I curled onto my side, facing Alex's bare back which was turned to me. We'd fooled around a bit before he'd finally fallen to sleep leaving me time to myself. I traced random patterns across his shoulder blades humming to myself, lost in thought. I thought over my nightmares and what they could mean for the Riverton Seven. I worried about Bug, Jerome, Jay and Penelope. A small part of me even worried about Brandon and Brittany.

My biggest concern was for Alex though. He was so care free and fool hardy that I had no doubt if something was going on, he would be too busy joking around to take it seriously. To take me seriously. As far as I was concerned, he was at the greatest risk because he just didn't know when to quit it. I sighed, brow furrowed in displeasure as I continued to scrawl across my boyfriend's back.

"If you keep doing that," he muttered making me jump. "Neither of us will ever get to sleep." I took my finger off of him, choosing instead to slap him lightly on the side careful to avoid the many old bruises that littered his torso.

"You big faker, you were just pretending to sleep," I accused, curling my arms towards my chest as he began to turn over to face me.

"Well I thought it would eventually turn into real sleep but then you started molesting me," he said cheekily, pushing his face further into the pillow once he had turned to me. He brushed a hand through my hair quickly before retracting it. He'd helped me remove the bandages from my head earlier and they now sat with my knit hat atop his bedside table. His own hair stuck up at angles odder than usual and I had to fight to keep my affronted face on.

"You could've talked to me," I said haughtily, scooting closer to his chest. He laid flat on his back and I rested my head over his right pectoral muscle. "I've been bored out of my mind." He chuckled, the sound vibrating through both of us as I threw my arm over him gently. The blanket was pulled up so that it was covering me from my armpits down but it only went up to his hips. We'd both pulled our underwear back on a while ago.

"I was hoping you'd fall asleep," he said softly, reaching up to massage to back of my neck. I hummed in content, eyes drooping as we fell silent again.

While I was under the impression Alex had been sleeping, I thought of more than just the Ripper. I thought about the big step the two of us had just taken in our relationship and in life. What we did could never be undone and I felt like there was a new dynamic here that needed to be addressed before things got too awkward. Lifting my head so that my chin was pushed to his chest, I looked up at Alex. His eyes were cast to the ceiling and he just seemed to be staring, not lost in any particularly important thought.

"What happens now?" I asked suddenly, tilting my head back and forth idly. My boyfriend blinked before turning his head down to look at me. A very cute expression of confusion was etched on his face. I smiled.

"What do you mean? With what?"

"With us?" I clarified. I felt the pull of his muscles as he moved to sit up and rolled off him. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking down at me where I curled into his hip.

"Why does anything have to change?" he asked through a forced chuckled. I shrugged, diverting my eyes.

"Well I just thought…not that we've-"

"Hayley," he interrupted, lowering himself down closer to me. "Nothing has to change if you don't want it to."

"Really?" I asked, trying to keep the pure relief out of my voice. It wasn't that I wasn't ecstatic about what had happened, but I didn't want it to mean that we had sex whenever we were given the opportunity. On top of that I didn't want any of our friends to know -not even Bug- so it couldn't change our behavior towards each other.

"Really," he laughed –sincerely this time- before lowering himself back to the mattress completely, body turned towards me. I sighed in relief and a bit of bliss, happy that nothing would change between us. Eyes trained on his chest as I began to trace vines over his heart, I smiled.

"I love you, Alex," I whispered earnestly. I felt his heart thump beneath my finger before he leaned down and kissed my brow.

"I love you too," he murmured against my skin. Everything was perfect.

The sound of the door being kicked open effectively shattered the perfectness of the moment as I jumped in surprise, immediately reaching out for Alex as he sat up straight in bed. Glancing around him, I gasped at the sight of Quint, swaying in the doorway. He was obviously drunk, but that didn't take away from the fear that swept over me. Drunk Quint was probably worse than sober Quint.

"What the fuck?" Alex hollered, pulling the blanket almost up over my head to cover me. I'd never seen him so livid, and decided the best thing for me to do was try to sink as far as I could into the mattress. "Get the fuck out!"

