Author's Notes: Here's the second chapter, one day later than planned. Just didn't get around to posting it yesterday. Anyways, enjoy reading! :)

Within Darkness

2. Needing Comfort

Dawn had gone to bed early, due to a mild headache, which had been plaguing her most of the day. She hadn't been surprised, let alone worried, when Faye hadn't been home by dinner, considering that she had known her daughter would likely head to Melissa's on the way back from the lake house and possibly sleep over there.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping when the phone started ringing and woke her up. Picking up the phone receiver from the nightstand she sat up and answered the call. As she did so she took a brief glance at the alarm clock and noting that it was already way past eleven she wondered briefly who would call this late, and she could feel a trace of concern building within her. Still, what she heard took her by surprise and she visibly paled as she listened.

"Misses Chamberlain, this is Alicia Clarke, I'm a nurse at the Chance Harbor Hospital." a female voice told her, clearly trying to deliver whatever bad news she had as gently as possible, "I'm calling about your daughter, Faye Chamberlain? She was involved in a car accident."

For a moment Dawn was too shocked to speak, then she asked, "How- how is she?"

"She's in surgery right now." the nurse replied matter-of-factly, yet without sounding cold.

Dawn listened to the rest of what the nurse had to say, then she told her, "I'll be right there." She then hung up and got out of bed, quickly getting dressed.

Only a few minutes later she stepped out of the house and got into her car, starting to drive into the direction of the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital Dawn parked near the building, then quickly made her way inside, barely taking the time to lock the car. Inside she headed straight to the nurse's station to find out how Faye was doing.

When she had reached the triage desk she spoke to the nurse sitting there, telling her, "My name is Dawn Chamberlain. I'm looking for my daughter, Faye. She was in a car accident." She spoke with far more calm than she truly felt.

"She is still in surgery at this time. According to the information I have here, it will likely still take a while before she will be out. Her condition is serious but stable at the moment." the nurse told the blonde woman in front of her. After a brief pause she suggested kindly, "You can sit down in the waiting area. Someone will be out to talk to you as soon as there's anything new."

Although her first impulse was to press for more information Dawn reluctantly nodded to what the nurse said, thanking the woman before turning to head to the waiting area. Deep down she knew it wouldn't speed anything up to push the hospital staff to answer questions to which they didn't have any proper answers yet.

Approaching the waiting area Dawn caught sight of Cassie and Adam talking to two uniformed police officers. One of them was a young looking woman with black hair, which she had pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck. The other one was a slightly tanned, tall man with light brown hair. He looked to be slightly older than his female colleague. Still a little distance away from the small group, Dawn briefly stopped for a moment as she felt her composure slip slightly, noticing the blood stains on Cassie's clothes and traces of it also on her hands. After another moment, however, she took a steadying breath and continued walking.

"As we understand you were the ones who found your friend and brought her to the hospital," she heard one of the cops currently ask the two teenagers, "Why didn't you call for an ambulance?"

A clearly distraught Cassie frowned slightly at the question, while Adam told the man and his female partner, "We didn't think there was enough time to wait for one. Her pulse and breathing were very weak." Not to mention all the blood...

Looking up Cassie spotted Faye's mother coming towards them. "We didn't want to wait ... our friend could have been dying!" she said a bit louder than she wanted, frustration and sadness clearly seeping into her tone. She didn't want to talk to the cops, there was no rational way that Faye would have survived an ambulance trip to the hospital. She knew they couldn't explain what they had done, no way would the cops understand.

The officers remained silent for a moment, not seeming to take Cassie's tone to heart, probably used to people being upset in these kind of situations and therefore knowing better than to push them.

"Ugh, my head..." Cassie grumbled to herself, looking at the cops and wishing they would just go away for right now. "Is there any way we can pick this up some other time? It's just been a very long day."

