Michelle walked over to the bed and grabbed her towel, wrapping it back around her body.

She couldnt stand how arrogant he was.

"Plenty of time for that later? Not if I can help it." she said to herself, as she walked back over to the chair.

Unzipping her bag, she reached in and pulled out a pair of light grey sweats and a pink baby doll t-shirt.

Once she got dressed, she pulled her hair up in a clip and walked downstairs.

Wade was nowhere to be seen and she had no interest in finding him.

As she was walking toward the kitchen though, she heard him on the phone in his studio.

"Well, I guess I know where he is. I just hope he stays there." she mumbled, as she shook her head.

She continued into the kitchen and over to the refridgerator.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she opened it up and grabbed the pitcher of orange juice.

Once she poured herself a glass, she headed out onto the balcony.

Gazing out at the beautiful view of the city, she sipped her juice and felt this calmness come over her.

For a brief moment, she let go and allowed herself to feel again. 

She let the warm heat of the sun consume her and for the first time in awhile, she felt like herself.

Unfortunetly, the feeling was short lived.

Slowly, the realization that she hadn't been herself in a long time became overwhelming.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to fight back the tears.

She was the only one who could make things right, but at this point in time, she didnt have the strength or the courage to do it.

Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from the livingroom.

She quickly she wiped her eyes and turned around to see Wade walking toward her.

"Come in here. I need to talk to you." he said, as he laid a stack of papers on the kitchen table.

Grabbing her glass, she headed back inside and sat down at the table.

"I have to go out of town for a week and you need to take care of practices for Justin's tour."

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"Well I have alot of shit to do, so I am leaving friday night." he said, as he refilled his coffee and headed back over to the table.

"That soon?" 

"Yeah why? Is there a problem?" he asked coldy, as he grabbed the papers and headed into the livingroom.

"No, I just didnt expect you to leave when practices were just starting."

"Well, I dont have a fucking choice!" he yelled, as he sat his cup down and turned to face her.

She looked up at the expression on his face and wished she could have taken her last comment back.

"Thanks to you and all your bullshit, my work somehow managed to take a backseat!"

She knew not to open her mouth, so instead, she just sat there looking at him.

"What? No smart ass comment?" he asked, as he watched her trace her finger around the rim of her glass.

She just looked down at the table and shook her head 'No'.

"So, you can be taught." he said, as he walked back over to her.

Nervousness took over her body with every step that he took.

"You know, it doesn't always have to be this way." he said, as he took his foot and pushed her chair away from the table.

Her breathing quickened, as Wade walked up and stood in front of her. 

"Stand up."

Without a second thought, she immeadiately stood up. 

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her close and gazed down into her eyes.

A flood of emotions rushed through her body and she began to cry.

"Shhhhhhhh." 

Wade slid his hand along the side of her face and brushed his thumb across the trail of tears than ran down her cheek.

"You know what I expect of you. Just do as your told and we wont have to go down the path we did the other day."

She gazed up and looked into his eyes, trying her best to convince him that she understood.

As long as he thought she had learned her lesson, she felt she would be safe.

Reaching behind her, Wade released the clip that held her hair, letting it fall to her shoulders.

"God, your so beautiful." he said, as he wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. 

Instantly, the mention of her being beautiful reminded her that her once flawless face was no longer flawless.

Covering the damage to her cheek left behind from Wades hand, she lowered her head in shame.

"Hey.......look at me." Wade said, as he grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

"It's not permanent." he said, as he bent down to take a good look.

"I know." she said softly.

"Well, let's just hope you don't find yourself in need of another one." Wade said, as he released his grip on her.

"If it's ok with you, I am just going to go back upstairs and lay down."

"Yeah, that's fine. J should be here shortly anyway. I'll come up when he leaves."

Michelle turned away from Wade and headed back upstairs to his bedroom.

The thought of getting back in bed was a welcome thought.

She wasnt able to get much sleep last night and her body was in desperate need of it.

Once she got back to Wade's room, she crawled up on the bed and slowly lowered herself onto her stomach.

The softness of the pillow felt good against the tenderness of her cheek.

Reaching down, she grabbed the end of the comforter and pulled it up over her.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

Meanwhile, back downstairs, Wade was going over the last bit of paperwork that needed handled before he left town.

Just as he was finishing up, he heard a knock at the door.

Gathering up his papers, he shoved them into a folder and headed to the front door.

Opening the door, Wade saw that it was Justin.

"Hey man. Perfect timing. I was just wrapping up some work."

"How's it going? Your morning go any smoother?" Justin asked, as he extended his hand to shake Wade's.

"Yeah, it did." he said, as he shut the door and headed to the livingroom.

"Good. So is Michelle joining us to go over the list?"

"No, she had somewhere to be. It's just you and me." Wade said, as he sat down on the sofa.

"Ok. Well I brought the list of dancers. I think their style with mesh very well with the choreography that you have arranged."

Justin handed the list to Wade and sat down on the chair opposite of where Wade was sitting.

Wade glanced down at the list and was suddenly taken by surprise.

"Marty?" Wade asked, as he looked up at Justin.

"Yeah. We wanted to work together for awhile now. I figured now was a good a time as any."

"Hmmmm. Ok."

"Is there a problem?" Justin asked, noticing that Wade was become uncomfortable.

Wade sat the list down on the table and leaned back.

"Dude, you guys didn't patch shit up from the other day?" Justin asked.

"No, we didn't." Wade said, as he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"You want something to drink?" he asked, as he grabbed himself a beer.

"No man. I'm good. What the hell went down between you two?"

"Honestly J, I really don't wanna get into it. It's your call, but if he is on the tour....I can't do the choreography." 

"Are you fuckin serious?!" Justin asked, as he stood up and walked to join Wade in the kitchen.

"Yeah. I'm serious." Wade said, as he took a sip of his beer.

"Well......ummm.......fuck.....I don't know. I haven't said anything to him yet, but I really wanted him on tour with me."

"Bro, I totally understand. I'm just saying I can't work with him."

"Ok. Well......man....... I really feel the choreography is what I am looking for. I will just have to do without Marty."

"Are you sure?" Wade asked, as he walked back over to grab the list from the table. 

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Then I'll get in touch with everyone and go over the schedule with them. We'll start tomorrow."

"Great. Everything is set then. I guess I"ll let you get to work." Justin said, as he pulled his keys from his pocket.

"Oh....I forgot to tell you. I'm going out of town for a week. I leave on Friday, but Michelle is going to handle the tour work."

"That's fine." Justin said, as he walked toward the front door.

"Alright bro, I'll see you tomorrow." Wade said, as the two shook hands.

"Take it easy man."

Wade shut the door behind him and headed back upstairs.

"Now to finish what I started this morning." Wade said, as headed toward his bedroom.

CHAPTER 32

When Wade got to the top of the stairs, he headed down the hall toward his bedroom.

He was looking forward to spending some time alone with Michelle without having any added distractions.

The last few times they had sex, it was more an act of lust and need than actual romantic feelings.

It wasn't that the encounters weren't a pleasureable experience for him.

They were...very pleasurable, but now he needed to pull back.

He needed to prove to himself that he could still make love to her like he once had. 

He knew he loved her, more than he ever thought possible.

The fear of loosing her was one of many reasons he felt the need to keep her in line.

Now that he had established himself as the one in control, he hoped that things would get back on track.

As he walked into the bedroom, he saw her laying on the bed with her arms wrapped tightly around his pillow.

He stood there for a minute and watched her, innoccently unaware of what he had in mind.

Quietly, he walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down.

The movement on the bed caused her to shift positions slightly, but not enough to wake her from her sleep.

Glancing down, he knew he was making the right decision.

It was time for him to show her that dispite everything that happened, he loved her deeply.

Untucking his shirt from his jeans, he laid down on the bed beside her.

Reaching out, he stroked the softness of her cheek with the back of his fingers.

