Here it is!!! The final chapter of Battered. Special thanks to mococoa20022000. She is the greatest!!!! I want to thank yall for sticking with me throughout this story. Don't forget to comment, email, and vote PLEASE!!!! I really hope yall like it :)
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"What are you doing here?" Hallee asked nervously.
Before she knew it, Santana was by her side grabbing her hand tightly.
"Mommy?" he asked looking at his father.
"Hey, little man," Jeremy said, squatting down and resting on his haunches. He reached out and tried to hold Santana's hand, but the little boy pulled away.
"No," he said and scampered behind his mother.
"Go to your room, baby."
"I don't want to, Mommy."
"Go," she said sternly.
Santana walked toward his bedroom but turned around.
"You'd better not hurt my mommy or my sister," and with that, he walked to his room.
"Wow," Jeremy said, surprised.
"Well, what did you expect? Him to run to you with open arms?" she said placing a hand on her hip.
"I deserved that," he said defeated. "Can I come in?"
"No, you may not. How did you find me?"
"Hallee, I just wanna talk."
"Answer the question, Jeremy."
He scratched the back of his neck. "Eddie."
"What? How big of you! You think just because you have friends in high places you can use that to your advantage?"
"Look, you had no right to take my son."
"I had EVERY right to take MY son. I don't know why you're here, but there's nothing here for you. I'd appreciate it if you left," she said attempting to shut him out. He put his foot in the doorway to stop her.
"Damnit, Hallee. I'm trying really hard, okay? I know you might not believe me and don't trust me, but I didn't come here to start trouble. Can we at least try to be civil about this?"
Hallee couldn't believe his nerve. Civil?
"Jeremy, please leave. I would hate having to call the cops on you because I felt as if my child, my unborn child and my safety were in danger."
"Why would you do that? Hallee, I know you. Better than you know yourself. You're not this type of person. Please," he pleaded. "Just give me a chance to come in and talk."
Halle knew she shouldn't, but he was right. She wasn't the type of person to be mean. Against her better judgment, she let him in.
*************************
Lucas knew he should have called before he stopped by, but he was too excited. He saw the new Transformer game at Wal-Mart and had to get it for Santana. Lucas smiled when he knocked on the door.
He heard a few muffled voices and then saw the doorknob turn. Hallee gave him a small smile and stepped outside.
"Umm...now's not a good time, Luke."
"That's no problem, Hal," he said cheerful. "I just came by to give this to little man. I saw it and had to get it for him."
That's why Hallee loved him. What woman wouldn't love a man who came out of nowhere and moseyed his way into her heart and her son's? Who treated her son as if he were his own?
"Thanks. I'll give it to him."
"If you don't mind, I'd rather give it to him myself. I wanna see his reaction," he said excitedly. He stepped around her and into the apartment where he saw Jeremy.
"What's this?" Lucas asked walking over him. Jeremy immediately stood.
"Luke..." Hallee said.
"Look, man," Jeremy started. Too late.
"I thought I told you I'd better not see you again," Lucas said throwing the game down.
"It's not even like that, man."
"Oh yea?" Lucas grabbed Jeremy by the collar and slammed him into the wall. Hallee screamed, causing Santana to come sprinting out of his room with his woofle ball bat.
Lucas repeatedly slammed Jeremy against the wall.
"Man, get the hell off me!" Jeremy shouted, grabbing at his hands.
"Shut the fuck up!" Lucas roared.
Hallee had enough. She ran up to the men and tried to pull Lucas off Jeremy.
"Stop it! Stop it now!"
Lucas dropped Jeremy as if he were on fire.
'I'm not having this in my home," Hallee said angrily. "Lucas, you can leave now."
He stared at her incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"You come in here and disrespect me. You disrespect my house by slamming him against my walls. And most important, you disrespect my son by coming in here cursing and fighting. I didn't know you had this side to you, Lucas. I'm shocked," she said softly, shaking her head.
Santana stared at everyone, all the while firmly gripping his bat. Lucas looked at him and immediately regretted everything. He looked scared, and Hallee's face held a mixture of sadness and anger.
Lucas looked around for the game. He saw it and took it over to Santana.
"Here you go, little man," he whispered. "I'm sorry," he said bending down and kissing him on the head.
