Work Text:
It was a protracted and exhausting day at work for Fiona. Dressed in a sweater dress that exposed too much skin, her dark brown eyes sharp and calculating despite the weariness-rimmed edges and a sleek eyebrow raised as she groped inside her leather bag, looking for the key as she walked along the dark, filthy alley. Nothing but silence lay upon the lane; it was past midnight and Fiona had tucked in for some additional work to earn spare money. She was walking quite steadily even though her cheeks were rosy and her stunning face was dropped in somnolence.
Maybe it was her exhaustion, on her stress but she couldn't help but feel uneasy and uncomfortable, looking behind her back as though someone was there . . . someone watching her closely like a predator on its prey. But, every time she turned to look, nothing but a clear inch of dust was visible through the thick fog. It was almost the beginning of winter and it was unimaginably cold. The exposed skin was covered in goosebumps – from cold and uneasiness.
She felt the silver key brush against her skin and she moved her hand away, pulling it inside the robe pockets. Her brown hairs tugged on her face and she moved her hand to push it aside, feeling the sharp winter bite against her pale skin when someone laughed from somewhere in the deserted alley. Fiona turned around and assessed her surrounding; a woman was talking with a man outside of her house, laughing over something but moments later they ascended inside the house, leaving a thick fog of mist behind them.
Fiona turned back, glancing ahead to notice her house just a few blocks after. Calm and composed, she walked forward, mind on the pleasing smell of toast she would have and a bottle of beer at home, Unaware of two strangers catching up to her, with the intention that promised evil deeds and guilty thoughts. Two men, bulgy and mean looked as though Christmas had come earlier and said something to each other in their ears. Fiona, sensing the presence, turned around but was surprised and frightened when a large stuffed piece of fabric was inside her mouth, hands on her waist.
One of the men walked forward while the other man pulled her over his shoulders, covering her mouth. She bit it, feeling the distinct taste of dirt. She noticed that they were walking away, to an abandoned cabin a bit far away. She was ashamed to say that her kicks were not effective on them. They both just continued walking with a cat-got-the-canary expression.
They stumbled into the cabin, separated from everyone and looking around, she realised no one was around. With something, a chilly cold liquid injected inside her, she stayed impassive, not even twitching as their large hands snaked around her body and their lips brushed down her chest. All she recognised was bet empty thoughts and a numb body.
»»———— ☽ ☸ ☾ ————««
Fiona shook with the burden of her sobs which staggered out of her mouth. Tears leaked down her pale body as she noticed the out cold men, lying naked beside her. It must have been half an hour but her body was shaking with pain and disgust. Pulling on her clothes slowly, she glared at them through red-rimmed eyes, all weariness gone. Her eyes wandered to the iron rod lying near the corner and in a swift motion, she had grabbed it and bashed their head with it. Her hands, tainted with blood and dirt, shook as she whacked them at any part she could find – feeling the satisfaction as blood leaked through their head, hands and a loud creak when her iron rod hit their leg.
She grabbed one man, dragging them to the wall and smashing his head in it, feeling contented when intense blood dripped down his head, reaching her foot. She made quick work with the other man, aware of the loss of memory they would face soon. Her hands shook worse than ever, her body shivering as she attempted to cover the bruises around her neck with a concealer which she grabbed from her bag.
Fiona walked out calmly, wincing occasionally but face emotionless as ever. She reached the house she shared with her siblings and prayed that no one was awake, yet it was not to be since when she opened the door, she was surprised to see Ian sitting on the couch, looking tired but blinking rapidly.
'Ian?' Her voice was gruff and Ian looked up, considering her before standing up and saying in a mumble,
'I was waiting for you, now you are here, I will go to sleep.' He left, leaving her alone in the dark.
Fiona nodded into the dark, aware no one was standing yet she stood, shaking herself out of her stupor. Walking off to her room, plopping her bag in the corner, grabbing some clothes to wear and closing herself in the bathroom. Her hairs fell around her face and she sat in the bathtub, neither acknowledging the cold water falling down her pale body nor closing the tap. Her hands wrapped around her arms, and the clothes were still on her body. Tears poured out yet no sound was muttered from her dry mouth.
