Shattered Glass

[Zetti]

Geoff and Belle's speech was interesting. I especially loved the line where Geoff said to Belle that she wasnt him.

Aww at Aden saying he was still married to her! See he still wants her

Ooooh Johnny is here! Will Aden fight him??

No Jamie in that chapter Oh well. I will be waiting for the next chapter whenever you decide to update

[wrongturntaken]

OMG!!!! I have been wanting Johnny to come into it for ages!!!! So glad you did it!!! Especially the way you did it... (*cough* grease 2 *cough*) hehe

Seriously awesome chapter! Geoff and Belle's chat was great! I loved how you wrote the way he feels about Nicole and Melody and comparing himself to Aden!

I love what you did with Belle flirting with some stranger and then Aden calling himself her husband because he genuinely forgot!!! I have a feeling Aden might attack Johnny considering what he knows about what he did to Belle!

I'll just have to wait and see!!! Great writing as usual! Can't wait for the next chapter!!!!

[Louise_2983]

No Jamie in that chapter Oh well. I will be waiting for the next chapter whenever you decide to update

Aww sorry I'll try and put some Jamieness in the next chapter just for you!

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone

[leah1234]

do you know if there's going to be an update tonight???

xxxxxxxx

[jenpen08]

ooooh Johnny in the bay hey! There's sure to be fireworks!!

As always great update Louise look forward to the next chapter!

[Louise_2983]

With a special appearance by Master Jamie Jefferies just for Zetti, as promised, I hereby present.....

Chapter 20

She could see how bad the wound appeared in the glass panel by the doorway. It looked a great deal worse than it felt. And it didn’t feel too good. In the 12 hours since the injury had occurred her soft skin had turned a deep shade of purple with a tinge resembling jaundice running through it. A long tear ran diagonally from just below her right eye, deep red blood dried into the crevices of the raw slash.

“Belle” Rachel addressed her brimming with concern as she entered the hospital room.

“Don’t look at me like that Rachel” Belle sighed in frustration.

“I’m fine!”

“5 stitches is not fine Belle. Julie asked me to come in here because she was worried about you and she’s clearly not the only one” Rachel told her, nodding towards Matilda who had not taken her eyes

off Belle since they’d entered the hospital in the vain hope that if she stared at her enough a confession would somehow tumble out of her.

“Matilda’s just overreacting. I would have been fine, I didn’t need to come here it would have healed by itself eventually”

“Belle” Rachel sighed, picking up the chart hanging from the end of the bed and rapidly flipping through the pages.

“Tripped and hit your face on the coffee table?” She looked at her suspiciously.

“Do you want to tell us the real story?”

“That is the real story!” She protested angrily.

“Belle, come on!” Matilda sighed.

“I know you, you’re lying through your teeth, he hit you didn’t he?”

“I fell!” she repeated only half lying, she would have injured herself on the table the night before if Geoff hadn’t caught her in time so she had figured it would be a plausible excuse now.

“You don’t have to protect him Belle!”

“Protect who?” Rachel questioned intrigued as to who the perpetrator of Belle’s injury could be.

“Her loser boyfriend!” Matilda exclaimed.

“Johnny “I’m a rock star and can do what the hell I want” Nichols! He turned up last night and what do you know the next morning Belle’s in need of stitches!”

“Belle, did he hit you?” Rachel asked with a little more sensitivity and delicacy than Matilda was displaying.

“No” she shook her head adamantly looking the doctor straight in the eye to add credibility to her words.

“Belle!” Matilda cried in frustration.

“Stop protecting him! I bet this isn’t even the first time is it? I knew something wasn’t right between you when I came to see you in LA last year!”

“He didn’t hit me!” she snapped almost viciously.

“Aden did!”

Suddenly the room became completely silent except for a tiny intake of sharp breath from Matilda’s direction.

“Aden?” she whispered.

“I don’t believe you Belle”

“Are you going to believe I word I say at any point today Mattie?!”

“But...he worships you! Aden hit you?” Matilda shook her head in disbelief, her eyes still bulging in shock.

“It was an accident” Belle hurried to clarify.

“What you “accidentally” fell on his fist?”

“It doesn’t look very accidental Belle” Rachel interjected, again with more tact than Matilda’s shocked outbursts.

“Aden would never hurt me!”

“You just told us that he did” Rachel stated simply.

“It was an accident! Honestly. He was going to attack Johnny and I was trying to stop him and I got in the way”

“And he hit you?” Matilda whispered, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly slotting into place.

“Yeah” Belle nodded sadly before chuckling quietly.

“And cut my face with his stupid wedding ring! Ironic huh?”

“Why was he attacking Johnny? I mean I know he’d probably be jealous but he’s married himself, attacking your boyfriend’s going a bit far isn’t it?”