The two officers exchanged a look, then the man nodded. "Of course." he then pulled a business card out of a pocket of his uniform jacket, handing it to the blonde girl, telling her, "If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call. Otherwise someone will get in touch with you in the coming days."

When Cassie nodded at his words he and his colleague turned to leave, but then paused when they saw Dawn. "You're the mother?" the male cop asked.

Dawn gave a brief nod, replying, "Dawn Chamberlain."

"We will have to ask you a few questions as well." he announced, his tone professional, but holding a trace of genuine compassion, "Someone from our department will get in touch with you, once we know more about the accident." and seeing Dawn nod once more he and his colleague took their leave.

"What happened?" Dawn wanted to know, looking back at the two teenagers once the cops had left. Her voice was remarkably calm, given the circumstances, though a trace of a frown crossed her features as she noticed the exhaustion on Cassie's face.

Cassie frowned slightly, glancing momentarily down at her hands as she contemplated how to best answer the question. Her frown deepened as she noticed the still evident traces of blood, which had, despite her best efforts to wash it off, stubbornly remained on her skin. Looking back up a moment later she was about to respond to Dawn's question, but catching sight of Melissa and Diana coming towards them she waited, realizing that her sister and friend would want to know what had happened as well, and at this point she doubted she could face having to repeat it all for another time. Going over it a second time now would already be hard enough...

"Adam! Cassie!" Melissa exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her two friends when she reached them, and then looked up at Dawn, saying a little more formal, "Misses Chamberlain."

Adam hugged Melissa back when she reached them. "Hey Melissa." he greeted her, a trace of exhaustion in his voice.

Meanwhile Diana also hugged Cassie, although slightly more hesitantly than Melissa had been. "Hey." she stated, almost a little awkwardly, which, considering the events earlier in the summer, probably wasn't too surprising. As she pulled back and took in her half-sister's appearance her brows knitted into a deep, concerned frown. "Are you alright, Cassie?" she inquired, noticing how pale the blond was. Had Cassie done magic lately? She looked strained and overexhausted, more so than usual actually. Now she was really getting worried.

Cassie looked at Diana. "I'm okay, thank you." she said, offering a small, reassuring smile to her sister, "A little tired, and worried but alright."

Just then Jake also reached their small group. "Gang's all here... What's going on?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at Cassie and Adam.

Cassie frowned slightly, taking in the worried and expectant faces of her friends and Faye's mother for a moment, before taking a breath and telling them, "Adam and I were on our way back to town, when we came across a car accident. We stopped to see if we could help, and that was when we realized it was Faye's car." she paused momentarily, frown deepening, as she remembered the moment of realization and shock. First the fire and smoke, and then all the blood... Shaking herself out of her thoughts she continued, "It was ... bad... Faye wouldn't have made it here alive. So, I used my magic - dark magic, and combined it with a little blood magic ... to ensure that Faye survived until we got her here. It took more out of me than I thought... But it was the only way I saw."

Once she had finished she all but collapsed in the chair behind her, the exhaustion really hitting her. She briefly felt her nose and the small trickle of blood escaping from it. "I'm still not used to using that much magic. Not at once. And to keep Faye alive for as long as I could. ... She'll be okay though, she has to be."

Diana tensed up at what Cassie said, at the mentioning of dark magic. She knew how using her dark magic could affect Cassie. Not only did it strain her, but in some ways it also changed her, making her more susceptible to the darkness, the more malevolent emotions.

After a moment of silence Cassie turned her eyes to Faye's mother, telling her genuinely, "I tried everything to save her, Misses Chamberlain... Adam got us here as fast as he could." Cassie said, looking at everyone as she dabbed at her nose with her sleeve.

Meanwhile Melissa tensed slightly as she looked towards Diana, her thoughts the same on the use of dark magic, especially when it came to Cassie. She could also tell Diana still felt the same on the subject as she had before she had left with Grant.

