“Yes... You, you passed out...” she stammered, gathering her courage, forcing her eyes up to meet his. He was startlingly close, his nakedness thoroughly intimidating. The flickering candlelight splashed shadows and highlights across his body, defining his lean, catlike musculature, creating a sinister image that seemed larger than life. She was amazed that he had moved so quickly and quietly, that he had pounced upon her with almost no warning. “I thought you were in trouble... I... I was going to get help...”

He took a step forward, but didn't try to touch her. “Yeah... I'm sure that's what you had in mind...” he said softly, malice barely concealed in his languid gaze. His eyes swept down the length of her body, then snapped up to lock hard with hers. He nodded, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence, the shadow of a smile tugging at his mouth... “Paramedics, right...?”

She stumbled over some clothing on the floor as she tried to turn to her left, angling towards the narrow pathway between the bed and the chaise lounge. He moved fluidly to block her with his body. Cut off abruptly, she threw her hands against his chest as she almost collided with him. She closed her eyes for a second and swallowed... God, why does it have to be you...she thought angrily... I love you, Todd...but I'm so tired of playing these games with your demons... She opened her eyes and stared at her hands resting lightly on his body. Bottling her anger in rekindled compassion, the muscles in her jaw knotting with determination, she looked up at him defiantly. With sinking heart, inwardly recognizing the futility of her actions, she attempted to explain. “Yes...I...I know you don't believe me, but I didn't know what to do. I...I tried to wake you up...but you didn't respond...I thought you needed medical help...” she pleaded, nervously dropping her hands from his chest and backing slowly towards the dresser again... “I was afraid for you, Todd...”

He advanced on her immediately, backing her up further against the dresser. His hands fell to the open drawer on either side of her hips. Slowly he pushed it closed, pressing her body into the piece of furniture with his own. Her back arched as he pushed in tighter, leaning over her, bracing his hands against the top of the dresser behind her. “Oh, I know you're afraid, Delgado...” he answered softly, lowering his face to hers, his lips almost brushing the corner of her mouth. "...and I know what you're afraid of...”

His hands slid from the dresser to caress her body, one snaking up her back, the other slipping around her ribcage to fondle her breast. “You're afraid you won't get what you came here for...aren't you, precious...?” he continued, releasing her breast and slipping both arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. “You're afraid that the party's over...” He smiled, touching his face to hers lightly, grazing her temple with his lips. “Don't worry, Delgado...” he said softly into the hair above her ear. “We haven't even started yet...” Pulling her away from the dresser abruptly, he crouched to get a firm grip around her waist and hips, then lifted her easily off her feet. “You're gonna get your payoff, babe...” he purred, looking deep into her eyes as he backed toward the bed with her in his arms. “I personally guarantee it...”

Reaching his destination, he stood her on the floor again, then twisted her away from him to face the bed. Wrapping his arms tightly about her waist from behind, he planted his chin on her shoulder. Gently, he nuzzled her neck and ear, whispering... “I haven't shown you any of my skills yet, Téa... You wouldn't want to miss that...would you...?” A wicked smile played across his lips as he felt a shiver sweep her body. “I'm very well educated..." he sighed softly, nibbling at her earlobe. "...and I'm very...very good.” He pushed all of her hair to one side, then kissed her bare shoulder tenderly. “You see...I've had lots of training...lots and lots of practice...” he continued, rubbing his hands sensuously across her belly. His lips strayed again to her neck, warm and wet against her skin. “We all have, babe...Even the boy could have blown the top of your head off,” he chuckled quietly. “You missed your chance there, Delgado... You mistook childishness for innocence... We have no innocence...” His voice hardened to an angry, grating rasp as his grip tightened abruptly around her. Téa closed her eyes, stung with pity as his words hissed in her ear... “...We have only pain...”

He took a step towards the bed, pushing her ahead of him, then stopped, savoring the feel of her flesh in his hands. Téa gasped as he seized her breasts roughly, then ran one hand down between her legs. “Todd, please...” she begged softly. “You don't have to do it this way... I meant what I said earlier. I wasn't trying to run...I'm not going to try to get away...” She swallowed nervously, gently covering his hand on her breast with her own. “I'm here, I'm your wife... You don't have to bully me...”