“He wasn’t jealous. Well, maybe he was but that wasn’t the main reason. He was angry. Aden knows about some things that Johnny’s done to me that weren’t...well let’s just say they weren’t exactly the happiest time of my life and he was angry, really angry. I seriously think he would have killed him if I hadn’t got in the way, I’ve never seen him so angry”

“He must feel terrible” Matilda whispered.

“The look on his face hurt me almost as much as this did” Belle laughed quietly, raising her index finger to point to her injury.

“And then this surge of anger came from nowhere and I screamed at him and told him to get out”

“Johnny or Aden?” Matilda questioned.

“Or both?”

“Aden.” Belle sighed deeply.

“He just makes me so angry sometimes! He takes every opportunity to remind me that he’s married, he tells me all the time but his actions don’t match up. He gets mad if another guy so much as looks

at me and then he goes to attack Johnny as if I’m some object he owns and Johnny damaged me! How am I meant to not be confused?!”

“What did Johnny do to you that was so bad Belle?” Matilda asked quietly as Rachel shifted uncomfortably.

“I’ll leave you to it, someone will be in to do your stitches in a little while”

“No!” Belle called out quickly.

“Rach, stay please I think I need to talk to you about it” she confessed as Rachel turned back towards her and waited for Belle to begin talking.

She took a slow, deep breath before blurting out the three little words that hurt so much as fast as possible before her confidence drained away.

“Johnny raped me”

Before they could react the rest of the story tumbled out of her, a strange sense of relief replacing the angst she had been carrying around with her for as long as she remembered.

“Forget Aden!” Matilda exclaimed.

“I’m going to kill him!

Belle couldn’t help but let out a low laugh at the look of fury etched on Matilda’s face.

“I’m serious!”

“Well, thanks Mattie” Belle laughed again.

“I love you too”

“Belle, you could go to the police?” Rachel suggested quietly.

“No” she shook her head with a whisper.

“He doesn’t even know that he did it. He was so high he couldn’t remember a thing the next morning”

“It was still rape!” Matilda insisted.

“I know that, I do but it was nearly 18 months ago and I don’t have any proof and I really don’t want to have to go through that again and again with the police and the court and I really, really don’t

want it dragging through the papers. And it would be. They’d be swarming all over here and they’d find a way to harass Aden and Jamie and I won’t have all this hurt them anymore that it already has! I

just think that maybe I need to talk to someone... about my baby. A counsellor or someone. It helped before”

“I can help with that” Rachel smiled weakly.

“That’s what I thought”

“Belle?” Matilda looked at her, her expression solemn.

“What?”

“Please let me kill him?”

“No” Belle shook her head with a smile.

“You’re my best friend, I think I’m going to need you around”

***

“Hey” she greeted him quietly as the front door to her former home swung open to reveal him standing before her. His eyes were tired and his skin pale, as though he hadn’t slept a wink.

His piercing blues eyes instantly focused their gaze on her injured face and he gulped in pain. Stepping forward slowly he gently raised his hands and touched her tender skin delicately with his fingertips. His touch was gentle as though he was scared she would break if he applied even a tiny amount of pressure.

“Are you ok?” he whispered, his words punctured by heartache.

“I’m so, so sorry”

“I know” she whispered, raising her own hand and wrapping it around his so they hovered in mid air over her wound together.

“I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, I know you would never...”

“It looks...”

“Awful, yeah I know. I needed 5 stitches but it’ll heal and Rachel said I wouldn’t have a scar so I’ll be fine”

“Next time just let me kill him!”

“Aden!” she sighed, her hand still cradling his.

“I hate him Belle. I’d hate him just for having been with you when I wasn’t but knowing what he did to you, what he put you through and then he has the nerve to just turn up here like that-“

“He doesn’t know what he did! And I know that’s no excuse and as much as it confuses the hell out of me I have to admit I actually quite like the fact that you care enough to kill someone for me but don’t ok? Jamie needs you here not in prison doing a life sentence for murder! He’s already had one awol parent, he doesn’t need another!”

“I just snapped” he sighed.

“I’m never going to let him hurt you again Belle”

“Aden, I’m not yours to protect anymore remember? Do I need to get a biro and write in on the back of your hand or can you remember that?”

“I remember, I just don’t like it”

“And I don’t like the fact that you’re married to Kirsty but I don’t go around hitting her”

“That’s not the same”

“Did you mean what you said last night?” she whispered, suddenly changing the subject.

“Which bit?”

“The bit about not letting me see Jamie whilst Johnny’s around”

“Is he still here?” he hissed, his tone disbelieving.

“Well I left him at The Beach House so I presume so. Although he does have a habit of disappearing, we have that in common at least”

“You’re not funny” he told her, shaking his head in disappointment.

“What are you doing Belle? After what he did to you?”