Dawn gave a slight nod, her lips turning briefly into a tired smile when Cassie told her that she had done her best to keep Faye alive. "I know." she said. Although in her worried state of mind the thought barely registered, it was slightly comforting to know that Faye had friends who looked out for her.

Charles had been working late, going over some files for a client at his office, and had ended up falling asleep. When he woke up it was already past midnight, so he quickly gathered his things and headed home. Normally he probably would have gone straight to bed upon arriving home, but feeling the need for something to drink he went to the kitchen first.

He had just gotten a bottle of water from the fridge, drinking some of the cool liquid as he went to leave the kitchen and head upstairs, when he noticed a piece of paper on the kitchen island. Setting the bottle down he picked up the note and read it, a deep, worried frown making its way upon his face as he did so. The note was from Diana, telling him that Faye had been in an accident and that she had headed to the hospital.

Still wearing a concerned expression upon his face he put the note back down, then walked out of the kitchen, turning off the light as he went. However, rather than heading for the stairs he made his way to the door, having decided to head to the hospital instead, already to make sure Diana was okay.

It didn't take long before he reached his destination. After parking in the almost vacant lot of the hospital he got out of the car, locking it as he turned to head into the building. Once inside he turned into the direction of the waiting area, and as he neared the room he caught sight of his daughter along with her friends.

Upon seeing her father coming towards them Diana got to her feet, calling, "Dad!" as she went to meet him halfway. When he reached her and wrapped his arms around her she hugged him back. Although things were still complicated, and she hadn't yet fully forgiven him after finding out that he was responsible for the death of Cassie's mother, it still was comforting that he was there.

"Diana." Charles said, before asking, "You're okay?"

Giving a nod Diana pulled slightly back. "I'm alright, just worried." she replied, adding, "Faye's still in surgery."

He gave a slight nod in acknowledgement at his daughter's words. A moment later he frowned slightly, asking, "You know where Dawn is?"

"I think, she went to get coffee a while ago." Diana told her father, as he released her from his hug.

Charles gave a nod at that, saying, "I'll go see if she needs anything, okay?" He could only imagine how worried Dawn must be. He knew that if it were Diana in Faye's place he'd be going crazy with worry.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll be fine." Diana assured, giving a little smile.

Charles briefly smiled down at his daughter, then turned and went to find Dawn. It didn't take him long before he found her standing by the vending machines, a little distance away from the waiting area, where the kids were. As he approached her Dawn looked up, apparently having heard him, and he could see the worry and exhaustion written on her face. For a moment he wondered if she had cried, noting the redness of her eyes, although that could've just been from tiredness.

"Dawn. I just heard." he said gently, briefly embracing her when he had reached her. "How are you holding up?" he inquired, genuinely concerned for her.

Dawn frowned slightly, contemplating how to respond, eventually she told him, "Worried." she paused a moment, then she said, "Faye's still in surgery."

Charles gave a slight nod. "Diana told me." he replied, then asked, "Do they already know anything?"

"No, nothing aside from it being serious." Dawn stated, then added, knowing what had happened would likely be his next question, "Faye was up at the lake house. She must have lost control over her car on the way back. Cassie and Adam found her and got her here. It must have been quite bad, enough so to prompt Cassie to use dark magic to keep her alive..." As she trailed off a low sigh escaped her, and, closing momentarily her eyes, she lifted one hand, running her fingertips over the side of her forehead.

Charles frowned briefly at the last part. He had already wondered about how Cassie seemed even more exhausted than the rest of her circle. But her using magic to help Faye would certainly explain the strained, worn out state the blonde girl was in... After a moment he looked back at Dawn, offering, "You want me to go check and see if there's anything new yet?" He knew that Dawn probably couldn't handle much more of the waiting right now, not knowing how her daughter was doing. He wouldn't be able to handle it well if it had been Diana in this situation.

Dawn opened her eyes, letting her hand sink as she looked at Charles. She gave a nod. "Yes, please."

Giving a nod Charles said, "I'll be right back." He then headed down the hallway towards the triage desk.