A small whimper escaped her mouth, as she slowly started to wake up.

When she opened her eyes, she found Wade face to face with her.

Startled, she quickly jumped back. 

"Hey....relax....it's ok." he said, as he reached over and gently grabbed her hand. 

Confused, she gazed up into his eyes.

"What are you doing?" 

"Nothing, Justin just left and I was coming to tell you that you can come downstairs."

"Oh....ok." she said, as she looked down at his hand still holding hers.

"You know I have been thinking. Alot has happened between us and I want to try and get things back to the way they were."

"Meaning?" she asked.

"Meaning, I dont want to have to keep doing........... this." he said, as he gently brushed his thumb across the mark on her cheek.

She wasnt quite sure to how react.

His demeanor and new found attitude was so sudden and unexpected. 

She gazed up at him and watched cautiously, as he moved closer to her.

Then before she knew it, Wade leaned forward and kissed her.

Not a kiss of need or lust, but a kiss meant to convey a message.

A message that he deeply and truly cared for her.

When the two seperated, their eyes met and neither of them said a word.

It was at that point, that she realized that all the heartache and suffering he put her through was over.

Overcome with emotions, she leaned her head against his chest and began crying.

"Shhhhhh. It'll be ok." he said, as he pulled her close and stroked the back of her hair.

After a few minutes, she leaned back and looked up at him.

"Can we really get past all this?" 

"If your willing to try, I'm sure we can. It'll just take some time." 

He knew the relationship had come to the point where he could have control without using force.

By reconnecting with her on an emotional level, he assured himself that he would have it all.

She would give herself to him freely, without hesitiation, while he retained the power and control he so desperately wanted.

"Are you willing to try?" he asked, as he sat up and pulled her with him.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I just want things to be like they were."

"That's all I needed to know. C'mon." he said, as he took a hold of her hand and led her downstairs.

"Where are we going?" 

"You'll see. Just follow me."

The two walked hand in hand, as they made their way down the stairs and into the livingroom.

"Wait right here." he said, as he let go of her hand and walked over to the entertainment center.

Puzzled, she stood there and watched as he opened the doors to the CD cabinet.

He scanned through the stack before he finally found the one he was looking for.

Bending down, he placed the CD into the stereo and grabbed the remote.

Pressing play, he sat it down on the table and headed towards her.

After a few seconds the music started playing and he reached out to take her hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, as he extended his hand to her.

Gently, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her close.

Shutting her eyes, she let her body follow his.

It was like the first time they had danced in the club whe she came on board at MDC.

He was intoxicating and she couldn't help but feel completely relaxed.

Every caress of his hand made her weak and she found herself leaning into him...............wanting him.

The feeling of her willingly against him was something he had missed.

He wasnt aware of how much until now.

Tightly he held her waist, as he bent down and began to kiss her.

Without hesitation, she returned the gesture and wrapped her arms around his neck.

After a few seconds, he leaned back and looked down into her eyes.

Silently, she acknowledged him and he softly smiled.

In one motion, he cradled her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.

Gently, he sat her down on the bed and proceeded to walk over to the dresser to light several candles.

He never could have imagined that he would feel the way he felt about her.

It was everything he heard about, yet never experienced.

When he got back to the bed, he took a hold of her hand and helped her to her feet.

Once she was standing in front of him, he took both of her hands and brought them to his lips, kissing each one softly.

"I love you." he said, as he placed her hands over his heart. "I hope you know that."

"I love you too."

Slowly, he released her hands and she started to unbutton his shirt.

Never once did she stop to question what she was doing.

For the first time in awhile.....this was what she wanted.

Wade shut his eyes and took in the feel of her lips, as she gently kissed his chest.

A soft moan escaped his mouth, as he reached out to touch her.

Without a second thought, she backed away and slowly pulled her t-shirt up over her head.

He could feel his heart race and his breathing quicken, as she stood before him and removed the rest of her clothing.

"God your beautiful." he said, as he softly moved the few strands of hair that fell across her cheek.

Innoccently, she smiled and reached for the belt on his jeans.

In a matter of moments, she had the belt removed and his pants off.

Taking hold of her hands, he led her over to the bed.

He smiled warmly at the knowledge that he was about to experience the best love making he ever had.

He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose and proceeded to remove his jewelry, placing it on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Much better." he said as he watched her slide back on the bed.

He playfully shot her a wink and then crawled onto the bed next to her.

He wasted no time joining his lips with hers, as he placed his hand behind her back and gently laid her down. 

The softness of her skin against his was amazing and he needed more.

Almost as if she had read his mind, she shifted positions so that he was now comfortably between her legs.

"I love you Wade." she said, as she reached up and laced her hand behind his neck.

"I love you too." he said, as slid his hand along her side and down her thigh.

A small gasp for air escaped her mouth, as she finally felt him inside her.

Bending down, he covered her lips with his and passionately kissed her while he continued to make love to her.

She never thought she would feel this way with him again, but she did and she couldn't have been happier.

The two continued to make love throughout the afternoon, finally reaching climax together.

Exhausted, he laid down on the bed and pulled her close to him.

"Promise me that no matter what, you'll never forget that I love you." he said, as he pulled the sheet up over them.

"I promise." she said, as she laid her head on his shoulder and started to fall asleep.

He lovingly gazed down at her, as he trailed his finger down her arm as it laid across him.

He didnt know what the future would bring for them, but he was certain of one thing.

He would never allow them to be seperated.

She was his.........now.......... and forever. 

CHAPTER 33

When Michelle finally awoke, she found the space next her empty.

Softly she sighed, as she ran her hand over the space that not long before was occupied by Wade.

Had it all been a dream?

Did he really tell her that he wanted to put an end to all the suffering her put her through?

She wasn't sure exactly what had happened.

As she was trying to make sense of everything, Wade came walking out of the bathroom.

"Hey. Your awake."

"Yeah. Did we.........." she started to say, but stopped when she saw the look on his face.

"Yeah we did." Wade said, as he smiled and sat down beside her.

"I dont understand."

"What's to understand. We made love. I think that explains itself."

"I mean why........" she again attempted to question the events that unfolded.

Reaching up, he placed his finger to her lips.

"Shhhhhh. Dont question it. Just let it be what it is."

She wasn't sure why things had suddenly went the direction they did, but she wasn't going to argue with it.

"I have to head down to Millennium. There are some things I need to pick up before I leave town this week."

"Your leaving?"

"Yeah. I'll be back in an hour or so. Do you need anything?" he asked, as he stood up and walked over to grab his jewerly.

"Can I have my cell phone?" 

"Your cell? What do you need your cell for?" he asked, as he hooked the latch on his bracelet.

"I would like to check my voicemail and my machine at home."

As she said it, she flashed back to the last time she saw her phone.

Wade had ordered her to call her mailbox so he could listen to Marty's messages.

Marty.

God, Wade was heading to Millennium.

She quickly searched through her mind trying to remember Marty's schedule.

Would Marty be there when Wade arrived?

She tried to think but everything was jumbled.

Finally, he walked over to his closet and took her cell phone off of the top shelf.

"Don't let me find out that you called him." Wade said, as he handed her the phone.

She didnt say a word.

She knew exactly who he meant.

"Well, you know where everything is. I shouldn't be gone long."

Bending down, Wade placed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll be back."

She sat there and watched, as Wade grabbed his wallet and keys from his dresser and headed out the door.

When she heard him shut the front door, she looked down at her phone.

Her heart sank in her chest when she saw the blood smeared across the keys.

It had obviously came from her last night.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, as the horrifing memories of last night came rushing back to her.

She remembered her fingers slipping on the buttons, as a small trail of blood ran from the cut on her wrist.

Tightly ,she shut her eyes and forced the memories to the back of her mind.

She needed to get herself together.

Grabbing her clothes from the floor, she slipped them on and headed to the bathroom.

