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Description
WARNING: Story may be of a stressful nature to some readers and contains some foul language and some dark themes are implied

Continuation of Aithne and Adam's story. This happened when they returned from THS.

Story
The night was drawing in as Aithne locked the gates of Firelight and headed back to the house. The gravel of the drive crunched beneath her feet as she glanced up at the star speckled sky, the warm summer breeze stroking her bare arms. She sighed and glanced over at the stables as she reached the car park. Everything was so peaceful. The horses were out in their fields for the night, everyone had gone home, and the only noise was the distant call of a barn owl. It was that beautiful time suspended between day and night, where everything was silent and the cool of the night hung in the air. Aithne let herself into the house and put the keys down on the kitchen side. The house was just as silent as outside, other than the gentle ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece in the living room. The woman headed upstairs slowly, unfastening her hair from the ponytail it had been in all day. The floor boards creaked beneath her feet as she headed to her room, and the old wooden door of the bedroom groaned as it swung open. Aithne entered the shadowed bedroom, beginning to pull her t-shirt off. She cast the shirt onto the chair and turned around. She jumped out of her skin as she came face to face with a tall man with dark features and cold, angry eyes. She backed up sharply, her back slamming against the chest of drawers in the corner of her room. A twisted smile spread onto his face as he moved closer to her. “Hello... Kyle...” the woman choked, her eyes filled with fear. She had seen him angry so many times before, but this... this was just terrifying.
“Well hello, Aithne,” he growled as he placed a hand on the dresser either side of her. She was cornered. He laughed darkly and brought his lips close to her ear. “Now then, what have you been up to, little whore?”
“Nothing,” she said, gaining a little confidence as she straightened up slightly, squaring up to him. “What makes you think I’ve done anything?” The man laughed again, his cold blue eyes boring into her gaze.
“You thought I wouldn’t notice how off you’re being? I know when you’ve done something,” he snarled softly. Aithne rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Really? Because from where I’m standing you have no idea. You accuse me constantly, and I’ve never done anything,” she snapped. She went to move past him, but he slammed her back against the drawers.
“Oh no you don’t. I know exactly what you’ve been doing. I have contacts too, you know.”
“Then your contacts are lying to you,” she growled. The man narrowed his eyes before grabbing her hair and pulling her close to him.
“Don’t deny it, whore. I know what you’ve done. And I’m going for him next.” Aithne didn’t know what compelled her to do what she did next. Before she knew it, she had raised her hand and slapped him across his cheek. His head jerked to one side, and his look darkened significantly. He slowly brought his gaze back to her, and that was when she regretted what she had just done. “I think you need to learn a lesson.” He pulled her away from the drawers by her hair before throwing her towards one of the walls. She yelped slightly as she felt her shoulder smash against the wall. Aithne slowly slid to the floor, a sob escaping her. She didn’t want this anymore. She knew what was coming. She regretted everything. She should have just obeyed, she should have just told Adam to go away. Kyle bent down and grabbed her around the throat, pulling her up again before throwing her down on the bed. She tried to scramble away, but he caught her leg and then pinned her shoulders down. “You’re not getting away this time,” he snarled, one hand holding her throat as the other began to rip her jodhpurs off. Aithne sobbed heavily, closing her eyes and trying to escape. She didn’t want this, she didn’t want to be there, she just wanted to get away.

Dawn broke in a symphony of bird song and whispering trees. Aithne lay on the bed in her underwear, staring blankly at the wall opposite her. Her eyes were red and sore, her neck was bruised and her shoulder was turning black. The harsh light of a new day began to put everything in perspective for her. Adam was right, she didn’t have to stay with Kyle. She didn’t have to put up with it. She could do better. She rolled onto her side slowly, wincing and sobbing gently as she felt her ribs sting. She was battered and bruised both mentally and physically. She ran a hand shakily through her hair and sat up slowly. The sound of a car pulling into the car park reached her ears and she sighed softly, Adam was always first to work. Her legs felt numb as she swung them over the side of the bed and stood slowly. She ached all over, and yet she felt nothing. She looked at the jodhpurs which still lay on the floor - the fastening for them was broken. A sigh slipped from her lips as she pulled a clean pair of jodhpurs out of the drawer and went about getting dressed. She knew Adam was downstairs, the sound of mugs clinking telling her that he was making his usual coffee. He didn’t like being home, she knew that. He lived alone in the nearest town and clearly didn’t like the lack of company. He spent all his waking time at Firelight, and she was beginning to wonder why he didn’t just live there.

