Title: Here With Me 24/?
Author: Anorien and Sairalinde
Type: RPS
Pairing: Craig/David
Rating: NC-17
Beta: Ourselves
Warning: Mild violence and rape implied in this chapter not between the main pairing.
Disclaimer: This never happened. This was written in fun that's all.
Feedback: Yes please send to sairalinde @ hornofgondor.com
or thechroniclesofosgiliath @ yahoo.com
Archiving: OEAM, Mirrormere, The Chronicles of Osgiliath, Saira's Library, CxD Archive, other's ask.
Summary: A.U. Two University Professors try to overcome their pasts and find love and healing.
A/N: This is A.U. and it is the world we wish really did exist.

//Indicates thoughts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Craig looked at his watch and grinned, heading down the hall to his lover’s office. He had an hour before his next class, and, thankfully, so did David. They usually spent this precious hour in the middle of their workday each Wednesday together in one of their offices, just talking or sharing soft kisses and enjoying one another’s company. Turning the knob to David’s office door, he was surprised to find it locked. // Were we supposed to meet in *my* office today? // The only time the door was ever locked was when the two of them wanted time alone together or David wasn’t in. Knocking once just in case, Craig paused, getting ready to head back to his office to see if David was there waiting for him.

David looked up when he heard someone knock. Glancing at the clock he realized it was most likely Craig...at least he prayed it was. Getting up slowly he walked toward the door seeing that it was indeed Craig. Unlocking the door and opening it he looked at his lover for a long moment feeling as if his knees might give way under him. Unable to say anything at all he just stepped back to let Craig into his office and then closed the door and locked it behind him.

Craig’s smile faded at the look on David’s face, his usual smile markedly absent. Without a word, Craig opened his arms and wrapped them around his lover, holding him close. After a moment, Craig pressed a soft kiss against David’s temple. “Baby, what happened?” he whispered. “What’s wrong?”

David still wasn't sure what to say to Craig, how he could explain it...he wasn't even sure he understood how it happened at all. Swallowing he pulled back and looked at Craig. "I...I...d...don't...know..wh...what...to...to..s...s...say," David stammered measurably worse than he'd ever stammered in front of Craig. Normally he only stammered when he was very nervous. The last fifteen minutes as he sat in his office after what had happened in the lounge he had gone over it and over it in his mind...and the more and more frightened he had become. What if he hadn't fought back? What if Richard had been more aggressive than he was? Today was fairly mild compared to the rages David had seen him in before and had bore the marks from before.

Craig felt his heart stop for a moment as David stammered. He knew he only did that when he was nervous, and Craig had never heard it get this bad. Whatever happened, it had shaken his lover to the core – which meant it probably had to do with Richard or John. But surely not….not here, at the university, in a public place?…Reaching up to cup his lover’s face between his hands, Craig told himself to calm down and let David speak.. “Sweetheart,” he said quietly. “Look at me, please. It’s me. You’re safe. Tell me what happened.” His hands slowly slid down to run up and down David’s arms. “Please baby, you’re scaring me.”

David stared into Craig's eyes and nodded already feeling himself relax just from Craig's being there, but as his lover's hands slid down his arm he winced and cried out backing away. "I'm...I'm...s...s...sorry," he stammered backing away and holding his arm against his chest.

Craig swallowed the lump in his throat as David pulled away from him. Seeing him cradling his arm Craig fought the urge to rush over and push his sleeve up to see what was wrong, but was afraid to move, remembering that horrible day in the office when David had been scared of him. Holding his hands up in a pleading gesture, Craig stood there helplessly. “What happened?” He whispered softly. “Are you hurt? Please let me help you, love. I just…..please? I swear I won’t hurt you.”

Looking at Craig for a long moment David finally nodded and walked over to Craig, trying to find his voice and control his stammering he whispered softly, "My...my arm...Ri...Ri..."

Craig felt pure rage race through his veins. // Richard? That son of a bitch hurt David? FUCKING HELL, I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill him this minute….// Craig took a deep breath and knew his first priority was to calm his lover down and make sure he was ok. “Your arm? He hurt your arm?” he asked, using every ounce of self-control he possessed to keep his voice calm. // We’ll see how calm I am when I get my hands around that stupid fuck’s throat. // Craig nodded encouragingly at David, still not moving. “Can I see, sweetheart? Can I look at your arm, please?”

Slowly David rolled the sleeve of his shirt up revealing the marks that were already fading from angry red to black, purple, and bluish green that circled his entire forearm from the wrist almost to his elbow. "He...he...cornered me...in the...the lounge," David said and cleared his throat taking a deep breath trying to finally calm down enough to tell Craig what had happened. "W...went to get a s...soda and...and he came in...lo...locked the d...door," David said finally getting the words out. His back and head ached as well but his arm hurt the most, he knew if Richard had twisted it any more it would have broken, it was the same arm he'd broken last time.