Santana looked at the game. He took it and went to stand beside his mother.
"I'm so sorry, Hal. You're right. This is so unlike me," he said softly. "Forgive me please," he said staring into her wide brown eyes.
She said nothing, so he took that as his cue. He left without acknowledging Jeremy.
"You should leave too, " she said looking at Jeremy.
"But I didn't do anything. You saw him. He came in here and started it up with me," Jeremy complained.
"You are sooo not the victim here, Jeremy. Now leave."
"Well when can I come back?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"I'll call you."
Jeremy walked out the door and looked back... right before Hallee slammed the door in his face.
Hallee and Santana stood there eyeing each other.
"What now, baby?"
************ *************
Hallee and Sabrina sat on the sofa in Hallee's apartment eating butter pecan ice cream out of the cart. Santana was out for the night, so they enjoyed a little quiet.
"Should you be eating this?" Sabrina asked pointing at the ice cream and Hallee's protruding belly.
"Yes, I should."
"I don't know, Hal. I've never been pregnant, but I'm not sure you should try to down this whole thing."
"I'm not downing the whole thing. You're eating too," Hallee said as she tucked a foot under her bottom. "Now move your spoon, greedy."
"Well excuse me, pregnant lady," she said hitting Hallee's spoon with her own. "You speak to Luke lately?"
"Nope," Hallee said staring into the TV.
"Hal, baby, if you ask me the jerk deserved it. Luke was angry. You know he wouldn't have done that if he wasn't."
"I know that, but still in front of me and Santana?"
"Can you imagine how upset he was, though? He told me when he saw Jeremy he warned him what would happen. Come to think of it, I warned that mother fucker too. Oh hell no. Where he at?" Sabrina said.
"Calm down, Mayweather," Hallee joked. "Everything went fine."
"Probably 'cause he was scared. Lucas jacked him up pretty good, didn't he?" Sabrina laughed.
"Yea. My wall tells it all."
"I still can't believe Luke did that. Wow. Didn't know my baby had it in him," she said eyeing Hallee. "I mean your baby," she switched.
"Neither did I. It scared the daylights out of me, Brina."
"I know. I'm sorry, Hal," she said hugging her. "I'm gonna tell him about his self next time I see him. As a matter of fact, he said something about The Joint this weekend. Let's check him out."
"No. I'm not ready to see him yet."
"Yes you are, mama. You miss him. I can tell. And I love you and all, but I'm not gonna spoon you at night," she joked.
"I didn't ask you to," Hallee laughed.
"Come on. We don't even have to tell him we're there. Just pop in and listen and leave. No harm done. I forgot how good he was."
"Do I really have a choice?"
"Of course you have a choice, silly. As long as you make the right one. If not, you don't."
"Well, okay then. I'll go with you, but on one condition."
"Yea?"
"You have to buy me another carton of ice cream, since you ate most of this one."
"I'll buy another one," Sabrina said licking her spoon. "But I'm eating the rest of this one," she said snatching the carton away from Hallee.
Hallee laughed. "Whatever, greedy. I'm going to bed. The couch is all yours. Love you, and see you in the morning."
"You too."
Sabrina stared at her best friend's back as she made her way to her bedroom. She'd come a long way.
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Lucas hadn't been to The Joint in a while. He'd been too wrapped and tied up in Hallee to think about much else over the past months. He was welcomed back with cheers and applause. He couldn't help but think about her. She was everywhere.
He stepped onto the stage and took his place.
Hallee sat in the audience and listened as his words touched her. He sang Ray LaMontagne's Trouble a capella, and it was beautiful.
Lucas closed his eyes while he sang. The women in the audience loved him. He heard a few whistles and a woman yelled out "I wanna have your babies." He laughed and looked out to find the voice. A busty blonde girl in the front was smiling up at him. He scanned the room again and saw two familiar faces near the back. One was staring at him and the other was staring daggers in the back of the blonde girl's head. Hallee and Sabrina? He closed his eyes and reopened them, but they were gone.
************ *************
Lucas had time to calm down. He hadn't spoken to her in weeks. He felt miserable. He had to talk to her. Had to see her. He grabbed his keys, and his pride, and walked out the door.
When he got there, he knocked on her door and was greeted with a very pregnant Hallee.
"Luke."