Once inside, she grabbed a tissue off the sink and moistened a small corner of it with water.

She carefully wiped her phone clean and then proceeded to turn it on.

After a few seconds, her screen came up and she saw that she had new voicemail.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the chair in the bedroom and dialed the number to her mailbox.

The first few messages were from various friends calling to see what she was up to.

Then she got a meesage she wished she wouldn't have.

"Michelle, hey it's Marty. I know you said you were ok, but the more I think about it, something isn't right. I hope your not mad at me for the way I acted with Wade at J's party. You know damn well he had it coming. Wait till the next time I see him. I know you didnt want me involved, but well....now I am. He's not gonna lay another hand on you. I promise you. Please call me when you get this."

Instantly, her train of thought went back to Wade on his way to Millennium.

She knew if Wade ran into Marty, it wasn't going to be good.

Against her better judgement, she decided to call and find out if Marty was working today.

Ending her voicemail session, she dialed the number to MC.

After a few rings, she finally got an answer.

"Hello?"

"Marty?" she asked, as she instantly felt a lump in her throat.

"Yeah. This is Marty, who is this?" he asked, as the line instantly grew silent.

"Hello?"

She could feel her stomach knot up, as she tried her best to compose herself.

"Marty, it's Michelle."

"Hey, where are you? I just tried to call your house a few minutes ago."

"Oh, I'm not at home. Why were you trying to call me?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted to hear why.

"Well I have been leaving messages since I last talked to yesterday. We need to talk."

"Talk? About what?" she asked, completely forgetting the reason she called in the first place.

"We need to talk about Wade. I can't believe you were seeing him this whole time."

Instantly, her train of thought focused on the task at hand.

"Marty....Wade is on his way down there now. Please dont do anything.....please!"

"I don't understand why you are trying to protect him. Michelle, the asshole hits you. Why are you staying?"

This was the last thing she wanted to be doing right now.

All she wanted to do was find out if he was there.

Now she was knee deep in a conversation she wasn't even susposed to be having.

"Why can't you let me handle this. It's my life Marty!" she yelled, obviously getting upset.

"How many more times are you gonna handle it, huh? How many more times are you going to let him lay a hand on you?"

By this point, she had lost all control of her emotions.

"Marty please, I'm begging you!" 

It killed Marty to think of all the the pain she was in. 

He never would have thought Wade could do something like that, but he now he knew differently.

"What are you asking me to do Michelle? Stand by and watch as he beats the shit out of you? I won't do it. I'm sorry."

She started to panic.

She knew it wouldn't be long until Wade arrived and based on the number she dialed, she knew Marty was at the front desk.

There would be no way they wouldn't run into each other.

Just as she was about to tell Marty she had to go, Wade walked in the door.

"He's here. If you won't put a stop to it, I will." 

That was the last thing she heard before the line went dead.

He had hung up.

CHAPTER 34

The second Wade walked in the door, he caught sight of Marty and laughed.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Michelle's guardian angel." Wade said, as he shoved his keys in his pocket and approached the desk.

Marty could feel his blood boil at the brashness of Wades comment.

"You know, if I was you, I would turn around right now and head back out that door." Marty said, as he walked from around the desk.

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Wade asked, as he stepped up in Marty's face.

"Because in about 2 minutes, I'm gonna lay your ass out."

Wade couldn't help but laugh.

"Now I get it. Your jealous. You wanted her, didn't you? You wanted to be the first person to get inside her." 

Marty could feel every muscle in his body tense up, as he stood there listening to him talk about her like that.

Like she was nothing more than a conquest to him.

Another trophy to put on his mantle.

"Don't worry man, I took care of it. She isn't a virgin anymore. Hell, she isn't alot of things anymore."

It was taking every ounce of strength Marty had to keep from going after him.

Wade could tell that he was getting to Marty and decided to continue on with his recap of his encounters with Michelle.

Arrogantly, he stood there with his arms crossed and continued to fill Marty in on their relationship.

"Yeah the first time wasn't my idea of fun, but hey, you have to make sacrifices sometimes to get what ya want, ya know?"

"I think you need to shut the fuck up or your gonna end up on the ground!" Marty said, as his eyes started to fill with rage.

"Ya know, speaking of ending up on the ground, I believe the first time I had to knock Michelle to the ground was because of you."

Marty had all he was gonna take.

The fact that he just openly admitted to hitting Michelle in front of him was the last straw.

"You mother fucker!" Marty yelled, as he swung his fist and caught Wade in the jaw.

Only slightly fazed Wade retaliated back and within seconds they were both completely going at it.

The noise from the scuffle brought several staff members running out from the back office.

"Jesus christ! What the fuck is going on!" Stephanie yelled, as she ran up to them.

"Someone go get the guys, hurry up!" she yelled, watching in horror as the two turned each other into a bloody mess.

A few minutes later, four of the male staff members ran up and seperated them.

"Marty what the hell is going on!?!" Stephanie yelled, as she turned back to see two staff members trying to contain Wade.

"Why don't you ask that asshole!" Marty yelled, trying his hardest to break free of the other two.

"Asshole? I 'll show you asshole!" Wade yelled, as he elbowed one of his co-workers in the face and broke free.

Wade immeadiately charged at him, forcing the staff to let Marty go. 

Again they went at it, as the staff watched unsure of what to do.

"God, dont just stand there! Stop them!" Stephanie yelled. 

"Look Steph, what the hell do you want us to do. Let them go."

"Brian, that's not even an option. Stop them!"

Brian motioned his head towards the ruckus and the four staff members again tried to restrain the two.

After a few moments, they again had them seperated and both clearly showed physcial signs of their fight.

"I'm done!" Wade yelled, as he shoved them off and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Your damn right your done. Don't fuckin go near her!" Marty yelled, as he continued to try and get free.

"Don't go near her? What the hell are you thinking! She's MY fucking girlfriend!"

"Yeah, well she deserves better. The last thing she needs is your fuckin ass!"

"Man, why don't you shut the hell up and mine your own business!"

"C'mon Wade, you like to hit people! Let's see how tough you are! Hit me, you fuckin low life!" Marty said, as he broke free and called Wade on.

"Your a fuckin dead man Kudelka!" Wade said, as he charged Marty knocking him to the ground.

Brian shook his head, as they once again went at each other.

"I'm done Steph. Let em go." Brian said, as he and the other staff members walked back down the hall.

"Brian!" Stephanie yelled. "Brian, they are gonna kill each other!"

"It's out of my hands." he said, as he raised his arms in the air and continued down the hall.

There wasn't anything she could do except watch and wait for it to end.

After a few minutes had passed with no sign of letting up, she decided that she was going to have to put a stop to it herself.

Just as she was about to throw herself in between them, Justin walked through the door.

It only took a split second for him to see what was going on and he ran up to get between them.

"Man, what the fuck are you two doing?" he yelled, as he placed a hand on each of their chests in an effort to keep them apart.

Exhausted, the two stood there and stared each other down.

"What the hell is going on between you two?" Justin asked, as he looked back and forth between them.

Neither of them said a word.

Instead, Wade gave Marty a long hard glare and walked toward the back of the complex.

Immeadiately, Justin turned toward Stephanie.

"I have no clue."

"Why didnt anyone break them up?" Justin asked, as he watched Marty head into the lounge.

"Brian tried but they just kept at it. So he said let them go."

"Nice! Let them fucking kill each other!"

A few minutes later Wade walked back into the lobby carrying a stack of papers.

"Wade.....come here."

"Man, I got a lot of stuff to do before I leave. Can't it wait?" he asked, as he continued toward the door.

"No, it can't. What the fuck is going on between you two?"

"Don't worry about it. It will stop, trust me." Wade said, as he waved goodbye and walked out the door.

Justin was in complete shock.

"You have no idea what the hell they are fighting about?" he asked, as he turned toward Stephanie.

