I laid down in the tub of warm water, staring up at the popcorn-ceiling. I let out a long sigh as the water in the tub raised slightly and covered my waist. My eyelids suddenly got heavy and I let them slowly close.

"Hey, baby?" The bathroom door squeaked open.

I sat up, sloshing the water. "Yeah, Chris?"

He sat down on the edge of the tub. "Whatcha doin', honey?"

I half-smiled, trying not to laugh. "What's it look like I'm doin'?"

He leaned down and kissed me, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I love you." He put his hand on my stomach, kissing me again. "I made breakfast. Wanna come eat?"

I smiled and stood up. He did the same, grabbing me around the hips and kissing me again, making it more difficult for me to step out of the tub. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back. When he pulled back, he smiled and handed me a towel. His clothes had a body print on the front of them from the water. I wrapped the towel around me and let him lead me down the emmaculate staircase. The strong scent of French toast was overwhelming. His hand was in mine with our fingers laced as he pulled me into the kitchen.

"Baby, it smells terriffic. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion... I just wanted to do something nice."

I smiled at him, squeezing his hand slightly.

Sitting at the table, we both enjoyed the meal. He kept rubbing his toes against my bare leg, giving me flirty eyes. I just kept giving him sweet little smiles, hinting to him that after breakfast he would be "repayed".

When we finished and the dishes were in the dishwasher, he picked me up and put me on the counter playfully. I just wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him. His lips were so soft... I ran my fingers through his dark hair. He carried me to the couch and tossed me down on it. He was forceful, but gentle at the same time. He stripped me of my towel and let it fall, tracing his lips sensually down my body.

He stopped at my stomach and laid his head down, kissing my belly button. "I love you, baby," He whispered. I stroked his hair, closing my eyes.

"I love you too, Chris." He just lay there... with his arms around my hips, hugging me close to him. His warm cheek was resting on my stomach. It felt nice having him just hold me like this...

My eyes jolted open and I shot up, gasping slightly. Water sloshed around me. I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "You're losing it, Ally..." I stood, letting the water drip off me before grabbing a towel and stepping out of the tub. I dabbed the towel carefully over my face, trying not to irritate any bruises. Looking into the cracked mirror, I took a deep, ragged breath. I looked down at my left thigh... the bruise on it was getting bigger. Anymore, it seemed like sex with Chris was more of a punishment than an act of love.

"Ally!"

I sighed, relaxing my hands against the bathroom counter.

"Ally, where the fuck are you?!" Chris had left at about 8 last night to go drinking with a few of his buddies, like he did every night anymore, but he had failed to come home. I knew where he had been... in some teenage waitress's bed in a strange apartment. Looking in the mirror, it was obvious why. My 25-year-old face could easily pass for thirty, with the worry lines that I had from all his late night escapades and the marks the bruises left, I wasn't pretty anymore. True, I used to be... But that was long gone.

It seemed like he stopped loving me the day I said "I do". It was like because I was permanently his, he could treat me as such. But hell... I couldn't leave him. He was Chris... My highschool sweetheart... the man I had been with for the past 10 years... I couldn't remember what life without him was like. Besides, if I ever did get up the guts to leave, he'd follow me. I was his... and he wouldn't let that go.

In the mirror, I looked down at the small lump in my stomach... 5 months along, and I was barley showing. How much longer could I keep Chris from killing it? Or, well, killing me? What kind of a mother would I be if I let this baby be raised with that... thing... as its father?

I knew the second I went downstairs, it would be like saying "3, 2, 1, RUMBLE!". Eventually, he would kick me one too many times or throw one too many punches and that baby would be gone. It had happened twice before, and I had yet to do anything about it... This was bullshit.

"ALLY!" I stood in the mirror a minute longer, slipped on my bathrobe, and entered the bedroom. "ALLY, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

"Coming, sweetheart!" I opened the top drawer of my dresser and pulled out my old shoebox. I hadn't opened this thing in years. Inside was my slightly dusty .357 Magnum... a 20th birthday present from my father. Good ol' dad... giving me the present that was gonna save my life... I picked it up and opened the barrel. Sure enough, six shots were packed into it. I smiled and popped the barrel back in, spinning it slightly.

"ALLY!" I stepped out of the bedroom door, holding the pistol against my backside. Chris glared up at me. "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" I made my way to the old, untrustworthy staircase. The cool steel felt good against my warm fingers.

"I'm coming, Chris. I'm coming."