When he had reached it he placed a hand upon the desk as he looked at the nurse sitting on the other side. "Excuse me, I would like to inquire about the status of Faye Chamberlain?" he requested, a polite tone to his words as he tried his best to remain calm for Dawn's sake.

As Charles spoke to her the nurse glanced up, frowning slightly at the question. "Just a moment, I'll check." She typed briefly, her eyes on the screen of her computer. A moment later she looked back at Charles and told him, "She is still in surgery. According to the information I have here it will likely be another few hours. But I can ask if they know something more specific."

Charles looked at her, smiling kindly. "Yes, please, that would be most appreciated. Her mother is quite concerned, as are her friends. We would just like to know the status of her, if she's doing well." he replied.

The nurse nodded. She reached over to the phone on the desk and dialed an internal number. When the call was answered after a moment she told the other person, "It's Alicia. I was wondering, if there is anything new on the condition of Faye Chamberlain." She listened then said, "Yes." Setting the phone receiver aside she said to Charles, "My colleague is checking with the doctor. It might take a few minutes."

While waiting the nurse got momentarily distracted when a new patient arrived, an elderly man with chest pains. She had just called an orderly over, who led the man and his daughter to one of the examination rooms, when the phone beeped indicating her colleague had returned. Picking up the receiver she asked, "Anything?" she listened for a while, a slight frown of concentration on her face, before speaking again. "Alright. Thanks." She hung up, then focused her attention back on Charles. "She's in serious condition. It appears some of her injuries might be more severe than they first thought." After a brief pause she added reassuringly, "Though this isn't entirely uncommon with patients who were in a car accident. However, the surgery is likely to still take some time. They estimate at least another six hours."

Charles gave a nod, thanking the woman before returning to Dawn.

While Charles had been gone Dawn had sat down in one of the chairs across from the vending machines, a cup of coffee in her hands. Upon hearing approaching steps she glanced up and seeing it was Charles she gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to tell her what they had said.

"She's still in surgery, another six or so hours." he told her, placing a hand upon her shoulder with a small sigh. He knew how stressed Dawn must be right now, and he hoped that she would be able to relax once they knew Faye was out of surgery.

At his words Dawn gave a slight nod. "Thanks." she said, referring to him going to check, a tired smile briefly crossing her features.

Charles sat down next to her. "What can I do Dawn?" he asked, leaning back in the seat beside her.

Dawn briefly considered the question. Eventually she sighed, running a hand over her face and tucking a stray strand of hair away. "I don't know..." She didn't even know what she herself could do. And she wasn't sure what was worse, the uncertainty about how Faye was doing, or the feeling of being incapable of helping her daughter. After a moment she looked back at him and told him, "I'm glad you are here, Charles."

Charles smiled softly, nodding his head slightly. "Of course Dawn, I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone in this." he assured, wrapping an arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

"Thanks." Dawn replied quietly, leaning her head against his shoulder as Charles put his arm around her, and briefly closed her eyes.

Charles also closed his eyes, tilting his head to rest on top of Dawn's as they waited.

Dawn had lost all track of time, though a quick glance at a clock hanging on the wall down the hallway told her it had been a great deal longer than the estimated six hours, when she heard someone approach, causing her to open her eyes and straighten in her seat. Looking up she saw a female doctor approaching them. Watching the tall brunette come towards them Dawn frowned slightly as it took her a moment to recognize the other woman, not having seen her particularly often in the past couple of years. Her name was Samantha Montgomery, an old friend of her, Amelia and Elizabeth...

"How is Faye doing?" Dawn questioned, moving to get up.

