Title: Prepare for Battle

Fandom: 2009 revival of Hair, the musical

Rating: PG-13, for angst

Word Count: 1,206

Author Note: This is my Hair fanfic debut, dedicated to the lovely Renee-chan, whose fanfics inspired me to begin writing my own. Funnily enough, my first 'fic turned out to be full of angst…she's definitely influenced my writing! :P Enjoy!

War. Even just the uttering of the word sent shivers of dread reverberating down her spine. Nothing good could come out of it; the only outcome was pain and sorrow. Yes, there could be victory, but it would come with a heavy price. The sacrifice of life. Bloodshed.

Lately, everyone had been tiptoeing around the subject like a herd of deer around a sleeping tiger, as if at any moment it could spring into life and consume them. And it would do so slowly, mercilessly tearing and breaking them apart, piece-by-piece, until there was nothing left to reveal. Nothing but the raw, bare bones of the Tribe, left exposed. Without their flesh, there was nothing to hold them all together; to protect them. The result would be devastating. Once more, this battle, this conflict, would steal away what they all loved the most, leaving a gaping wound that would drain every last drop of blood...until there was no more left to pump to the heart. And without their heart – their leader – the Tribe would die.

With these thoughts plaguing her mind - and she not having the strength to thrust them away – the girl realized her fight with sleeplessness was futile. Yet her body was crying for the soft mattress, wracked with exhaustion. She ached, head to toe. Her eyes were bleary; the telltale shadows now bold and amplified. Every night, she had crawled into bed and begged desperately for sleep to consume her. But, just as she felt herself begin to drift away, these evil thoughts would snatch her, creep into her dreams and take her for a ride, plunging her into the unspeakable horrors of the front line. And tonight, just like every other night this week, she woke up screaming, her sheets soaked with sweat, her cheeks burning with her tears. Now, having gained her composure once more, she sat on the edge of the bed and contemplated her options.

And there weren't many.

She knew there was bound to be a stash of sleeping pills somewhere in her apartment, but the very thought of having to rummage through every cupboard and drawer made her want to cry. Also, and quite remarkably at that, she'd managed to become less reliant on drugs these past few months, and although she was desperately trying to find a cure for her insomnia, she knew deep down heading down the road of sedatives was not the way to go. Hell, she knew a joint would surely calm her, but the effects were only temporary. No, she needed something more sustainable, something to release these demons from their chains in her mind…

As she sat, her knees pulled up to her chin, for a few more moments, a thought dawned on her. She was alone. Ever since the stark reality of the war had hit, Berger had been spending more and more time away from the apartment, leaving her to suffer in the silence. There was no one for her to confide in.

Then, as if her despair had been heard miles away, there was a gentle knock at the door. The girl padded down the hallway and gingerly peeked through the peephole. Jeanie. She had an uncanny sense of knowing when something was wrong within the Tribe. She often sensed issues arising well before they could reach the surface. It was just the person she needed; someone who had the patience and compassion to sit and hear her out and relate to how she felt.. Proceeding to unlatch the chain on the door, the girl ushered the other inside. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a comforting embrace.

"I was just thinking about you,"

Jeanie pulled away and looked at her with sympathetic eyes. All the evidence she needed was there on the girl's face. She pulled her down to the sofa.

"Sheila, sweetie, I wish you would have said something sooner…"

The older girl shrugged. "I'm not the only one finding it difficult. I just figured we were all in the same boat, you know?"

At that, Jeanie allowed the girl to rest her head wearily on her shoulder as she gently stroked her long, blonde hair.

"We are, but most of us can get a good night's sleep once in a while,"

Sheila sighed quietly. Oh, how she wished she could be someone else…Crissy, Woof, Dionne…anyone else just to get some rest. Somehow she couldn't picture them being tortured by nightmares…

"You have no idea how much I just want to close my eyes and find peace, Jeanie. But…all I see are guns, bombs and Claude…."

She found herself cut off by a deep sob as it erupted from her mouth, as tears began to trail down her cheeks.

"I'm so scared, Jeanie,"

Jeanie cradled the girl, rocking her back and forth. Even she had to admit that the very same images haunted her. Ever since Claude had received his draft card, it seemed all that filled her ears were the screams of wounded soldiers and the sprays of bullets.

"I know. I'm scared too," she admitted, desperately trying to keep her voice from shaking. It was unusual seeing Sheila so torn up. She was usually the strong one, the member of the Tribe whose feelings were always kept in check, enclosed behind a brick wall so few could break. Until now. Now, that wall had crumbled, leaving her emotions exposed and defenceless.

"Every day I think how there is the possibility that Claude will never come back. And Berger…G-d Berger…it'll kill him," Sheila sobbed.

This, Jeanie knew too. Already she could sense that Berger was becoming more detached from them by the day, preferring to spend the majority of his time beneath the bridge in Central Park, drowning his sorrows with a cocktail of alcohol and drugs. If that didn't kill him, she was almost certain Claude's absence would.

"This can't be an easy situation for Claude either, and we need to remember that. We have to stay strong for him and for Berger," Jeanie sighed. "We can pull through this together,"

But even though she uttered those words, she wasn't reassured by them. Yet, she continued to sooth the older girl until her tears subsided. Then, Sheila sat upright and gave a short laugh that lifted their misery.

"Surprisingly, I feel so much better!"

Jeanie smiled softly. "That's because you've finally released all those horrible feelings that you've been bottling up for far too long! Now, come on, let's try and get you some beauty sleep,"

With that, Jeanie helped Sheila change the wet sheets and saw the exhausted girl clamber into bed, her tense body beginning to relax as it sank into the mattress. She perched herself on the edge of the bed and gently stroked the girl's hair as she drifted off.

"We'll get through this, Sheila. I promise," she whispered.

For another half hour, she kept a watchful eye, before she quietly picked up the spare key from its hook and slipped out the door, assured her friend had finally sank into a peaceful slumber.

We'll take each day as it comes, she thought, as she strolled back to join Crissy and Woof in the Park.

One day at a time.