Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Fifty-five, Aftermath
Rating: NC-17 [violence, swearing, nudity, sexual situations]

Summary: Alyssa finishes her story. And then she falls off a ladder.

Previous Chapter Cloud of Inebriation

Current Chapter Aftermath

Next Chapter Protective

Tears streamed down her face. Sitting in her car, Alyssa wiped at them furiously, knowing her eyes would need to be unclouded in order to drive.

But where to go? She couldn't go to school. It was lunchtime and her uniform was at home. She couldn't go home for her mother would be there. And she couldn't go back to Chris's. Not now. Not ever.

Shaking her head, she wiped her nose and started the car. Manuevering out of her parking space, surprisingly easily, Alyssa headed towards the highway. It seemed to be a good place to get lost on. It would take her anywhere. Out of Seattle. Out of the country if she wanted. Away from Chris.

The look in his eyes still flashed in her mind, the way he had looked at her as if she were poison. And dirty. She felt so dirty now, especially with the slight throb between her legs.

Before she realised what she was doing, her car was headed not along the interstate, but towards her family's church. Surprised, she blinked harshly, flicking her wipers on, thinking that was the cause of her foggy eyesight. Her car turned into the parking lot, seemingly guided by a force greater than the sixteen year old behind the wheel.

Getting out of the car, she stood there for a moment. Leaning on the door, she wiped the wetness from her face before realizing it was raining once more and that would hide her tears. With a sigh, Alyssa headed up towards the church.

She didn't really know what she was doing there. And yet she was drawn towards the confessional. Her chocolate brown eyes stared at the carvings on the frame of the confessionals, somehow reading what they were saying.

She had sinned. She knew that. Having sex with someone she was most certainly not married to was a sin. Hell, she had played the role of adulteress, because he was married.

Hell. She was going to hell. Just like all those times her mother had threatened. She had finally done the deed, sealed her fate.

Oh if only he loved her. Then it wouldn't matter. Because if he loved her..... if he loved her, he wouldn't have treated her the way he had. Chris most certainly didn't love her.

Sighing she sat on the nearest pew. Before she knew it, she slipped off it, her knees on the well worn padding before her. Her hands found themselves connected in prayer, but no prayer touched her thoughts, much less her lips. Instead her thoughts swirled around the look on Chris's face that morning, afternoon, whatever. And the tears dripped from her eyelashes onto the bibles stashed on the back of the pews.

She didn't know how long she was there, kneeling as if in prayer. Shuffling feet of priests and other parishoners passed her. None spoke to her, probably didn't recognize her. Which was all the better. She didn't need word to pass to her mother that she had been in church when she should have been in school. At least she appeared to be praying. That would settle her mother's nerves.

Finally getting to her feet now that her tears were gone and her knees ached, Alyssa glanced around. Her eyes settled on the priest, who luckily had his back to her. This allowed her to sneak out of the church without having to talk to someone. That was a burden off her shoulders.

Back in her car she sat there for a few moments, just staring at the dashboard. Her fingers rose to turn on the radio dial, but hesitated. Shaking her head, she switched the radio on and started to back out of her parking space. Of course 'Spoonman' had to be playing. Quickly reaching to change the channel, Alyssa barely missed backing into the car behind her. Taking a few deep breaths before correcting her car, she left the church in the rearview mirror, the radio playing some stupid, happy pop shit.

Just knowing her mother would be home, Alyssa nearly hopped onto the interstate again. Yet for whatever reason her car drove home. Being home at that time wouldn't be so weird, as school had let out by then. But she still had no wishes to face her mother.

So she parked a block from her house and slipped into her bedroom's window. Insuring her door was locked, she began to peel off her clothing. It was only then that she realized the flannel she wore was not the one she had left her house with. But it didn't matter. It was another one of Chris's.

Throwing the pile of clothes in her hamper, she fished her panties out and tossed those in the trash. She really did not need her mother going through her laundry and finding one of her pristine pairs of panties was stained.

Standing naked before her mirror, her eyes moved over her body. She didn't look any different. No one would know she was no longer a virgin, that she and Chris had made l— fucked. And then a frown darkened her features. What was it about her that he didn't like? Was it her breasts? Her hands covered them, concealing the bite marks around her nipples. Was it her hips? Her hands went to her hips, pulling the skin tight.

Her body was still sticky. Her stomach still had the traces of alcohol, whatever Chris hadn't managed to lick off. And there was a stickiness between her legs. She knew what that meant, even if it wasn't taught at her school. And her face was sticky, sticky with tears.

With a sigh, she pulled back the blanket on her bed and crawled in. Curling up on her side, she pulled her knees to her chest. Biting her bottom lip, Alyssa slowly drifted asleep. Very slowly.



"And that's the end of it, Chris," Alyssa claimed.

"No. It's not," he argued, looking at their linked hands on her abdomen.

"You wanted to know about the sex. So there's the story," she stated.

"I want to know about the pregnancy scare too," Chris pointed out.

