"I see you're enjoying yourself quite a lot, honey."

The familiar voice right behind Ramona seemed cold, it was venomous with the inkling of a promised peril.

Ramona stood frozen in the clasp of this acute fear. The fear of past resurfacing, the fear of loosing everything she had gained, the fear of infinite haunted memories. The fear that could only be inflicted by Lucas.

~~~

His hand, colder than her own skin, felt like a rough, slippery snake slithering over her... all over her.

Her tears had stopped and dried out a while ago. All the fight had left her body. Only the echos of her screams remained. But how was that possible? How could she keep hearing her own screams till now. Maybe her brain was responsible for it. Her brain, that she feared was going to the point of insanity now. It was the scariest feeling, scarier then the fresh, bloody view of her wounds.

As Lucas moved over her and stroked inside her relentlessly, she burned. She wasn't ready for him. Her dry canal must be bloody by now from his merciless onslaught.

It was fascinating, she realized, how a mind was able to freeze so impossibly from panic! This was a terrifying helplessness.

Lucas grunted and released inside her. Done and sated, he sighed gleefully. Not bothering to move off of her, he began caressing the side of her face with frantic gentleness. A complete contrary to what he was like just a minute before. Ramona laid unblinking, a lifeless body which still was breathing, somehow. It was the first time he forced himself upon her. And she realized that the daily beatings and derogatory words were nothing comparing to... this.

Her eyes focused on his face over her. He was smiling that perfect smile, just as he was the first time they met.

"I see you're enjoying yourself quite a lot, honey."

Looking at his lit up face, like a child in a candy store, she knew it wasn't going to be the last.

~~~

Ramona's frozen body unlocked itself from it's motionless state realizing Lucas had his hand running up and down her arm, just like that little flash one of the horrors he had inflicted upon her.

Lucas chuckled as she stepped away from his touch gasping in shock. He didn't show how displeased he was at that little movement, after all he would have a lot of time to do that, possibly an eternity. He just simply stepped closer to her, close enough to breath in her rapid breathing. Oh... how he loved her fear. The beginning signs of her breaking.

Before she could again step away and piss him more than he already was, he gripped one of her arms. He eyed the little bastard dangling from her hip and that shit was frowning at him. Lucas grinned.

Ramona felt herself shaking, not fearing about herself but about Julius. The kid had grown awfully quiet. It was strange how little children weren't able to understand anything, yet they could sense so much, such symbol of innocence could surprisingly catch on the invisible signs of joy, love... sadness, trouble, fear, hatred. Human mind and heart in their purest condition could be the reason.

She watched him looking at Julius grinning. Holding the boy tighter to herself she tried moving away from his but his grip on her arm only just tightened in reply. Instinctively her eyes traveled towards Lucas's free hand holding his coat slightly agape to show her what he had tucked into his belt, a gun.

He whispered for only her to hear. "Try to scream, honey and that little shit would be the first to have blood on it."

Her heartbeat accelerated in desperation as she looked around frantically, trying to have a glimpse of Evan... Harry or Oliver. Where had they gone? Where were they?

Please. Just, please... She chanted over and over in her mind and wished they would somehow hear her unspoken pleas. She had to at least save Julius. Not this child. Not her Julius.

"Come, my love. Let's have a walk."

To anyone else looking at them, they would look like a family trailing around lazily in the fair. Such smooth Lucas's every move was. While Ramona blinked back her tears not wanting to someone ask something, she knew the moment anyone suspected a thing, Lucas wouldn't hesitate to hurt Julius.

The quiet kid, with still furrowed brows and gaped mouth, had released his hold onto the stuffed elephant. While the boy had his little hands gripping at his chest like a small scared rabbit, his adored elephant laid forgotten on the ground where they stood to face the unthinkable just moments ago.

They were nearing one dark side of the long parking lot. Ramona's anxiety and shaking was growing by each passing minute. She watched as Julius's bottom lip stuck out and trembled, his eyes had grown so moist. Ramona pressed her nose against Julius's cheek, trying to provide her some sense of safety... some fake sense of safety. But nothing helped, not even her thumb rubbing the little boy's back soothingly. Julius sniffled twice, whimpered looking around and then focusing on Ramona. Big drops of tears crawled down his chubby cheeks as his loud crying filled the whole parking.

