Loving Marianna

Chapter Fifty- Five

Warning: child abuse, violence, animal abuse

The break flies by and I'm back out on the stand getting wires shoved into my ears again. My eyes drift close and I'm back to being a child.

"Marianna! Get me another fucking beer!" I quickly move to the fridge and get him another I make sure to open it for him not wanting to be kicked or punched for being so stupid as to think he could just open the beer himself.

He disgustingly chugs the whole beer, foam dribbling down his chin before smashing the glass on the floor in front of my feet making me flinch little shards cutting my feet. He gets up and burps in my face. I scrunch my nose and move away which just makes him laugh.

"Let's go." He orders leading me back to the kitchen. He takes out the steak he left defrosting and dumps the blood on me rubbing the raw meat all over my body. I've learned sometimes it's best to not ask what's happening or it'll get worse. He brings me down to the basement and I try to run up the stairs when I see what he has down here but he catches me by my ankle and drags me back down making me hit my face against the stairs.

"The bitch hasn't been fed in days and the smell of that raw meat and blood will surely make her hungrier." He cackles moving on top of the cage opening the door for the starving Rottweiler.

"Your only chance at survival is on the floor! Let's see which bitch wins!"

I see a knife on the floor and turn away to run up the stairs trying to outrun the dog instead of kill it.

Locked.

I curse Aaron and feel the dog roughly drag my body down the stairs. I kick and thrash around and manage to free myself enough to reach the knife.

"I'm so sorry." I stab the dog tears pouring down my face when she lunges at me again but it's not enough she latches onto my arm and rips off skin, I press into her eyewith my other hand making her release.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" I say over and over as I stab and finally kill the dog with a final whimper. Slumping against the floor feeling the dogs blood surround our bodies. I cringe and manage to roll away and right into Aaron's smelly foot.

"Too bad. I was rooting for the dog." He spits on me leaving me on the floor.

My memories swirl again and over and over showing the dozens if not hundreds of times Aaron abused me all the way up until the last time. When me and my mother rush out of the house leaving what remains of Aaron I appear in a room I don't recognize. I look in the mirror and see I'm still a child. I run my fingers over my soft fresh skin and frown.

"I'm sorry I failed you." I say to my little self before I'm pulled back into reality. I pull the wires out of my ears and wipe the tears and snot from my face. I look at my mother who is hysterically crying and my mates who look like the world had been burned down but are still trying to keep it together for me. I try to convey with my eyes that I'm okay trying to convince myself too. The rest of the trial goes by in a blur all I can really recall from it is the D/A spewing some absolute bullshit justifying what Aaron did. Like damn this dude gets off on this shit.

"Recess." The judge calls out again and I'm escorted out with Ms. Rhodes. She's very quiet when we enter the small room this time.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." I say fiddling with my fingers. She shakes her head confused.

"Don't ever. EVER apologize for what that man did to you." She leans forward tears in her eyes.

"You deserve so much better than this." She looks around disgusted at the room, at the situation. I give her a silent thank you resting back into my seat mentally exhausted.

I don't realize I drifted off until Ms. Rhodes gently wakes me up.

We make our way back into the courtroom. The air thick with tension.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"Yes Your Honor, we the jury find the defendant not guilty of murder in the first degree on the basis of self defense."

"In the case of We The People vs Marianna Yanis for the murder of Aaron Platt in the second degree Ms. Yanis has been found not guilty on all accounts. The jury is thanked and excused. Court is ajorned." She says slamming her gavel exiting the courtroom.

I'm let out of the collar and cuffs and run to my mates. I don't even know who's holding me because I'm just surrounded by them. Placing kisses and receiving kisses anywhere any of us can reach. Once I'm released from their loving grasps I hug my mother tight.

She cries in my neck and strokes my hair as she clings to me.

"I'm so sorry my baby, I failed you. You didn't fail yourself. It was my job to protect you. Mine." She breathes out holding my cheeks in her hands before pulling me back to her. I squeeze her and pull away going to thanks Ms. Rhodes who told me to stop calling her Ms. Rhodes now that she's not my lawyer, but I'm swiftly lifted into Clints arms and carried out of the courtroom my mates creating a familiar boundary around us. Once we all pile into the limo Wanda tries to pull me on her lap but I shake my head.

"Trust me you do not want to have my smell on you right now." She rolls her eyes and pulls me onto her making me slightly flinch from being manhandled these last few days.

"Why aren't you healing?" Bruce asks frantically. I think for a second and ask one of them for a knife. Of course Nat is the first one to pull on out and hand it to me. I prick my finger and Pietro who is sitting next to Wanda and I snatches the knife out of my hand and passes it down the line of my mates until it's on the other side of the limo. I roll my eyes and show them my finger and slightly slimmed down body get fuller again.

"See, just had to jump start her." I smile leaning against Wanda pulling Pietros hand to my lips.

"My soul ached for you all every minute of everyday." I say in almost a whisper.

Wanda holds me tighter nuzzling against my back.

"You have no idea the mess these guys were." Bruce says making me smile.

"Oh us? Try again buddy." Tony snickers.

"I seem to remember a certain billionaire curled up in a ball, drunk,in the bathtub crying out for his beautiful Marianna." T'challa laughs. My mouth drops open and heart clenches. I go to sit on Tony's lap but am pulled down by Wanda.

"Not safe to move in a car. Plus I want you with me."

"Like any of you were any better!" Tony yells pointing an accusing finger around at everyone.

"You definitely need more weed." Bucky chuckles guiltily.

I settle against Wanda and enjoy listening to what I missed and their playful banter knowing that no matter what I made the right choice if it gets me back to their sides.