Hey. So. This is just a random oneshot fic with Darcy and Jane, strictly friendship and comfort because I like them as friends on Degrassi. I just kind of made up a situation where Darcy is staying at Jane's house for an undisclosed reason. They've had a conversation in which Darcy confesses about the rape, and now it's a few hours after they've gone to bed. I've been dying to write for Jane 'cause she's my new favorite character and I'm still in Darcy mode because of Fix You (which I'm working on, so have no fear) so this is what happened.
Jane couldn't sleep. It was past midnight and yet she found herself staring up at the ceiling, replaying her last conversation with Darcy in her head. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed that Darcy's highly gossiped-about suicide attempt had taken place just days after Jane had told her and Manny about the roofie-rapist on the loose at the ski lodge.
She tried not to think about Darcy and what she had finally confessed to Jane, but it was very hard--the walls in her house were thin and she could hear Darcy's quiet sobs from across the hall. She was glad they had at least simmered down a little; when Darcy had first started, the heaving cries had been almost unbearable for Jane to listen to.
She knew Darcy had to get it all out sometime, but at last she decided that she needed to do something. She rose from her bed, and after deciding to make due with the sport shorts and fitted white t-shirt she was currently wearing as pajamas, she headed across the hall.
"Darcy?" she called quietly, tapping her knuckles against the door just loud enough to announce her presence. When she didn't respond, Jane went ahead and opened the door, and, being as quiet as possible and keeping the lights off, she tiptoead up to Darcy's bed.
Even in the darkness she could see that Darcy was tossing and turning, and she could hear that her breathing was fast and shallow. Jane realized she was holding her breath when Darcy finally settled down a little, lying on her side, and Jane exhaled.
She wasn't experienced with this type of thing, and she knew it, but something inside of her told her it was the right thing to do. Jane circled the bed and stopped on the other side, Darcy's back to her, and tried to climb onto the mattress as gracefully as possible. Then, with some awkward hesitation on her part, she laid down next to Darcy, who had begun mumbling things like "no," "please," "stop," and "don't," and Jane didn't have to guess what the girl was reliving in her nightmares.
She edged closer to Darcy, taking a deep breath and putting her hand on Darcy's upper arm. Even in her unconscious state, Darcy still felt Jane and immediately flinched away from the contact.
I knew this was a bad idea, Jane thought as she separated herself from Darcy. As she was rising from the bed Darcy suddenly awoke, her eyes snapping open, her lungs heaving for air. Jane froze, not knowing what to do or how Darcy would react to seeing her.
When Darcy finally did notice her, Jane was relieved to see that she didn't look angry.
"I'm sorry," Jane stuttered, panicking nonetheless. "I was just…I'm sorry, I'll leave …" She started to get off the bed when Darcy suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"No--" she said abruptly, then looked up at Jane with scared eyes. "Can you stay here?"
Jane was speechless for a moment. "Are…are you sure?" Darcy nodded.
Darcy laid back on her left side, resuming her previous position, and Jane followed. She pressed herself against Darcy again, her left arm going under the arch created by Darcy's neck, and her right arm draped over Darcy's stomach. She bent her elbow so that her hand rested on Darcy's upper arm and the rest of her arm still held Darcy's body against hers.
There was a moment of comfortable silence after they each settled, Jane gently sliding her thumb up and down on Darcy's skin.
"I'm pathetic," Darcy whispered after a while. "It's been almost a month since it happened and I'm still having nightmares."
"You're not," Jane replied, using a voice just as quiet. "Pathetic, I mean. What he did to you…" She trailed off for a moment, not wanting to think about it, let alone talk about it. "It was horrible and sick and violating. I'd be worried if you weren't having nightmares." She immediately regretted the wording of her last sentence. "Not that I want you to have them or anything," she continued quickly, "I really hate seeing you suffer."
Darcy said nothing for a long time. "I'm scared, Jane." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Jane heard it loud and clear.
Jane straightened her arm and wrapped it around Darcy's front, holding her tightly, feeling Darcy covering it with her own arms.
"Nobody's going to hurt you now, Darce. You're safe with me."
"I know," Darcy sighed sleepily.
I know it's kind of a weird, sudden ending, but I just liked the "I know" thing as the last thing they say. You know? And don't get me wrong--as much as I would probably love to write a femslash fic for Jane and Darcy, I just wanted to write a friendship/hurt/comfort one first. Oh, and if you're reading this and you haven't read my other Degrassi fic, Fix You, do that. Now. 'Cause it's good.