"Not really. It has something to do with Michelle."

"Michelle? Wade's girlfriend Michelle?" he asked.

"Yeah. Marty kept asking me if she was seeing someone. I knew the two were dating but Wade said he didn't want people knowing his personal life, so I told him I didn't know."

"Do you think Marty likes her?"

"You know, I did actually. I even asked him if he liked her, but he said no."

"It doesn't make sense. Unless Michelle and Marty hooked up and that's what the fight was for."

Stephanie couldn't help but laugh.

"I asked her if she was cheating on Wade with Marty, she said no."

"Do you think she would actually say yes?" 

"No, but I didn't get the feeling that was it."

"See I think it all came to a head one night at the club. Marty took her out to the patio to talk to her. When she came back in, she was a mess. When I asked her what was wrong she wouldn't tell me. So I went and asked Marty."

"And?"

"He didn't say anything really. Well, until I decided to be blunt and ask him if he was sleeping with Michelle behind Wade's back."

"What did he say?" Justin asked, as his curiousity grew.

"He freaked out. He kept yelling , 'Wade!?! She fuckin dating Wade!?!' I mean he was livid. I forgot he didn't know they were dating."

"Marty didn't know they were dating?"

"No. I did, but when I found out about them, Wade said to keep his personal life out of the workplace. So Marty didn't know."

"Why the hell would he be so pissed because she was with Wade?"

"I don't know. The next thing I knew, he was storming back to the bar to find Michelle. I followed behind him and when we got to the bar she was gone. The bartender said they had just left."

"They?" 

"Yeah, her and Wade. I guess he showed up and they left."

Justin stood there trying to figure it all out, but there had to be something missing.

Something that would tie it all together, unfortunetly he didn't know what that was.

"I don't know Steph. I can't figure it out."

"Me either" 

"I'll see what I can get from..... him." Justin said, as he motioned to Marty walking back out of the lounge.

"Good luck." she said, as she headed back to the office.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later." Justin said, as he headed toward Marty.

CHAPTER 35

As Justin was walking toward Marty, his cell phone rang.

Quickly, Justin stopped Marty and told him that he wanted to talk to him.

"Hey man, hold on a sec I want to talk to you. I just need to answer this real quick."

Hesitantly, Marty stood there and waited for Justin to take his call.

A few minutes later, He hung up and turned to Marty.

"Alright, what the hell is the deal with you and Wade?"

"What do you mean?" 

"Man...you know exactly what I mean. Don't give me that shit. Does it have something to do with Michelle?"

"Michelle? Who said anything about Michelle?" he asked, as he tried to gauge exactly where he was going with this.

"Steph did. She said she thought the fight was about her."

"Well, I don't know what to tell J." Marty said, as he started to walk past him.

"Wait......hold on." Justin said, as he grabbed Marty's arm to keep him from leaving.

"Look man, alot is going on right now. I just don't feel right about putting it out there for everyone."

"Man, what the fuck is going on!"

"Look, I have to go. I have a class starting in 15 mins. I'll catch you later."

Justin stood there baffled at the fact that both of them were being very tight lipped about the situation.

Now more than ever, he was convinced that something big was going on between him and Wade.

Shaking his head, he headed to the back to talk to one of the dancers he hired for his tour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Wade walked out of MC, he headed to his truck and threw his papers on the passenger seat.

Furious at the events that happened, he punched the steering wheel and then started his truck up.

He never thought that Marty would become this much of a problem, but obviously he was.

Something needed to be done.

As he headed back home, he wondered what Marty's motivation was for protecting Michelle.

Was it purely a concern for a friend or did he actually have deeper feelings for her.

He would need to find out. 

His mind was racing with thoughts, and he started to question whether or not Michelle had been interested in Marty.

That question would need to be addressed when he got home.

Just when he thought things were getting back on track, they start to fall apart.

"Mother fucker!" he yelled, as he realized that this was going to put him even further behind on the list of things he needed to get done before he left.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he sped up and within minutes pulled back into his driveway.

For the past hour, Michelle paced back and forth in the livingroom.

She prayed to god that Marty would reconsider and not approach Wade about what was going on between them.

Hearing him pull into the driveway, she walked towards the foyer to greet him.

The second he opened the door, she screamed.

"Oh my god Wade.....what happened!?" 

Her heart almost stopped, as she noticed the marks that covered his face.

"You wanna know what happened?!" he asked, as the tone in his voice quickly escalated.

She knew exctly what happened, but she could never let him know that she had talked to Marty only seconds before their fight.

"Come here!" he yelled, as he took a hold of her arm and walked her back into the livingroom.

Instantly, her mind flooded with the realization that he may already know that she talked to him.

Quickly, she tried to determine if she should try and explain.

Just as she was about to fess up, he started questioning her.

"Ok, I'm gonna ask once and only once." 

His words were calm, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was serious and his remark should be taken as such. 

"I advise you tell me the truth or things are gonna get ugly real quick."

Growing nervous with every second that passed, she pulled her knees to her chest and prepared for the worst.

"Why the fuck is Marty so concerned about you? Is there something more there that I don't know about?"

"Are you asking me if there is anything going on between me and Marty?"

"Yeah, is anything going on or has anything ever happened between you two?" he asked, as he stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"No Wade, I swear to god. Never!" 

"Has he ever come on to you?"

"No, were just friends, I swear!" 

Her nerves were starting to get the best of her and she started shaking.

"Have you ever given him reason to believe that you might be interested in him?" 

"No Wade. Why don't you believe me?" 

The more he stood there, the more she started to worry.

"Wade....what happened?" she asked softly, as she stood up and walked towards him.

"Look, this shit with Marty is gonna stop!"

Silently, she stood there and watched as he grabbed the phone off the table and dialed a number.

"Hey it's Wade. Is Marty still there?"

Her eyes grew wide with fear wondering what the hell he was about to do.

Why in the hell was he calling Marty.

"Ok....well can you get him for me?" Wade said into the phone, as Michelle walked up to him.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

Sternly, he pointed for her to go and sit back down.

Tears started to form in her eyes, as she walked back over to the sofa.

"What do you mean, what the fuck do I want?!" Wade said into the phone, as he walked into the kitchen away from Michelle.

"Maybe if you would shut the fuck up for a second I could tell you!"

"Whatever, do you want to hear what I have to say or not?"

"I want you to stop over after you leave MC." he said.

She was only hearing his end of the conversation but she could tell that what was being said wasnt good.

"I don't give a shit!"

"Well, then there ya go, cause I have her here with me."

"Fine!"

"No, she is not leaving with you!"

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try!"

"Whatever! If you wanna talk to her, you know where she is!"

Slamming the phone down on the counter, he walked back into the livingroom.

"He's about to get a major dose of reality!" Wade said, as he walked over to her.

"This is how it's gonna be. If that mother fucker show up here, he's gonna see what his interference has cost you."

She wasn't sure what he had planned, but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Maybe then he will get the idea and back the fuck off. I'm sure he doesn't want to see you hurt anymore." he said.

"After all, he's gonna hear straight from your mouth that you want him to stop and that you are not leaving me.....understand?"

She didn't speak.

Instead she nodded her head and again pulled her feet to her chest.

That was something that was happening alot with her lately.

It had become her defense mechanism to shield herself from things she didn't want to deal with.

"I have to go get some work done, if he shows up, come get me."

CHAPTER 36

After Justin had finished going over the details of his tour rehearsal with one of his dancers at MC, he headed back to his house.

As he pulled up, he noticed Trace's truck parked in the driveway.

It wasn't like it was a shock. 

Trace spent most of the time hanging out there, and the two were best friends.

They new each other better than anyone else.

When Justin walked through the door, Trace immeadiately noticed that something was up.

"Ok dude. Whats up with that look?" he asked, as he sat the remote to the TV down and walked to join Justin in the kitchen.