"That's not really a story. That's me coming home one day and realizing I'm late then worrying over it for a week before going to see someone," she said. "No story there."

"But—"

"No, Chris," Alyssa said more firmly. "No more."

He sighed, "I'm sorry I freaked out on you. That should have been a special moment, waking up in the arms of the one you gave your body to the first time. I should have held you, kissed you, touched y—"

"Chris, don't feel guilty. What happened, happened. I have had more moments of bliss in bed with you than anyone else. I don't regret what happened between us at all. Our past made us what we are today. And today we're perfect and happy and together," Alyssa stated. "I love you. Plain and simple. Have for years. Let it go."

"But—"

"Let it go. You have the rest of our lives with me. Let it go," her eyes held his. "And let me go. I'm starving. Let's go eat."



With Chris off to collect the kids, Alyssa was spending those last few moments getting some cleaning done. Afterall people would be visiting soon. She expected guests to stop by unannounced, over-excited about the wedding in a month. This would probably be the last chance to get the house really clean, without having to hire someone.

And there was someting relaxing and calming about cleaning her own house. Their house.

Pulling out a small ladder so that she could clean the high windows in the living room. Setting it up, she tucked the bottle of Windex in her belt loop and ascended the steps. The ladder wobbled some, causing Alyssa to look down and swear. She could have sworn she hadn't set the ladder on top of a doll. Taking a step down, the ladder shook more. Only this time it didn't stop its tremble.

For a split second she thought about jumping off the ladder. But the second didn't last nearly long enough for the ladder fell, taking Alyssa with it. Her hip hit the floor first, the ladder falling on top of her. Breathless, she pushed the ladder off, cursing her own stupidity, though she hadn't the voice to do so.

Laying on her back, Alyssa struggled for breath. Finally feeling it return to her tingling chest, she pushed up into a seated position. Moving to stand she felt a sharp pain shoot through her hips. Panic filled her and she instantly reached for her leg, poking it to make certain she still had feeling. She did, but it was in spikes, a burst of feeling around her fingertip.

And she wasn't certain she could stand once more.

Rolling over, she reached for her phone. And realized it wasn't in the room. Neither was the house phone.

"Dammit."

Taking a deep breath, she searched within for her centre, for her strength. With cleansing breaths, Alyssa managed to settle her panic, to search her body for anything amiss. Everything felt all right, looked all right, except her leg tingled. Hopefully it would pass. Hopefully before Chris got home with the kids.

"LYSS-LYSS! WE HOME!" Toni's little shout filled the house. "WHERE YOU!?"

Muttering under her breath, she sat up again, but didn't even attempt to stand. Toni came running into the room, throwing her little arms around Alyssa's neck. Her little lips kissed Alyssa's cheeks quickly. A moment later the weight of little Nick pressed against her as well.

Smiling she pulled the little kids into her lap, ignoring her current state, "I take it you missed me."

"YES!" Toni declared.

"Mama," Nick answered, clinging to her again.

"Didn't you have fun with your mom?"

Toni shook her head, "Not mommy. You mommy."

Chris entered the room just in time to hear that. Grinning he leaned on the arch leading into the living room, eyes watching his kids crawl all over Alyssa. It took a few minutes for him to process that she was sitting on the floor. And that a ladder lay on its side near her.

"Hey, Toni, why don't you see if there's anything special in your room," he suggested, thankful that they had left a new toy in each of the kids' rooms, including Lily's who would be dropped off later that night.

"PRESSIES!" the girl giggled, grabbing her brother's hand and pulling him out of the room.

Remaining where he was to watch the kids head to their rooms, Chris sighed, his voice low, "Are you all right, Lyss?"

"I'm fine," she answered far too quickly.

Checking in the direction of the kids once more, waiting for their delighted giggles, he approached her, squatting next to her, "Then why are you on the floor?"

"Because the kids...." her lie fell silent. "I fell off the ladder, Chris."

The panic that was just below the surface fought its way out and he reached to touch her leg, "Do you feel this?"

"Yes," she answered. "Not really well. But I do feel it."

"Love, we should take you to—"

"Just help me up to the couch, Chris. So that the kids don't worry. I'll be fine," she instructed.

"But—"

"Chris, please," her eyes met his.

He nodded slightly, arms slipping around her. Standing, he waited for a sign from Alyssa that it was all right to carry her to the couch, which he never got. Instead she wiggled in his arms, leaning on him to support her weight slowly on her legs. Slowly she took a step towards the couch. The next step faltered, causing Chris's arms to loop around her again.

Settling onto the couch moments before the kids returned to the room, their new toys in their hands, Alyssa smiled brightly at them, "Why don't you come and sit with me and tell me what you did the past two days while Daddy figures out dinner?"

Toni bounced over to the couch, leaving her toddling brother to make his way to Alyssa himself. Meanwhile, Chris folded up the ladder and collected the cleaning supplies, acting as if nothing was wrong.

If only he could convince himself of that.