“I'm not trying to bully you, Téa,” he replied, his voice sweet and musical again. “In fact, I'm about to give you a treat...a little gift...something I know you'll like.” His fingers slid roughly through her pubic hair, raking and bruising the tender tissues. His lips nuzzled against the base of her earlobe, then tickled against her ear. “I have a talent...something that I reserve for people who are special...” he whispered softly, a small, nervous catch clipping his speech. “...and Téa...” He paused, sighing deeply in her ear, enjoying the sensation as his fingers retraced their path and slid through her delicate wetness again. “...You're a very...special girl...”

Swiftly, before she even knew what was happening, he grabbed her by the hair and snaked an arm around her pelvis. Lifting her up, he heaved her across the bed, where she sprawled face down, helpless. He came crashing down upon her, partially covering her body with his own. Still grasping her hair, he jerked her head to the left, turning her face away from him toward the foot of the bed. Hovering over her like a salivating panther in mid kill, his long leg folded across the back of her thighs, pinning her down, he paused to gently brush stray strands of hair away from her eyes and mouth. He kissed the back of her neck, as he slid his hand down her back to rub her bottom lovingly. “Yeah, you're very, very special, Delgado...” he gloated, giving her backside a playful little slap. “...and I'm gonna show you what happens to special people... I'm gonna show you a trick,” he menaced softly into her ear. “...a little something that we learned from dear old Dad...”

*   *   *   *

Peter rocked Todd slowly, kneading the firm muscles of his son's abdomen with his huge hand. “I've waited a long time for this, Todd...” he sighed. “To have you all to myself...with no outside interference.” He reached up to pull Todd's hair back behind his ear. “Don't try to tell me that you don't want it,” he hissed, breath icy against the side of Todd's face. “I've known what you were all your miserable life...remember? I've watched you, I've felt you respond to me... I know you want this...you want this as much as I do...”

“That's not true,” Todd groaned, wrenching his consciousness back from his inner madness to focus on his father. Struggling to comprehend what was about to happen, he tried to defend himself weakly, his voice barely above a strained whisper. “I never wanted this...never.” His voice dissolved the last word into a soft, shivering moan that trailed bitterly away to silence. Tears finally came freely, as the core of his soul capitulated, releasing the agony of his existence in a rushing tidal wave of inconsolable sorrow. “I never wanted you to put your hands on me this way...I never understood why you wanted to do this to me...” he whispered piteously, eyes closed, still cradled gently in his father's rocking arms. Fighting to overcome the chaotic, spinning visions in his mind, he sucked a labored, shuddering breath deep into his lungs. “I just wanted you to care about me...I just wanted you to love me...Dad,” he choked out between silent racking sobs, his features twisting cruelly as the memories gnawed away at his soul. “Why...why do you want to do this...? Why do you want to hurt me...?" he pleaded, his whispering voice quivering and childlike. Warm, bitter tears slid slowly down his face and neck, splashing unnoticed on his father's bloodless arm... "You've always loved to hurt me... What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so damn much...?”

“I don't hate you, boy,” Peter chuckled softly, unmoved by the anguished reproach in the younger man's tortured whisper. He slid his hand up Todd's chest to his throat again, pushing his son's head back and pinning it firmly against the side of his cold face. “You just don't understand... This is an act of love, Todd...This is what you've been asking me for...” He broke into a soft laugh again as Todd stiffened in his arms. “...and what I've been wanting to give you...all your miserable, fucking little life...”

Opening his eyes, Todd felt a flicker of demented rage surface, countering his humiliated anguish. He could still see the carousel of pain whirling all around him. The glittering visions of his life still flashed through his senses like jagged bolts of fire, burning his soul beyond redemption. This was the point where it had all begun a lifetime ago. This was where he had come in... He had finally come full circle in his unbearable existence. He was back in his father's arms again, caught like a miserable fly in a deadly web. Just as when he was a child, he knew with perfect, gruesome certainty--there would be no pity, no understanding...no escape...

He tried to move again, tried to sit up and put some space between the apparitions body and his own. But Peter quickly reacquainted him with the presence of the belt encircling his neck, jerking it up tight, freezing Todd in mid-movement. “Stop it!” Peter hissed. “You're not going to get away from me this time. This time there's no one here but you and me...no guard dog...no meddling coach...no one to interfere...” Peter straightened behind Todd, still holding onto the belt. “This time I'm going to enjoy you...you little piece of shit. I'm going to finish what we started all those years ago... I'm going to give you what you deserve for driving me crazy...for making me want you... I'm going to show you what real love is, Todd...”

