Home & Away 1. Chapter 1

Damaged Goods : Prologue

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This idea came to me when I watched episode 4223 when Mattie says to Ric and Cassie that Lucas doesn't want her because she is "damaged goods".

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Summary : when something terrible happens to Mattie , will she reach out for help?

And how will everyone react to this tragedy and the consequences?

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Important notes : 1.Jack and Sam aren't getting married.In fact Sam moved , knowing that Jack would never love her as much as she loved him.

2. Martha and Jack are still good friend , but have both accepted that they would never work out together.

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	2. Chapter 2

Damaged Goods : Chapter 1

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Matilda was lying in bed , looking at the ceiling.

Her head still hurt from all the crying last night.

She couldn't believe that Ric had cheated on her with that Viv woman , and now she found out that Viv was pregnant and it was probably Ric's.

It had broken her heart , and the last ray of hope that their relationship could be saved was now gone.

-

Matilda could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and she swiftly got out of bed .

She opened the door and went into the living room.

Lucas and Tony had already left.

She looked at the note on the refrigerator door that said :

"_Hey Mattie , We've gone fishing for the day. We'll be home about six. Love you ._

_Tony and Lucas"_

Mattie couldn't help but smile after reading that note.

She was blessed to have Tony and Lucas in her life.

After her mom had died , she felt weird staying with them.

But now she was already used to it. Tony was her dad and Lucas her brother.

And she loved them .Even after everything that had happened with Naomi .

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An hour and a refreshing shower later , Matilda left the house and headed towards the Diner.

She was starting to get hungry.

Suddenly she heard a voice calling her name.

"Hey mattie , wait up"

Mattie turned around and saw Cassie running towards her.

Cassie quickly embraced her tightly

"How are you doing Mattie?"

Memories of how Cassie had comforted her last night came back to her and the tears that had dried up were starting to come up again.

Noticing the distraught attitude , Cassie just linked their arms and both girls headed out towards the diner.

-

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	3. Chapter 3

Damaged Goods Part 2

It was 5o' clock when Matilda was heading home.

She had spent all day hanging out with Cassie and Belle.

They had both supported her through her break-up with Ric.

It was strange to no longer think about Ric as her boyfriend or even as her friend.

Even before she and Ric had started dating , they had always been friends , best friends even.

And now , because of his stupid "mistake" , she didn't even have him as a friend anymore.

Noticing the sky starting to cloud over she started walking a bit faster .

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Matilda quickly opened the door and ran in the house.

The weather had worsened and she had not been able to escape the rain.

Soaking wet she walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel.

After drying herself up a bit she walked into the kitchen and started to make dinner.

Tony and Lucas should be home any minute.

Suddenly her cell phone rang.

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Matilda answered the call : "Hello"

"_Hey Mattie , It's Lucas_." "Oh hey Luke , when will you and Tony be home? I just started making dinner?"

"_Oh well , actually we are in the dinner. We are going to wait till the rain has stopped and then we will be home ASAP."_

"Ok bye" and with that she hung up.

-

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After making dinner and washing the dishes , Matilda sat on the couch and looked outside.

The rain had not vanished , but it had gotten less worse. It wouldn't be too long much longer for the rain to stop.

Turning on the TV , he watches as another episode of yet another soap started.

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After half an hour , someone knocked on the door.

Surprised , Mattie turned off the TV and looked at her watch : 7.15 pm

Lucas and Tony should be here any minute now , she thought.

Another knock awakened her from her thoughts.

"Yeah , hold on. I'm coming".

Mattie quickly ran to the door and opened it.

"Hello , Mattie. Long time no see" the person said.

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All the color of her face had been drained and she had started shaking.

She couldn't believe that he was back after all this time.

"So what ? No hello? " he asked.

Matilda regained her composure and looked at the unwanted visitor and with fierce determination she spoke.

"Get out. I don't want you in my house."

"Now is that a way to speak to your friend?"

"You never were my friend. Now get the hell our."

And with that she tried to slam the door at his face , but his hand stopped her.

"Now that wasn't very nice. You will have to make up for that."

And with one simple movement he threw back the door in her face and he entered the house.

-

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Matilda ran to the kitchen table to get her mobile phone , but before she even reached it , she felt him grab her.

She was thrown on the ground and when he started to rip her skirt , she knew what was going to happen.

Mattie wanted to scream but nothing came out.

