"Fucking SHIT!" I cursed softly, rocking back and forth on my side and hugging my knee to my chest. As I tried to control the pain, I saw movement over by the window, and cursed again.

"You've gotta hold down the third little lever on the right when you close the window if you don't wanna get electrocuted," I growled through clenched teeth. I was swiftly and painfully lifted to my feet, and I automatically stumbled toward the window. Steadying myself on my left leg, I held down the third lever and latched the window shut slowly and carefully, stretching my hands slowly away from the window and myself. I was yanked down by the back of my shirt and tripped over the kid's foot, tumbling to the floor. I saw a shady outline of the kid before a kick to my side rolled me onto my stomach. I laid facedown for a moment, and hearing some receding footsteps, pushed myself to my hands and knees, ignoring the searing pain from my right.

Figuring I was only making it worse, I threw caution to the wind and opened my mouth anyway.

"You know, I'm not sure what your problem with me is, but whatever the fuck I did to you, was it really bad enough to kill me?"

I heard the footsteps stop, I stupidly went on. "I mean, I'm thinking that whatever I did, I can make it up to you..." I trailed off uncertainly as I heard the footsteps returning, glancing up. Not even seeing the person holding it, my attention was focused entirely on the wooden bat in their hands. My bat.

As it connected with my back, slamming me once more onto the floor, I tried to go over who I'd screwed over in the time I'd been back in town. As the bat came down a second time, across my shoulder blades, all thoughts of figuring out who was this angry with me were driven from my mind; replaced with the desire to get this over with as few broken bones as I could.

Curling into the fetal position, I wrapped my arms around my head as the bat came down yet again, smashing into my side. Feeling a rib or two crunch, a yelp escaped my lips despite my best efforts to smother it. When the next blow came to the exact spot again, however, and my ribs gave way and broke, I realized that my own screaming was going to drive me insane.

I bit into the collar of my jacket as I tried to shift so the blow would at least land in different places, but the kid was too experienced to fall for it. Placing one boot on my hip and rolling me back, the third swing neatly shattered my already broken bones. I screamed into my collar and gave up hopes of a quick and easy beating.

Ten minutes and fifty-two fucking swings of the bat later, I was crumpled at the base of the south wall, bleeding and gasping desperately for air. Waiting for the next swing, which could very well have ended my struggle for breath, I tried to take inventory of my wounds. I could tell that aside from my ribs, my right wrist, shoulder and elbow, along with my opposite knee, shin, and cheek-bone were in a million pieces. My cheek and forehead were split open and pouring blood from the stomping I'd gotten along with the batting practice. A few moments ticked by, and I didn't get hit again, so I slowly lifted my head to try and peer through the blood gumming my eyes shut at the kid trying to get a homerun out of me.

At first I could only make out the wiry female frame gazing into the moonlight. About five-foot-eight and breathing heavily, she stood by the window with the bat slug across her shoulders. As I stared, trying to focus my vision, I was able to distinguish an undershirt and jeans, boots and short-cropped hair. She turned and spotted me moving, and, grinning, slid the bat smoothly from her shoulders to her hand. Crossing the few feet from the window to where I lay, she squatted in front of me and stared at me a full minute before bringing the bat to rest on the side of my face. Rocking back on her heels, she smiled.

"Close your eyes, Percy," she whispered, gripping the bat tightly with both hands, "Close your eyes and pray."

As she lifted the bat, I debated my options. Not being able to move limited those options to doing what she told me to, deliberately trying to piss her off in the hopes she'd kill me faster in a rage, or trying to beg her to spare me. Not about to die like a bitch, and since I frankly didn't have the voice to scream in pain anymore, I opted for trying to piss her off. I swallowed and turned my face to her face, trying to force my voice to work as the bat began to swing downward.

Instead of the smart remark I'd planned on spitting at her, an unintelligible croak bubbled from my lips. Either she was cared what I had to say, which I doubted, or was won to pity by the fact I was drooling blood in the attempt to say it...Whatever it was, she paused, the bat an inch above my ear. She looked at me, then shook her head and laid the bat to the side, pulling me painfully into a sitting position.

"Trying to say something in your defense?" she muttered, smirking at me. She bent close and whispered, "I was wondering she you'd break and ask me to stop." That dirty smile of hers lingered even as I blinked my eyes, trying to clear them.

I managed to shake my head my head before I coughed up blood that dribbled my front. My airway temporarily clear, I took as deep a breath as I could and rasped, "Not...apolo...gizing...just...cigarette..."

She rocked back once again and looked surprised a moment before her face split into a genuine smirk. Throwing her head back and laughing, she took my pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. Lighting two, she placed one gently in my mouth and sat beside me, taking care to place the bat on the other side of herself. Puffing away, she looked at me sideways and shook her head again.

"You know, I remember you never backing down...you don't change, do you, Percy?" She laughed again a she reached over and ashed my cigarette before placing it back between my lips. "Even the way you take hits is the same! Sixteen years of knowing someone, six of those years you don't even see them, you'd think they'd change...But you never were one to disappoint."

It finally clicked as she snuffed out her cigarette and stood, picking up the bat and walking to the other side of the room. "Un...believ...able..." I rasped, taking a lat drag as she reached over to flick mine out.

"It is, isn't it? My own fucking cousin, back in town after six years, and she doesn't even come by to see if I'm alive or dead. I can't tell you how surprised I was when I overheard the little faggot Rick running his mouth about killing you...I had to beat the living hell out of him to make him tell me where he saw you." She took a moment to carefully choose a chain from the wall, removing it only after lovingly replacing the bat. "You can't know how annoying, how upsetting it is to hear news that your blood is back from a mouth like his," she hissed, "And so, I figured you could use a welcoming home party."

She walked back over to stand in front of me, letting the chain trail on the floor, and sending a cold flash of fear through me. "See, I was gonna take a few shots and smoke a blunt with you."

I coughed again, trying to get enough air to defend myself, but only succeeded in choking on more blood.

"So I after I found out, I waited for five more days for you to show up at my door, but you never did," she growled, wrapping one end of the chain around her fist. I groaned, knowing what was coming. "So now, I'm gonna celebrate a little differently."

Finally able to draw a breath, I started desperately, "Hang on...Liz...just...let...explain...no time...had-"

I was cut off as her chained fist slammed into the side of my face, knocking out one of my teeth a splitting my right cheek open, apparently to match the right side, since Liz was right handed.

I attempted to push myself up and my anger snapped. "Gott...damnit...stop...hitting....fuck!" I reaped, glaring as best I could up at my cousin. Liz just cackled and launched a kick at my face. Unable to move, I couldn't block her foot as it collided with the bridge of my nose, shattering it.

My ears ringing, my eyes streaming, I coughed and tried to stay conscious. My vision blurred in spite of my efforts as Liz knelt in front of me. She laid herself out beside me, reaching out and taking my hand. I gasped against the pain and the white stabbing knife in my vision.

Tears beginning to fall from her eyes, she squeezed my hand and whispered, "Welcome home, Percy." The blackness started to edge it sneaky tendrils into my worlds, slowly taking me to that safe unconscious state. I coughed again, and specks of blood appeared on Liz's cheeks and forehead.

I mumbled what I hoped was 'fuck you' as Liz threw back her head and let loose a roaring, slightly hysterical laughter...I gave myself over to sweet emptiness, the sound of her insane laughter filled my ears like a beautiful, twisted lullaby.