Song: Play Dirty- Kevin McAllister

Blood flies across the area and splattering all over the mat as Eli's head practically spins around by my dad's kick to the face. Eli goes down but quickly recovers bouncing back to his feet. I watch as he goes in and gets a good punch on my dad but it doesn't give him the upper hand because my dad goes in and hits him several times like a fucking punching bag.

I make my way over to the edge where Jasper is yelling for Eli to get his ass back up. I look over at him frantically. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Eli challenged Mekhi. He should have just stood down but that mouth of his seems to get his ass in trouble every time he opens it up."

I glance over at Jasper and quickly back at the mat as Eli's body falls hard and bounces against the mat. "I don't understand what are they even fighting about?"

He looks back over at me with a smirk when my eyes meet his. "Really you have to ask?"

That's when it dawns on me that they are fighting about me. This all has to do with me and one of them is going to get killed over something so stupid. I get closer to the edge of the mat and yell for them to stop. "Dad you need to stop. Stop already this is so fucking stupid." But he ignores me like I am not even there. I throw one of the crutches between them and they both look down at the crutch between them. "JUST STOP THIS NONSENSE! Both of you grow the fuck up," I scream. "Congratulations you both know how to fucking fight."

They both are standing there and they are panting and huffing back and forth. They both look over at me at the same time. My dad bites his bottom lip in frustration. I know him all too well and he will never explain himself to me or anyone for that matter. However, Eli looks back at me knowing that what he was doing bothered me. "Vi I can explain," Eli starts to say.

I hold up my hand for him to stop. "Don't. Maybe you and my father should hook up, seems like the two of you have a lot in common. I'm going to bed now; I'm too tired to deal with this shit." I glance over at my dad and turn to leave as I try to hop along with just using the one crutch.

When I get to the stairs, I just stand there looking all the way up the countless steps. I feel defeated, knowing I am going to have a very difficult time going up. Atticus comes up next to me and gives me this knowing look. "I know you don't want my help Vi but will you please let me carry you up."

I give him a weak smile as I feel like the world around me is about to crumble at any given moment. "Sure."

I let him left me up in his arms as they come up around me. My body is lifted completely off of the ground 8n one swift motion. I place my head on his chest and in that moment I have memories that build up from the past. So many times that he has carried me up when I was a little girl. Atticus, he has always been there for me with a caring heart and gentle care whenever I needed him to be. He carries me all the way to the bedroom and gracefully sits me on the edge of my bed. "Well there you go; can I get you anything else?"

"No, I should be alright, thanks for helping me to my room."

He leans over and kisses the top of my head like he use to when I was a little girl. "Ok then I guess I will be downstairs if you happen to need anything just let me know alright."

"Of course, I can always count on you Atticus."

He slowly stands back up and looks me over again before leaving the room. I know he was just making sure that I was alright. I was glad that he closed the door behind him. For once I felt like it was just me in my own little bubble away from everyone. I scoot my body to the middle of the bed and then lay down. I stare up towards the ceiling trying to think of what to do next. I love my family and a part of me loves Eli and I don't want to be in the middle of them two. I wanted them to accept Eli for who he was and why wouldn't they, they practically watched the boy grow up to be a man. Hell they trusted him enough to hire him to watch over me for the past few years and now- now they want to be rid of him. I close my eyes to just tone everything out around me.

I am startled awake when the door opens and Eli walks in. He is still bleeding from not only a busted nose but his lip and right above his eyebrow is oozing out a drizzle of blood. I pull myself up into sitting and lean against the headboard. I watch as he walks over to me as if in a lot of pain from getting his ass kicked by my dad.

"Can I at least explain to you what that was about?" He gasps for air as he barges over to the bed to sit down on the edge to talk to me.

"Do you mind getting your sweaty bloody body off of my bed," I hiss back at him as if at the moment he is the most disgusting thing on this planet. Really he's not, it's just that I am pissed off they he had the nerve to challenge my dad.

He immediately stands up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get the bed messy. Look Violet your dad just kept on and so I challenged him to a fight."

"A fight really, for what reason to see who is the bigger man. You two act so much alike maybe you should be buddy-buddy."

He starts walking back and forth and the whole time he is running his fingers through his hair. He is out of breath from getting his ass kicked and now he is trying to find a way to get me to just understand the whole situation. "You just don't understand."