And as she felt him on top her , making his way to enter her , she started praying that Tony and Lucas would come home soon.

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As he entered her with such force that caused her to moan , Callan looked at her face.

He was finally getting what he wanted. And he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

And with that he pushed himself harder into her , not hearing her whimper and not noticing the blood that started to trickle down her legs.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack Holden was tired and hungry.

Peter had made him catch up on all his paperwork and it had taken much longer than expected.

As he entered the Diner , he heard a voice calling him.

"_Hey , Jack over here"_

Jack looked up and saw his dad and brother sitting at a booth.

He walked over to them and sat down.

-

"Hey , what are you two doing here?" he asked

Tony started to explain : _"Well , Lucas and me went fishing today and we were on our way home when it started to pour. So we thought we stay here until the rain stopped"_

"Well , it has now." Jack answered.

"_Oh good , then we should get home. Mattie might by getting worried. Hey , want to come too?_

_You can stay for dinner , Mattie cooked.?' _Lucas asked.

Jack agreed and his mind drifted to the first time Mattie had cooked them dinner.

-

**A couple of months ago**

**-**

**Tony , Lucas and himself were walking to Tony's house after an entire day of working on a boat that Lucas had bought.**

**They were dog-tired and they wouldn't wait to finally get home.**

"**Hey Jack , why don't you come with us? We can have a few beers and order pizza or something?"**

**Not wanting to spend another night at home alone , Jack had happily agreed.**

**When they had entered the house, the three Holden man were shocked.**

**On the table in the living room , stood three bottles of beer with a couple of baskets with different kind of potato chips , finger sandwiches and lots more. **

**Suddenly Mattie had surfaced from the kitchen.**

"**Oh Good , you're home. ****I thought that since the three of you worked all day , I thought it could be nice to have dinner together. I made a roast and I was just putting it in the oven. So that will give us some time to relax a bit. I hope you don't mind?"**

**Tony walked over to Mattie and hugged her. "That's a really great idea Mattie , thanks."**

**Half an hour later they were all having a good time when all of a sudden Mattie told them she had an announcement to make.**

**She had gotten up and started to pace.**

"**Sweetie , why don't you just tell us?" Tony asked.**

**Mattie started talking : "As you know, after Mom died , I was officially declared an orphan.**

**So that means that a legal guardian has to been appointed till I'm officially 18.**

**Scott has**** offered to be my legal guardian , so that means I would have to go to France to live with them."**

**Jack remembered how the faces of Tony and Lucas had gotten as white as a sheet and he himself had felt worse.**

"**However , Mattie continued, I talked to Morag and if it's okay with you Tony , I was hoping that you would like to be my legal guardian. I mean you are family anyways and I really don't want to leave Summer bay."**

**Tony had jumped and embraced Mattie in his arms. Tears were shining in his eyes and he said : "****Of course Mattie , I would be honoured too"**

**And that was the first time Mattie had cooked and that night had some special memory's in Jack's heart.**

**-**

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Tony , Lucas and Jack were walking home. They were talking about the recent tragedies in Summer Bay when all of a sudden a bloodcurdling scream was heard.

The scream forced the three men to stop.

"_That sounded like Mattie"_ Lucas said.

They started to run to the house when suddenly they saw a person leaving the house.

-

Sensing that something was wrong , Jack stopped and looked at his dad and his brother.

"_Listen to me , I want you to stay here until I call for you.__ Okay?"_

Seeing as his dad wanted to protest , he quickly intervened : _"Dad , please?"_

Tony just nodded.

-

Jack got out his gun and started to walk slowly towards the house.

He noticed that the front door was open and he was getting worried.

"_Mattie , are you here?"_ He called out.

No answer.

"_Mattie , it's me.Jack_." Still no answer.

As he entered the kitchen , the sight before him made his heart stop.

"_DAD , he started to yell , CALL 911. RIGHT NOW"_

Tony and Lucas ran into the house and as he heard them scream , the only thing that Jack was able to see was the bloodied and bruises body of Mattie.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital.

He couldn't believe how this night was ending.

Lucas and Tony were sitting in the chairs next to him. They were both ghastly pale and looking into space.

-

"_Jack"_ a voice cried. He looked up and saw a whole group of people walking towards him.

Drew , Belle , Leah , Dan ,Irene, Cassie , Ric , Sally , Morag , Alf , Peter , Amanda and of course Martha. He had called Martha before to tell her that Mattie was in the hospital.

