Broken Promises / / A Falice Story

Chapter 13

FP got in the car and started the engine. "Polly said she's staying for a while."

"She's in college she-"

"She spoke to her professors, everything is fine." FP assured Alice and she sighed, she was in no mood to argue about it. Besides, having Polly there was nice. "And I told them Hal did this to you."

"I don't want to go to the hospital." Alice told FP, changing the subject. "I'm ok, I mean, I'm not ok, but I'm ok. You know?"

"At least let's have Hermione over, let her take a look at you." FP said and he sensed that Alice wanted to protest so he continued. "The cuts, the burns, they can be infected."

"Can you take a few days off from work?" Alice asked and she felt FP's eyes on her in the mirror. "I wouldn't ask, but-"

"Of course. However long you need." FP smiled and Alice was grateful. "Do you want anything to eat? Or do you want to sleep? Maybe some water?"

"I'm good." Alice nodded, but he couldn't completely see her. "Can you turn on the radio?"

"Of course."

A bit over two hours later they arrived home. Alice didn't talk to the children, she just went upstairs into the bedroom and stayed there, all alone. She wanted to take a shower amd change her clothes before Hermione arrived.

FP was overwhelmed with questions when he went back downstairs to the kids. "One at the time."

"Did Hermione say anything?" Polly asked and FP shook his head. Hermione was shocked when she saw Alice the way she was and she kicked FP out of the room.

Polly and Jughead kept on asking questions, to most of which FP didn't have an answer. He noticed how silent Betty was and he couldn't not do anything about it. "Betty, you ok?"

"Our father did this to Mom. She's the strongest person I've ever seen and she can barely look at us." Betty got everyone's attention with the emotion in her voice. "It's not enough that we have to watch out for two serial killers, we also have to make sure he doesn't get close to us or Tall Boy. Aren't they gonna arrest them?"

"I got a call before coming downstairs. They haven't found any physical evidence of them there. They'll bring Hal and Tall Boy in, but unless they confess there's not much they can do." FP was angry when he got the call, but he had to hide that when he went downstairs. He had to be strong for them even though the image of first seeing Alice after three weeks was imprinted in his mind.

"There have been people that won cases without physical evidence." Jughead pointed out and the three kids began thinking of how Alice might win, but FP didn't think she'd go to court. At least not any time soon, Alice was worse than ever before.

Almost an hour later Hermione walked downstairs. Everyone's eyes were on her and she slightly smiled. "The plain truth?" Everybody nodded.

Hermione walked to the armchair. FP was standing behind the couch and the teenagers were sitting on it, all four of them holding their breaths. "All in all she's fine, physically. I mean everything hurts, legs, feet, arms, stomach, back. She's covered in bruises, scratches, cuts, she was even burnt with cigarettes. But nothing life threatening. It'll be good for her to see you Polly, Betty. But don't ask anything about what happened, talk about school, friends, happy things, ok?"

"Ok." Polly nodded, she figured that much, but she didn't want to be rude and ask Hermione how they could do that when their mother had been through hell and back.

"Oh god." Betty buried her head in her sister's chest and Polly hugged her tightly. She needed a moment before going to see their mother. Jughead looked at his father before turning his attention to his girlfriend and her sister.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Hermione asked FP and he nodded. They went into the kitchen. "I don't have a degree in psychology, but you know I work difficult cases and everything. Seeing Alice's state I think there's some things you should and shouldn't do."

"Of course." FP nodded. "I'm listening." He watched Hermione sit down and offered to make her a coffee, but she politely declined the offer.

"Let's start with the don'ts because those are a lot." Hermione sighed. "For a few days, maybe weeks, stay home with her, don't go to work. Don't yell, don't look angry, don't walk away from a conversation. I don't know how much talking she'd like to do, but don't walk away from a conversation, no matter how awkward or whatever it may seem to you."

"Do you think she'll talk about what happened?" FP asked and Hermione shrugged her shoulders. They both knew what happened, but not the details, they didn't know what was going on in Alice's mind.

"Don't scare her. The slightest things may scare her so don't do anything to startle her. Don't touch her, she didn't let me touch her and I'm a woman. Her trauma was caused by a man so it's gonna take a while for her to be able to let you or anyone else touch her. This means no sex and it's been three weeks since you last saw her, it'll probably be another three weeks or even more, hopefully less until she feels safe enough to let anybody touch her. It'll be frustrating for you to not have sex-"

"Hermione-"