Craig felt sick to his stomach as the bruises were revealed and he listened to David’s words. He’d long been wanting to kick Richard’s ass, but had been terrified that doing so would only serve to convince David that he was as violent as Richard. But there was no way in hell he could possibly let this go by. Carefully keeping his face from showing the white rage that he was feeling, Craig stepped forward and took David’s hand, gently running his fingers over his forearm. “Then what happened, love?” he asked softly, examining the arm as tenderly as possible, wanting and not wanting to hear at the same time.

“I...I tried to leave and...and he grabbed me and slung m....me...against the...the wall and pinned me there," David explained. Slowly he went on and told Craig the entire story, everything, even the things Richard had said about Craig, and even told Craig that he had shoved him away and kicked him when Richard grabbed him as he was trying to go out the door. Explained that he ran away and came straight to his office and locked the door.

Craig nodded, finally determining that David’s arm wasn’t broken, his teeth grinding so hard he’d have been surprised they hadn’t ground down to sawdust by this time if he’d thought about it. // Don’t let David see you mad. That’s the last thing he needs now. Just be here for him, then go find the son of a bitch who did this and take it out of his hide. // “You fought back, love,” he said, forcing himself to smile. “I’m so proud of you for doing that.” He slowly sat on the couch and gestured for David to sit by him, still afraid of making any sudden moves. “Are you hurt anywhere else, sweetheart?”

David took a deep breath finally starting to relax a bit after getting the entire story out. "I never have fought him back before...but the...the things he said about you, it just made me so mad that I was able to push him away," David said looking down. "And...I'll...I'll be ok, I hit my head and my b...back on the wall, but I'll be ok," David said softly. He felt like an idiot for even allowing himself to be in that situation in the first place. Looking up before he could stop himself the words seemed to leap out of his mouth, "Not the first time...last time...last time he broke my arm. I didn't make him that mad th...this time."

Craig closed his eyes and took a deep breath, unable to keep his hands from shaking. He wanted to do…….something……but the tone in David’s voice kept him where he was. “He……he broke your arm before?” he asked softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. Leaning back on the couch, he opened his arms to his lover, praying that he trusted him enough to let Craig hold him. He knew he couldn’t contain this blinding fury much longer and he didn’t want David to see that on his face. At least if he held him, David wouldn’t be able to see his eyes, which, no doubt, were quite clearly showing his emotions, especially to someone who could read him as well as David. “Come here, please, sweetheart. I want you to tell me everything. Everything he did to you.”

David scooted over and leaned into Craig's embrace favoring his arm slightly, "Everything?" David asked softly. "I...I don't know if I can," he said in a small voice some of the memories so painful he wasn't sure he could share them with Craig...he'd never, ever shared them with anyone before.

“Please, love,” Craig said, closing his eyes and being careful not to hurt his lover. “Please try. You can trust me. I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.” He tried to push his anger away, but it was impossible. His love for David was the only thing keeping him from killing Richard right then. He wouldn’t dare leave him like this – hurt and upset and afraid. “And remember, no matter what, I love you. None of this is your fault. He’s an idiot, and a bastard, and you did *nothing* wrong, ok?”

David nodded slowly, "The...the last time he broke my arm, I’d been asleep. I didn't know I...I'd made him mad. I used to get headaches a lot then...doctor said my equilibrium was off from another time he had beaten me. I took a pain pill and fell asleep at his apartment. I didn't wake up until he was on top of me...until he was...was," David looked down unable to finish as tears streamed down his face. "I tried to get away he was hurting me and he yanked my arm back trying to stop me from moving away from him...and my arm snapped. I...I stopped struggling after that and he...he...f....finished and then I left a little while later and drove myself to the hospital. Never been so glad to drive an automatic shift," David said softly. His face was burning from shame and he felt as if he might throw up.

// NO NO NO NO He didn’t…he *couldn’t* have……Dear God, what kind of monster could do that? // Craig closed his eyes and rocked his lover slowly back and forth. He didn’t even know what to say, and his heart hurt too much for him to do anything other than hold David close. “I’m so sorry, love,” he whispered, pushing the nightmare images from his mind. His David……in pain, helpless, and that….that fucking bastard on top of him…..doing….//NO NO NO// “You’re so strong, love. You got away from him. Do you know most people just put up with that for the rest of their lives? But you stood up for yourself, and you even fought back. That takes more courage then I can even imagine.” He kissed the top of his lover’s head and felt his tears fall into soft red hair. “It’s over, and you’re safe now. I’ve got you, and I promise he’ll never lay a finger on you again.”

"I d...don't want this to...to happen anymore," David said softly clutching at Craig's shirtfront his tears soaking the front of it. He thought he was rid of Richard - he hadn't bothered him since last February, since that poetry reading...why couldn't he just leave him alone? "He...he...said he owns me, Craig. That he didn't break up...with...with me...so it's not over. Said...said that...that he didn't....didn't give me per...perm...permission," David cried softly against Craig's chest. He felt sick, and he knew he couldn't finish teaching that day. "Can...I want to go home," he said softly. "You...you don't have to come, I know you have classes...but when S...Sally gets here I...want to...to go home," David sobbed softly. He desperately wanted to take a shower just from having Richard's hands on him. He wanted to shower and sleep, that was it.

