luke's eyes filled with sudden panic.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He defended wildly, forgetting his now swelling eye.

With a fire burning behind her eyes he shrank back.

"What is it?" William asked, pulling her closer to him.

Alice still struggled against his grip, no longer caring about what had happened to her, but what had happened long before.

"Caroline." She muttered, turning her fury back on Luke. "How long? How long did you do this to my sister?!"

He seemed panicked, looking around. "I don't know what you mean, you're crazy... shut your mouth!"

"How long have you been molesting my sister? Tell me or I swear to god I'll kill you, you worthless piece of shit." Alice growled angrily, every note in her voice carrying threat.

William froze with the realization that Alice had pieced together so long before, no longer willing to hold her back from something she might regret.

Backed up against the wall Luke's reply came in a whisper. "A few years, I don't know... she never complained though... maybe if you had just..."

Once again her anger tore through, Alice willing to carry through with her threat.

"I'm not my sister, but I'll be damn sure to make you pay for the both of us." She threatened, William holding her back again.

"Now Alice," Luke started, regaining his composure. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"You sick fucking bastard, get out of my house!" She yelled, burning him with her eyes.

"Alice be reasonable, this house isn't in your name, I'm the one that pays the bills..." He rambled calmly, trying to soothe her like before but merely fueling her rage.

"It's in my brother's name you asshole," She spat. "And if you won't leave that's just fine, I'll call the cops to remove you."

Even in the dimly lit room Alice could see his face pale, sweat beginning to bead on his brow.

"Get out." William ordered darkly, his arms tightly around a still struggling Alice. "Get as far from here as you can, and when you think you're far enough keep going. If you ever come within a mile of Alice again there won't be anyone to hold me back from murdering you myself."

Luke didn't have to hear him say it twice, taking his opening to run out of the room and away from the quiet fire burning him in his eyes.

When the front door slammed shut Alice fell limp, sobbing in William's arms.