Rose - Ch. 10: Possess and Protect

As they lie there, entwined and spent, Vincent whispers a tender promise into Rose's ear. "I'll never let you go, baby girl. You're mine, now and forever." His body still trembling with aftershocks, he holds her close, savoring the intimacy of the moment, and the knowledge that he's claimed her, body and soul. "You know... you definitely fulfilled a few fantasies for me, but I need you to do something for me Rose..."

"What is it?" she asks.

"Rose..." he cups her face, "tell me what happened. Why are you so afraid of Chad?"

Rose's face contorts into fear and pain. "Ch-Chad he-" She leans in and kisses Vincent fiercely. "Daddy, do... do you remember how I-I spent last Christmas with Mom?"

"Yes, of course..." he trails off. "Rose, what happened?" he asks firmly.

Rose hesitates before speaking, but her emotions get the better of her. "Chad tried to... rape me." she looks down almost with a look of shame.

Vincent's ear ring and he can feel a rage building in him he's never felt before. His hold on her tightens, but not to the point of hurting her as his body heat rises. "Baby Girl," he holds his forehead to hers, closes his eyes, and gently cups her face with one shaking hand. "Tell me everything."

Rose nods. "At Christmas last year, when I had to go to mom's, Chad..." she swallows hard. "Chad cornered me in the kitchen after mom passed out drunk. I was trying to finish the dishes when I heard him come into the kitchen and suddenly felt his hands on my shoulders. He was drunk and reeked of tequila. I tried to push him away, but he got more aggressive and grabbed my hips. He spun me around and that's when I managed to get away from him, but only after I hit him with a plastic cutting board."

As angry as Vincent is right now, he's proud of her for fighting back and finds it mildly amusing she used a cutting board on the bastard. "I'm proud of your quick thinking, Baby Girl." He kisses her lips lovingly. "Tell what happened after that."

"Th-The next day, I told mom but she didn't believe me. She said I was just 'jealous' and brushed it off..." she trails off. "I couldn't believe she didn't believe me or would call me jealous of-of Chad. I wanted to cry, but not in front of her... not after what she said. I decided to go to my room to be alone, but Chad was there; hiding behind the door. I saw him in the mirror and tried to scream, but he pinned me on the bed, shoved his hand in my pants and covered my mouth so I couldn't scream." She sniffles softly as tears fill her eyes at the memory. Vincent rubs her cheek lightly with his thumb. "I-I bit him, I screamed, he hit me, and a few seconds later mom threw the door open. Mom literally walked in while he had his hand down my pants and other hand on my throat and she-SHE TOOK HIS SIDE!" she says through gritted teeth in an angry whisper, fighting back from bursting into tears. "She accused me of seducing Chad."

"Those fucking-" Vincent growls and squeezes her tightly against himself, pressing his lips firmly to her forehead. "Baby Girl..."

"That's why I came home a couple days early and why I ended up with a bruise on my face," she says softly. "Daddy, I-I wanted to tell you, but after mom... I was terrified you wouldn't believe me or say it was my fault or-" she is cut off by Vincent.

"Rose," he says firmly, "None of what happened is your fault. Your mother is a cunt for not protecting you. As for Chad..." he practically growls like a predator when he mentions his name. "I'll kill him." Anger consumes him at the thought of another man-anyone, for that matter-laying their hands on Rose.

"Daddy..." she says through tears with a hint of whimper in her voice.

The sound of her pain snaps him from anger to protection mode. He rubs her back and kisses her temple soothingly. "Shhh... Daddy's here." Vincent's anger momentarily subsides, replaced by a deep-seated hurt and concern for Rose. He looks at her, his eyes searching for reassurance, before his face contorts in a mixture of pain and adoration before he whispers into her ear, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you." He gently presses his lips to hers, his kisses soft and gentle, but laced with a deep longing.

As he holds her, Vincent can feel the weight of his own guilt and helplessness bearing down on him. He should have been there for her, should have protected her from harm. But as his lips move over hers, he feels a glimmer of hope - he can protect her now, can love her and keep her safe from all harm. His kisses grow more insistent, his tongue probing her mouth as he tries to consume her, to erase the pain and the fear that Chad's actions have left her with. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again, Rose," he whispers, his voice low and husky. "You're mine, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"I know, Daddy and I... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Don't do that," he says before kissing her deeply again. He pulls away and locks eyes with her. "You listen to me: Don't you dare apologize for any of this. Not for what happened, not for keeping this a secret. You were strong, you fought back, you got yourself out of there, and you told me now. This secret was yours to tell on your time." He smiles and kisses her cheek. "I am so proud of you, Baby Girl. It's always been my job to protect you, as your father, but now it's my job to protect you as your lover too. And I swear to you..." He kisses her lips passionately and says against them, "I will always protect you; this will never happen again and I will always believe you. Do you believe me?"