Justin laughed at the fact that Trace new him all too well.

"Alright, remember Michelle?" Justin asked, as he grabbed a bottle of water from the refridgerator.

"Uhh...yeah. The beautiful young lady who is helping choreograph your tour. Not to mention WADE'S GIRLFRIEND." he stressed.

Justin shook his head at Trace's poor attempt to discourage him from going on with his plan.

"Yeah....well...seems that there might be trouble in paradise." he said, as he opened the bottle and took a drink.

"Please tell me how you know that?" Trace asked, as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, earlier when I stopped at MC to see Kristin about the tour, I ran into Wade and Marty slugging it out."

"They were fighting?! Again?!" Trace asked, in disbelief.

"Yeah. I mean they would have killed each other had I not walked in."

"Dude....what the fuck are they fighting about? They used to be close friends."

"Funny you ask." Justin laughed, as he sat his water down and leaned against the counter.

Trace couldnt help but smile at Justin, who was obviously pleased with what he was about to say.

"It seems that the fight has something to do with Michelle. Honestly, from what I gathered from Steph, I think she slept with Marty."

"Get the fuck out!" Trace said, in shock at Justin's comment.

"Dude..I'm not kidding! Something is going on between her and Marty and neither him or Wade will say a word about it." 

"Man...that's fucked up."

"Yeah, well.....it sure makes my job alittle easier, now doesn't it." Justin smiled, as he headed in the livingroom.

"Especially since Wade is heading out of town on friday, leaving her all alone and unattended."

"Wade's going out of town? I thought tour practices were starting?"

"Yeah they are. Michelle's gonna run the show until he gets back."

Trace couldn't believe that Justin was still determined to go after her.

"J, why don't you just let that shit go. I mean, that's old news. You guys patched things up."

"Man...just because we patched shit up doesn't mean it hurts any less. He has it coming." Justin said, as he sat down on the sofa.

"Yeah, your going after Wade, but you know your gonna end up hurting this girl as well."

"Hey, I don't think this girl's a saint. If she fucked Marty too, she must like to play the field. Now she can play it with me."

"Dude.....that's so wrong." Trace said, as he walked back into the kitchen to grab a beer.

"Well....sorry ya feel like that man, but I'm gonna do this." Justin said, as he flicked through the channels on the TV.

"Hey, do what you want. I just hope it doesn't come back and bite ya in the ass." Trace said, as he joined Justin in the livingroom.

"I know what I'm doing, man. Don't worry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Wade finished his speech to Michelle about Marty, he headed into his office.

He was already behind schedule and the stress and anxiety he was feeling was overwhelming.

It was like everything was crashing down around him.

He had spent some 30 minutes in his office and he hadn't accomplished a single thing.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been under this much pressure and he knew he needed to relax.

Walking back out of his office, he headed into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of vodka from his liquor cabinet.

Michelle cautiously watched him, as he filled a glass and started to drink it. 

She knew drinking was the last thing he needed to be doing, but she knew if she said anything she was asking for trouble.

Silently, she watched as he went through glass after glass.

Finally, she decided that she better do something.

Taking a deep breath, she got off the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

She could see that he was on the edge, the look on his face was unmistakable.

"Wade.....why don't you slow down." she said, as she placed her hand over his, still clutching the glass.

Wade looked at her hand and then brought his gaze back up to her.

"I think I can make my own decisions, thank you." he said, as he pulled his hand away from hers and grabbed the bottle.

Heavily she sighed, as she watched him head back to his office. 

She knew she was pushing it if she followed after him, but she needed to get him to stop drinking.

If she didnt, she knew that meant trouble.

His temper always got the best of him when he was drinking and with Marty most likely to stop by, disaster was evident.

Quickly, she got herself together and headed down the hall towards the studio.

When she walked in, she saw him sitting at his desk with yet another full glass in hand.

"Wade....how do you expect to get any work done like this." she asked, as she picked up the bottle.

"Don't fuckin touch it again!" he yelled, as he pulled it from her grasp and placed it back on the desk.

She stood there and looked at him for a moment before she came to the conclusion that this was not a battle she was going to win.

She decided to accept defeat and leave, but as she turned to walk out, he grabbed onto her wrist.

"I'm sorry for yelling. Come here."

"What?" she asked, as he pulled her into the space between his legs and the desk.

She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was already starting to feel the effects from the now half empty bottle.

Grabbing his glass, he finished off the last bit of vodka remaining and then stood up.

"Wade, I really don't think this is a good idea." she said, as he reached down and pulled her t-shirt up over her head.

"Why not?" he asked, as he lifted her up and sat her down on the desk.

"Everytime you drink, you get carried away. It's like your a different person."

She was trying her hardest to keep him calm, but at the same time she knew that this shouldn't be happening.

"Carried away? You mean like this?" he said, as he forcefully grabbed the back of her hair and held her tightly.

"Wade, please don't do this." 

He was clearly trying to express that he was in control, yet he wanted to assure her that he wasn't trying to hurt her.

Slowly, he loosened his grip from her hair and slid it to the back of her neck.

Before she could say anything else, he pulled her toward him and kissed her deeply.

It was a kiss derived from lust and need, and he wasn't about to deny himself what he wanted.....her.

As he started to unbutton his shirt, he heard a loud knock at the door.

Instantly, he stepped back and looked toward the door.

Knowing that it was most likely Marty, Michelle reached out and attempted to keep him in place.

"Wade, please don't answer the door."

"Get off me right now." he said, as he pushed past her legs and headed toward the door.

Stopping in the doorway, he turned around and saw her still sitting on the desk.

"Get dressed and get out here.....now!." he said, before turning back around and heading out the door.

Quickly, she threw her t-shirt back on and headed after Wade.

Just as he was about to open the door, he heard Michelle come up behind him.

"You wanted to him to know so much about our personal life.....we'll.....now he's gonna know it all." he said, as he looked over his shoulder and reached for the door knob.

CHAPTER 37

The second Wade opened the door, Marty spotted Michelle standing off to his right.

Immeadiately, he noticed the mark on her face.

"Oh jesus christ! What the fuck did he do to you!" he yelled, as he tried to rush towards her.

The second Marty took a step forward, Wade tucked Michelle behind him with one arm and held Marty at bay with the other.

"If you want to talk to her you better back the fuck up right now!"

"Why the hell are you letting him do this shit to you!" Marty asked her, as he pushed Wade's hand off his chest.

"I'm not gonna tell you again. Back the fuck up!" Wade yelled, as he again placed his hand on Marty to keep him from getting near her.

"I came here to talk to her and that's exactly what I'm gonna do, now get the hell off me!"

"Need I remind you that I invited you here! I can just as easily show your ass the door!" 

Marty stood there trying to calm himself down so that he didn't escalate the situation any further than it already was.

"Are you alright?" Marty asked Michelle, as Wade lowered the arm that held her behind him.

She stood frozen in place, fearful of the situation that was unfolding in front of her.

"I'm ok." she finally managed to say, after wrapping her arms around herself.

"Do you wanna leave with me?" Marty asked her, as she stood trembling behind Wade.

With his hand still firmly placed against Marty, Wade glanced over his shoulder at Michelle.

"Go on.....answer him."

Michelle knew the answer to his question, but actually saying it was harder than she thought it.

"Marty, I'm not leaving Wade."

"God damn it Michelle, you know he told you to say that shit!" Marty said, as he again shoved Wade's hand off of him.

"You just don't get it!" Wade yelled, as he shoved Marty back to grab Michelle and pull her forward.

"This is because you can't seem to mind your own fuckin business!" he said, as he tightly held her face between his fingers.

Marty could see the fear in Michelle's eyes, as Wade showcased the marks he had put on her.

"Let go of her right now!" Marty said, as he balled his fists up at his sides.

"Or what?" Wade asked, as he squeezed her tighter causing tears to fill her eyes.