Obviously , word had gotten around.

Jack stood up. _"Jack ,what happened?" _Martha asked.

"_We don't know exactly what happened. _he started to explain, _we were walking home, when all of a sudden we heard a scream. I ran into the house and that's where I found her . She had blood all over her and apparently someone beated her."_

After finishing that sentence , Cassie and Belle had started crying and he could see Drew and Ric shake with rage.

-

Peter immediately shifted into detective-mode and he took Jack by the arm and led him from the group.

"_Are you okay?"_ he asked. Jack merely nodded.

"_Look , I know that this is personal to you but I need to ask you some questions okay?_

_Was there any sign of a break-in? _"

Jack looked at Peter : _No the door was open when I got there. We did see a person leave the house after we had heard Mattie scream. But it was dark and I didn't get a could look at that person._

Peter just nodded and said : _"Okay , well I' ll have to talk to Mattie. Hopefully she'll can tell us something."_

Jack and Peter walked back to the group of family and friends who were now supporting each other.

-

All of a sudden Rachel came out. The entire group stood up hoping that the news would be good.

"_Rachel , how is she? Please tell me she's okay?"_ Tony pleaded.

Jack hated seeing his father like that. He had already suffered so much. , losing two women in his live. He didn't think his father would survive if Mattie wasn't going to be okay.

Rachel sighted.: _"Honestly , it doesn't' look too good. She received many punches to the body but especially to the stomach. Because of the severe beating , she is bleeding internally._

_We are doing everything we can to stop the bleeding , but it's not going as well as we planned. Also she was stabbed twice in the area of her heart and we need to recess the damage."_

"But she's going to be okay, right?" Lucas asked.

-

Rachel looked around the group and saw all the faces of family and friends that were close with Mattie. _ "I'm going to be totally honest. If we are not able to stop the bleeding in half an hour , she isn't going to make it."_

"No!" Cassie screamed and she collapsed to tears in Ric's arms.

Jack felt himself going weak to the knees and he quickly grabbed a chair to sit down.

This couldn't be happening. Not to Mattie. This wasn't fair.And for the first time in a long time Jack started to cry.

He felt Martha sitting down next to him and he felt her arms around him.

"_Shh , it's going to be okay. She's a strong person Jack. Mattie will pull through. She has to."_

But Jack wasn't listening anymore. The only thing he could think about was that broken girl lying on a operating table somewhere.


	6. Chapter 6

Damaged Goods Chapter 5

In the operating theatre doctors were desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

Rachel entered the room and immediately walked over to Mattie's head side.

"_Doctor Armstrong. I don't think you should be involved in this case"_

Rachel looked up and saw the chief surgeon talking to her.

"_I know and don't worry I won't intervene , I just want to be with her in case …" _and she couldn't say anything more due to the tears quickly forming in her eyes.

"_Okay doctor Armstrong , you can stay. But please don't get in the way"_

And with that the discussion had ceased.

-

Tony was sitting in the hospital chapel looking at the statue of Jesus in front of him.

He had never been a religious man. Not after everyone he had lost. His wife , then Beth and now he could loose Matilda too.

Mattie was like a daughter to him , which was quite refreshing with Lucas and Jack as his sons.

After Beth had died , he had thought that Mattie would reject him. That she would no longer consider him part of her family.

But then he remembered a conversation that had taken place two weeks after Beth's dead :

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**Tony was sitting at the kitchen table looking through photo albums.**

**They had decided to have a small ceremony for all the friends of Summer Bay , so that they too could say goodbye from Beth.**

**Kit had suggested that they would make some collages of family pictures.**

**Tony had offered to go through the albums , knowing that Kit and Mattie wouldn't feel up to it.**

"**How is it going?" a voice asked. Tony looked up to see Mattie standing in the doorway.**

**She had obviously been crying , her eyes were puffy and bloodshot and his heart went out to her. **

"**It's hard. I keep looking at these pictures of your Mom and I keep blaming myself for not taking more pictures of me and her together. **** I always thought we had more time but now …"**

**Mattie walked over and sat down. **

"**You know , pictures don't mean the world. I mean look at this one. It has my Mom and Dad on it , but that doesn't mean that he was worth it."**

**Mattie had grabbed his hand and had made him look in her eyes.**

"**As far as I'm concerned , you are my family and you always were. You were more my dad that Jack ever was. I love you Tony."**

**And she had stood up ,hugged him and went in her room.**

**Tony had felt a little joy that day , knowing that from now on , he had a daughter.**

**-**

And as Tony sat in the chapel , he started to pray. Praying that Mattie would be fine and that he was going to be strong enough to help her.

