The night came.

She was on pins and needles waiting for the night, for bedtime, when she could strike. Her anxiety was through the roof hoping Vivian wouldn't notice a missing knife and become suspicious. She didn't know how to slit a throat; she didn't know what to do or how fast it would incapacitate him. He could so easily take it from her.

"Time for bed." Claire took a deep breath. It's almost time, she thought. "Could you take the couch Sweetums," he said to Ruby. You're mom and I need to be alone." Claire's stomach did flip flops as to why he would make such a request. "Go on up to bed," he told Claire. "I'll be right there." He turned his attention to Ruby.

He put a pillow under her head and covered her with a blanket. "You know you're the best little girl in the whole wide world, right?" he said kissing her on the forehead. She smiled a little. He held her hand. "You know I'd never hurt you or mommy right?"

"I know," she said quietly.

"Ok so no matter what you hear don't come up stairs ok?"

"Ok," she said never questioning why. He let her hand go and went upstairs.

When he entered the room she was sitting on the corner of the bed shaking, wondering why he wanted to see her alone. She thought of hiding the knife in her clothing but the consequences of him finding it on her dissuaded her. She thought of hiding behind the door and catching him off guard but she had to be absolutely sure he wouldn't be able to take it from her. She had to get him by surprise, complete surprise. She wanted to strike when he was asleep so she prayed the coming events wouldn't be too much for her to take.

He sat down in front of her, leaning in and running his hands down her hair to her neck down to her arms and pulled her closer to him. She lent away then he took her forearms and bent them forcing her close to him. She tensed up as he smelled her hair and moved his breath to her neck. His cheek rubbed against hers and he looked in her eyes. He let her arms go and started to rub the length of the her thighs. His fingers where high up on her legs when she sat up fast and backed away.

"I thought it was bed time," she said.

"It's you and me time," he stated simply.

"I want to go to bed," she said. He got up and walked toward her, touching hair, touching her arm as she kept backing away. "Vivian, it's bedtime and I'm really tired," she pressed as he touched her stomach.

Her back hit a wall and he took her by the hips flattening himself against. She gasped as she felt his hard arousal pressing against her leg. She looked on in shock, realizing what he wanted. She tried to move but could not then suddenly he started moving against her. He ran his hands from her shoulders down her arms then up sides of her body. "Daddy never put his hands all over mommy but I want to put my hands all over you, why?"

Claire casually laced her fingers with his own taking his hands from her body. She swallowed. The last thing she wanted to tell him was that his urges should only be reserved for two people who love each other because to his understanding and mental instability that's, in fact, what they were. She had no idea what to say to him to make him stop but then she thought of something. She thought of what parents and some churches tell young adults.

"Listen to me, what you want to do is wrong." She quickly slithered out from between him and the wall.

"This doesn't feel wrong," he said moving closer her.

"Didn't your father or your mother take you to church to learn about God?" Her voice shook as she tried to sound firm.

"Church," he mused for a moment.

"In, in the eyes of God this urge that you're having is a sin."

"Yeah, we went to church on Sunday," he began. "I didn't like it," he finished crossly. He took his hands from hers and squeezed her shoulders. He slipped his fingers under the collar of her shirt, feeling her soft skin. He cupped her breasts and squeezed causing her to jerk away from him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back.

"Stop," she told him breathless, putting her hands on his chest. "This is something that people do only if they want more children and we already have Ruby, right?"

He hesitated for a while. She took a deep breath. He looked back at her, "Who says?" he recovered.

"Because that is the way that it's done."

"But I don't want to do it that way," he said like a disgruntled child.

She grew even more unnerved realizing she was loosing this argument. He put an arm around her waist and tangled the other in her hair bringing his forehead to rest on hers. She gathered her thoughts, thankful for the pause in events. To calm him, she put her fingers through his long fiery red hair and brought them down to his neck. "I want to be with you, isn't that enough?" she asked.

"Can't get enough of you Claire," he said. He held her head in place while he kissed her. His hands wondered down over her breasts and her stomach. She gasped and took his hands in hers just to get them off her body.

"You touch my hands a lot like you want to stop me. What if I tied yours up?" he smiled a little.

She shook her head. "Don't."

"Your shirt, take it off," he told her becoming serious again. Her heart stopped for a moment at his request.

"No," she said.

