Title: Lazareth – Prologue

Author: Stargirl888

Word Count: 400

Spoilers: none

Pairing: Undetermined – Will be femslash though.

Rating: M

WARNINGS: For future chapters: Prostitution, Violence, Gang Membership, Abuse, Angst, Teen Pregnancy, Abortion. (Please see AN for details)

Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

Summary: Not even a year ago she would have been the one sitting with the other 'normal' people on the opposite side of the waiting room giving the girl, clad in a leather jacket with the lazareth lizard stitched to the breast, a wide berth as opposed to sitting in a waiting room while one friend gets stitched up by doctors in the other room and another's death is announced on the tv.

A/N: Okay so I really shouldn't be starting another story, but this has been sitting in my folders for ages. I have no clue where it's going to go, so I'm always up for suggestions as you read.. If you are going to read this story you need to be aware of 5 things:

1. There will be mention of Prostitution, Violence, Gang Membership, Abuse, Angst, Teen Pregnancy and Abortion in this fic. I don't think any of it will be particularly graphic and I don't plan to dwell on it, but it will be there.

2 Updates are going to be short. I'm not putting a minimum word count on the chapters like I do normally, and generally they will be 500 – 1000 words. This is just meant to be something that I can write quickly and easily when inspiration strikes. I will pointedly ignore requests for longer chapters

3. Updates will be erratic. Sometimes within days of each other, other times it could take weeks. They'll happen when they happen but I will do my best to update at least once a month.

4. Reviews are compulsory! Lol. Well I can't really force you, but I really really really like knowing peoples thoughts on a chapter so please try to remember to review whenever you can; I really do appreciate them, and am willing to bribe with virtual cookies ;)

5. I'm not claiming this to be in any way a realistic representation of gang life.

Right so if you made it thought that ridiculously long AN and still reading I suppose I should let you get to the story:

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Quinn watched all the judgmental expressions of the other occupants in the waiting room as the small tv in the corner rattled off the details of the death of a known gang member from Lima Heights and how the police were looking for suspects.

Once, what felt like a lifetime ago but was really only months, she probably would have also worn a disapproving frown, and commented to the person next to her how people like that brought these sort of things on themselves by getting involved in the gangs to begin with. She, like most of Lima's more upstanding community, had viewed anything to do with The Heights with distaste and even fear; the only people living there were nameless, faceless criminals and lowlifes who would sooner cut your throat than give you the time of day. It was a different world, and one she was proud not to be apart of. If anything, back then Quinn had been part of the social elite of the town, her family had wealth enough to own a substantial portion of Golden Ash Gated Community. Now though, now she knew the faces of the inhabitants of Lima Heights, she knew that the girl on the small screen had two younger brothers who relied on her for food and rent, a grandmother who had 3rd stage cancer and a boyfriend, who she had loved since the first time she met him in second grade. She knew the girl only smoked Malbro cigarettes and loved to play the violin, though she rarely had time to do so, how she hated seafood but loved shrimp and that tattoo on the girls right hip, that of a small, curled up green lizard, stood for more than just being an initiated member of the infamous Lazrath gang, it stood for belonging to a family.

Quinns hand almost subconsciously brushed over her cloth covered hip, where a matching tattoo could be found, still new enough to be slightly sensitive at the light pressure.

Quinn marvelled at how not even a year ago she would have been the one sitting with the other 'normal' people on the opposite side of the waiting room giving the girl, clad in a leather jacket with the lazareth lizard stitched to the breast, a wide berth as opposed to sitting in a waiting room while one friend gets stitched up by doctors in the other room and another's death is announced on the tv.

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AN2: Just reminding you about point number 4 above ;)