Lucas's hand tightened around Ramona's arms, the hold was bruising. Anymore force and she feared he would end up tearing her arm apart from her body. Knowing Lucas, it would give him immense satisfaction.

Lucas stopped and turned to glare at Julius, making the boy cry even louder.

"Stop! Stop you filthy swine!" Lucas glowered down at Julius and whisper yelled at the boy's face.

Right at that moment, this uncontrollable fear hit her fearing that Lucas would raise his hand at Julius. It made her recall that unfortunate night when this monster killed her unborn child. She tried turning around from Lucas to hide from him, the view of Julius but her attempts failed, for Lucas's hold was way too much stronger. What was she going to do?

"Make him stop. Make this f***ing bas**** stop! I don't like him screaming off my ear." The insanity peeking out of the calm barrier of his eyes, made Ramona shake in fright.

"L... let him g...go. This way you won't have to listen him... cry. Y... you got me, that's what matters, r... right?" She stuttered as she herself felt like crying along with Julius.

She didn't care anymore, what her fate would be. It didn't matter what, Lucas would do to her... beat her, rape her or kill her. What mattered the most was, Julius's safety. She needed to save this boy who calls her mama. This boy whom she loved with all her heart. And she could go through this hell alone and willingly, if that meant at least Julius would be spared from Lucas's monstrosity.

Lucas was breathing heavily, like a wolf in rage and ready to pounce. Slowly, however his breathing evened out but his eyes narrowed at her. "You care way too much for this piece of filth, don't you?"

He added after a pause, "We will have a nice talk about that after I put you where you belong. But tell me honey why would I let this shit of a kid go when it can be so much fun seeing your face while I rip his skin apart?"

Ramona closed her eyes tightly as his disgusting breath fanned her face. "I... I will d...do anything. Please... please." And Ramona had this advantage of knowing the sick turns of Lucas's brain. It made him happy listening to her begging out of fear... out of pain.

"Anything?" He drawled as a slow, vivacious smirk appeared on his lips.

He leaned down to claim her lips and invade her mouth. Forcing back the bile creeping up her throat, Ramona opened her lips. She let her mind drift off to somewhere else. Somewhere, where Lucas didn't exist. Where she didn't have the scars, where she was not broken and her heart wasn't wounded. Where there was only Evan, Julius and the people she loved.

Love. She loved Evan.

It didn't really matter the plans about giving your heart the time, so that this wounded organ could get used to the feeling of loving someone. It had happened and while not without her knowing, it was still surprising, how surprisingly in speed love manages to take over your whole being. Her eyes snapped open at the epiphany as at the same moment Lucas bit her bottom lip painfully, drawing blood and then decided that he was done with tasting her, for now.

Julius kept on crying, sitting on the ground where Lucas let Ramona leave him.

"Mamaa..." Julius lifted one hand up with his palm showing and stared at the place where Ramona was dragged towards and into a car. His red face, tear stained cheeks, incoherent mumbling between retching, loud sobs and the inability to breath properly because of all the crying... might be the signs of an innocent heart breaking, for the second time in his life.

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Well... (silence)

Lucas kissing Ramona, that was one yuck scene I've written and felt yuck too. :P What do you guys feel? What are your thoughts about the very last bit of this chapter... and about the whole chapter?

Listen to the song attached and imagine Lucas.

The only reason of this chapter being short is that I couldn't stop myself from uploading it right now. And after writing about Julius in the end, I was feeling so down that it felt quite impossible to move on and write more and about others. :'( So, I'm going to go, listen to some high voltage songs and then begin writing the next chapter.

One question to you readers - should I add a violence alert to the beginning description of this story? I just realized that the violence and abuse scenes may be disturbing to some audience. I'll really appreciate your suggestion on this topic.

Don't forget to vote, comment and share!

Take care, lots of love.
- Lara.