Coming to a halt Samantha motioned for Dawn to remain seated, noting the exhaustion on the blond's face. And aside from that not all of what she had to say were good news... "She's in serious condition, but stable. Her vitals are good." She paused for a moment, before adding cautioningly, "However, her injuries were severe and there were some complications during the surgery. She lost a lot of blood and at one point her heart stopped. We were able to bring her back, but I'm afraid she slipped into a coma." Dawn notably paled as she listened, causing Samantha to pause, her brows knitting into a concerned frown. "Listen Dawn, I'm not going to tell you not to worry, because I know it would be impossible. But Faye is strong and otherwise healthy. The coma will be temporary, likely a couple of days - although there is a possibility it might take longer. But once she had some time to recover and regain some of her strength she will wake up."

Charles listened, keeping his arm around Dawn's shoulders as the doctor delivered the news. He recognized her as well, and while he was grateful that she was the one who had taken care of Faye, he still couldn't shake the feeling of concern resting within his gut.

"Thank you, Samantha." he said, looking at Dawn to see how she was holding up.

"Of course." Samantha replied to Charles. She noted that neither of the two asked for details on Faye's injuries, and taking into account the deep concern on Dawn's expression she came to the conclusion that it would be better not to elaborate at this point, knowing it would only add to their concern given the severity of some of the injuries. Although she won't say it aloud, from her own experiences as doctor, particularly in the ER and OR, she knew it came close to a miracle Faye had made it to the hospital alive. Among the list of her many injuries the daughter of her old friend had sustained in the accident were a severe concussion, a fractured skull and subdural hematoma at the back of her head, a hairline fracture of the right clavicle, her left ulna and radius were both broken, she had five cracked ribs, another four were broken, and in addition she had suffered notable internal bleeding, there was also the deep laceration at her lower abdomen, which under closer inspection looked more like a deliberate cut or stab wound, rather than the result of the crash...

Shaking herself out of her thoughts Samantha looked back at Dawn and Charles, telling them, "You can see Faye shortly. She's being moved to a room in the ICU right now." A moment later she turned to leave.

Dawn nodded slightly at that, looking a little more composed again. However, while she did feel a trace of relief and comfort upon hearing that Faye's coma would likely be only temporary, it didn't really lessen her worry. Because she knew there was still a chance Faye won't make it, or simply won't wake up.

Meanwhile Charles had briefly turned to look toward the waiting area, where the kids were. He knew they would want to know about Faye as well. From what he could see, Jake was standing and pacing the room, Melissa was chatting with Diana, and poor Cassie was passed out in a few of the chairs, while Adam looked as if he was about to fall asleep any moment as well. After a moment he looked back at Dawn, rubbing her shoulder lightly as he tried to figure out what he could do.

"Dawn, do you need anything?" he asked finally, not sure what else could be said at this point in time.

Dawn watched Samantha leave, then looked back at Charles when he spoke. She considered his question for a moment. Eventually she gave a slight shake of her head. "No..." A short time later her eyes went to Faye's friends in the waiting room, a small frown making its way upon her features, realizing that there was one thing Charles could do.

"Could you perhaps tell them?" Dawn asked after another moment of silence, almost hesitantly, frankly not being sure she could handle that right now. All she could really think about was going to see her daughter and making sure she would be alright.

Charles nodded as he gave Dawn a small hug, before standing and making his way to the group of kids in the waiting area opposite of where he and Dawn had been sitting. He cleared his throat, looking at each of them. "You might want to wake Cassie." he said, standing there as he ran a hand down his face slowly. It had been a very long day, and everyone was probably exhausted.

Jake looked up, tensing ever so slightly as he waited for the news that would come.

Melissa had stopped talking almost instantly when Charles had approached, reaching over and taking hold of Diana's hand within her own. "Is it about Faye?" she asked, looking over and nudging Cassie ever so softly to wake her.

Cassie gave a small groan, shifting and sitting upright as she rubbed her head. "Are there any news on Faye?" she asked, blinking when she saw Charles standing before them. She straightened up and looked at everyone, wondering how long she had really been out for. Was it just her, or did those hospital chairs get comfier the longer you laid in them? Then again, that impression might just be a result of her exhaustion.