Fiona ended up standing up later, numb as she wore trousers to cover her legs and a long sleeve shirt. Her hairs, dripping, flowing openly as she made her way out and landed on her bed, muttering no noise.
»»———— ☽ ☸ ☾ ————««
Waking up, glancing outside as horn blared outside. She pulled the curtains apart and noticed a police vehicle standing near the abandoned cabin and an ambulance. Standing up, she walked down with the smell of scrambled eggs wafting into her nose. She was surprised to find all of her siblings standing there, eating breakfast except Ian, who was preparing the breakfast. She hurried to help him, glancing at the clock.
'Why did you not wake me up?' She asked Ian, muttering a good morning to everyone.
'You looked exhausted, Fiona, and we – Debbie – thought it would better if you sleep for now.' Lip said from his place beside the table, munching eggs, 'When did you come last night, Carl was worried.'
Fiona shrugged, but Ian spoke, rushing to sit, 'Past two a.m.'
Fiona glared at him as Debbie exclaimed, 'Past two, what for?!' Fiona smiled at her and said, 'I was working some additional job to earn some more money.' But, then she winced and at Ian's look added, 'It was a hard job – don't give me that look, Ian!' Ian shrugged, looking unconvinced.
'Fiona, did you know few men were assaulted brutally in the ready-to-move cabin?' Lip said, starting a conversation.
'No, why?' Her voice was dubbed into curiosity and concern, 'Are they alright?' She asked, as well.
'Maybe it was something to the woman that was raped last night.' Ian answered, 'I read on the newspaper that the post-mortem read that they had sex with someone and struggling signs were all over their bodies, police can join a two-and-two.'
'Post-Mortem, so quickly and who knows, maybe it was just rough sex and then the woman assaulted them after a fight?'
'It could be, Lip what do you think?' Ian said, looking thoughtful.
'Who knows? The police don't know who the woman was and they can't figure out, there were no signs of any clothes.' Lip added, looking at her, 'By the way, I am going out today, will be back by seven or seven-thirty.'
Fiona nodded, looking distracted and peering out of the house as someone entered the house,
'V, how are you doing?' Debbie greeted and Carl, who was silent for the conversation, nodded in acknowledgement.'
'I am doing great, oh, eggs remind of this – doughnuts, fresh, thought you would like to eat – Fiona?' Veronica asked, flopping the box on the table, 'What happened? Listening?'
'Nothing.' Fiona answered, jerking herself into reality; she was unaware of her arrival, 'What have you got, Doughnuts for breakfast! I thought they should have something healthy to eat and you bought them Doughnuts?' She rambled into a rant, grinning as she picked up one doughnut and bit into it, nodding her head at Veronica.
Veronica nodded, too, though she was glancing at her sceptically.
»»———— ☽ ☸ ☾ ————««
Lip arrived from work, grinning and sober; it was a wonderful day at work and he earned extra money. He was sure that Fiona would have prepared something for dinner but then his eyes landed on a woman standing in front of their house, looking apathetic to the cold and he sprinted to her. His eyes took her features in and he was surprised to see it was Fiona, standing there in nothing but a cotton shirt and trousers. It was as though she didn't notice him or did but chose to ignore his presence.
Lip gently grabbed her shoulder, but she didn't respond. The wind was freezing and he was frightened to see the bluish tinge on her fingertips. He hurried her inside, earning no reaction from her. His hand waved in front of her, she didn't react. He yelled in her ear, no reaction.
Lip did the only thing he could think of. His hands snaked around her waist and knees and in one motion she was in his arms, looking numb but his actions caused her to wake out of her trance and she looked at him with distracted eyes.
'Lip?' Her voice was gruff and he figured that she was standing here for quite a long time.
