Falice

I'm Here

FP walked into the house late after his shift. He was terribly exhausted. He kicked his shoes off at the door and tossed his jacket onto the armchair in the living room. He looked over at the couch and found his son asleep with Betty in his arms. He thought it was sweet but he also didn't know how he quite felt about it. He let it slide, knowing this was just innocent cuddling.

He cautiously walked up the stairs. He wasn't trying to wake them up. He passed Jellybean's door and decided to take a quick check on her before he went to bed. He quietly poked his head in and could see that she was peacefully sleeping too. He smiled and shut the door.

He continued on to his room. He got to the door and found it locked which only left him confused. He jiggled it a little thinking it was just stuck but he had no luck.

A light bulb then went off in his head. There was a set of keys in one of the kitchen drawers. One had to be for the door. He made his way down and turned the kitchen light on. He opened the drawer and grabbed the keys before making his way back up. He attempted the first two but only had luck with the third key. He pushed the door open to let himself in.

He saw a silhouette across from him. FP turned the lights on to discover that it was Alice. She held the lamp up as a weapon. She was very close to throwing it at him before she realized it was just FP.

FP had his hands up in surrender. "Alice?" He slowly dropped them. "You locked the door?" He quietly asked.

Alice put the lamp back on the nightstand. Her face drooped after getting a rush of emotions. She took a seat on the bed to contain herself.

She hasn't been sleeping well so she was tired. She woke up instantly to FP's first attempt to open the door. She had gotten used to having to be fully aware of her surroundings. He had startled her with the door. More after he got it open. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I didn't know you were in here." FP softly told her. His heart ached looking at her busted lip and bruised eye. It was a mix of anger and sympathy. He couldn't picture anyone ever hurting her like this.

She buried her face into her hands. She felt too ashamed to look at him. "I'll go," Alice sniffled. She stood up to walk out.

FP put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "No, you can stay in here. I'll go. You need a good nights rest."

"No, I can go. It's fine. It's your room." She shook her head, making her way to the door.

"Alice, you're staying in here. Take the bed. There's no way you're taking the crappy couch. You need actual rest."

"It doesn't matter," She exclaimed. "I can't sleep." She inaudibly confessed.

"It does matter," FP carefully grabbed her face. "You're hurt." His face softened. "I don't know what happened or who did this but I don't like it at all." He ran his thumb across the injury, hoping it didn't hurt her. "I haven't seen you in the longest time and I can't believe this happened to you. Who did this? Was it the Farm? What happened?" FP had a lot of questions to ask. She never told him what it was like there. She had always just told him she was safe.

She couldn't find the words to say anything. She wept on his chest. He wrapped his arms protectively around her and although she felt safe now she couldn't do this. She pushed him away. "No, I can't." She shook her head. "You need to go."

"Alice," FP said. He was taken aback.

"I can't deal with you right now. I want you to leave." She croaked out.

He took a minute to register what had just happened. He kept looking at her, hoping she would change her mind. "If this is about what happened the last time we-"

"Please," Alice begged. "Please just go."

"But I am sorry. I had to. I know what I did was wrong but it was something I had to do to us at the time. I'm so sorry."

"It's been three times already. I can't take it anymore."

"We don't need to think about that right now. That's a talk we can get to once we're both ready to talk about it. What we need to think about right now is how you're doing. You shouldn't be alone with whatever you're going through. I know from experience that doesn't sit with a person. It doesn't have to be me if you don't want it to be but I think talking to someone will help."

"I'm fine."

"Al, you're not." He softly told her. He knew she was hurting. "You went through something that looks traumatic." His eyes flickered down to her injuries.

"It will go away on its own."

"Physically but not emotionally."

"What do you want FP?" It almost came out as a whine.

"Talk to me," FP gently pressed. "You're not facing this on your own." He wanted her to know he was here for her. They took care of their own. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." She gave in to his reassurance. She needed him to hold her and let her know things were going to be alright. "Not this time. I'm here, Al." He opened his arms. She hesitated at first but walked right into them. "Don't leave me all alone," She mumbled into his shirt. "I need you right now."

"I need you too," FP hugged her tightly. He pecked a kiss on her forehead. He was only capable of doing his best after knowing she was his support.

"I don't want to talk right now. I just want to sleep."

"That's okay," FP understood. "Get some sleep." He whispered.

"But I don't want to be alone. I need you here with me. Don't sleep on the couch."

"Whatever you need, Al. I'm here."

After what felt like ages Alice was able to get some actual sleep. She was able to remain calm and shut her eyes completely in his hold.