Diana turned toward her father, a small concerned frown on her face. "How is she?" she inquired. Her fingers closed comfortingly around Melissa's hand, knowing all this must be particularly hard on her given how close Melissa and Faye were.

Adam had looked up when Charles reached them. He briefly turned to look at Cassie as Melissa woke her up. He then looked back at Diana's father, waiting like the others to hear how Faye was doing.

Taking in the worry on their faces Charles took a breath. "Faye is in ICU. Her injuries were more extensive than they first thought and she's currently in a coma." he told them, looking at all of them before his eyes stopped on Cassie and Adam. "You two did the right thing getting her here. She's probably still alive, because of whatever quick thinking on your part." He paused for a moment, once again noting the exhaustion on their faces, "It'll take a while for her to recover, but hopefully she'll wake up soon. For now I think you should get some rest."

When he had finished he frowned slightly. "Diana, I'm still going to stay here for a while, see if Dawn needs anything. So, perhaps, you should go with your friends." he suggested as he walked over, kissing his daughter on her forehead when he reached her.

"Okay, Dad." Diana responded with a slight nod to her father's suggestion, hugging him briefly. She then watched as he left, before turning back to her friends when Cassie spoke.

"Well... at least she made it. I'm going to go home and get some rest." the blond said, looking at everyone.

"I can drive you." Adam offered to Cassie, given that she was even more exhausted than the rest of them from her extensive use of dark magic. And, after all, they had come together.

Meanwhile Melissa frowned, looking at Diana and Jake. "There's no use to stick around... We need to get some rest, and Diana you can come over and we'll watch girly movies." she offered as she looked at Diana.

"That sounds good." Diana agreed, looking at her friend with a slight smile. Truth was she didn't want to be alone right now, and she could tell Melissa felt the same.

While Charles had headed to the waiting area to talk to Faye's friends Dawn had gotten up as well, making her way up to the ICU to check on her daughter.

When she had reached the ICU she headed over to the nurse's desk. Stopping in front of the desk she said to the nurse, "Excuse me, I'm looking for my daughter, Faye Chamberlain. She was brought here from the OR."

The nurse briefly looked over the list of patients currently admitted there, then nodded, getting up. "Please, follow me."

Dawn followed silently as the nurse led her to Faye's room. When the young woman stopped in front of the room Dawn thanked her, giving a polite, albeit exhausted smile. As the nurse went to leave Dawn opened the door and stepped inside. She briefly paused on her way over to the bed as her gaze fell upon her daughter.

Faye was the sole occupant of the room. Lying there surrounded by various medical machines she looked almost frighteningly fragile and pale. It reminded Dawn of when Faye had been born. Having been born slightly prematurely she had been so small and delicate... Yet the worry - anxiety even, she had felt then was nothing to what she felt right now. There was a heart rate monitor tracking her vitals. From a ventilator, also standing beside the bed, a tube led to Faye's mouth, helping her breathe and ensuring that she received sufficient amounts of oxygen. Beside the bed, next to the machines, stood a metal pole with an IV drip leading to her hand and a bag of blood with a tube leading to an intravenous access in the crook of Faye's right arm.

As Dawn reached the bed she let her gaze wander over her comatose daughter, taking note of her various injuries... The top and back of Faye's head was covered in bandages. Three thin butterfly closure strips had been used to close a laceration running over the right side of Faye's forehead, just below the hairline. Her left lower arm was in a cast. The right hand and wrist were bandaged with elastic gauze. The edges of more bandages were visible at the collar of her hospital gown. In addition there were numerous angry bruises and abrasions along with smaller cuts across her arms and face.