'Fiona.' He acknowledged against her skin as he carried her inside. All their siblings were in his room and he was glad in case of a screaming match.
Settling her on the couch, he looked around and said, 'Wait, I will prepare you some coffee, you are freezing.' He hurried off to prepare some coffee as she, still distracted, nodded.
He came back with a steaming cup of coffee, looking unusually concerned and offered it to her with a warning, 'Careful, it is hot.'
Fiona just grabbed it, not even feeling the blistering boils bubbling on her skin. She just stared at him, even when he panicked and grabbed the cup out of her hand,
'Fiona, your hands – look at them!' His voice drove her out and she glanced at her hand, touching the boils. She hadn't even felt a thing, 'Wait here, I will get a cream.'
He left for a cupboard and got out a tube from which he squeezed out a yellowish past.
'Give me your hand,' he said as he sat beside her, clutching her hand and applying the paste soothingly, 'What were you doing outside?'
'Nothing.' She said, so quickly that he might have misheard her.
'What?' He asked, perplexed.
'I said nothing.' She said a bit more calmly.
He eyed her sceptically and eyes her down. Now did he notice the bruises on her hands and her neck – clearly marks of struggle – made by her? He noticed her broken nail and her slightly nervous stance. Then, it clicked. She was out late and the rape charges were also done near five minutes before she reached home, the same time taking her to walk home.
'Were you the victim of the rape?' He asked rather bluntly, surprising himself. It was a hunch but he needed to verify but what for, surely she was not –
'What?' She asked, surprised but through his experienced eye, he noticed the alert posture.
'Were you raped?' He spoke, now looking at her keenly.
'No. Never. What gives you the idea, anyway?' She looked extremely uncomfortable and he was feeling jittery.
'Simple. You have marked all over your bodies and clearly, they are your struggle marks. What are you hiding, Fiona?' He asks not unkindly.
'Nothing, well – I don't want to talk about it.' Unable to lie to his face.
'It's true, isn't it?'
'I don't want to talk!' Her voice was extremely loud and shrill and it might have woken their siblings.
'I AM GOING TO KILL THEM!' He roared, 'HOW DARE THEY?! I WILL –' His voice was beyond anything she had ever heard and he was sure now that their siblings were awake.
'You would do no such thing, I took my revenge – it is all in the past –'
'No, it is not.' He shouted, towering over her figure.
Fiona looked up at him, eyes challenging yet her mind was screaming at her, to move and leave. Her mind wandered to the scene as she laid numb while their hands brushed past her private areas, forcing her –
Ian assessed the situation slowly from his place near the stairs, 'What is going on?' He said slowly, afraid it might break into chaos.
The reaction was immediate, Lip stepped away and Fiona left, saying something about 'needing space'.
'Well, what was happening?' Ian demanded.
'Fiona won't let me beat those bastards up who raped her!' Lip shouted abruptly after a moment's pause and Ian's eyes widened as he spluttered a weak, 'What?' Before Carl and Debbie came running into the room, looking alert.
'We heard shouting.' Carl explained and looked around, 'Where is Fiona?'
'That's the mystery, isn't it?' Lip sighed, peeking out of the window, 'I don't know.' He sounded hysterical, now as the truth began to sink in.
Ian gathered the two younger siblings and whispered, 'Go to bed, I will fill you in.'
They looked ready to argue but as they stifled a yawn, they nodded and left, looking at Lip who was clutching his hair in desperation.
'What the fuck was going on here, what do you mean by –' Ian looked around, aware that their siblings, who were too stubborn, were standing near the staircase and listening, so he stepped closer to him, 'raped?' His hands clutched his and Lip looked at him carefully before saying,
'I returned home almost half an hour ago when I found her standing in front of the house, in nothing but cotton clothes. I began noticing her nervous stance and forced bruises and cuts – she was trying to hide them and it is not like, Fiona! Then, I remembered the time she returned and her uneasiness and her nervousness when we were talking about the case.' Lip said, looking guilty, 'I thought it was just concern so I brushed it off, oh, how could I be so stupid?!' He howled, dropping on his knees.