Craig’s jaw clenched and he held David even tighter. “Oh, baby, no, he doesn’t own you,” he whispered. “No one owns you. I swear, this is over. As of this minute, it’s over and he will never, ever touch you again. I promise you that.” Taking a deep breath, he reached down and wiped his lover’s tears away, gently stroking his hair back from his temples. “I’m going to cancel my classes for the rest of the day and go home with you. If you want to be alone, I understand, and I’ll stay in the living room, but I’d like to just go home and hold you, if you’ll let me. If you’ll stay here for just a minute, I’ll go get Sally and tell her you’re going home, and ask her to post a note on my door canceling my class. It’ll only take a minute, then I’ll be back to take you home. I’ll lock the door behind me, and be right back. Is that ok, sweetheart?”

David nodded unable to believe Craig was going to stay with him, "Yes...please...I d...don't really want to be alone," he said softly wishing he didn't have to let Craig go at all. Sitting back and wiping at his eyes he took a deep breath trying to relax but still feeling his stomach twist. "I love you, Craig" David whispered inordinately proud of himself for not stammering those four words.

“Oh, David,” Craig said, pressing soft kisses all over his lover’s face. “I love you more than you know.” He carefully brought David’s injured arm up to his lips and placed butterfly kisses over the worst of the bruises, careful not to cause him any pain. “I don’t want to let you go, not even for a minute,” he whispered. He really, really didn’t, but there was no way he could wait another minute to get his hands on Richard. This had gone on long enough, and had been even worse than Craig had imagined. “I’ll get you some Tylenol, and you just relax until I get back, ok? Then we’ll go home?”

Feeling loved and cared for as Craig kissed him gently David nodded as he asked about going home. "Yes, home," he whispered not wanting to let Craig go, but he knew the sooner he did the sooner they could go home. He already felt like burning the clothes he was wearing just because *his* body had been pressed against his. Shuddering at that thought David looked at the floor. "I really want a shower when we get home," he said softly.

“I know, sweetheart,” Craig murmured. “Anything you want, I promise.” Tilting David’s face up toward his own, he tried to smile. “I’ll be right back, I promise, ok? You’ll wait for me right here? And won’t leave, no matter what?”

David shook his head, "Won't leave," he said firmly though he had to fight the urge to cling to Craig.

Craig held David close for a moment longer, then carefully disentangled himself and stood up. He turned and walked to David’s desk, grabbing the bottle of Tylenol he knew was there and found a bottle of water on his desk from earlier that morning. Walking back over to the couch, he placed the pills his lover’s mouth and handed him the water. When he’d swallowed, Craig gently urged him to lie down on the couch, carefully lifting his legs up and pulling the afghan from the back to spread over him. “I’ll lock the door behind me, and use your key to get back in, love. And I’ll be back in just a few minutes, I promise, ok?”

David nodded, "Ok, love you," he said softly as he curled up on his side staring at the door. His mind felt jumbled and he just wanted to rest, wanted to go home with Craig and forget that today ever happened.

Craig leaned down and kissed David’s forehead softly. “And I love you, sweetheart. Always.” Giving him a soft smile and a gentle caress, he stood and walked toward the door, still keeping the smile on his face until he unlocked it and stepped out in the hall. “I’ll be right back, love,” he promised. “I love you.” With that, he closed the door behind him and locked it, his hands already beginning to shake and the smile leaving his face immediately only to be replaced with a look of pure hatred for the son of a bitch who’d hurt his lover. “You’re mine, Dickhead,” he said softly behind gritted teeth. He turned toward David’s classroom and hurried down the hall. When he reached the door, he was relieved to see Sally standing there, ready to go in. “Sally!” he called. “I need you for a minute. It’s important.”

Sally looked up startled when she heard Dr. Parker call out her name, "Yes sir?" she asked walking over to him. He looked...well pissed, she thought and seriously hoped it wasn't her he was mad at.

“Richard.” Craig said in a low voice. “Take me to him.”

Sally's eyes went wide and she nodded, "Yeah...umm follow me," she said turning and heading toward the business department where Richard's office was. "I don't suppose you want to tell me what's going on?" Sally asked tentatively.

“No,” Craig answered shortly. He realized it wasn’t Sally he was mad at – she’d always been very supportive of David and didn’t deserve this, but he was finding it hard to get the images of David’s arm and him pulling away in pain from his mind. Not to mention the other images…….// Wait. Save it for him.// “I’m sorry, Sally, I just need to …….discuss something with him.” His voice was only slightly less terse, but it was the best he could do for now. He’d apologize later, but now he had only one thing on his mind.

Sally frowned as she led Craig toward Richard's office. She had a feeling his use of the word 'discuss' was more or less metaphorical. As they approached his office Sally stopped, "Right there," she said pointing toward his door.

“Thank you,” Craig said in clipped tones, his hand already on the doorknob. “David and I will not be holding classes this afternoon. Can you take care of that for us, please?”

"Yes, I'll take care of it Dr. Parker," Sally said nodding and starting back toward the liberal arts department.

TBC