"What do you think you're doing in my house?" Quint sneered as if Alex hadn't even spoken. I lumbered into the room, his eyes blazing with anger as he took in the two of us on the bed. "Did the two of you really think you could just fuck wherever you fuckin want?"

"What's it to you, fat-ass?" Alex hissed, moving to stand now. I reached for him, whispering warnings against this but he didn't listen. "This is my house, not yours!"

Quint barked a laugh, eyes zooming over the room before landing on me. I cringed, fighting down a whimper as he seemed to get another burst of anger. Reaching out, he shoved Alex's TV off its stand and it fell to the ground with a loud crash as the screen was shattered. "What, did you suddenly grow a pair of balls, Dinkleman?"

I wondered briefly how he could still get his step-son's name wrong after all these years before deciding that wasn't what I should be worrying about. Moving slowly I tried to scoot to the edge of the bed. With luck I would be able to retrieve my clothes and redress under the cover of the bedding.

No such luck.

"You stupid little slut," Quint growled, starting towards me. I shrunk back only to lurch forward again as Alex stood in his way.

"Don't fucking touch her," he growled, looking up at the man angrily. My insides froze as Quint sized him up. He outweighed Alex by at least a hundred pounds and he was a bit taller than him as well. Quint sneered as he appeared to come to this conclusion before raising his fist and punching Alex square in the jaw.

"ALEX!" I screamed, sliding from the bed not bothering to grab the blanket to cover myself as I fell to his side where he had landed on the floor. His hand covered his jaw but I could tell he was muttering something, eyes squeezed shut it pain. I leaned closer, hands shaking as they rested on him. "What-"

I was cut off by my own cry off pain as Quint grabbed a fist full of my hair, yanking me up from the ground. I struggled against him, twisting my body around spastically, too afraid to kick out less I hit Alex. I shouldn't have bothered worrying though, since Quint aimed a swift kick to the young man's side as soon as he tried to sit up. I sobbed, hands also fisted in my hair as I tried to free myself.

"Let go!" I moaned as he pulled me close to his body. The stink on him was beyond what it had ever been and I held my breath as he brought my face up to his.

"You've been denying me for months and now you go and fuck this runt?" he asked, punctuating the sentence with another boot to Alex's back. I sobbed harder, hating seeing him in pain as he groaned on the ground, too weak to stand. "I always get what I want."

With that, he threw me violently onto the bed and my mind froze for half a second. I knew what this was. I knew what he wanted. He'd been hinting for months just like he said, but now I was at his mercy. My insides went cold at the thought until I felt the bed shit around me. My mind started up again and I tried to sit up, only to be held down by Quint.

"NO!" I screamed, kicking and punching at him as best I could. He held me down by my throat with one hand and with the other was quickly undoing his belt. "ALEX!"

"He can't help you now," he huffed, resting his full weight on me. I began sobbing with panic then, my legs being pried apart by his knee. He leered down at me and I reached out towards his face.

Placing them so that my fingertips rested on his would be hairline, I pulled down with a vicious cry. The pleasing sound of flesh being clawed by nails met me as I raked across his face, knocking his glasses down in the process. Quint hollered in pain. He pulled away, both hands now to his face to cover the angry red gashes I had inflicted. I pulled myself to the foot of the bed, tumbling off the edge as he cursed me from here to heaven.

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" he bellowed, still staggering backwards. I scrambled around the bed, hands and knees bruising easily as I crawled my way over to Alex. He was slowly pushing himself up again and I was quick to help him. Moving around to his backside I began trying to pull him to his feet.

"Come on, baby," I pleaded as he nearly fell again. Right when his balance seemed to find him again, I heavy hand grabbed me by the neck and threw me backwards. I screamed as I was thrown from Alex's room and onto the landing outside his door. I reached out, scared of falling down the stairs if I didn't grab the bannister.

When I steadied myself, I looked up to see Alex and Quint having an all-out brawl in the doorway. Quint obviously had the upper and hand and was making fine work of slamming his step-son against the door frame. I searched my brain for something to do, tears leaking down my face as I watched the boy I love get beaten down. He collapsed to the floor, chest heaving as he glared up at Quint.

