A Place To Escape

Chapter 9: Healing

((A/N: I want to thank EVERYONE who commented or messaged me after chapter 8. Your kind words of love and support pushed me to get this next chapter done way sooner than I expected! I hope you'll all enjoy! For those who celebrate, have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And yes, there is smut in this chapter! All my love, Lady!))

A Place To Escape: Chapter 9 (Healing)
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Evangeline stands tall atop the stage of Paradise House, watching over all that belongs to her.

Hers–it is all hers.

Finally, under her protection and watchful mothering eye.

Owning Paradise House was equally wonderful and terrifying.

Wonderful because she's finally doing more for her fellow sex workers.

Terrifying because the fear of failure looms over her like the smell of rotting meat.

She could not screw this up.

This isn't just some song and dance for her to perform; this is her dream becoming a reality.

Every single moment of struggle has led up to this one triumph.

Nothing would stop her from doing her part to fix the system.

Except, maybe, her crushing self-doubt.

Mistreated sex workers versus abusers and rapists.

Should be an easy fix, right?

Or at least, she prays that it will be, because this is what she's been waiting for.

For longer than she can recall, she's felt the need to be the one to make a difference.

If she could spark this change, then she would drastically improve the lives of others.

Millions of sex workers, exploited and invisible. Their voices deserve to be heard.

Speaking up and taking a stand is the only way things would get any better.

She'd have to start small, of course. With Paradise House.

But, Evangeline would continue to stand up for those who had no voice.

Having the former owner stay to help her was a godsend. Damon remains by her side, working as the club's manager and helping her run things smoothly. Meanwhile, she started building up the database of all the clients who had ever visited Paradise House—marking who were respectable clients and who were abusers.

The first on the list was him—the bastard that had beaten Catana and raped her. Evangeline's determined to do her part to ensure that monster never touched another sex worker.

The fire and determination are enough to get Evangeline through most of her days, but healing is a never-ending road, filled with bumps and pitfalls.

Some days what her rapist did to her doesn't cross her mind, and others...it consumes her every thought.

On the bad days, Evangeline is thankful for the things that keep her mind busy, distracted.

Her Paradise Girls keep her busy with dance rehearsals and performance approvals. Damon keeps her busy with the business aspects of things. Kylo keeps her nights busy when neither one of them can sleep, or when she wakes from one of her nightmares.

Since Kylo's last visit, their bond has continued to flourish. Both of them are now able to reach each other at a moment's notice.

Their bond has become so strong that sometimes she wakes to his ghostly sleeping form lying next to her. Sometimes, it feels so real she can't tell if he is there or just a "Force projection," as Kylo calls it.