“It’s none of your business anymore Aden. Now can I see Jamie or not?”

“I don’t want that loser anywhere near him!”

“He won’t be. Just me. So can I see him?”

He hesitated briefly before his lips began to form a response.

“Daddy?” a small voice interrupted before he could speak.

“Can I – Belle!” he exclaimed as he caught sight of her and ran across the room, his arms outstretched to envelope her in a hug as she grinned back at him and lowered herself to his level. She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing gently as she inhaled the sweet scent of his skin that never failed to make her feel better..

“Looks like I don’t really have a say” Aden laughed

“What happened to your face?” Jamie asked worriedly as he pulled back slightly.

“Oh, I just had a little accident. Nothing to worry about” she tried to reassure him with a smile as his tiny fingers reached out to touch the deep purpled bruise. She tried not to wince as he applied slightly too much pressure on a tender point.

“Does it hurt?”

“N-, well just a little bit” she admitted, knowing she shouldn’t lie to him but also knowing well enough to sugar coat the truth slightly.

“Would it help if I kissed it better?” he asked sweetly, gazing up at her all innocence and sincerity.

“You know, I think it would help a lot” she grinned as he leant forward and pressed his tiny pink lips to her injury. The pain she felt at his touch on her tender skin was overshadowed by the joy rushing

through her.

“Still not quite better” she grinned as he pulled away and obligingly he kissed her cheek once more.

“No, not yet. I think one more should do it” she chuckled and giggling he leant forward and gently placed a third kiss against her skin.

“Now, I’m all better” she smiled, pressing her own lips against his soft cheek.

“Belle?” he asked quietly.

“Yes sweetie?”

“It’s my birthday in 2 sleeps!”

“I know it is. How old are you going to be again?”

“A whole hand!” he exclaimed holding up his right hand, fingers and thumb outstretched, to demonstrate.

“Someone’s growing up way too fast” she smiled, the 5 years she had missed suddenly hitting her like a razor sharp arrow.

“Did you get your invitation?” He asked proudly.

“I sure did”

“Everyone else got Donald Duck ones but I sent you a Mickey Mouse one because you’re my favouritest!” he announced almost making her melt.

“You’re my favourite too” she whispered, pressing another kiss to his cheek.

“And I can’t wait for your party”

“Me neither!” he grinned excitedly.

“I get to play games all day and people bring presents!”

“And here I was thinking you just wanted the pleasure of my company!” she chuckled.

“You don’t have to bring a present” he told her genuinely.

“You just have to come!”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world” she told him honestly. She would be the first person there and the last to leave.

“But Kirsty said you were getting me a really BIG present!” he looked at her expectantly.

“Oh she did, did she ?” Aden interjected.

“She said Belle better get me a big present to make up for all the birthdays that she missed” he told them, doing a high pitched version of Kirsty’s voice.

“Oh did she now?” Belle half laughed at Kirsty’s audacity.

“I may have something special planned where presents are concerned” she whispered against his ear.

“But you’ll just have to wait and see Mr!”

“Belle?”

“Mmmm?”

“This is going to be my bestest birthday ever! I’m glad you’re not missing this birthday”

“Me too baby” she whispered

“Me too”.

[LAURZY!]

Aww Jamie That kid is the cutest thing ever!!

You had me worried at the beginning!!

Loved all the dialogue between Belle/Mattie and Rachel. I really liked it when Mattie said she was gonna kill him

I hope she tells Johnny to do one soon!

Fantastic update, cant wait for more!

[Taniya_K]

“Everyone else got Donald Duck ones but I sent you a Mickey Mouse one because you’re my favouritest!” he announced almost making her melt.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! The Jamieness is back and it made everything so happy and cute! That bit was MY favoritest! He's so cute! I could just hug him and squeeze him forever and ever and ever... if he were real

Loved the way this chapter opened. I did think it was Aden that hit her, but I loved the twist about it being the ring that had grazed her. Poor Aden, he must be feeling so guilty. And poor Belle. But she better breakup with Johnny soon. He's a tool and a half and I've got a feeling that he's gonna do something really bad to lil Jamie

Cannot wait for more!

xoxo

[wrongturntaken]

This chapter just makes me want to go... awwww... for so many different reasons. It's so sad that Aden hurt Belle, you could tell how much that would hurt him. I'm not surprised he wanted to kill Johnny! Loved Matilda when she kept asking if she could kill him! It's good that Belle's finally opened up to other people about what happened to her.

Does Johnny know about Aden and Jamie???

Jamie was soooooooo cute once again!!! I love how you write Kirsty into it like that, was clever and funny!!! he has to be the sweetest little boy ever!!!!

Can't wait for the next update!!!! SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Louise_2983]

Does Johnny know about Aden and Jamie???

Next chapter!