"Yes, Daddy," she smiles. "Oh Daddy..." she kisses him and runs her fingers through his hair. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Baby Girl," he smiles.

A few minutes later...

They get dressed, straighten up themselves and the room, then head downstairs. Vincent is ready to kill Chad. His calm demeanor masks the rage he feels inside. His blood still boiling and hands twitching, he's not sure if he'll even be able to contain himself at dinner. The logical side of his brain tells him to keep his cool, think of Rose, Iris, and his job. If he just attacks Chad, it could turn into a thing, police could be called and Vincent could be arrested for assault. He could wind up in jail and Rose might have to stay with Karen, putting her right back in harm's way. The emotional side of his brain, however, is seething. It tells him to beat Chad until he's a bloody mess on the floor; to teach Chad a lesson in life he'll never forget. The dark part tells him to just put Chad into the ground.

Once they make it downstairs, Rose gives his hand a squeeze. He stops and she leans up to whisper, "Daddy, please... not here. Not at Nonna's."

He opens his mouth to talk, stops himself, looks around quickly to make sure no one is watching, then grips her arms firmly and holds his forehead to hers. "Baby Girl," he whispers. "Daddy can't make that promise. If Chad lays a hand on-or tries to, then I-" he swallows his anger. "I will protect you, Baby Girl; Nonna's house or not."

Rose nods. He gives her forehead a quick kiss, then lets her take his arm before they head into the kitchen. Everyone but Iris is in the backyard either socializing or setting up the table. Iris is cooking on the stove and looking out the window. She sighs softly and smiles. When she hears Vincent and Rose enter, she turns and says, "There you two are."

"Sorry, Nonna," Rose says. "I was having a panic attack and I forgot my meds, so Daddy has to talk me down."

"Oh, mia Rosa," Iris says before going to her and cupping her face in her soft hands. "And you are alright now, yes?" When Rose nods, Iris smiles and kisses her cheeks. "Bene."

"Mama? Can we help with anything?" Vincent asks.

She huffs and chuckles, "Puoi cacciare via quel cretino di Chad dal mio cortile?"

"Mama!" Vincent laughs.

"What?" she tries to play innocent, then says with defiance and a smirk. "It is my house and I can call the man a douche if I want."

"Yes, but Mama, you can't-" Vincent laughs. "Eject him? Really?"

"Silenzio, figlio!" Iris laughs. "Now, Rose, will you please take these bottles of Limoncello out to your Zio Antonio?" She hands Rose two bottles. "Tell him to put them on ice and he'll show you where the glasses for it are."

"Yes, Nonna," Rose says. She and Vincent share a very quick look. Rose knows her Uncle Antonio will keep her safe if need be and so does Vincent. She takes the bottles and heads outside.

Just as Vincent takes a step to follow her, Iris' words stop him in his tracks. "I do not care for this Chad or how he looks at our Rose." Her tone is devoid of humor like before and her eyes are locked on Chad outside. "And I do not care for Karen's ignorance of it."

They both watch as Rose approaches Antonio and, as they talk, Chad's attention is quickly focused on Rose. He looks at her like a predator at a bar looks at women. Karen is beside him, clearly rambling, but too drunk already to notice-or care-about Chad's attention. As Antonio puts his arm across Rose's shoulders, they share a laugh, then walk towards the detached storage room, Chad brings his drink slowly to his lips. His eyes clearly tell what's on his mind: he's already planning on how to get Rose alone.

Vincent's fists ball at his sides and his teeth grind. "He tried to... he did touch her." He looks at Iris who, at the same time, turns to him completely aghast. "Last Christmas. Rose just told me."

"Did he...?"

Vincent shakes his head. "No, but he did touch her and Karen..." he closes his eyes and his face twists in anger. "Tried to blame it on Rose. She told Rose she must've seduced Chad."

Iris' voice drops to a whisper as she lets out every Italian curse and swear she knows. Vincent looks at her and puts his arm across her shoulders. Iris puts her head to his shoulder and hand to his chest as they both look out the back door. "You going to arrest your own mother if I say I want to kill him?"

"You going to turn me into the cops if I do kill him?"

