Hi! So, this is a little one-shot I wrote… It's related to an awesome movie I watched a few months ago; Warrior, by Gavin O'Connor, starring Tom Hardy. It was such a good movie, I loved the characters, the story, absolutely everything, and Tom's performance was great! (Yes, I'm obsessed with Tom Hardy) So there it is, this one-shot tells a little bit of a female OC, Abby's life. She's Tommy's friend. There isn't really a storyline, it's just a piece of life, like I like to call it…

The regulars know that English isn't my first language. Though, I wrote this one-shot in English only. For this one, like for Afterwards, I tried to write in proper English but I might need a little improvement. So don't hesitate to give me pieces of advice in the reviews! And if you liked it, feel free to leave a kind word, it makes my day!

Pour mes lecteurs français (for my French readers):

Tout d'abord, sachez que je ne vous abandonne pas! J'ai voulu écrire cette one-shot en anglais uniquement pour certaines raison mais si vous éprouvez l'envie de la lire, en français, n'hésitez pas à me le faire savoir et je ferai une traduction! Bonne lecture et à la prochaine!

Until dawn

Abbigail finished refilling a client's cup of coffee when she noticed a black dressed figure sitting at a table in the corner of the small dinner she worked in. She looked at the person she guessed to be a man. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, the hood was covering his head. His back was turned to her but she knew exactly who this man was, and it put a smile on her face.

Tommy Conlon would come to the restaurant almost every day since he returned to Pittsburgh. Abbigail had known him for a long time, they were good friends in middle school. And she had to admit she had fallen for him at that time. She knew about his family troubles and though it saddened her, she wasn't surprised when she found out he left town. He grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father, in a small and unwelcoming house. One day, they had had enough, and he and his mother left. His brother was supposed to go with them, but he preferred leaving with his girlfriend, it broke Tommy's heart.

But a little bit more than a month ago, he came back for whatever reason, and she was actually very happy to serve him a lunch every day.

She looked at him again and she knew he hadn't noticed her, she turned that to her advantage and she sneaked up to him quietly. When she was close enough, she playfully pulled the hood off his head to revel his grumpy face.

"Hi Tommy!" She greeted with joy. He growled back in annoyance and lowered his head to tuck a small bottle of pills back into the pocket of his hoodie. She looked at him once again. He looked very tired. "Do you want a coffee?" She asked showing the coffeepot she had in hand.

He simply nodded, letting out a faint 'thank you'. She immediately went to grab a cup and walked up to the table to fill it with hot coffee. She then handed it to him with a smile. "So, what do you want for lunch?" She then asked.

He fell silent for a few seconds, he looked down at his fingers, twiddled them a little and finally replied with that husky voice of him. "I… I don't have much money, actually…"

"It's okay." She immediately replied. "It's on me, don't worry…" She smiled at him warmly. She saw his lips curl ever so slightly as he tried to look elsewhere, as if he was too ashamed to look at her in the eyes. And he was ashamed. She knew him, she knew he hated asking help from people, and especially from her. But he was her closest friend, and she always did anything to help him despite his stubbornness. She patted his strong shoulder with her hand.

"I'm here to help you Tommy…" She whispered reassuringly. "Always…" She insisted.

"Thank you, Abby…" He whispered back, nodding his head slightly. She tried not to notice the bottle of pills he pulled out of his pocket and walked away quickly to order his lunch from the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned to his table to serve his plate of food. She would have stayed with him when he ate but she had other clients to attend to.

As always, when he was done, he left the restaurant. No thank you, no goodbye… Abby was happy though, for she knew that he had eaten a healthy meal, that he had drunk a warm coffee and that she may have managed to cheer him up a little. And it made her smile.

The train ran by for the thousandth time this evening, making the whole building shake and creak with the vibrations.

Abby was cleaning off the last formica table of the restaurant when she heard her employer call for her. She turned to the old woman, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"I'm gonna close up soon, Abby, you can go home…" She said with a nod. Abby nodded in turn. As her shift was finished, she headed towards the back room to take her apron off and retrieve her hand bag and jacket. She was about to leave by the front door of the restaurant when the old woman spoke again. "Do you need a ride home?" She asked kindly.

Abby smiled slightly. The old woman always took care of her and worried about her even though she was just her employer. She always made sure she made it home safe when she would finish her shift late at night. Her and her husband owned the restaurant and they had always been nice to Abby, like a mother and a father, and she thanked them for that.

"No, thank you. I'm gonna walk." She replied with a nod. "Bye!" She said with a smile and a wave of the hand.

Abby pulled up the collar of her winter coat, opened the glass door and then slipped out into the dark, cold night of Pittsburgh.

Abby walked hastily on the pavement to keep herself warm. The few yellow streetlights were the only thing that lit her path. Her grip tightened around the handle of her handbag as she felt the cold breeze of the winter. It was almost midnight and she was all alone in the street. The only sound she could hear was the one made by her heels when they hit the pavement. She shivered slightly as she turned into a dark alley.

She didn't like walking late at night in the empty streets. Every time she walked through that alley to get back home, she told herself she should have accepted the ride. But every time, when she leaves the restaurant, she declines the proposal. And she regrets it afterwards.

She got more comfortable when she came into a lit street. Though, she was still alone, and-she had to admit- she was still a bit scared. She tried to think of something else to occupy her mind. And as her thoughts drifted away, she couldn't help but think about Tommy.

He hadn't showed up at the restaurant today. He would usually come every day. Well, he wouldn't always come… But when she didn't see him, it kind of worried her. She snorted lightly at her foolishness. She hadn't seen him for years and it barely bothered her, and now, only one month after he came back, she was worried because she didn't see him for one day… Ridiculous…

As her thoughts went on, she started to remember the time she was in middle school with him. They used to be together all the time. He didn't really have friends then, nor did she… So they were very close. They used to walk together to get back home after school.

