Tony suddenly remembered where they were and stopped kissing his girlfriend.
"Tell me about it!"
"About what?"
"Zoe, don't gimme that I-don't-know-what-you-talk-about-grab! I need to know!"
Zoe sighed.
"Well, my mother left Jay before I was born and married that guy, Michael Jetson. He was a Marine Captain. When I was four Mum died. Over dose cocain. Michael told the police he had never knew about it but he had actually given her the stuff. Of course I didn't understand all that then but I knew it. He, well, made me on a physical way understand that I better not tell it anyone."
"He hit you?" Tony was shocked when she nodded.
"It was exactly on my seventh birthday when he came into my room..."
*flashback*
The seven year old Zoe was sitting in her room. It was mainly brown and olive. She sat on the floor playing with an old barbie humming happy birthday. The door opened and a tall man entered. He sat opposite her and took the barbie.
"You're too old for that now!"
She looked frightful at him. Birthdays have never been good days.
"You're a big girl now! And being a big girl means to have duties! You're old enough to work now!"
*end flashback*
"To work?"
Zoe had stopped at that point.
"Zoe?"
She looked up at him. She hadn't talked about this for years but now it felt like yesterday.
"It seems that Mum was, well, working for him. As a prostitute."
"And you..."
*flashback*
It was evening. Zoe was sitting in a different room. She had changed and wore a cute new dress. Michael entered the room. He sat down on a couch and lightened a candle. After a few minutes he turned to Zoe.
"Gimme your arm! Don't worry! It's like medicin! It calms you down, makes you relax!"
*end flashback*
"He gave you a shot when you were seven?"
she sighed.
"Then the first time. And then I had to work."
"The job of your mother?", he was afraid to ask.
*flashback*
Zoe was still sitting in the room. Her eyes were nearly closed and she looked sleepy. She was humming quietly but it was no particular song, just some sort of melody. The door opened and two men entered, quietly speaking but Zoe didn't recognized them. Michael shook hands with the older man and left.
"Hi, Zoe!" his voice was high and slimy.
Zoe looked weakly over to him but couldn't really focus on him. In fact she didn't cared enough to try seriously.
He walked over to her and sat next to her.
"Is it comfortable for you, girly?"
He slowly slid his hand up her leg.
"Mhm!" Zoe mumbled. She didn't even feel the hand.
"Why don'tcha lay down?"
‚Nice man! I'm really tired!' Zoe thought and did as she was told to.
He started to unzip the dress of her.
By the time, Zoe was naked, lying on the couch.
Her body felt dump. The big hands on her small, thin legs she nearly didn't feel at all.
All of a sudden there was a big pain though. Her brain was not working correctly so it took some time to realize where the pain was coming from. Actually she realized it in its complete extent much time later. In the night it came to her fully. Not only the physical pain between her legs, which was enormous, but also the emotional pain when she understood what had happened. She was only seven but she was intelligent and had read a lot. Even about sex. She knew pretty well what it was and what it meant. What it was suppossed to be. And this, she knew what this was too. And that knowledge was worse than everything else, worse than the pain, that would go away, but it would be in her head, and that was what she feared the most in that very moment, the nightmares.
*end flashback*
Tony looked at her in shock.
"It was then when it started. I thought it would be a one time!" she laughed hollow.
"When I was fifteen I was addicted and had had sex with several hundred men."
"Wow!"
"Yeah, wow! It was on my fifteenth birthday when I came here. Jay helped me through that. He busted him and sent me on a cold turkey. People say that's bad, but they never had one with Jay!", she laughed a little.
"So, you got here because you knew your father's working here?"
"I didn't know he's my father!"
"Did he?" Tony asked confused.
"Yeah! He told me when Michael was in jail and the question what's gonna happen to me came up. That's why I call him Jay, not Dad!"
"So, those scars..."
"Are from the needles, yes."
"Actually I meant those on your forearms."
"Well, I was depressed. I couldn't really feel, well, not like all the others. I wanted to feel something else but this pain I felt for 8 years. Besides, it made me stop hearing the voices of those men."
He stroke over her back.
"And I thought I had a bad childhood."
"That's why I choosed that job. I wanted to help women and children in similiar situations and of course because of Jay."
She suddenly started to cry.
"I can't believe he's out!"
He pulled her closely when Gibbs walked into the room.
"They have no idea where he is."
He locked his eyes with Zoe's. Tony had never seen that softness and concern in Gibbs face.
"You're ok?"
Zoe pulled herself together..
"You told him?"
She nodded.
"Good! Come on, we have to talk!"
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony needs to know
Chapter End Notes:
In the beginning it's nice, but it's getting worse...
Thanks to Mel, and especially to eve who helped me through my bunny attacks!
Thanks to Mel, and especially to eve who helped me through my bunny attacks!