"Why don't you come and get her like you said you were going to!" Wade said, laughing at the look of concern on Marty's face.

"Why the fuck are you doing this to her!"

"Again....why is it that you can't seem to mind your own business?"

"Marty, please stop and just let this go! I'm begging you!" Michelle said, as tears ran down her face.

Marty was torn not knowing to what extreme Wade would go if he attempted to free her.

He went back and forth in his mind over what to do, but he knew he couldn't stand around and watch him hurt her. 

Without another thought, Marty lunged forward in an attempt to free her from Wade's hold.

The second Marty made a move, Wade released Michelle and shoved her out of the way.

Unfortunetly, the force he used caused her to go off balance and she started to fall.

Realizing what he did, Wade reached forward and tried to catch her, but the momentum from Marty coming at him caused her to slip from his grasp and she fell, smacking her head off the floor. 

As Wade staggered back, Marty turned around and saw Michelle laying motionless on the floor.

Immeadiately, Marty ran over to her.

"Hey.....Michelle?" 

As Marty tried to wake Michelle, Wade grabbed him from behind.

"Get the fuck away from her!"

"She needs help!" Marty yelled, as he struggled to break free of Wade's hold.

"What she needs is for you to get the fuck out of here!" Wade yelled, as he dragged Marty toward the front door. 

Marty desperatley fought to break free, but Wade easliy over powered him.

"Don't attempt to contact her or get involved in our relationship in any way or she's gonna pay for it and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

"Man, get the fuck off of me, she's hurt!"

"I'll take care of her, now get the fuck out of here!" Wade yelled, as he shoved Marty toward the door.

"Take care of her?! You mean like how you've taken care of her so far! Good job Wade!"

"I'm not gonna listen to this shit. Get the fuck out of my house!"

Wade pulled the front door open and grabbed Marty by his jacket.

"Don't come back!" Wade yelled, as he shoved Marty out and slammed the door behind him.

"What the hell was I thinking." Wade said, as he leaned his back against the door.

After a few seconds, he pushed himself away from the door.

As Wade walked over to where Michelle was laying, he heard the sound of breaking glass and the alarm on his Navigator go off.

Quickly, he ran to the window and saw Marty smashing his windshield in with a golf club.

"You mother fucker!" Wade yelled, as he ran back over to the door.

Running out the door, he saw Marty throw the club in the back of his truck and get in.

"You touch her again, I'll smash more than your windshield in!" Marty yelled, before pulling out of the driveway and taking off.

"This day just gets better and better!" 

The last thing he needed was to have to drop it off at the dealer to get fixed before he left town.

Grabbing his keys from his pocket, he disabled the alarm and walked over to check out the damage.

Suddenly, Wade remembered that he left Michelle laying on the floor.

"God damn it!" he yelled, as he quickly ran back inside.

The second Wade opened the door, he saw her starting to come to.

"Hold on I'm coming. Just stay still for a second." he said, as he knelt down beside her.

"Wade?"

"Yeah, I'ts me. Are you ok?"

"I think so." she said, as she tried to stand up.

Instanly, she went off balance and staggered into him.

"Whoa...come here." he said, as he scooped her up into his arms.

Gently, he carried her over to the sofa and layed her down.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard I pushed you. I tried to catch you." 

"It's alright. I know you did."

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah. I'm fine...honest."

"I'll be right back. I'm going upstairs to grab some aspirin."

Placing a kiss on her forhead, he turned and walked back up the stairs to his bedroom.

It was slowly sinking in that every choice he had been making turned out to be the wrong one.

He needed to get a hold of himself and turn things around, for both their sakes.

CHAPTER 38

Once he was out of sight, she pushed herself into a seated position.

She needed to try and move around.

Laying down was only causing her head to throb more.

Slowly, she stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

As she was passing the window, she noticed Wade's Navigator in the driveway.

"Oh my god! Wade!" she yelled as she turned toward the stairs.

Quickly, he came running back down.

"What? What's wrong?" he said, as he ran over to her.

"What the hell happened to your truck?" she asked, as she pointed out the window.

"Why are you up? You need to lay down." he said, as he placed his arm around her back and led her over to the sofa.

As he sat her down, he saw the questioning look on her face.

"What?" 

He knew she wasn't going to give up without an answer.

"Marty did it. Ok." he said, as he handed her the bottle of aspirin and headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

"Marty?!" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah...you know.....that oh so sweet friend of yours! He took his fuckin golf club to it!" he said as he handed her the bottle of water.

Immeadiately, she hung her head.

She knew she wasnt to blame for what he did, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Wade said, as he sat down beside her.

"I'll get it fixed and it will be fine. Which reminds me. I have to call the dealer."

Standing up, he stroked her hair and then headed into the kitchen to grab the phone of the counter.

She knew as much as they tried to get things back on track, something would always bring them back to a time they needed to forget.

Especially when Wade was still drinking as much as he was.

If it wasn't something she did unintentionally, it was Marty's unwelcome involvement in the whole mess.

She hated to admit it, but drinking seemed to be the cause of their problems.

She had been doing alot of thinking over the last few days and alcohol was the one thing that remained constant.

It finally came to a head today when his aggressive side surfaced yet again with her.

Drinking brought out a side of Wade that she wasn't even sure he realized.

Problem was, how did she approach the subject.

Drinking or not, Wade didn't like to be told what to do or not do.

That in itself was a major problem.

Her only option at this point was to try and limit the amount he drank.

As she was deep in thought, Wade walked back into the room.

"Hey, can I use you car. I have to have the truck towed."

"You can, but you know my cars back at my place."

"Yeah I know. Can I use it though?" he asked, as he walked over to her.

"Yeah you can use it, but how are you going to get it?"

"I'll get a ride. I'll call Chantal or something."

"Ok. Do you need the keys right now?" she asked, as she stood up.

"Well I have to be here when they tow the Navigator, but I'm gonna head out as soon as they leave."

"I was going to lay back down, so I'll just go get them now." she said, as she stood up and headed towards the stairs.

"Are you sure your alright?" he asked, as he watched her fumble her way up the stairs.

"Yeah. I just need to lay down."

"Ok, well I'm going to call Chantal and then I'll be up. I'll get the keys when I come up. Just go lay down."

As she walked upstairs, Wade called his sister to ask for a ride.

Just as he figured, it wasn't a problem and she told him that she would be there shortly. 

As soon as he hung up the phone, he headed into the studio to grab his gym bag.

He needed to pack up a few things he kept in the back, before they towed his truck to the dealership.

Once he found his bag, he headed out to the driveway.

Looking at the current state of his truck, he knew immeadiately where his first stop was going to be.

The second he picked up Michelle's car, he was headed to Marty's place.

If Marty thought that his actions were going to go without consequences, he was mistaken.

Wade was not the type of person to let things slide by and if Marty was smart, he'd know that by now.

If you crossed Wade, you were going to pay.....simple as that.

After he grabbed what he needed out of his truck for his trip, he headed back inside. 

He knew the tow truck driver would be there soon and he wanted to get his truck out of the driveway before Chantal arrived.

She knew him better than anyone and no matter what story he would come up with about what happened, she'd see right through it.

It was one of the drawbacks of being so close.

By any means necessary, he had to keep her from finding out what was going on.

There were several reason why, but the fact that her and Marty were friends topped the list.

If she asked Marty about the truck, he would undoubtedly reveal Wade's dirty little secret.

That was something he couldn't risk her finding out.

If she did, there was no telling how things would play out for him.

He knew Chantal would not stand by and allow him to hurt Michelle like that.

One way or another......brother or not......she would put a stop to it.

As he headed upstairs, he tried to reassure himself that she would never find out.

Atleast the fact that Marty and Chantal hadn't talked in awhile was some comfort.

When he got to his bedroom, he saw Michelle sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.

"I thought you were going to lay down?"