She used to say that they walked together so that they could spend more time together, they would talk and laugh on their way. But the truth was, she was scared to walk alone in the streets, especially during the long and cold nights of winter… And he knew that, that's why he would always walk with her on the way back from school. Back then, she would held tightly on his arm and curl up as close as possible to his body, because she felt safe and warm by his side. It would make him smile sometimes.

They would leave school, walk to her house first. And once she left him, he would walk to his own house. Even if it made him make a detour, he loved and cherished these moments.

She could remember him smiling when he would see her five-year old sister open the front door with a big toothy smile, run to her and hug her legs tightly because 'she had missed her so much'. Every evening, he would see the joy of the family when it was finally reunited after a long day of work. He would only see that through the opening of a door or a window, but every evening, he would share a little bit of this joy while he waited in the dark of the street for Abby to wave him goodbye. His smile would widen and he would say goodbye to the whole family.

But when she would close the front door, he would be alone again. He would walk to his cold, unwelcoming home. He would enter the house by the old wooden front door. And he would hear his drunken father yell at her poor mother while he would walk upstairs to lock himself in the small room he shared with his brother.

And in the morning, he would wake up early to walk to her house. She would greet him with a big smile every morning and they would walk to school together. She could still remember that very morning. She had waited for him in front of her house, like she did every day. But he never came… She hadn't seen him for the whole day then, nor did she the day after. And then days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years…

Then suddenly, she feared he had left again… The freezing breeze intensified a little and a shiver ran through her spine. No, he hadn't left, he couldn't… It's just one day, a little day, come on, you're not his mother, stop worrying for nothing, she tried to convince herself. After all, it wasn't the first time, she hadn't seen him last Monday. He came back the day after, though, that's when he said he had seen his father.

It was the first time Tommy talked to his father since he returned to Pittsburgh. She knew it had been hard for him, and she had been there the day after to comfort him, to talk to him. Well, maybe Tommy visited his father again today… Maybe she would have to take care of him again tomorrow; feed him, reassure him and ease his tears…

She finally made it back to her house. But came to a halt when she spotted a dark figure sitting on the stairs leading to her front door. She stood still, staring at it for a few minutes. Her heart was beating fiercely, she didn't dare taking another step. The place was lit by a single streetlight, the bulb was blinking and tinkling franticly. She took a deep breath, clutching the handle of her hand bag with her frozen hands. The figure was breathing erratically, blowing little clouds of steam with every exhale. It wasn't moving, just sitting there, at her door.

After what seemed like hours, Abby finally decided to take a step forward. The figure was that of a man, a strong man. He must have heard her; he slowly lifted his head to look at her. That's when she recognized him. "Tommy?" She asked with a shaky voice.

She then walked as fast as possible towards him. "God, you scared the Hell outta me…" She sighed. She took a closer look to his face. He was staring at her, though it seemed like he wasn't even looking at her. She spotted the bottle he was holding tightly. She brought her look back to his eyes. It was like a silent plea, a cry for help. She could see the tears that rolled on his cheeks under the yellowish light.

She sighed again and climbed the two steps to unlock her front door. She then stood in front of Tommy, crouching a little and holding out her arms to help him stand up. "C'mere…" She said, lifting one of his arms to rest it on her shoulders so that he could lean on her. His other hand gripped tightly on the bottle of alcohol. She grabbed it and snatched it from him. "Come on Tommy, you don't need this crap…" She whispered, leaving the bottle on the stairs.

She didn't remember him being that heavy, but he was, and she felt it as she dragged him inside. She slammed the front door closed and turned a table lamp on when she entered her living room to let him slump down on the couch as she removed her jacket and shoes.

She stood still in front of him, staring at his face as he started to cry again, silently. She didn't know whether she should let him sleep in her house or if she should kick him out. Sometimes, he really was a burden, like tonight… He was drunk, he was a wreck…

It wasn't the first time she found him on her door step, in this state. That may have happened about ten times since he came back. Every time, she would let him in, she would take care of him and let him sleep in her bed, in her arms. But he would always leave at dawn, without a single word, and when she would wake up, she would be alone, as though he never existed. However, she couldn't bring herself to throw him out. He was her friend, her Tommy, and he needed help… She sighed again and crouched to remove his shoes. "You've seen your father today, haven't you?" She asked quietly. He nodded weakly.

She stood up again and went to her bedroom. She took off her clothes and put on a loose tank top and a pair of yoga pants she used as pajamas. She returned to the living room to check on Tommy, he was still on the couch, snoring lightly. She then headed to the kitchen to grab a glass and fill it in with water.

When she came back into the living room, she tried to convince Tommy to drink the content of the glass. To her surprise, he complied. He drank the whole glass and let it on the coffee table. "C'mon…" She said, helping him up and dragging him to her bedroom. That's when she was glad her bedroom was on the same floor.

She let him sit on her bed and took off his hoodie and tucked him in the covers like a child. She then climbed in and held him close as he started to fall asleep. He curled up against her, resting his head on her breast and wrapping a possessive arms around her waist. She stared at him for a few more minutes. He really looked like an angel when he was asleep. "God, Tommy… I'm too kind…" She sighed, stroking his hair gently.

It was just another one of these nights. Tomorrow, she would wake up alone in her bed… But for now, he would be there. Tonight, she would offer him a roof to sleep under, and a warm bed to sleep in. She would be there to comfort him. Because tears would fall from his eyes during the night, she would be there to wipe them off. She would let him get the rest he needed, wrapped in her tight embrace and she would be right there to soothe his tears for the whole night… until dawn.