The smell of coffee greeted Aithne as she made her way down the stairs, her legs hurting with every step. Adam was sat at the kitchen table reading a horse magazine, a mug of coffee in one hand. Without looking up, he knew she was there. “Hey, you seen these new bitless bridles? I think they would be good for-” He stopped talking as he looked up at her, immediately noticing that something was not right. It didn’t take him long to notice the bruises on her neck. He placed the mug down calmly and pushed himself up, taking up a single crutch and looking back to Aithne. “That bastard is getting it,” he said darkly. The woman shook her head slowly and sank down into a chair. Adam moved around to her and went to place a hand on her shoulder, only to notice it was black and blue from bruising. He gently placed a hand on her back, and she flinched violently. “Aithne... what happened?”
“What do you think happened?” She choked quietly, burying her face in her hands. Adam sat next to her, reaching out to take her hand. She snatched it away from him, glaring at him darkly. “You said he wouldn’t get close to me. You said everything would be fine. Does this look fine?” Her voice was rising with every word, and Adam leaned back slowly. She was right. He hadn’t been there to protect her.
“Aithne... I... I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his gaze falling to the floor. The woman pushed herself up from the chair slowly.
“It’s too late,” she whispered. She left the kitchen slowly, heading out onto the yard to begin the day’s work. Adam sat there in silence, watching her go. He had let her down. He had made this happen. This was all his fault.

Image and Characters © =mapal

Description
WARNING: Story may be of a stressful nature to some readers and contains some foul language and some dark themes are implied

Continuation of Aithne and Adam's story. This happened when they returned from THS.

Story
The night was drawing in as Aithne locked the gates of Firelight and headed back to the house. The gravel of the drive crunched beneath her feet as she glanced up at the star speckled sky, the warm summer breeze stroking her bare arms. She sighed and glanced over at the stables as she reached the car park. Everything was so peaceful. The horses were out in their fields for the night, everyone had gone home, and the only noise was the distant call of a barn owl. It was that beautiful time suspended between day and night, where everything was silent and the cool of the night hung in the air. Aithne let herself into the house and put the keys down on the kitchen side. The house was just as silent as outside, other than the gentle ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece in the living room. The woman headed upstairs slowly, unfastening her hair from the ponytail it had been in all day. The floor boards creaked beneath her feet as she headed to her room, and the old wooden door of the bedroom groaned as it swung open. Aithne entered the shadowed bedroom, beginning to pull her t-shirt off. She cast the shirt onto the chair and turned around. She jumped out of her skin as she came face to face with a tall man with dark features and cold, angry eyes. She backed up sharply, her back slamming against the chest of drawers in the corner of her room. A twisted smile spread onto his face as he moved closer to her. “Hello... Kyle...” the woman choked, her eyes filled with fear. She had seen him angry so many times before, but this... this was just terrifying.
“Well hello, Aithne,” he growled as he placed a hand on the dresser either side of her. She was cornered. He laughed darkly and brought his lips close to her ear. “Now then, what have you been up to, little whore?”
“Nothing,” she said, gaining a little confidence as she straightened up slightly, squaring up to him. “What makes you think I’ve done anything?” The man laughed again, his cold blue eyes boring into her gaze.
“You thought I wouldn’t notice how off you’re being? I know when you’ve done something,” he snarled softly. Aithne rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Really? Because from where I’m standing you have no idea. You accuse me constantly, and I’ve never done anything,” she snapped. She went to move past him, but he slammed her back against the drawers.
“Oh no you don’t. I know exactly what you’ve been doing. I have contacts too, you know.”
“Then your contacts are lying to you,” she growled. The man narrowed his eyes before grabbing her hair and pulling her close to him.
“Don’t deny it, whore. I know what you’ve done. And I’m going for him next.” Aithne didn’t know what compelled her to do what she did next. Before she knew it, she had raised her hand and slapped him across his cheek. His head jerked to one side, and his look darkened significantly. He slowly brought his gaze back to her, and that was when she regretted what she had just done. “I think you need to learn a lesson.” He pulled her away from the drawers by her hair before throwing her towards one of the walls. She yelped slightly as she felt her shoulder smash against the wall. Aithne slowly slid to the floor, a sob escaping her. She didn’t want this anymore. She knew what was coming. She regretted everything. She should have just obeyed, she should have just told Adam to go away. Kyle bent down and grabbed her around the throat, pulling her up again before throwing her down on the bed. She tried to scramble away, but he caught her leg and then pinned her shoulders down. “You’re not getting away this time,” he snarled, one hand holding her throat as the other began to rip her jodhpurs off. Aithne sobbed heavily, closing her eyes and trying to escape. She didn’t want this, she didn’t want to be there, she just wanted to get away.

