Author's Corner: This isn't the first fanfic that I've written, but this is the first one that I've posted and really planned on putting all my effort into. This fic is going to be rated M, so be aware of the coming scenes and themes associated with such rating. I don't own anything but the burdens on my back. This will be mostly canon. All in all, I really hope you enjoy this story. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.


Chapter One - Some Nights

"Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights I call it a draw
Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights I wish they'd just fall off"
FUN. - Some Nights


Life had dealt some pretty shitty hands thus far.

Despite her misfortune, she always found her way through the just as shitty rounds. But, in doing so she only found herself growing more and more bitter, finally succumbing to a complete comatose of callousness. Perhaps she was just given a terrible deck, therefore she would get these bad hands the rest of her life. Perhaps she was just young, and stupid; she didn't have the proper experience to know how to come out on top. Perhaps she had already chosen her track, and was destined to this way of life.

"Perhaps I should just hide away," The girl spat, shaking mud off of her shoes.

With a thump, her shoe flew off her foot landing upside down in a mud puddle.

"Forever."

Hopping her way to the doorstep, she hid under the tiny awning, she beat the excess raindrops from her umbrella and gingerly tapped the rest of the mud off her faithful shoe. Looking through the downpour, she decided that she could sacrifice her other sneaker. Past her runaway shoe, she noticed that the car was in the drive way. She hadn't realized that Daniel was going to be home this early. She mentally cursed herself, there was nothing put down for dinner.

"Hey, I didn't know you were going to be home," She called, dropping off her jacket and umbrella by the door. She looked down at her scrubs, wiping off stains she could and tucked away the ones she couldn't. She took a step forward, but decided that it was best to empty out her pockets now. Mostly used tissues, but beneath the mountain of plush paper she pulled out her badge.

Void badge, now.

Thumbing the plastic, she grimaced at the bad picture and the glaring red line though her access barcode. They could have just told me not to come back.

As the thunder rolled, she ambled through the short hallway looking for Daniel. She didn't really have that big of a search to begin with, seeing as it was a one bedroom home with an adjoining kitchen, dining room, and living room combination. She wasn't the least surprised when she found Daniel lounging in his comfy chair, nursing a beer. His sixth, if the pile of cans was any indication of his count for the night.

He sat, completely captivated by the football game in progress.

She could tell that he had an easy day at work, just by the simple fact that he was still in the same clothing he had left in that morning, with no tears or materials stuck to the cloth. By the worsening storm outside, she figured that the days work had been halted until more favorable conditions came about, when construction work was actually an option. She gazed at Daniel with curiosity, normally on days where the team was sent home early he brought his work buddies with him. Even though Daniel grimaced at their quaint home, he was always finding ways to bring his buddies back to enjoy an evening of sports and beer. By the expression on his face, though, she could tell that he didn't even want her to be around, let alone a group of his buddies. While others looked at Daniel and saw a grumpy man with a cruel expression, she had seen past that and learned his ways. Sometimes he was happy, sometimes he wasn't.

"Hey, who's playing?" She asked, skirting around the inevitable. This was going to be the third time this year she had been laid off of work, and the past two times Daniel hadn't been entirely understanding. Judging from his current state, she decided that now wasn't the time.

She sat down on the tattered love seat next to him, pulling her hair out of the tight bun previously holding captive to her tightly rung curls. Finger combing through the ringlets, she decided that she was actually starting to enjoy her hair. Had she done the same thing a month ago, you would have found her doing her best to hide the hideous mistake that was a free perm. She had always hated her pin straight black hair. On the rex they all worked in the same few places, all lived in the same type of homes, and all had very similar futures. The last thing that she wanted to do was look the same as everyone else. Between trips to Forks, watching her favorite shows, and reading through her drugstore magazines she had grown envious of the beautiful curls she saw. When her best friend Anne earned her cosmetologist licensee, she had been Anne's first real perm. Anne had offered it to her for free, seeing as it was experimental. Who was she to pass up a free service?

Daniel had laughed at her every chance he could get.

Thankfully, the curls had loosened up quiet a bit since, and now her hair was at least close to what she had wanted.

Daniel threw his beer to the rug, spilling out the remaining contents. "Damn it." He muttered, kicking the can as he grabbed another one from the 24 pack to his right.

She picked up her feet to avoid the spread of the liquid, glancing to the TV. From what she could tell, Jacksonville was playing Indianapolis, and Jacksonville had just won the game.

"Missed the fucking field goal," Daniel growled kicking his pile of cans around the living room. "We lost to the God damn Jags."

"There's always the rest of the season," she offered, picking up the cans mindful of his foot.

Daniel huffed, and stomped over to the kitchen. He opened up the fridge with disappointment. She winced, when she realized that she hadn't had time to stock the fridge either.

"What are we having for dinner?" He called, agitation clear in his voice.

"I was just going to have a sandwich. I didn't know that you were going to be home yet." She replied, careful to keep a positive tone. She wasn't looking for a fight, and if Daniel was itching for one he was going to have to argue with himself.

"Well, that's just fucking great."

Daniel chugged down the rest of his beer, shuffling back to the living room for another. He popped the tab, as he threw the empty can to the ground. She sighed, shaking her head. Plopping back in his recliner, Daniel shut off the TV and surveyed the room. As she put the cans in the kitchen trash, she tensed as he slammed his can on the side table.

"You got fired. Again."

His accusatory tone had been bad enough, but when he stomped back to their bedroom, she sighed. She really didn't want to deal with this right now. Making her way slowly back to him, she paused as he marched back to kitchen grabbing a trash bad before returning to the bedroom. This was new.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her brows furrowing as he threw her clothing into the bag.

"What am I doing?" He laughed, stingingly. "What are you doing that you can't even keep a job?"

She opened her mouth in an attempt to explain. It really wasn't her fault this time. The local doctors office had to downsize, and seeing as she was the new nursing assistant, she had gotten the boot before any of the other veteran employees. It really wasn't her fault.

"Look, can it. I don't want to hear it. I'm sick and tired of supporting your lazy ass. You can't hold a job, and you can't keep a house. You don't cook, you don't clean. You don't do anything but sit around when you're home." He grabbed up the bag, slinging it over his shoulders as he grabbed onto her arm, pulling her towards the front of the house. She was sure that he could hear her mumbling under his breath, Thank God I didn't marry her.

"I don't care where you go, just don't come back."

Pulling the front door open, Daniel shoved her through the entryway out into the pouring rain. Instantly, she could feel her socks soaking through and her hair starting to stick to her scalp. Their neighbors had just arrived home, and by the looks of it, they were having a party. The woman glanced over with sadness in her eyes. The boys beside her stared blankly, unsure of how to react in situations like this.

Pulling her shoulders back, gathering up what dignity she had left, she glowered over at Daniel. "You're an asshole, you know that, Daniel?" She yelled over the rain, venom seething through her words.

He threw the trash bag to her feet, and shook his head. "And you're a a worthless bitch, Ruth."

With the slamming of the door, she picked up her belongings, careful to keep the mud off her back. The neighbors were still looking over her way, or at least some of them. She could tell that the group of boys had already moved inside, shoving and and carrying on into the home. With her head held high, Ruth walked out of the yard, making her way towards the local grocery store. She could at least seek shelter there for the time being while she figured out where she was going to sleep that night.

Ruth shook her head. Another bad hand. She hoped with all her might that life wouldn't laugh at her as she was forced the fold.