I didn't plan on doing a sequel but somehow I found myself writing one anyway. This isn't technically a sequel, it's just the same story from Warren's point of view. I really hope you enjoy it - it's written to 'Sleep' by My Chemical Romance. It's dedicated to the people who asked for a sequel and finally got their wish:

Fira, Bradhadair fire starter, Sarite.93, beyondthewardrobe, FlurryDivider, Tinuel, xpinkittyx

Thank you all and please review!!!!


He hated her road, the long path to her house that wound through tall, dark and crooked trees. He hated the dead branches, their spiky, thin fingers straining to reach the sky, so delicate a gust of wind could break them. At least that was what he saw; their branches quivering and shaking like broken bones in the winter, black leaves like burnt flags. Layla, ever the optimist, loved them. She loved all of nature, broken or burnt. Walking alone through the shadows, Warren could only feel the despair, the hopelessness that the branches seemed to be filled with. They drooped like they had given up, their dangling ends stretching towards him like they wanted him to give up too. Maybe he should.

Some say now suffer all the children

And walk away a savior

Or a madman and polluted

From gutter institutions.

Maybe he was a fool to come, more so to return every time. Maybe if he didn't come then the pain would stop, that dull ache in his chest like a burning coal was caught between his ribs, tightening painfully when he least expected it.

Don't you breathe for me,

Undeserving of your sympathy,

Cause there ain't no way that I'm sorry for what I did.

It hurt like hell when he saw her with him, when he saw her cry, when he saw her in pain. But it hurt more when he saw that empty look that had started to fill her eyes every time she looked at Will, when she thought no one was looking. Like she didn't feel anymore.

And through it all

How could you cry for me?

Cause I don't feel bad about it.

So shut your eyes,

Kiss me goodbye,

But she did feel. Warren knew that, maybe more than even she did. He could see her pain – hell, even Zach could sense something was wrong. Maybe Will wouldn't admit it but everyone could see it. Then again, Will was never one to spot the unseen. Layla denied it for different reasons; she wanted to spare Will the pain. So she would put herself through it, bearing his pain with an empty smile.

And sleep.

Just sleep.

The hardest part is letting go of your dreams.

Warren had never deserved her, he knew that. She was too beautiful, too clever, too good a person to want someone like him. Hell, she was even richer than him – he could see her house now, the large, white building covered in ivy and other plants. He was just some punk off the local estate with a bad job and a long record of misbehaviour. He couldn't stop hoping though and that was the worst part. Every time he saw her he had to tell himself he wasn't good enough, would never be good enough. But it was so damn hard.

A drink for the horror that I'm in,

For the good guys, and the bad guys,

For the monsters that I've been.

He had tried other girls, tried to forget her. But every time he saw her, saw her smile at him, her eyes sparkling, he couldn't think of anything else. His one-time girlfriend Jenny Freeze had seen it, had ended it before she got hurt. She had always been the clever one, leaving before it got too hard.

Three cheers for tyranny,

Unapologetic apathy,

Cause there ain't no way that I'm coming back again.

He kept coming back for more, because somehow just being near her could take the pain away. When she was there he couldn't be sad, couldn't help smiling, even though he knew he would never have what he wanted. Being without her was torture. She was his drug, his air, his lifeline.

And through it all

How could you cry for me?

Cause I don't feel bad about it.

So shut your eyes,

Kiss me goodbye,

Burning things helped. Some nights he stay up late, driving far out until he reached the empty building sites on the outskirts. He'd sit there for hours, just staring into the glowing embers, their flames dancing tantalisingly. With nothing there but the wind, the stars and the ghosts of buildings, he didn't feel anything. He was the flame and all he could see was her, standing before him like she'd been there all along. Which, in a way, she had.

And sleep.

Just sleep.

The hardest parts

The awful things that I've seen.

The way she talked, her glossy hair, her dancing eyes, her beautiful smile. She was so perfect. Will was so damn lucky and he didn't even know what he had. Seeing her used to be enough but he didn't now how long he could bear it, even though he had no choice. She chose Will. She chose Will. She chose him and she always would, even after everything. He was her 'love'.

Warren had held her when she cried, held her shaking body and sworn to kill the one that made her hurt inside so badly. But who could kill his best friend? Her red hair spread across his arms, her vulnerable silence. He wanted to stay like that forever, knew that was where they belonged. She could be silent and it wasn't silence, because even her silence spoke volumes.

Just sleep.

Just sleep.

She always went back to him. Always. Even though sooner or later she'd be in Warren's arms again, sobbing quietly, all too soon she'd return to Will like she was the one who'd done wrong. When Warren had gone to China he couldn't stay still, couldn't sleep for worry about her. He was scared of what would happen the day when she finally cracked. If he wasn't there to hold her while she cried, he would never forgive himself.

Just sleep.

Just sleep.

Just sleep.

She shouldn't feel pain. People like Warren knew pain, felt it, deserved it. It was part of his life and he accepted it like an old warrior accepts death. He could not expect better. But Layla, she deserved so much more. He wanted to make her smile, to never see her cry again. He used to think he could be content with 'best friend' but he knew now that could never work.

Just sleep.

This was the last time he would visit her. This would be the last time because he couldn't live like this, so close and yet so far. He couldn't go on with this searing pain inside, without her. So he had to leave her, even though every instinct told him to stay and protect her. He could live without her. He had to. He had no choice.

He rang the doorbell and waited patiently as she ran down stairs, her green form topped with tumbling red hair. He knew she had been crying already without even having to ask. He knew because he felt her pain like it was his own. The door opened and she was there, all red locks and glowing green eyes that shone with tears. And the smile that was on her face broke his heart all over again and he knew he could never, never leave her. He loved Layla, loved her so much that living without her was no longer an option. She was his future and he was bound to her, if only to see her smile so sadly and yet so hopefully. It broke his heart and healed it in one moment and he knew that he would keep going because he had too. She opened her mouth to greet him.

"Hi, Warren."

And Warren Peace smiled.