Dawn broke in a symphony of bird song and whispering trees. Aithne lay on the bed in her underwear, staring blankly at the wall opposite her. Her eyes were red and sore, her neck was bruised and her shoulder was turning black. The harsh light of a new day began to put everything in perspective for her. Adam was right, she didn’t have to stay with Kyle. She didn’t have to put up with it. She could do better. She rolled onto her side slowly, wincing and sobbing gently as she felt her ribs sting. She was battered and bruised both mentally and physically. She ran a hand shakily through her hair and sat up slowly. The sound of a car pulling into the car park reached her ears and she sighed softly, Adam was always first to work. Her legs felt numb as she swung them over the side of the bed and stood slowly. She ached all over, and yet she felt nothing. She looked at the jodhpurs which still lay on the floor - the fastening for them was broken. A sigh slipped from her lips as she pulled a clean pair of jodhpurs out of the drawer and went about getting dressed. She knew Adam was downstairs, the sound of mugs clinking telling her that he was making his usual coffee. He didn’t like being home, she knew that. He lived alone in the nearest town and clearly didn’t like the lack of company. He spent all his waking time at Firelight, and she was beginning to wonder why he didn’t just live there.

The smell of coffee greeted Aithne as she made her way down the stairs, her legs hurting with every step. Adam was sat at the kitchen table reading a horse magazine, a mug of coffee in one hand. Without looking up, he knew she was there. “Hey, you seen these new bitless bridles? I think they would be good for-” He stopped talking as he looked up at her, immediately noticing that something was not right. It didn’t take him long to notice the bruises on her neck. He placed the mug down calmly and pushed himself up, taking up a single crutch and looking back to Aithne. “That bastard is getting it,” he said darkly. The woman shook her head slowly and sank down into a chair. Adam moved around to her and went to place a hand on her shoulder, only to notice it was black and blue from bruising. He gently placed a hand on her back, and she flinched violently. “Aithne... what happened?”
“What do you think happened?” She choked quietly, burying her face in her hands. Adam sat next to her, reaching out to take her hand. She snatched it away from him, glaring at him darkly. “You said he wouldn’t get close to me. You said everything would be fine. Does this look fine?” Her voice was rising with every word, and Adam leaned back slowly. She was right. He hadn’t been there to protect her.
“Aithne... I... I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his gaze falling to the floor. The woman pushed herself up from the chair slowly.
“It’s too late,” she whispered. She left the kitchen slowly, heading out onto the yard to begin the day’s work. Adam sat there in silence, watching her go. He had let her down. He had made this happen. This was all his fault.

Image and Characters © =mapal