-

Lucas was sitting in a chair , staring into the space. He could hear someone trying to talk to him , but he couldn't bring his mind to grasp the words. Whoever it was , they had stopped , knowing that Lucas wasn't up for it.

He couldn't understand all of this. Hadn't they been through enough?

Beth dying , the Naomi fiasco , Lisa's accident.

They had all been through hell these last couple of months and just when everything was going their way , this had to happen.

Mattie and him had always been close. From lovers , to best friend and now brother and sister.

Cause that's how he thought of Mattie , as his sister.

She was his partner in crime and he confided in her. And now he could loose her.

Lucas didn't want to deal with all of this. He wanted to get up and run but he knew he couldn't.

He had to be there for his dad and for Mattie. If she made it through.

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Ric was sitting on the floor with his back on the wall. He was looking at the bracelet on his right arm. Mattie had given that to him for his birthday five months ago.

They had been so happy then , both thinking that their love would last forever.

But he had screwed up . Getting attracted to Viv , lying to Matilda , and then to sleep with Viv.

Viv had been a wonderful distraction but the moment it was over , he realized what he had done and he had regretted it ever since.

After finding out that he had gotten her pregnant , he knew that Mattie and him were over for good. And it had hurt at first , but now he had finally accepted it.

But now , knowing that she could die , he felt as if he couldn't breathe. Someone had hurt Mattie and he was going to make sure that who ever it was , he would pay.

He owed that much to Matilda.

-

Cassie was crying , she tried to stop but she couldn't. Not when her best friend could by dying any minute. She and Mattie had always been best friends. They had been through some rough patches before like when Mattie had bulimia or when she had cheated on Ric , but they had always been able to make up for their fights.

Mattie had always been there for her and the other way around. And now when Mattie had needed her most , she couldn't help her , not matter how much she wanted to.

-

Tony stood up and left the chapel and walked back into the waiting room.

He sat down on a chair next to his sons placing both his hands on their back.

And in that position , the three Holden men waited for news.

-

Meanwhile , the doctor's still weren't able to stop the bleeding.

"_Damn it , her blood pressure is dropping fast. We're losing her_'

Rachel looked at Mattie and prayed : "Come on Mattie , you can do this,"

And all of a sudden the machine that monitored her heart , made an awful sound :

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP


	7. Chapter 7

Dr Rachel Armstrong entered the waiting room and observed many inhabitants of Summer Bay

holding a vigil for Mattie Hunter.

All of them were holding each other's hands and silently praying that their friend would come out

of surgery okay.

That she would be able to fulfil all her dreams and hopes.

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Her glance shifted towards Jack , Tony and Lucas.

They were sitting separately from the others , just staring into space.

Those three men's heart were breaking , she could tell just by looking at them.

Her heart went out to them , for she knew that their lives would change forever now.

-

Their Mattie was gone.

And she was the one who would have to tell them.

Collecting herself , she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and slowly started walking

towards Tony.

-

Tony immediately saw Rachel approaching and jumped up.

"How is she ? Is she okay? Did she make it?" he asked.

Upon hearing Tony asking those questions , everyone stopped what they were doing and walked

over to Rachel.

-

Rachel's thoughts drifted to the events that occurred in the OR just an hour ago.

"_Damn it , her blood pressure is dropping fast. We're losing her__'_

_Rachel looked at Mattie and prayed : "Come on Mattie , you can do this,"_

_And all of a sudden the machine that monitored her heart , made an awful sound :_

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP._

For a moment Rachel thought that hey had lost her , that she would have to tell her friends and

family that Mattie was dead.

Fortunately the doctors had been able to revive her and they hadn't been any other complications

Through surgery.

-

"Mattie made it through surgery successfully." she heard herself say.

She could feel the relief and joy from everyone that were standing near her.

"However , there were some complications". That announcement made Lucas look at her with

an intensity she hadn't seen for a long time. "What kind of complication?" he asked.

-

"Because of the excessive bleeding and internal injuries her blood pressure dropped very low.

That caused the heart having difficulties. So at one point , her heart stopped."