"I'll help you hide the body," Iris says.

The two look at each other, Vincent slightly taken aback by how serious Iris sounds and Iris' eyes almost pleading to hear him say he'll actually kill Chad. "Mama..."

"Don't take that tone with me!" Iris actually snaps. "Rose, she is family! She is..." her voice cracks a little as she steps away and puts a hand over her heart. "She is my only granddaughter. She is our blood, Vincenzo. Karen and Chad? They are no longer family and were never blood!"

"Mama, I know, but Karen is Rose's mother and-"

"No mother blames a child for this! No mother allows this to happen!" She snaps. "I can see it in your eyes, mio figlio. You would do anything to protect Rose and you are as angry as I am. You are the D. A.! There must be something we can do!"

"Mama, I hear you, but..." he sighs. "Legally speaking, I don't think there's much we can do. It would be Rose's word against Chad's and I'm sure Karen will back Chad. I don't want to put Rose through a situation where she'll only lose. But I... as much as I want to kill him, I-I can't risk going to jail, losing everything and... and losing Rose..."

"Mio figlio..." Iris gently touches his face. "You are Italian. We are an Italian family. We protect each other. And, part of that protection, sometimes means... no one saw anything." Her tone is suddenly bone chilling. The seriousness in her tone sends a shiver of dread through Vincent. She's basically telling him that, if something were to happen to Chad here and the police were called, no one would have seen a thing.

"Mama, I-" his eyes dart to the backyard, but he doesn't see Chad and his heart drops. "Where is Chad?"

Iris looks out and only sees Karen sitting in a chair; engrossed in her phone. Their eyes dart around looking for Chad, but don't see him... or Rose. "Vincenzo..."

"Oh my god, Rose!" His heart drops into his stomach. They both hurry outside and look around.

The family is all standing around, laughing and talking, unaware of the situation at hand. When they run to the storage room, the family takes notice of their odd behavior, and the backyard goes quiet. They reach the storage room and Vincent tries to open the door, but it's locked. "Fuck!" Vincent says through his teeth.

"Vincenzo! Open the-" Iris is cut off.

"LET ME GO!" Rose screams, then an audible slap is heard, followed by Rose crying.

Her scream and cry for help awaken a demonic strength in Vincent. He steps back and, in one swift kick, kicks the door open. It splinters as part of it and the lock fall to the ground. Antonio is lying in the corner with blood coming from his forehead and unconscious. Chad has Rose pinned against a china hutch, the glass behind her head is cracked, one of his hands is wrapped around her throat, the other is by her crotch. He's ripped the skirt of her dress and made a hole large enough for him to shove his hand through. Rose has tears streaming down her face and a cut just below her left eye with a trickle of blood coming from it. Her eyes are bloodshot from Chad's grip on her throat.

"D-Daddy..." she strains as she sees Vincent and her eyes roll back before she passes out.

"What the-" are the last words Chad says before Vincent flies into a blind, blood fueled rage and attacks him.

When Vincent comes to, he finds himself on top of Chad, Iris holding his right arm back. His left hand is gripping the collar of Chad's shirt so tight his knuckles are white. Rose is unconscious in front of the hutch. Antonio hasn't moved, but he is breathing. Chad, on the other hand, is lying unconscious on the ground motionless. His face is bloodied and mouth agape. Vincent looks and his own right fist is covered in blood and forming bruises. He takes a shaky breath, releases Chad's collar, and lowers his fist; he relaxes it to just a shaky flat palm.

"Figlio..." Iris says softly.

"I don't-I didn't-" A wave of panic comes over him until he sees Rose. He quickly goes to her and takes her in his arms as he kneels by her. He gently shakes her with one arm and cups her face with the other. "Baby Girl? Baby Girl, wake up... please wake up!" his pleads are desperate.

As some family members approach the door, Karen pushes her way through and all sound cuts out for Vincent and time seems to fall into slow motion. Karen throws her inebriated self at Chad's motionless body, gripping, grabbing and yelling at him to wake up. A few people call 911, a couple tend to Antonio. He slowly comes to, but Rose doesn't.

"C'mon Baby Girl..." he gently strokes her face and tucks a few stray hairs away. "Wake up for me, Baby Girl..." his voice is soft and loving. He is so wrapped up in his worry for her, he can't tell if she's breathing or not. His heart is pounding in his chest and thundering in his ears. "Rose, baby, please... wake up..." he says as he feels tears sting his eyes.

A little time later...

Everything has changed.