"Thanks, Quint," he ground out through clenched teeth. "That felt-" The word 'good' was obscured by the sound of Quint's boot meeting his stomach. He coughed, lying a bit lower to the ground now as an idea finally came to me.

Scrambling to my feet I made for the stairs, ignoring Quint's warnings that he'd catch me. I wasn't running away –which is what I had to keep telling myself to keep from feeling guilt at abandoning Alex. I flew down the stairs that I had only used a few times, skidding into the main entrance way of the house. Turning to the left, I found the kitchen and quickly started ransacking every drawer within reach.

"Hayley!" I heard Quint yell. "Get back here!"

I cursed/sobbed, trying to keep my hands steady as I heard his boots start onto the stairs. The darkness of night and my blurred vision made my search a touch bit difficult. Reaching for another drawer I yanked it open, and what I was looking for slid directly to the front. Without letting myself think too much, I grabbed it and rushed back towards the stairs. I stumbled up them, nearly losing my balance as I came to the first landing before Alex's room. Quint had returned to Alex's side and was currently holding his head up by the hair, speaking lowly into his ear.

"Hey!" I called, drawing both of their attention. Alex looked angry that I hadn't just ran for it while his step-father looked amused when he saw what I held in my hand. The biggest knife in the kitchen flashed in my hand, catching the moon light that was filtering in through the windows. "Don't touch him."

Quint stood then, dropping Alex's head as he moved further out on the landing. He barked a laughed at me, his steps staggering as he did so. He gave me an incredulous look, eyes scanning me from head to toe in nothing but my underwear before landing on the knife again. "You don't have the nerve to use it," he challenged. My grip tightened.

"Don't touch him," I repeated, raising the knife to eye level. "I mean it." From the corner of my eye, I saw Alex begin to pull himself off the floor. I quickly focused on Quint, desperately trying to by Alex some time. "I'll slice you open like nothing."

"Please," Quint scoffed, stepping down onto the stairs. "I could kill you in a heartbeat." Glancing at Alex again, I saw that he was standing now though leaning heavily against the wall as he glared at the back of Quint's head. I settled my eyes on the man in front of me again. He didn't seem to notice.

"Do it," I challenged, flexing my fingers around the knife, faking that I wasn't terrified at the thought of dying. "You'll go to jail for the rest of your fucking life."

He opened his mouth as if to retort – and that's when Alex lunged. He yelled as he shoved Quint hard from behind and sent him sprawling forward. My mouth opened in a silent scream as the man fell head first down the stairs. His buddy tumbled and curled, limbs bending in odd angles as he fell. The sound was like thunder rolling across the house, odd cracks finding their way in every few steps. He never cried out though.

I pressed myself flat to the wall as he came to a stop at my feet, one arm hanging off the next set of steps, his legs still curved over the ones behind him. All were obviously broken. My brain registered Alex calling out to me but I couldn't process his words as I stared down at Quint. He was face down in the carpet, which was odd considering his torso was on its side facing me. I shivered, sliding down on the wall.

"Hayley, get away from him!" Alex hissed as I came to rest on my haunches next to him. I was reminded briefly of this afternoon before I pushed the thought aside. Hands trembling, I reached out towards him before retracting again. His chest wasn't moving.

"Alex," I uttered under my breath.

"Come back up here," Alex ordered, supporting himself on the bannister as he looked down on us. I didn't listen, instead reaching out to Quint and pushing his shoulder back. His body flopped over onto his back and my hand flew up to my mouth as I screamed.

His neck was twisted completely to the side, an odd crick jutting out from beneath the skin. His eyes stared back at me, wide and glassy. His mouth was open in a scream to match the horrified grimace of his face. I pressed the back of my hand over my mouth as tears welled up in my eyes.

"He's dead," I whimpered. "Oh god, Alex, he broke his neck!"

I cried harder as the sound of my boyfriend descending the stairs fell on my ears. I couldn't look away from Quint as Alex came to stand beside me, leaning over me to get a look at his step-father. He cursed, lowly at first before repeating himself at a higher volume.

