Summary: Just another one of those post-finale stories. This is my version of what might have happened.

A/N: With the lack of Minx for the next couple of months (and yes I do choose to believe they will both be back with Prospect Park), there are bound to be a few post-finale stories, but I couldn't help writing my own version. This is most likely going to be my longest Minx fanfiction to date, as well as the most dramatic one. But I hope you enjoy!

I wanna dedicate this story to everyone at AfterEllen's Minx thread as a thank you for making the Minxless days a little bit more bearable. You guys rock!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is for entertainment purposes only.

After the Darkness

Marissa didn't know how many shots there actually were. She stopped counting after the second one and her ability to perceive anything going on around her suddenly perished. She couldn't see anything, she couldn't hear anything and she barely had enough strength within her to stay conscious. At least she thought she was still conscious, although she wasn't completely sure. There was darkness all around her and the world was at mute and she tried to move, but somehow her limbs wouldn't listen to her brain. She was in full panic mode and as much as she wanted to do something, scream, run, anything, she couldn't. She temporarily lost the ability to control her body or her senses. For a moment she didn't know where she was or what was happening.

And then she heard screams, people running past her, people running across the room, people running out of the room, people calling each other… And she saw blood… And she felt blood… She felt blood on her hands, but she had no idea whose it was. She didn't think it was hers, since she didn't feel any pain, but then again she didn't feel much of anything at that particular moment, so she really didn't know.

"Bianca!" Marissa heard someone scream in sheer panic and when she finally found her strength to turn around, her legs gave way at the picture in front of her. Bianca was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with Erica kneeling beside her daughter, tears streaming down her face. And then Marissa felt a pair of strong arms helping her stay in an upright position, but despite the help, and she had no idea whose, she once again felt like she had no control over her body. So for a moment she just kept staring at her girlfriend on the floor with a group of people over her, sheer terror in her eyes. And she wanted to do something, to help, but she felt like she was watching a movie, like she was somehow just a spectator and not a participant in what was happening. And she still really couldn't grasp what exactly was happening, even with the horrible scene in front of her eyes.

It took Marissa a while to process what was had just transpired. It was like technically she was aware of everything, but her body just wouldn't react the way she wanted it to. So it took a while until she got herself together. And when she finally regained control over her limbs, she was immediately by her girlfriend's side, holding her hand and shaking uncontrollably. She still wasn't sure what exactly had just happened, because the truth was so horrible that her mind was telling her not to believe her eyes, and all she could see was Bianca lying on the floor, her dress soaked with blood, struggling to take one breath after another.

Marissa squeezed Bianca's hand and gently stroked her cheek, still not really believing what was happening. Did her girlfriend really just get shot? Did someone really fire a gun at the party? They must have, since Bianca was now lying on the floor, most likely with a bullet in her body.

Marissa almost couldn't breathe when the realization hit her, but somehow she knew she needed to stay conscious and aware for Bianca. For Bianca, who was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. Her girlfriend was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood and Marissa still couldn't really grasp the concept of what had just happened.

She tried to look around to see what was happening in the room, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Bianca and Erica desperately trying to convince her daughter to hang on.

"Sweetie, everything is going to be OK. The EMTs are on their way and they're gonna be here any minute. You just stay calm."

"It's gonna be fine." Marissa promised, not really knowing that herself, but feeling the need to reassure Bianca. How in the world did they even end up in this situation? What the hell just happened? "Everything's gonna be fine, sweetie." She repeated stroking Bianca's cheek and desperately trying not to look at Bianca's blood-soaked dressed and the puddle of blood around them. And for the second time that night Marissa felt like she was outside her own body, doing things that in her mind she knew she was doing and she was supposed to do, but somehow refusing to fully believe that she was actually holding Bianca's hand now because Bianca had been shot. It seemed like some sort of a cruel joke or a nightmare she desperately wanted to wake up from, but didn't know how.

Bianca tried to say something, but evidently she temporarily lacked the capacity to do so, and both Erica and Marissa hurried to urge her not to exert herself.

"Don't say anything." Marissa begged. "Save your strength for later.

"I can't…" Bianca tried to tell them, but again they refused to listen.

"Yes you can!" Erica insisted. "You just hang in there and everything will be fine." Erica almost shouted, squeezing her daughter's hand tightly and trying to make sure Bianca didn't see her tears.

"What the hell happened?" Kendall cried, finally making her presence known. "What the hell was that?" She asked, but it was more of a rhetorical question. "Jesus!" She exclaimed as she realized that the pool of blood around her sister was getting bigger and bigger. "Somebody get some help, damn it!"

"They're on their way." Ryan assured, but he knew that it wasn't going to bring any comfort to any of them. He looked around the room to make sure that everyone else was OK. It did seem so, except for Scott, whose grimace on his face clearly indicated that he was in pain.

"Hey man, are you OK?" Ryan asked a little worried.

"I'm fine." Scott assured him. "It's just a flesh wound, I will be OK." He replied. "Is anyone else hurt?" He asked looking at Bianca terrified.

"I don't think so. Everyone seems to be doing OK. What the hell was that anyway? Did you see anything?"

"No. I have no idea what happened." Scott answered, evidently shaken. "Who the hell would do something like that? What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to find out." Ryan vowed as he made his way towards Greenlee and wrapped his arms around her. Right now everybody seemed to be concentrating on Bianca and watched in terror as Erica, Kendall and Marissa kept begging her not to give up and reassuring her that everything was going to be fine. It was one picture none of them would ever want to see. Yet there they were, watching as a member of their family was struggling to stay alive and praying to God that everything would turn out OK.

Seconds later they noticed paramedics entering the room and running towards Bianca. Erica and Kendall immediately stepped away to clear the way for the paramedics, but Marissa just couldn't let go of Bianca's hand.

"Come on." She heard Scott's voice behind her as he started to drag her away from Bianca. "Let them do their job."

"But I… She…" Marissa wanted to say something, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was what she wanted to convey.

"Come on." Scott repeated as Marissa finally let go of Bianca's hand and observed the paramedics put Bianca on a gurney and wheel her out of the room, with Erica running behind them and screaming that she was riding with her daughter in the ambulance.

And that's when Marissa finally felt the tears fall. They were streaming down her face, wetting her cheeks and her neck, as the reality of what had just happened finally started to set it. Bianca had been shot. Bianca had been shot and she was most likely fighting for her life right now, and Marissa finally felt like she had no more strength to hold on, that right now she could finally stop being so damn strong for Bianca. And that's when she let the darkness finally consume her.