Day 15 2pm
[center][h1][color=0072bc] Matt[/color] and [color=00aeef]Kat Hyatt[/color] [/h1][/center]
[center] Collaboration with [@Belle][/center]

The apartment was small but cozy. The perfect size for newly weds. Kat looked down at the ring on her finger. It still didn't feel real. How did she get so lucky?
She wasn't.
Which meant something bad was bound to happen.

Matt brought in the bags and she hugged him, pressing her face into his neck. [color=00aeef]"Tell me this is real,"[/color] she said. [color=00aeef]"Say you'll never leave again. Please... I need to hear it."
[/color]

There were so many things she had to tell him, but she was scared. Would he look at her the same way once he knew? Would he leave? Or worse... would he stay out of pity?

Matt smiled at his wife. He marvelled at the word. [color=0072bc]"I am never leaving, ever. You can beat me off with a shovel and I'll still be here for you."[/color] Matt picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist kissing her all the while. [color=0072bc]"No worries"[/color] He said looking up at her. [color=0072bc]"Grace is fine. No one other than us could take better care of her than Nikki."[/color] Matt set her in a chair by the bar and kissed her for several minutes. [color=0072bc]"I'll get us some wine."[/color] He went to the liquor cabinet that Nikki told him about and pulled out a bottle of wine and a bottle of rum. [color=0072bc]"Which would you prefer babe?"[/color]

He looked at Kat's face and saw the concern. [color=0072bc]"Babe, Kat what is it?"[/color] He put the bottle on the counter next to her and grabbed out glasses.

Kat paused briefly. Of course he knew something was wrong, he could tell by looking at her. Her poker face had never worked with him.She took a deep breath.

[color=00aeef]"What do you do when you have something to tell someone, but you're afraid of how they will react? What if... you are scared that when this person knows what you have to tell them that they will look at you differently... that they might not... might not love you anymore... that they will know you are damaged and can't be fixed... that they are so disgusted with you that they can't stand to look at you...?"[/color]

Kat covered her face with her hands, her whole body shaking from the force of the memories. [color=00aeef]"I'm sorry Matt. I should have told you sooner but once you said you loved me I was afraid I would lose you. You mean so much to me."[/color]

Pulling her hands down, she kept her eyes tightly closed, not wanting to see his face when she told him. Not able to stand the thought of the disgust and judgement she would see in his eyes.

[color=00aeef]"You deserve to know. I can't keep this from you anymore,"[/color] she took a deep breath, then began. [color=00aeef]"You know I don't like my father. That isn't true. I hate him. I don't mean in the teenager hates authority kind of way. I mean I hate him so much I imagine his dead body festuring in a shallow grave with animals gnawing on his bones as a happy thought. But evil refuses to die. My mom passed away when I was seven. The official cause was listed as cancer, but he killed her. Just as surely as he could have stabbed her with a knife he killed her. She died of a broken heart and a crushed spirit. He took her will to live. Everyone said what a strong little girl I was, how wonderful it was that my father could carry on as a single parent, especially raising a girl on his own. They saw the kind and generous outward appearance my father put on. The mask of sincerity he wore. Inside he was a hard and cold bastard, one that thought nothing of leaving his seven year old child locked in a closet while he went drinking to teach her to be quiet, one who thought discipline entailed handcuffing a ten year old to the radiator because she got grape juice on his shirt, who held his twelve year old's hand against the stove top because she burned his breakfast, who... who forced his fourteen year old daughter to give him a blow job because she talked back to him..." Kat's voice was hoarse from holding back the tears, the emotions that crashed through her. "... who raped his daughter on her fifteenth birthday and nearly every night after that until she was nearly seventeen and ran away. Who hunted her down and dragged her by her hair to his trunk, locking her inside for the six hour drive home where he beat and raped her until she was barely alive."[/color]

Kat pulled her knees up to her chin, holding them tightly and pulling herself into a ball. [color=00aeef]"I had to pretend I enjoyed it until he trusted me enough to where I could run. I had to pretend I enjoyed everything he did to me... everything he made me do to him... I had to prostitute myself in order to put the entire country between us and it still doesn't feel far enough. I became a cold hearted bitch to keep people away. I escaped but in the end he won. I'm disgusting and damaged, incapable of having a normal relationship without chasing people away. I still have nightmares about him but instead of me now it's Gracie he's hurting. I keep myself awake until I fall asleep from pure exhaustion just so I won't have nightmares.... I'm sorry Matt... I'm so sorry I didn't tell you... I won't hold it against you if you want to break the marriage and leave, just please don't take Gracie from me."[/color]

Matt listened and put the bottle down. He could see the how she would be forever changed and scared. He put his arms around her waist and looked at her. [color=0072bc]"Look at me."[/color] He lifted her tear stained face to his. [color=0072bc]"Open your eyes. That was all in a different life. It makes me angry that you went through that and if I were to ever run into him nothing would stop me from killing him. Those things he did to you, it's over. You belong to me now and I belong to you. Gracie will be safe. We will see to that."[/color] He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her forehead. [color=0072bc]"Kat I love you no matter what happened in the past. You did what you had to to survive so you could get here, to me."[/color]

Kat looked him when he told her to, dreading what she would see.
But instead of judgement and disgust, she saw anger but not at her at her father, she saw love as well, love she had given up finding. Her throat caught and she whimpered in relief. 
[color=00aeef]"Matt..."[/color] she stammered, relief rushing through her body and making her feel weak. Her limbs dropped in exhaustion from the burden of this secret that she had carried for so long. [color=00aeef]"I thought that... You would... You... I love you!"[/color] she cried suddenly, throwing her arms around him and kissing him deeply with all the love she had in he heart. She was damaged, but he still loved her. That was all that mattered. She could handle being damaged if she still had him. And threats of death against the evil that caused this was music to her ears, better than any love song he could have played for her.

Her body, that had longed for him like a dying man longed for water, pressed against him like she was desperate to bring him closer. She felt safe with him, a feeling she hadn't had in a long time.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as her legs locked around his waist. Breaking the kiss, she peppered kisses along his jaw down to his neck. [color=00aeef]"Thank you..."[/color]

Matt kissed her deeply pouring all of his love and promise of protection into the kiss. He lightly tugged on her lip with his teeth and his hands lifted her off of the chair. With his usual grace and swiftness he kissed her as he turned the music on cradling her in his arms. [color=0072bc]"Mrs. Hyatt? Would you care to dance with me?"[/color] He kissed her once more as he put her on her feet and turned to grab the full glasses of wine. [color=0072bc]"But first..."[/color] Handing her one and taking his [color=0072bc]"To our future may it be full of love, passion and good health."[/color] They clinked their glasses and drank. Taking her hand, he put his glass down and proceeded on pulling her into his arms for a dance.

He held her close to him. He could feel her excitement as she leaned into him and he began to kiss her. His was starting to make him uncomfortable in his jeans and so he swooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Kat's surprised laughter was genuine music to his ears. For the first time in a long time their passion for each other was able to climb to new heights of bliss. Nikki had cleared the building of walkers so they were totally safe, even if they got a little loud. Matt showed his wife what loving her was going to be like for the rest of her life. 

When they were sated and exhausted he pulled her into his arms and kissed her one of those heart melting kisses. [color=0072bc]"I love you Kat. Nothing is ever going to change that."[/color] Within a few minutes he was asleep.