Redeemer (MM Fan Fic)

Chapter 67 (THE END!)

"Victoria!" I was being shaken. What is going on?! "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up! You graduate today!" Brian shouted. Oh yeah! I opened my eyes and smiled, digging up my face from the pillow to see him crouched down next to me. His eyes were so bright, such a deep brown, his big lips stretching into an excited grin. I rolled over on my side and sat up, covering my mouth to hide a yawn.

"What time is it?" I asked sleepily. Brian tensed up, and for a second I was afraid he'd hit me. But his body shot forward, impacting with mine and bringing both of us back down to the bed. "What-" Then a huge sloppy kiss and a giggle like a little kid on Christmas.

"It's time for the smartest girl in the world to get up and get ready!" He said, hugging me as tight as he could. I didn't feel like I'd break in half so easily anymore. That's cool. I missed these hugs, even if the same person was once who I was afraid of most. I need his love. Maybe he's ok....

"Ok, let me get up then!" I wriggled under him and he got up, lifting me with him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And it's around 11. I listened." He crossed his arms.

"Barely, but thanks." I sighed. We had a fairly heated argument about my sleeping so late. He suggested to let me wake up when I want, even if that is at five in the afternoon. But I will not sleep all day like my mother. I am not my mother. That seemed to be the statement that broke him. So glad we can argue without physical and emotional pain again. His eyes sometimes get a bit dark, muscles tighten, jaw clenches, but when he notices he moves away from me, and we sit and calm down until he's alright again. I prefer this. I prefer it very much.

"Hey, it's still morning. Give me credit." He put his hands up. "You just looked so happy.."

"It's ok." I got off the bed and stood before him. So tired. Brian followed me into the bathroom, where I checked over his face. He told me what he did. Why he left. This is how: The next day he called me downstairs, holding some VHS tapes. Who uses those anymore? But he put them in the player and I watched as he dumped a ton of candy in his bag, all of it. Shoplifting? Turns out it's a past time of his. He's an expert at it. But then he strolled up to the front, and after a few seconds was following the blonde-haired blue-eyed monster into the back. Brian locked the door..... Let's just say he's gonna be out for a while. I watched with wide eyes, horrified at what he'd done to him. How he tossed him around like he used to do to me, how his fist hit his jaw like it did mine, those boots cracking his ribs, the screaming and cursing and insulting, the hatred in his eyes... But after thinking about it, after realizing that he was someone like the other people I've known, the ones I imagined beating the same way in the gym at the institution, after realizing that Brian did that for ME, I wasn't upset at all. Maybe he did deserve it. Maybe it was his fault, not mine. Maybe Brian isn't lying now. But now he has a black eye again, and a bruise on his cheek. You can barely see it now, a week later. He heals quickly. Compared to Kevin though, this is nothing.  "Thank you." I smiled after checking his face over, kissing the bruised cheek and where his eye swelled some. Brian gave me a crooked smile and held my hand.

"You're welcome." He said. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah..." I said, looking at our hands. His are so much bigger than mine, so much whiter but bruised from hitting him. Maybe even from hitting me still. "I... I guess I do believe you."

"Good." Brian's smile went to one of the brightest I've seen, and he pulled me close to him, kissing me.

"Yeah, it is." I giggled. After a minute he let me go and got off the counter, leaving me to prepare for the day. I don't want to do much yet though. We have to dress up for this. Ugh. So I only put on foundation and eyeliner, dressed in comfortable clothes, and made my way downstairs. Midnight ran up to me to jump at my hands, the kittens chasing behind him with Lily following. I smiled down at all of them and laughed. "Good morning to you too!" Midnight ran away to the kitchen after a few plates clinked together. They all ran after him again. Aww.... I walked in too and saw Brian making something on the oven, humming to himself. "Hey!"