"FUCK!" he cried, spinning away from the body as I my hands to my chest, feeling it grow tight in fear. I realized the knife was still clutched in my hand and quickly dropped it.

"We killed him," I wept, squeezing my eyes shut and hoping this would all just end up being a bad dream. "Wake up, please wake up…"

"This isn't a nightmare, Hayley, and we didn't kill him!" Alex snapped, turning back to me as I shook my head in denial. "I did." This came out softer and I realized that he was taking the full blame. Finally ripping my eyes away from Quint I tried to reason with him.

"It was self-defense," I said, voice thick. "They can't do anything to you for that-"

"Who's gonna fucking believe me?" he whispered frantically as if suddenly his neighbors were listening in. I saw the panic seep into his eyes and did my best to ward it off from my heart. One of us had to keep an at least semi-clear head through this.

"We're both covered in bruises!" I argued, refusing to lower my voice. "That's proof he was being abusive and would've killed us if you hadn't pushed him. Plus you didn't know the fall would…" I trailed off, growing cold as it finally began to truly set in. I was sitting next to a corpse.

"Break his stupid fucking neck," Alex growled, running a hand furiously over the back of his head. He looked as if he were about to start pacing before he stopped himself. "We've got to get out of here."

"What?" I asked, in a whisper now. "That'll make us look beyond guilty, Alex-"

"No, no, no, Hayley," Alex cut in seriously, crouching down to grab me by my upper arms. I snapped my mouth shut at the look in his dark eyes. He wasn't going to argue this. "For once just listen to me…go get dressed. Now." He shook me slightly to emphasize each word.

I nodded slowly, eyes wide in something that almost could have been fear. When he released my arms, I struggled to my feet, turning away from him slightly so that I could pretend I didn't see him offering his help. With one last look at Quint and a long side glance at Alex, I started up the stairs, supporting myself on the wall. The walk felt like it was to my death instead of to Alex's room. How could this have happened?

The tears kept running down my face as I quickly began pulling on my jeans and my borrowed shirt. I kept the sobs to a minimum, not wanting Alex to hear them and grow more frantic. This was like a nightmare I knew I would never wake up from except in this Alex wasn't dead, Quint was. I should've been ecstatic, but I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. We had killed someone, another human being. A disgusting human being, but still he was dead now and nothing we did would bring him back. I brought my hand up to cover my eyes for a moment as I hiccupped. I just wanted this night to be over.

I jumped as a hand rested on my shoulder, but when I turned it was only Alex. He still looked panic stricken but the hardness in his eyes had vanished and he looked at me in what I assume was supposed to be a comforting matter. With a sniffle, I flung my arms around his neck and buried my head into his still bare chest. He pet my hair as I shivered and whispered encouragement to me. I was hardly listening.

When he pulled away, I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him to dress. He did so quicker than I and then grabbed my hand, pulling me up off the mattress. The ring I gave him only that morning flashed in the moonlight and I blanched. I couldn't believe he had to go through this on his birthday. Following him out of the room, I did my best to keep my eyes to the wall as we descended the stairs. When we reached the landing Quint was on, we simply stepped over him, not bothering to move or cover him in any way. We just wanted to get out of there.

When we passed through the front door, Alex left it ajar and I realized he wasn't planning on coming back. Ever. This was the last he'd see of the house and he didn't even look back as we hurried into the surrounding forest on the way to the house of the one person we could trust. I spared a long look over my shoulder at the house. All the lights inside were out and with the door hanging open the way it did, it looked completely abandoned and lonely. I squeezed Alex's hand tighter, keeping close to his side as we reached the tree line, not bothering to fake my emotions anymore.

I was afraid.

What would happen to us?

Sorry it took so long to update and honestly the only reason I'm getting to it now is because a reviewer on my YouTube channel asked me to :] Preview for this up by the way!
Didn't think the scene with Quint would take so long but it did, so it looks like this story still has a chapter or two yet, and then an epilogue of course :] Now I know some people think Alex lied about what happened to Quint, but I thought it would be interesting and easier for my story if he really did just break his neck. Hope everyone liked this! Review!