"Faye..." Dawn said softly, almost choking on the one word, her eyes filling with tears. Sitting down in the chair beside the bed she raised her right hand to her daughter's face, gently brushing her fingertips over her forehead and cheek for a while. Her eyes still trained on Faye she tried to figure out what to do... She couldn't lose her daughter. Faye was all the family she had left after Tom had died. And while she was sure that the doctors at the hospital, including Samantha, knew what they were doing, she wasn't going to take any chances when it came down to Faye. She didn't have to... And without hesitating she gently took hold of Faye's right hand, closing her eyes, as she started to chant in her mind. To anyone who might enter and didn't know better it may have looked as if she might be praying or was simply trying to keep her composure.

However, after only a few minutes Dawn stopped, her eyes flying open as the beeping of the heart monitor sped up, becoming slightly irregular and hectic. Clearly this wasn't going to help... A heavy sigh escaped her and she briefly ran a hand across her face, angrily brushing the traces of moisture away where tears had trailed over her cheeks. What was the point of having magic again, if she couldn't even use it to help her own daughter?

After a few more minutes she rose to her feet and headed for the door, feeling the need for some more coffee. Stepping out of Faye's hospital room Dawn turned to find the closest coffee machine, but stopped after only a couple of steps when she saw Charles coming toward her.

Charles looked at Dawn, holding out a cup of coffee for her when he had reached her. "Thought you could use this?" he said, offering her a small smile.

"Thanks." Dawn replied, giving a little smile in return as she accepted the cup of coffee.

Charles nodded, "How is she?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Dawn briefly glanced into the room where Faye was resting, trying not to dwell on the fact that she wasn't merely sleeping... Looking back at Charles she let out a soft sigh, "Still the same." She lifted the cup, drinking some of the warm black coffee.

Charles lifted his cup up as well, sipping from it. "Well, why don't we go sit with her for a bit? You can try and rest?" he suggested, knowing she needed to rest as well.

Faye knew the familiar voice that had called her back had been Cassie's. She didn't so much recognize the voice as that she could feel that it was her, could feel the connection between them... It was this connection which held her faintly suspended between life and death.

Then Cassie was gone and the darkness around her became heavier, encasing and suffocating her. Everything around her went cold as ice. She was dying. She could feel the rest of her body shutting down. Could feel how her breathing stopped. Her heart faltered and ceased to beat. And the pain was gone. She was fading away...

But before she could disappear completely a soft light pushed the darkness slightly back and a semblance of feeling returned to her. She was alive again, albeit only marginally.

Faye didn't know how much time had past when she felt a comforting warmth starting to envelope her. She wanted to hold on to that warmth, but she was too weak.

Only a short time later the warmth started to fade away. Then the darkness and cold returned...

Dawn considered Charles's suggestion for a moment as she took another long swig of her coffee. Lowering the cup her lips turned into a small, tired smile. She was just about to reply when a high pitched electronic alarm could be heard coming from the machines in Faye's room, causing the forming smile to freeze and disappear as all color drained from Dawn's face. "Oh my God... Faye..." she muttered, momentarily frozen in place, almost dropping her coffee cup.

Meanwhile two nurses came rushing to Faye's room along with a doctor. Only a moment later Samantha came quickly down the hallway. Seeing Dawn move to head inside she paused on her way, stopping the blond. "I'm sorry, Dawn, but you should wait here." she said gently but determined to the other woman.

Dawn bit her lip, but after a moment she gave a reluctant nod, watching wordlessly how Samantha also disappeared in Faye's room.

Charles set his coffee cup down instantly, and pulled Dawn into his arms as he watched it all go down. "It'll be okay, Dawn, just let the doctors do what they need to do." he told her, knowing how much concern Dawn was having for her daughter right now.

Dawn remained silent as Charles wrapped his arms around her. Closing her eyes she leaned her head against his shoulder, quietly allowing him to comfort her, while doing her best to ignore the sounds coming from Faye's room as they tried to save her life. Yet she couldn't keep from flinching slightly at the sound of the defibrilator. She told herself that Charles was right, that it would be okay. She told herself that Faye would make it. But she couldn't quite silence the worry and fear for her daughter that was coursing through her body and mind.