Abruptly Peter pulled his hand away from Todd's throat and pushed the younger man away from him. Slamming his palm against Todd's back between his shoulder blades and shifting his weight, Peter tried to push the younger man down in front of him. Todd threw out his hands, bracing himself, refusing to lie face down. Peter laughed softly, sliding his body partially across Todd's back. “That's fine with me, boy...” he growled acidly into Todd's ear, his hand slithering under the younger man's belly to squeeze his penis again. “...if that's the position you prefer...”

*   *  *   *

Téa fought to recover her breath as Todd leveraged his weight against her, pushing her into the bed. There was nothing gentle about him now as he roughly forced his hand between her legs and slid two long fingers deep inside her. She grunted at the force of his invasion into her body, biting her lip, trying not to cry out. He laid the side of his face against hers as he pushed even deeper inside her. “How does that feel, Delgado?” he asked, his voice catching with his exertion and excitement. “How do you like me now...huh? Am I making you...feel good?” he taunted sarcastically. “You thought I'd never really do anything to your precious little ass...didn't you... Well guess what princess...wrong!” he cackled gleefully into her ear. “I'm gonna show you what the Manning men do best... But, I'm gonna be real nice about it...” he mocked softly, planting a gentle kiss on her temple. “I'm gonna make it easier for you...” Smiling to himself, he slid his fingers out of her body. Téa flinched as he spread the lubricating wetness up across her anus. “I'm gonna grease the road to hell for you, baby...” he chuckled, kissing her again on the back of the neck as he spread more of the slippery fluids over her...

Lifting slightly, he slid over her leg, positioning himself between her thighs. Slipping one hand under her pelvis and bracing himself against the bed with the other, he pulled her backside up tightly against him. She could feel his penis rubbing her, fully engorged and hot against the back of her inner thigh. “I'm afraid this is still gonna hurt a little, precious,” he sighed with mock concern. “But you'll get used to it...after a while...” Gripping her pelvis tightly to his body from underneath, he began to push into her...

Téa's brain snapped in a cataclysm of white hot fury! With all the strength she possessed, she twisted slightly beneath him and drove her right elbow laterally behind her and into his ribcage, knocking him off balance just long enough to break his hold. Scrambling wildly, she scooted sideways and out from under, rolling over to face him. Swinging her hand up with lightning speed as she turned, she slapped him savagely across the face. “I've had enough of this!” she shouted, her eyes livid with anger. As he turned to grab for her, she slapped him again, even harder than before, putting the full force of her body into the blow. “You're not going to do this, you son of a bitch! You're not going to ruin everything we have together! You think you can destroy the pain, destroy yourself and us--by sodomizing me? Well, think again Todd...think again!” she screamed. “I'm not going to let you do it...I'm not going to let you hurt yourself or me like that...!”

Instantly he seized her, grabbing her wrists and pinning them roughly to the bed, throwing the full weight of his upper body across her. “You filthy little slut!” he hissed, his face close to hers, his voice trembling with rage. “You cock teasing whore! Now you're showing your true colors, aren't you bitch! What happened to ‘go ahead and take me, I'll love you anyway, Todd’...?” he mimicked contemptuously. “Remember that little song and dance? Well, you've changed your tune, now...haven't you, babe? Now we get to see the real Téa Delgado!” He laughed at her, spitting the words in her face, delighting in her efforts to squirm away from him. “Where do you think you're going, huh...? What are you gonna do?” He pulled her up roughly from the bed by her wrists and shook her violently, then grabbed her by the throat and slammed her back into the mattress. Gripping her jaw painfully, he brought his trembling lips right up to hers, his eyes blazing with rage and pain. “Now, I'm gonna really fuck you up, bitch...!" he hissed...

*  *   *  *

Todd's mind erupted in a primal tortured scream. He felt the last thin shreds of his sanity slipping beyond reach as the phantom belt bit savagely into his neck, pulling his head back. Peter's body was still draped across him. His father's gloating voice still raked across his ear like sandpaper, driving him to the edge of hysteria. Peter backed off slightly, firmly gripping the belt. His free hand rubbed across Todd's back, still pushing him firmly down, holding him in a strained submissive position. Suddenly the hand left the younger man's back completely. Todd's breath choked off in a gut wrenching gasp as his ears detected the faint sawing purr of a zipper being drawn down. His eyes closed as violent chills rattled his body. In suffocating silence, he again begged frantically for God to strike him dead, shrieking inwardly with every fiber of his being to be relieved, once and for all, of the filth and madness that was his life...