Everyone gasped at this revelation. They knew that they could loose her , but that remark made it

seem so much realer.

-

Rachel looked at Tony and said : "Tony , can you and Jack and Lucas come with me please?

There is something that we need to talk about."

Tony just nodded and so the three Holden men followed Rachel into her office.

-

Rachel just closed the door behind them and motioned for them to sit down.

Tony grabbed a chair while Lucas sat down on the couch , but Jack remained standing.

He had been sitting long enough in those hospital chairs.

-

Rachel sighted. She knew what she had to tell them and she wasn't looking forward to do so.

How could she tell them that the Mattie they knew and loved , would probably be gone forever.

She embraced herself for their reactions and started talking. Blaming herself for all the heartache

and grief she was about to put these three men through.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack Holden had never felt so useless in his entire life. That was how Jack was feeling.

Useless and completely and utterly numb.

As he was sitting in Mattie's hospital room watching how his dad gently stroked her hair and

Lucas holding her hand , he kept thinking about what Rachel had said to them just a couple of

minutes ago.

-

Rachel had looked at them with sadness and worry in her eyes. It had surprised him at first but he

also knew that Rachel had a big heart and that what had happened to Mattie , had also deeply

affected her.

-

"_As you know Matilda was severely beaten and that caused a lot of internal bleeding. That _

_bleeding has now completely stopped but we will be monitoring her very closely. The bleeding_

_could start again for no particular reason. _

_She was also stabbed twice in the area of her heart , but those stabbings were very shallow and _

_it appears they haven't caused that much damage._

_However , there is something else that we need to talk about. _

-

Immediately Jack had sensed that it was something serious. Because why would she only tell

them and not everyone else when she had the change ?

He could see that his dad and brother shared the same thoughts and he could see them bracing for

the worst.

Rachel continued : _" When she came in to the Er we noticed a lot of blood on her legs but we _

_Didn't find any injuries there. _

_When we examined further , we found out that the blood was coming from the pelvic area._

_I'm so sorry but it appears that Matilda was raped._

_-_

Jack felt like the wind was knocked out of him. He saw his dad starting to cry and Lucas punched

his fist in the wall.

_"We haven't done a rape kit yet since the surgery was more important but as soon as she wakes _

_we will have to do that so there can be evidence and a DNA-sample for the police._

_There 's one more thing. Who ever did this , well he wasn't gentle. There was a lot of tearing and _

_bruising. We will have to examine her to know how much damage he has done ._

_Mattie will probably also need to have the morning-after pill and she will have to be tested for_

_any diseases but we'll deal with that when she wakes up."_

_-_

After her announcement , the room had gotten so quiet that he could hear the rapid breathing

of his brother and the crying of his father.

He had looked at her and asked : _"Can we see her?"_

Rachel had agreed and had let the Holden men to Mattie's Room. She stopped right outside of

her door and looked at them : _" Don't be alarmed about what you are going to see. She is on a_

_machine that eases her breathing. She is covered in bruises and she's still sleeping._

_She'll probable still sleep for a couple of hours. Mattie's going to rest a lot so don't worry about _

_that. When she wakes up she might get very upset or be in a lot of pain. Come and get me when_

_that happens. Okay ?_

-

And that is how Jack was now sitting in her hospital room , watching her sleep .

Suddenly Lucas stood up : _"I'm going to get some coffee. Do you guys want anything?" _he

asked. Tony got up and said : _"I'll come with you. I'm going to tell everyone that they can home. _

_There is nothing they can do here."_

And with that , Jack was left alone with Mattie.

-

-

Cautiously he approached her bed and sat down in the chair next to it.

He looked at her face. Even with all the bruises and the swellings , she still looked beautiful.

Jack took her tiny hand in his and gently ran his thumb over hers. How could anyone hurt

such a beautiful creature?

Mattie had a special place in his heart . She had always been the one to call him or stop by , to

make sure he was okay. Specially after his divorce with Martha and his more recent break-up

with Sam.

She made sure that the house was tidy and often stuffed his fridge with groceries.

Mattie had taken care of him and now he had let her down.

-

-

Jack knew that what happened tonight wasn't his fault , but he still felt guilty.

He didn't even want to imagine what she had gone through and he hadn't been

there for her. But he would make sure that from now on , she would be able to count on him.

Because that precious woman deserved nothing less.


End file.

Home & Away, Drama, Romance