"Then enlighten me. I bring you here with me because I actually have feelings for you and I want to build on whatever this is between us. However you have words with my dad and suddenly you guys think you have to kill each other."

"Mekhi would never kill me; I am his God son. He was just pissed because you got hurt again and it's all out of his control."

I let his words sink in. "God son...are you fucking for real. Now you bring this up now. My dad is your Godfather, no wonder why he doesn't want us together. Even if that is the case, we are not related so it shouldn't matter either way. Look, I got hurt because of me not you. I did this. I was drinking and being stupid and I should have never been wearing those heals. If this has anythingto fo with..."

"It was my doing down there. He provoked me and I told him that I would fight for you. He told me to prove it and so that is why we were on the mat. I will fight for you because dammit to hell I have feelings for you too." He stops walking back and forth and stops in front of the bed dropping to his knees. "I love you Violet."

I scoot over to the edge of the bed and reach out to touch his shoulder. I slowly trace up to his jaw line and then to his busted lip. I want to tell him the same but I stop myself. "You should go jump in the shower and get cleaned up."

"I just told you that I love you and you want me to take a shower." His nostrils flare out, not to mention the edge of his lips tense up right along with his eyes fuming at me.

I slowly nod my head, not taking my eyes off of his eyes. "Yes. Dinner will be ready in less than an hour; you can't eat at the table looking like this."

"So you still want me to stay?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" I lean over to kiss him softly on the lips. When I pull away, I point him to my bathroom. "Go on get cleaned up."

He stands back up and walks over to the bathroom. He stops to look back at me as if waiting on me to say something more. "OK...I might just have those feelings for you as well; now will you please go take a shower." He leaves the door open, I guess in hopes that I might actually try to peek at him but I don't. As I hear the water come on I leave my room and go on downstairs. I find everyone on the back patio, looks like we are grilling out tonight.

I hop over to my dad who is lounging in one of the chairs beside Jasper. They are talking and acting like nothing just happened. I stand in front of him and wait for him to stop to look up at me.

"There's my girl. Did you get some rest?"

"What the hell was that all about?" I snap back almost sounding like a spoiled little brat.

He shrugs his shoulders as he takes another sip of his scotch. "That was just to men duking it out. He's still alive that is all that matters."

"Yeah well it was so uncalled for. I didn't bring him here for you to kick his ass and try to be the bigger man."

"So why did you bring him here?" He sits all the way up to get a way better look at me.

"I care about Eli alright." I tap my chest with my one hand. "I...I have feeling for him."

"Yeah...I know. Look I have another job in line for him so he will not be here too much longer."

I huff. "If he leaves so do I. I know you don't want us together but it's going to happen whether you want it to or not."

He growls under his breath as he stands up and walks over to the grill. He lets out a low chuckle. "You can't afford to live on your own."

"Fine it's not like I can't find a job."

He lets out a bigger laugh and it pisses me off. "You get a job. You have never had a real job in your life and I seriously doubt anyone is just going to hire you with a cast on that leg." My mom clears her throat and he glances up at her and then back down. "Look you are here now at least stay until therapy is over and then we will see about you getting a job."

"Actually I could use some help down at the Crematory, it would be nice having you there during the day," my mom chimes in.

I think of my childhood back when I was younger, not long after I arrived here and quite frankly I can't see myself working there. "You know I don't really care for that place."

"It's a job. You want to earn money and start paying for everything you got to start somewhere. Besides I could use the extra help."

"I will think about it. So what about Eli can he stay here with us?"

They both stop what they are doing and look at each other. I have always hated when they done this because it's like they are so in tune with each other that they don't have to use any words between the two of them. They both snap out of their stare when they see Eli walk out onto the patio. "I was wondering where you went to. I thought you would wait for me." He looks at me and then notices that the space is super quite and he soon realizes he must have stepped out at the wrong time. "I'm sorry I feel like I just interrupted something."

I motion for him to come over to my side. Once there, I wrap my arm around his arm. I'm not sure why I am even fighting for an 'us' when I don't even know if there will even be an 'us' but it does feel good standing up to my dad.

"Fine he can stay but so help me if I find out you two are hooking up under my roof I..." He doesn't finish the thought but then adds, "And Eli will continue doing jobs because he needs to earn his keep, I be damned if I have to support the both of you."

"Shall we shake on it?" I ask him because I know how he likes to do his business.