*   *  *  *

Téa struggled violently against Todd's steel grip. Twisting and straining, she jerked to the side, trying to wiggle out from under the heavy weight of his body. He held her wrists tightly, enjoying the physical battle with her, giggling at her efforts to wrest herself free of him, but secretly surprised at her strength and determination. The accumulated stress that she had been holding in frayed check, was now running rampant through her, exploding in adrenaline charged aggression. She felt surges of panic roll over her as he tried to hold her down against the bed. Rising claustrophobic hysteria threw her headlong into a frenzy of growling, thrashing violence. Mindlessly, she threw her body against him, trying to push him over, trying to slam her head into his face. Plowing her knee viciously into his upper thigh, forcing him to loosen his grip momentarily--she freed a hand, balled it into a fist and bashed it unchecked into the side of his head. Todd, raising his arm to protect his face, continued to laugh, but was starting to feel serious pain from her determined assault. The sound of his laughter pushed her to new heights of frenzied rage as she slugged at his head and ribcage indiscriminately...

Todd felt no real threat at all...the squirming woman in his arms was no match for his strength and viciousness. He was loving it. This was what he had wanted from the beginning...for her to put up some kind of a fight--so that he could force himself on her in the most savage, ugly way possible. He was quite content to play with her for a while before he finished her off. But the blows that she had inflicted on him were starting to take a toll, starting to make a surprisingly painful impression. He grabbed for her free arm as she pulled back to strike him again, but she moved too quickly, jabbing under his arm, striking him hard in the ribcage. He grabbed his side in exaggerated distress, then dissolved in a fit of laughter, not even trying to control her...

Téa, seeing an opening...pulled to her left and tried to sit up. She attempted to scoot past him towards the edge of the bed, but he threw a long, leanly muscled arm around her waist and jerked her back roughly to her original position. He rolled down on top of her again, this time intent on bringing her under control. For several seconds they grappled wildly as he wrestled to secure her hands, finally pinning them to the bed over her head. Grinning down at her, breathing heavily, he searched her face with his eyes, savoring every nuance...every detail of her trembling rage and frustration. Kicking her legs apart, he slid between her thighs, using his full weight to hold her down. She still struggled against him, trying to raise her knees to block his movements, but he was too strong and too determined for her to push aside. "That's okay, you stupid little slut... You just keep it up...keep it up...” he snarled, squeezing her wrists painfully. “Every move you make just gets me more excited, princess...just puts me more and more in the mood...

Téa tried to think, but her body was in overdrive. Now that she had given in to her impulse to fight him, she was consumed with one thing only...getting free. The trauma that she had suffered at his hands came to the fore, amply fueling her physical aggression. But there was more to it than that, much more going on inside her than the mere release of pent up rage. Deep in her soul she finally understood something that she hadn't realized before... Todd was trying to annihilate himself...and he wanted to use her to do it. One fact was finally crystal clear to her, penetrating through all the layers of anger and humiliation she felt... She must never, never let Todd brutalize her...

She had been wrong earlier to think that it would be okay to force the guardian's hand, to open herself to an assault. She realized now that allowing that would have only reinforced Todd's guilt and shame, deepening his illness. His desire to force anal sex on her was a stunning testament to the depth of his self loathing. She was sure that if allowed to commit the crime of his father against her...he would never recover. The shock to his mind would be intolerable. He would never come back, never be able to heal. He would be utterly destroyed...lost to her forever. She didn't know how she was going to manage it, but she couldn't let that happen. In her heart she knew that she could forgive him anything he did at this point, but that didn't matter. What mattered--and why she had to fight to protect him--was that he would never, in this lifetime or beyond, be able to forgive himself...

Frantically, she braced herself to try and throw him off again. She knew she must hold him at bay somehow. Where are you, Todd...? she screamed inwardly, grief and fear flooding her senses completely... You've got to help me...You've got to come back...! As these thoughts raced chaotically through her mind, she suddenly felt him shift his weight and start to slide off. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her body into his as he moved, turning her so that her back was to his chest. As soon as he moved off of her she began to struggle again, trying to pull away from him, but his arm was strong and tight around her. He released her hands, needing both of his arms to hold her. She clawed desperately at the bed linens, attempting to pull away from him, but she was hopelessly ensnared within his firm embrace. She felt him touch himself behind her and knew he was about to force himself on her again. Feeling the deepest panic she had ever known, she screamed in frustrated anger, twisting against him again, determined to keep him away somehow. She couldn't bare the thought of what would happen to his mind if he was successful in his attempt to hurt her. Crying out again in anguish, she tried to turn and hit him once more. When she found that was impossible, she began to beat desperately on the smoothly muscled arm that encircled her. Kicking backwards, she tried to drive her foot into his leg, but he reached down and grabbed her thigh, flattening it tightly against his. Thwarted at every turn, finally reaching the limit of her emotional endurance, she broke down in a shower of heart wrenching tears, still scratching and pulling weakly at his arm... In the jumbled, terrified recesses of her soul, she threw herself face down before God in abject contrition, begging deliverance for them both...

