Hey y'all! So I've come to this fandom to pay homage to my current OTP NickxGloria. Hopefully this is found enjoyable! Sit back and enjoy the ride. This fic takes starts off during when the two first met. Gloria's backstory—or one way I portray her will be explored.

I own nothing.

Once Upon A Trip

Gloria had the whole world in front of her. She was nearing the end of her first year in college. Everything seemed to be going perfect for her. Something was just missing, however. Some excitement. The blonde found herself bored sitting all alone in her dorm room, having nothing else to do apart from watching the paint peeling from the walls surrounding her. Wavy locks spilled over her shoulder as she sat up in bed, reaching for her phone by her bedside. Brown eyes locked onto the screen as she unlocked it, seeing a message from her roommate.

"Don't forget about the party, Glor! It'll be fun!"

A hearty chuckle escaped Gloria's lips once she sat her phone down once again. Oh, yeah. Her roomie's boyfriend was hosting a party while his parents were out of town. Gloria had heard that the party was going to be quite interesting. Delilah had mentioned it time and time again to her. The blonde found herself deciding if she wanted to go. She could mingle; maybe meet some rather interesting people. Gloria usually was never one to miss a party, especially one where all of her friends were going to.

Rising to her feet, the blonde went around to her closet. With a dainty hand, she began to fiddle around with the clothes hanging up. After a few moments of contemplation, she pulled out a small black dress and a matching cover up. A smile crept up on her features as she quickly changed out of her sweat pants and hoodie. Why not have a little fun tonight?

o—o—o

Wheels screeched as she pulled up to the already full driveway. Gloria's baby blue station wagon had seen its better days but it was a birthday present from her father when she turned sixteen. So she felt obligated to keep driving it around until it just gave out on her. The Volkswagen ran pretty good so who was she to complain? She was still able to blast her favorite tunes. The blonde reached for her iPod that rested in the center console, killing the music for the time being. She found herself surprised that she actually found a parking spot. It looked like everyone and their brother was already here. The eighteen-year-old cut off the engine to her car, making sure to grab her small purse before heading towards the house.

Gloria chewed on the inside of her cheek, brown eyes observing everything around her. There were a couple of others outside on the porch, the smell of booze and cigarette smoke pouring off of them. Once she past them, she ignored the hard glares they were giving her. She wasn't exactly shy but she was the type of person that associated with people who were mutual friends of her own. Otherwise, she usually just ignored anyone else. The blonde fiddled around with the strap to her purse as she entered the house, keeping an eye out for Delilah.

Ear-piercing music blared all the way through the house, the floor vibrating under her feet. Cliques were separated like always. The jocks were chugging beer; the wallflowers were hanging by the food table. Even the dancefloor was full; scantily clad women were grinding against the very drunk guys. Gloria couldn't help but roll her eyes; there would be a lot of regret in the morning, from the looks of it. She scanned the very crowded place, her eyes stopping as she noticed someone heading right for her. A hottie, no less. He had medium-length scraggly brown hair and a smirk that seemed to be permanently attached to his lips. Who was he? And, more importantly, why was he coming her way?

"Well, well," he chuckled, circling around her with a beer bottle clenched under his fingertips. "You look a little lost. Maybe I can help?" The brunet stopped, chugging back the rest of his beer before tossing it to the side. "Name's Nick," he added, his own brown eyes undressing the blonde before him.

Gloria arched an eyebrow, watching the obviously inebriated man with an amused smirk on her own lips. She had never seen him before. Sure, the campus was huge but the blonde had a photographic memory. She remembered everyone, so she knew who to stay away from. This guy, though, there was something about him. Despite him being drunk as a skunk, Gloria didn't have any instincts telling her to get out of dodge. It was the exact opposite. Every fiber of her being was telling her to stay exactly where she was.

"I'm Gloria," she finally spoke, tucking a strand of wavy hair behind her ear. Her eyes never left his as she spoke. Suddenly meeting up with Delilah wasn't on her mind at all.

A wide grin stretched across Nick's face as the blonde before him introduced herself. "Gloria, huh? Nice." He shuffled his weight slightly, holding his arm out for Gloria. "Whadd'ya say we go get acquainted some?"

She couldn't bring herself to say no. What the hell was going on? It was like he had some hold over her. Gloria brought herself back down to reality, hooking her arm through the proffered one. As soon as her skin brushed up against his, she could practically feel a spark rising from deep inside of her. Everything about Nick seemed mysterious and that only intrigued her more.

"Where are we going?" the blonde asked, locking her eyes with his.

"I'm thinking outside," Nick told her, leading her through the throng of party-goers. He let his arm fall, taking her hand instead as they squeezed through the crowd. The brunet was known to be quite the ladies' man. He had his own agenda for the night. Why not pick someone to help him get his man fix? His other fix… he just had to wait for the end of the night. Calvin said that he would hook him up. And he never let him down.

Once they reached the back patio, Nick let go of Gloria's hand. He watched her carefully as he fiddled around in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. The addict brought a smoke up to his lips as he lit it up, taking a decent pull from the cigarette.