"I was going to. I mean...I did lay down. I just couldn't fall asleep."

Slowly, Wade walked over and crouched down in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, as he tried to deceifer the look on her face.

"We are never going to be able to move past all this, are we?" she asked, as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because this stuff with Marty is out of my control...it's out of your control. We can't moves past stuff that keeps hitting us head on."

"Well trust me. It isn't out of my control."

Just as he made the comment, there was a knock at the door.

"What do you mean it isn't out of your control?"

"I have to go answer the door. It's probably the tow truck company the dealer sent."

"Wade....wait. What do you mean?" 

"I'll be right back." he said, as he walked out the door ignoring her question.

After about ten minutes, he came back upstairs.

"Ok. Chantal should be here any second. Do you have your keys?"

Michelle tilted her head to the side and looked up at Wade questiongly.

"I believe you didn't answer my question. What do you mean it's not out of your control?"

"Nothing. I didn't mean anything by it. Now can I have your keys?" he asked, as he walked over to her with his hand extended.

"Wade." she said, as she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What?!" he said, growing annoyed at her persisitance.

Sensing that she was pushing him too far, she backed off.

"Well?" he asked, as his gaze grew cold.

"Well what?" she asked softly, as she uncrossed her arms and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Shaking his head, he walked over to her purse and began looking for her keys.

Removing her cell phone and a few other items, he finally located her keys in the bottom of her purse.

"This is what." he said as he dangled her keys from his fingers.

"Oh. Sorry." she said, as she began staring at her cell phone on the edge of the nightstand.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few hours." he said, as he turned around to say goodbye.

Immeadiately, he noticed her staring at the contents of her purse with a concerned look on her face.

He shot her a questiongly glare before returning his gaze back to the nightstand.

As he did, she shifted slightly in the chair, debating on whether or not to get up.

Wade stood there trying to figure out exactly what was causing her to become unraveled.

Almost as if he read her mind, he grabbed for her cell phone.

"Wade. I think I heard a car pull up." she said, as she tried to fight the panic that was setting in.

Shoving her keys into his pocket, he turned the phone on and looked over at her nervously twisting the bottom of her t-shirt.

He had a feeling he knew exactly what he was going to discover, but he wanted to be sure.

His breathing quickened as he waited for the phone to fully on and be ready for use.

She knew he was about to find out that she called Millennium and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would know who she spoke to.

There was nothing she could do.

At that point it was only a matter of time until he saw the phone number.

The second it was ready, he hit menu and looked for the call log.

"Wade." she said again, as tears formed in her eyes.

He refused to be distracted by her tears or the way her voice cracked as she said his name.

As much as a part of him wanted to, he knew in a few seconds his feelings would change.

Looking back down at the phone, he pressed a couple of buttons and there before his eyes was a recently dial number to MC.

"What the fuck is this?" he asked, as he walked over to her and held the phone up to her face showing her the number.

She didn't know what to say and deep down she knew there wasnt anything she could say.

"I asked you a fucking question!" he yelled, firing her phone across the room. 

When his question went unanswered, he grabbed her by her shirt and threw her into the wall.

She could see the anger in his eyes and she knew what was coming.

As soon as he drew his hand back to hit her, he heard the front door open and Chantal call his name.

"Wade.....are you ready to go?"

Slowly he tried to calm his breathing as he lowered his hand.

It was taking every ounce of strength he had, to keep him from smacking her as hard as he could across her face.

"As soon as I get your car, I'm coming right back here. You better say a prayer."

She stood frozen in fear, as his harsh words ripped right through her.

"Yeah, Im coming right now." Wade said, as he turned and walked out the door.

CHAPTER 39 

Michelle stood there for the next ten minutes unable to move.

It was like that moment had been frozen in time.

She was completely paralized with fear and this time she only had herself to blame.

She knew that she didn't need to call Millennium, but she did anyway and she couldn't help but feel she deserved the rath she was sure to feel.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she broke down and slumped to the floor.

She knew it would only be a matter of time until he returned and when he did, her life was never going to be the same.

Over and over again she contemplated picking up the phone to call Marty and have him come get her.

She knew he would be there in a heartbeat, but deep down she also knew that wasn't an option.

If she did that, not only would she be putting Marty at risk, but she would be signing her own death certificate.

That would be all the ammunition Wade would need for him to finally go over the edge.

She knew she would never be able to leave him and looking back, she now knows she should have left a long time ago.

She chose to stay and the consequences of her choice were hers and hers alone to deal with.

Gathering all the strength she could summon, she stood back up and headed downstairs.

She stopped briefly at the bottom of the stairs before turning and walking into the kitchen.

Without thinking, she opened up the liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.

Standing there, she studied the bottle for a few seconds wondering if she could drink enough so that the pain wouldn't be as bad.

Determining that any amount was better than none, she twisted off the cap and took a large mouthful.

After she swallowed it, she immeadiately began to cough.

She wasn't much of a drinker and Wade's liquor being top of the line, was alittle strong to say the least.

Forcing herself to continue, she headed out on the balcony with the bottle in hand.

As the minutes passed by, her body slowly shut down.

Every emotion she had felt, from anxiety to fear, faded away with each sip. 

All that remained was the blank look on her face, as she sat on the floor of the balcony and waited for him to return.

As she was about to finish the bottle off, the slam of the front door echoed through her head.

Tossing her keys on the table, Wade proceeded to head upstairs to look for her.

It was only a matter of minutes before he came storming back down.

"Michelle!" he yelled, as he headed down the hall towards the studio.

Wanting to get it over and done with, she pushed herself up and walked into the livingroom.

"Michelle!!"

Again he yelled for her, as the fustration and anger in his voice became more apparent.

As he came back down the hall, he spotted her walking towards the couch still clutching the bottle.

His eyes grew wide with rage, as he ran towards her.

"You fuckin little bitch!" 

Her heart nearly stopped, as she dropped the bottle to the floor and attempted to shield herself.

Never in her life had she been so afraid.

Squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she could, she held on the to hope that it would all be over soon.

Almost as soon as she shut them, she felt the sharp stinging sensation of his hand as he knocked her to the floor.

"What the fuck is your problem?!" he yelled, as she opened her eyes and saw him standing above her.

Looking down at the bottle next to her, he shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you fuckin drunk?!"

Momentarily oblivious to the severity of the situation she was in, she started to laugh.

The effects of the liquor had taken over and that one mistake would end up costing her more than she ever could have imagined.

"Oh its funny huh?!" he asked, as he reached down and pulled her to her feet.

Having to walk out earlier without disciplining her only fueled his anger.

The fact that she laughed at him on top of that , infuriated him more.

So much so, that he completely lost control, and before he could think twice about what he was about to do......it was too late.

Wrapping his hands around her throat, he pushed her against the wall and began to choke her.

The more fear and pain he saw in her eyes, the harder he squeezed.

She fought desperately to free herself from his hold, as she watched her life flash before her eyes.

Suddenly, her vision blurred and she found herself unable to hold on any longer.

Feeling herself start to slip away, she took one last look into his eyes.

Almost as if she looked deep into his soul, his fingers loosened and she fell to the floor.

Lifeless, she laid on the floor at his feet.

Staring down at his hands, he collapsed to the floor beside her and began to cry.

"Oh my god....what the hell did I just do!!!" 

Panic set in, as the realization hit him that he had just ended the life of the one person he loved more than anything.

Quickly he headed into the kitchen and braced himself against the counter.

His heart was breaking in a million pieces and he felt like was going to be sick.

Splashing some cold water on his face, he looked down at her broken body and fell apart.

"God, baby I'm so sorry!!!!" 

She had meant so much to him, yet the only thing he had ever gave her was heartache and pain.

Now, his chance to show her how much he loved her....... was gone.

Grabbing the phone off the counter, he slid to the floor and dialed Chantal's cell phone.

After a few rings, she answered the phone.