Ian was looking furious and guilty at the same time, 'She returned in front of me – she looked suspiciously tired but I brushed it off as work, she was even wincing this morning – ugg, you know what we should do? We should kick their asses – oh, wait, Fiona already did it – at least she knows how to throw a good punch!' Ian said, peering out of the window alongside Lip, 'There she is – she coming back.'
The front door opened and Fiona walked in, looking tired but steady as Ian hastily muttered, 'Are you alright? Why did you not tell me? I –'
But Fiona was not listening, her eyes landed on Lip and he could tell that she was getting furious,
'You told everyone about it?' Her voice shaking with fury and nervousness,
'Just calm down – don't hit me.' Lip cried as she pranced forward and began beating him; his hands covered his face as Ian attempted to pull her away,
'Calm down, Fiona!' Carl cried as he dashed forward to pull her away with Ian, 'What the bloody hell are you talking about?'
'Nothing – I am not telling If you don't know, and I would like to keep it that way.' She said hotly, looking cross as Lip stammered, 'Grown-up stuff, Carl.'
Carl gave them all a seriously look, 'I know what happened – Lip is not exactly the calmest person.'
Fiona glared at Lip and turned away, 'It is my problem, you don't need to get involved, I will forget and the men – well they have already forgotten their memories and I would like that. Just keep quiet, alright?'
Ian, who was holding her, gently let her go, glancing at her while rolling his eyes, 'Yeah?' He scoffed, 'Well, you better then stop crying.'
'I am not crying.'
'Are too.'
'Am not.'
'Are –'
'I don't care!' Fiona shrieked, 'I want you out of this, got it? Lip!' She shouted again as Lip shook his head and cracked his knuckles.
'Alright! Alright!' Lip shouted back, slumping onto the couch, 'better?'
'Better. Now I am going to sleep and I don't want any of you to put a single toe out of the house, got it? I mean it.' She added threateningly.
Each one of them nodded, looking at her. Fiona nodded and left.
'This is not going to happen, I am not going to sit around and watch Fiona suffer!' Lip exclaimed just as Fiona left.
Ian grinned wickedly, 'What is your plan, ?'
Lip's grin matched his, 'So this is . . .'
»»———— ☽ ☸ ☾ ————««
Fiona clambered downstairs at midnight, feeling thirsty. Her eyes were fuzzy yet she was wide awake. Unable to sleep, she had just been passing time when her throat went dry. So, here she was, walking down the old staircase and moving for the bottle jar from the fridge. She drank the water from a glass in silence and was surprised when the doors of her room unlocked. Her hands etched for the baseball kept nearby and she stood behind the door.
Her hands in the air, ready to strike, when –
'Lip? Ian?!' She screamed as Lip and Ian ascended from behind the door.
'Hold your horses, Fiona, it is just us!' Ian said, gently taking the baseball bat.
'What were you doing –' she glanced at the bruises on their knuckles, '– I am going to kill you!' She shrieked, grabbing the baseball bat from Ian and striking it at their knees, 'I – told – you – not – to – go, – didn't – I?'
'Ok, fine, you did, but we couldn't just let it pass by, you are our sister despite our differences.' Lip said, pulling the baseball away from her, 'We can't see you in pain, whether you like it or not.'
Fiona sighed, moving to sit on the couch. Ian glanced at Lip, who shrugged but went to sit down on the couch. They sat in silence, Lip's hand on her shoulders and Fiona's heard on his shoulders. Ian was on Fiona's other side, his head on her shoulders.
Lip was staring ahead when the slow breathing of Fiona caught his attention. She was asleep and so was Ian. He smiled, kissed Fiona on the cheek and fell into the numbness of sleep.
Everything would be alright when they woke, as though nothing ever happened but he knew Fiona would always keep in mind that it was not wrong to ask for help, even though he tried kicking her out of the house later or Ian went angry, she knew they were there even if she did not believe it.