Suddenly, he was all over her, his arms warm and strong encircling her body, his face tight against her neck. His entire body seemed to slide around her, enfolding her, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth. She continued to sob dejectedly, waiting for the pain and humiliation to come crashing into her...but nothing happened. Instead, after a few moments, he began to turn her around in his arms, pulling her over to face him. She struggled with him, but he overpowered her gently, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. He laid her head on his arm and tucked her face up under his chin, smoothing her hair with one hand while holding her tightly to him with the other. She beat and pushed against his chest impotently, still crying, but he gently took full control of her, covering all of her limbs with his, preventing her from moving at all...

As she cried softly into his neck, a strange feeling began to steal over her. Something was different. Confused and astonished, she realized that he was slowly rocking her in his arms. In spite of her anger and fear, she quieted and even began to relax slightly in his embrace, wondering what was happening. Recovering enough to be overtly curious, she pulled her head back from his neck to look up at his face. She saw nothing different at first glance, nothing that explained his sudden change in behavior. His head was pillowed against the rumpled pile of comforters and sheets on the edge of the bed, his eyes closed, his face expressionless. As she looked at him in wonder, his eyes opened. Her breath caught in her throat as those eyes locked deeply with hers. She was trapped instantly, ensnared beyond recall in bottomless wells of velvet amber green, infinitely calm and mesmerizing. She recognized the depth and serenity of those amazing eyes immediately...but she had absolutely no clue who he was...

*   *   *   *

Todd tried to twist away from the apparition, attempting to roll to the side, but Peter jerked him up short with the belt around his neck. Knowing he couldn't fight physically with the phantom, he concentrated his efforts on slipping out from under Peter. But the apparition was a step ahead of him every time he tried to move in any direction--always ready, always anticipating his every move. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rip the belt from his father's iron grip and make an escape...

“Calm down, boy...” Peter chuckled. “You're going to wear yourself out before we even get started...” He pulled Todd's neck back savagely with the belt, pushing his palm against the base of Todd's spine, forcing the younger man to arch his back sharply. Then it came...Todd felt Peter's body against him, felt the icy coldness of bared skin. At that moment, Todd reached the absolute breaking point. An anguished, tortured scream of rage and pain formed deep inside of him and came ripping through his body, exploding savagely from his constricted throat. He wanted to kill the being clawing at him, wanted to strangle him slowly until he heard his last breath rattle from his dead throat. He was consumed with the murderous feeling, no longer caring what happened to himself. Forgetting that it was impossible to harm the creature, he twisted his body painfully, reaching back wildly for Peter, trying to get a hand on him. The belt sliced into his throat, but he didn't care. He wanted to die...knowing that if he did, he would take his father with him. He closed his eyes, straining heavily against the suffocation and pain, his fingers stretching ever closer to Peter's throat...

Suddenly he was knocked flat, the air vacating his lungs violently and leaving him momentarily helpless. His ears were stunned with the sound of a piercing, feral scream as something heavy collided with him, knocking him away from Peter. Still trying to catch his breath, he rolled as far away as he could from the apparition. In total surprise, he realized the belt around his neck was loose...that he was free of Peter's grip! Shocked, he turned to see what had happened, to see the reason for his sudden release. What he saw shook him to the foundations of his soul...

A small figure had the apparition flattened to the ground. Hunched over Peter, one knee in the phantom's gut the other pinning one of his arms, was a boy...a boy that looked all too familiar. Todd rose to his knees, rubbing his eyes, not comprehending what he was seeing. He watched, bewildered, as the boy slid his hands tighter around the apparition's neck, squeezing with all of his might--deep, visceral growls of animal pleasure emanating from his lips...

“What do you see, Todd...?” A cool, soft voice swirled around his head, pulling his horrified eyes away from the scene before him. The scent of roses filled his senses, as he turned to look for the source of the voice. Soft and shimmering, glowing with translucent, ethereal beauty...his mother kneeled beside him, smiling serenely...