"Hey Wade. What do you need now?" she teased, knowing it was him from her caller ID.

The line was silent except for a few muffled cries.

"Wade? What's wrong?" Chantal asked in a panic.

"I need you to get over here as quickly as you can."

"Oh my god Wade...your freaking me out! What's wrong?"

"Sis....please...... just get over here as fast as you can."

"Ok, I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Don't move!"

Wade hung up the phone and sat it down on the floor beside him.

He had no idea how in the hell he was going to explain to her what happened, but he knew he was in trouble and Chantal was the only one he could trust completely.

Resting his head in his hands, he cried uncontrollably and waited for her to arrive.

CHAPTER 40

Wade leaned against the counter for a few minutes before he couldn't take it any longer.

Just being in the same room with her was tearing him apart.

He had never meant to take it that far.

It was like something inside him had just taken over and he couldnt stop.

It wasn't until he looked into her eyes that he had finally snapped out of it.

Realizing what he was doing, he quickly released his grip.

Unfortunetly, it was too late.

In horror, he watched as her limp body fell to the floor in front of him.

Now.....here he was.

Waiting to inform his sister than he had just ended the life of his girlfriend.

The one he loved with all his heart, but continued to abuse and betray despite that fact.

Quickly, he walked past her and out the front door to wait for Chantal to arrive.

He still didnt know how he was going to tell her, but he knew having her walk into his house and seeing her lying there wasn't it.

Only a few minutes had passed, when Chantal pulled into the driveway and threw her car in park.

"Wade.....what's wrong? What happened?" she yelled, as she ran up the driveway towards the house.

Wade slowly stood up and walked down the steps to meet his sister.

The second she saw his face, she knew something was terribly wrong.

"Wade damn it...answer me!!" she yelled, growing more worried the longer he remained silent.

"I......I didn't mean to do it Chantal. You have to believe me." 

"You didn't mean to do what Wade?" 

"I didn't mean to hurt her. I swear!"

"Hurt who? Wade...your not making any sense. Tell me what the hell is going on!"

"I killed her......I killed Michelle." he said, as he collapsed down on the steps.

"You did what?!!" 

"Oh god Chantal! I don't know what the fuck happened!"

Mortified, Chantal stood there in shock and continued to listen to her brother explain.

"I don't know exactly what happened. All I know is one second I was yelling at her, the next second.......I......was choking her."

"Oh jesus christ Wade! This is some sick fuckin joke, right? Right?!" she yelled.

"The next thing I knew I was staring right at her and I could tell she was.......letting go." 

Crying, he stood up and walked down the driveway.

Immeadiately, Chantal broke down and began to cry as well.

"This isn't real. This just can't be real Wade." she said, as she followed after him.

"God! Do you think I would make this shit up!!" he yelled, loosing the last bit of sanity he had left. 

"I don't know what to think Wade. This just doesn't make sense!"

"If you don't believe me, go look for yourself." he said, as he pointed back to the house. "She's in the livingroom."

Immeadiately, Chantal turned around and ran back towards the house.

As soon as she opened the door, she spotted Michelle laying on the floor, the marks on her neck clearly visable. 

"Oh my god!!!" Chantal yelled, running back out of the house and smack into Wade who was waiting at the bottom of the steps.

"How could you do that to her! What the fuck is wrong with you!" she yelled, hitting him repeatedly in the chest.

Wade just stood there with tears in his eyes, as she continued her assault.

"Your handprints left marks on her neck! Do you know how much force you must have used to do that?!"

Wade just hung his head and cried.

"I can't even imagine the pain she must have been in!" she said, pushing him backwards.

"Wait, how the did you see her neck? She was laying face down." he asked.

"No she isnt. She's on her back and you can't miss those marks!" 

Immeadiately, Wade pushed past his sister and ran back inside the house.

Confused, Chantal turned around and ran back inside after him.

The image of Michelle at his feet will forever haunt his mind and he knew without a doubt that she was face down when he left.

The second he stepped inside she was in fact on her back as Chantal had said.

Jumping over the endtable, he ran over to her and knelt down.

"God Wade! Haven't you done enough! Leave her go!" she yelled, as she walked over and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

"Chantal, she wasn't on her back earlier. Unless you moved her , she moved herself."

Reaching down, he gently took a hold of her wrist.

Chantal stood there and watched her brother frantically search for her pulse.

Moving to her other wrist, he continued to try to locate it.

Still...nothing.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he gently placed his fingers along the bruises on her neck ,trying one last time to find a pulse.

As soon as he applied the slightess amount of pressure, a soft cry escaped her mouth.

Startled, he jumped back.

"Jesus christ Wade! She isn't dead! Didn't you check to see if she was still breathing?"

"No Chantal, I didn't. I just saw the glazed look in her eyes right before she fell to the floor." 

Quickly, Chantal moved up beside Wade and bent down over her.

"Well she's breathing. Barely.....but she is."

"Your joking right? Please don't tell me that I left her in here to die."

Disguisted, she shot him an icey stare.

"Left her here to die? Now your joking, right? You put her here!"

Kneeling down beside her, he took a hold of her hand.

"God baby, I'm so sorry."

"Wade, go get some ice. You need to stop this swelling or she isnt going to be breathing much longer."

Jumping to his feet, Wade ran into the kitchen and grabbed a few ice packs from the freezer.

"Your going to need a towel too." she yelled, as she grabbed a pillow off the couch and placed it under her head.

Once she had her head tilted slightly back, her breathing slowly improved and her eyes started to flutter.

"Michelle.....can you hear me? It's Chantal."

Slowly but surely, she started to open her eyes.

A small sound escaped her mouth, as she grabbed for her neck.

"I know. It's going to be alright. Just don't try to talk."

As Chantal took a hold of her hand, Wade came back downstairs.

The second Michelle spotted him, she started to panic.

Chantal could feel Michelle's hand shaking as she tried to squeeze it.

"Wade, you have to get out of here. You making things worse."

"How am I making things worse?" he asked, as he walked over to where they were.

"Oh my god! She's ok?" Wade asked, when he saw her eyes open.

Looking back down at Michelle, Chantal knew Wade pressence was causing some alarm.

"It's ok. I'm right here. I'm not going to let him hurt you."

Wade sat beside her and took the ultimate blow to his heart.

Listening to his sister talk like that about him was heartbreaking.

Any comfort he would have hoped to give Michelle wasn't even a possibility.

"We need to get you off the floor but I can't do it. Wade needs to pick you up. Is that ok?" Chantal asked, looking down at Michelle.

Unable to speak, she nodded her head slightly agreeing to let him move her.

Wade took a hold of her hand and held it in his.

"I"m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen, I swear!"

Chantal sat and watched as her brother broke down in front of her.

"I love you so much. Please believe me."

She couldn't understand why he would hurt Michelle when it was clear he truly loved her.

She had never seen him confess his love like that to any girl, but here he was professing his love to the one he almost killed.

It just didn't make any sense.

Grabbing the ice packs from the floor beside Wade, she stood up.

"Come on. We need to get her upstairs."

Letting go of her hand, Wade gently slid one arm under her back and the other under her knees.

As he slowly stood up with her in his arms, her head fell against his shoulder and he started to fall apart.

He tried to fight back the tears that were filling his eyes, but it was no use.

Just feeling the weakness in her body as he carried her upstairs, tore him up.

All the pain she was feeling and her desperate struggle to simply breathe was his fault.

He should have made her feel loved and protected.

Instead, the one girl who had completely captured his heart felt pain and suffering.

Even though Chantal was furious with him for what he did to her, she couldn't help but feel for her brother.

The love he felt for her was clearly obvious.

She just needed to find out what brought him to the point that he thought hurting her was the answer.

Until she knew that, she couldn't be sure Wade wouldn't do it again.

Letting out a sigh of fustration, she followed him up the stairs to his bedroom.