"So, tell me. Why am I actually here?" Gloria spoke once more, leaning against the back of the house. Her mind was swirling. If he wanted what she figured he did, the blonde really wasn't so sure she'd argue about it. Who in their right mind would? Maybe it was because of how long it had been. Or maybe they just really had a connection.

The elder Clark sibling wore an impenetrable smirk, closing in on the woman before him. He took another drag from his cigarette, the red beam of the cherry being the only real light around. He blew the smoke in the opposite direction, bending long enough to put it out on the wooden planks. Nick brought his hands to rest on the house, now hovering over Gloria. "I dunno. You tell me."

With him being as close as he was, the blonde could smell the combination of alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. There was also a faint smell of cologne that clung to his already overpowering scent. Even in her sober mind, there was something way too intoxicating about Nick. And as his hands traveled down to her waist, Gloria just stopped thinking. She only acted. The blonde let him press his body dangerously close to hers, pinning her against the wall. And as their lips connected, that was it.

This was just the beginning but, in a sense, it was also the end. Gloria's life was about to change so drastically, all because of a connection.

o—o—o

Over the next year, Gloria was juggling many a thing. Between keeping up with her classes, maintaining a somewhat decent social life and dealing with a drug addict for a boyfriend, her life had become quite hectic. Once the blonde learned of Nick's darker side, she almost didn't know what to do. But she was far too wrapped up in him to just walk away. And he was too addicted to quit. Already, he had been kicked out of school. His mom wouldn't take him back in, either. So he resorted to staying in an abandoned church, where many of his drug buddies stayed for the very same reason. Gloria hated going there, especially when he was using. Sure, the sex was great. But it was becoming a hassle to keep a relationship going just based off of that. She loved Nick but did he love her like he claimed he did? Every time they fought about this, he said that he would quit. And every time it was just another lie.

The blonde contemplated just up and leaving. Was he even worth her tears? Their relationship was a result of a one-night-stand. Gloria honestly thought that they were more than that. Were they really, though? They spent most of their time together in that church. Mostly it was because Nick never had any money to take her out. Why was she still here?

Gloria brought herself out of her thoughts as Nick finally stirred that morning. He brought his arms around her, laying his head on her stomach. The blonde sighed softly, running her fingers through his scraggly hair. Maybe it was because she knew he cared. He was just too set in his ways to turn his life around.

"Your nickname should have a 'w' in it," he slurred, leaning to peck at her forearm. "'Cause you glow. Every time I see you… you're like a glow stick."

She just chuckled. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Gloria asked, glancing down at her boyfriend.

"Hell yeah it is," Nick murmured, nuzzling into her stomach. When he woke up from one of his drug trips, he always seemed to say some of the most interesting things.

And that is exactly why she just couldn't leave. Glow loved everything about her junkie. Maybe it was her all along. Maybe if she joined him, things would be easier. After all, everything happens for a reason.

In her own hasty decision, Gloria wasted her own life away. By the time she graduated from college, she was using right alongside Nick. She had her own apartment, one big enough for both of them. But they chose to stay at the church, shooting up and wasting away together.

On the day she died, Nick had planned on proposing to her. He sold quite a bit of his personal belongings just to get enough money for the diamond. All he had left was the clothes on his back, an engagement ring, and Gloria. When he came to that morning, he had expected her to wait for him to wake up. That was their daily routine. He reached over to where she always was, finding nothing there. Disoriented as all get out, he made a round about the church looking for her.

As he discovered the body of his former drug buddy, he knew something wasn't right. He had to find Glow and get the hell out of dodge. Grabbing a weapon of sorts, the junkie kept going further. As soon as he caught sight of his could-be fiancée, Nick found himself relieved. Until she turned around to face him, that was.

He lost all color in his face, witnessing something piercing through Gloria's torso. What the hell?! Nick stumbled backwards as she advanced closer to him. Whatever that was, that wasn't his Glow. Not anymore. He gathered all of his strength and ran out of the church. Even if this whole thing had been a hallucination, he would find her again. But sadly, that wasn't the case.

o—o—o

It had been nine days since then. Nine days since the world went to shit. Nick was in mid swim when he heard Liza leaving the Ramirez's home. He hurried over to the fence, watching to make sure the coast was clear. Thank God there was a source of some fix. Otherwise, the brunet didn't think he would be able to stay sane. With everything that had been going on between him and his family, the only person he wanted to go to was dead. And it was his entire fault. She wouldn't have overdosed had he not introduced her to this lifestyle in the first place.

Rounding the corner to pay a visit to good ol' Hector, something caught Nick's eyes. Something very familiar. He glanced over to see Gloria. Of course, he knew it wasn't her. Any time he found himself dying for a fix, he could see her fading away. She became a much clearer hallucination once he was using. He had promised his mom and Alicia again and again that he would quit. But he just couldn't stop. Not when he saw her every time he was high. Nick knew it wasn't good to be doing this after the world ended but for right now, it was enough.

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