"You know something?" He asked bringing her close by her hands. "I don't think you want this family. Ruby never questions me. You notice that?" He looked at her so innocently. "She never tells me no." He shook his head. "Always does what I tell her to do. You notice that? Now do what I say before I do something that you won't like, something that I won't like."

Claire shook tremendously and slowly, reluctantly pulled her shirt over her head. "Take that off too," he said referring to her bra. Her breath hitched in her throat even though she knew where this was going. She reached and unhooked the back letting the straps fall down her shoulders. Her hands held the material across her breasts to salvage some dignity. His fingers hooked the straps and his eyes widened as he peeled them down until the garment dropped on the floor. She stood before him humiliated, holding back tears.

He ran his hands over her surprisingly delicately. He dropped to his knees in front of her, in front of the red skirt she wore. She felt his hands at her ankles and he ran them up slowly, over the curve of her calves, then around to the front of her thighs. Inch by inch, up as far as the skirt would allow. He removed his hands and she gasped, feeling them around her and unfastening her skirt. She quickly put her hands over his, desperate to stop him but not desperate enough to try and stop him so he could make good on his threat. She felt his fingers hook into her panties as well. He felt her try to unhook his fingers from her undergarment.

"Don't, Please don't."

"Please, please," he mocked cruelly. Shocked and horrified tears spilled from her eyes. The last of her clothing fell to the floor. She covered herself with her hands. His cheek rested against her hip as his hands ran down and back up her legs. He moved up to where her hands where guarding and traced the edge causing her to gasp. She tried to move away and block him.

Suddenly he rose to his feet. "You always get upset when I touch you there." She felt his hardness again when he put his arm around her waist to keep her from moving away and continued to molest her. "What's down here that you don't want me to have hmm?"

"Stop, stop," she begged under her breath.

"See, you're getting all upset," he said as he touched her further. Horrified at how her body was reacting. Suddenly he locked both arms around her and started rubbing himself against her. His eyes where cast down in concentration, breathing steadily. At a complete and total loss of what to say or do she lashed out, elbowing him in the face. She prepared to fight him with all she had but he only held both arms behind her back and continued his movements.

Suddenly he started to haul her backwards towards the bed. "No, no Vivian. Stop, stop!" she protested as he pushed her on the bed. He grinded his arousal against her and she squealed. She was frantic and couldn't reach the place where she had hid the knife. She lashed out at him again "Stop Vivian stop! Get off of me!" she shouted. She went for his eyes. He caught her hands pinning one below his body and one beside her. She started to sob uncontrollably. His cheek rested on hers and he breathed heavily next to her ear, his wild dark red hair covering her face. His body shook and he went to kiss her down her neck as he continued to move against her pushing her hard into the mattress.

His breathing became sporadic and he let out a few muffled moans at the side of her head before he stilled. She pulled herself together mentally and sniffled. He has fallen asleep. She struggled to get out from underneath him but not too roughly to wake him. She wiped her face crawling to the edge of the bed where she had hid the knife.

Her heart pounded as she gripped the hilt of the knife, praying that he wouldn't wake up. Slowly bringing herself into the last position that hopefully he would ever see her in. In a flash she gripped his hair in one hand, holding his head back and she drug it across his throat quickly before he threw her off him. He woke but only briefly, spurting blood in the air and writhing around till he rolled off the bed and was gone. She stared for awhile expecting him to rise from the dead. When she was satisfied that he was gone she fell on her back breathing heavily.

Epilogue

The story of Ruby was a tragic one. Her father had left when she was born wanting nothing to do with her. Her and her mother lived in a large house in the woods. One night Vivian waited inside the house for them to get back. When he saw her mother alone at the top of the stairs he pushed her down and slipped out of the house quickly. He stood against the house in the shadows, listening. He heard the little girl cry and knocked on the door.

"What happened?" He feigned innocence.

"My mommy, she won't wake up," she cried.

He took her in his arms. "Shh, I'll take care of you."

Ruby went into foster care. Claire attended regular therapy sessions regarding her excessive loss and what she had went through at the hands of Vivian. After a year and a half of therapy, she wanted to adopt a child. After filling the states requirements and proving that she could be a fit parent she asked Ruby if she wanted her to be her mother. Ruby said yes and Claire adopted Ruby. They became a family and her heart was whole again.