When they had stablized Faye Samantha took a glance at the screens of the ventilator and heart monitor, frowning slightly as she briefly studied the numbers, before taking off her stethoscope to listen to Faye's breathing. Her frown deepened slightly as she did so and, straightening up, Samantha looked at the two nurses and other doctor. "I need a CT of the right lung. And prep everything to take her back into surgery."

The nurses and doctor quickly got to work and only a few moments later they rolled Faye out of the room. Samantha followed after them, but stopped in the hallway to talk to Dawn.

Hearing the door open Dawn pulled away from Charles and turned, watching how they took Faye away. She then turned to face Samantha and wanted to know, "What's going on? What happened, Samantha?"

"The force of the accident caused several ribs to break, one punctured Faye's right lung. It caused the lung to collapse." Samantha told her old friend, adding, "We're going to have to take her back into surgery." She remained silent for a long moment, studying Dawn's face, then suggested gently, "Listen Dawn, it will take a while before Faye will be out of surgery again. Maybe you should head home, get some sleep. I will call you as soon as there's any news."

Charles sighed some, placing a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Let me drive you home Dawn, that way you can get some rest. We'll come back later." he said, starting to lead her out of the hall and towards the parking lot. He only hoped that Dawn would follow his lead, and he hoped that she would agree to get some rest, because she definitely needed it.

For the briefest moment Dawn considered insisting on staying, but then gave a slight nod, following Charles out of the hospital. She knew Charles and Samantha were right; there wasn't anything she could do at the hospital. She was also aware that she could use some rest. She was beyond exhausted from the combination of being up all night and all the worry she felt for Faye, and her headache had turned into a full scale migraine at this point. Getting some sleep certainly seemed like a good idea...

"Thanks, Charles." Dawn said softly as they stepped outside. Inhaling the fresh air she briefly glanced up at the bright, clear blue sky, and although it was still relatively cool at the moment it crossed her mind that it would be another hot, sunny summer day. However, right now that perspective failed to lighten her mood.

Charles gave a nod, leading Dawn to his car. "Of course Dawn, I'm here to help." he said, opening the passenger door for her before going to the driver's side and getting in. He started the car, waiting until Dawn was in before driving off towards her home.

"I know..." Dawn replied quietly, briefly looking at Charles, giving a small tired smile. She then turned and got into the passenger seat, putting her seatbelt on. As they were driving towards her home she got lost in her thoughts.

Charles pulled up to her home after what seemed like an hour, but was in fact only about thirty minutes. He parked and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're here." he announced lightly, giving a sigh as he knew just how troubled the woman beside him undoubtedly was..

As Charles rested his hand on her shoulder and broke the silence Dawn looked at him. "Thanks." she said, while opening her seatbelt. She then turned her head to look at the house as she reached for the handle of the car door and opened it. Getting out of the car she pushed the door shut again and was about to turn towards the house when she heard the other car door open as well and Charles got out, too.

Charles wordlessly locked the car, making his way over to Dawn. When he had reached her he gave her a small smile, resting his hand on her shoulder once more as they made their way towards the door.

Upon reaching it Dawn paused as she pulled the keys out of her pocket, but didn't move to open the door right away, feeling a sense of dread at the prospect of being alone with her thoughts and worry. Especially as she doubted she would be able to sleep, even as exhausted as she was. Still looking at the house a slight frown made its way onto her face.

Noticing the worried, lost expression on Dawn's face Charles pulled her against him. "Dawn, it's going to be okay. Cassie risked her life to get Faye where she is, she'll make it. And I'm pretty sure Cassie would do it again to save her." he whispered, knowing how hard this was on her. And he only prayed the rest of them would be alright.

"I should let you get some rest." he then said gently, hugging her close for another moment, before releasing her. For a second he considered to ask if she would like him to stay, but then didn't, after all, he knew how private Dawn was and he didn't want to crowd her.

As Charles drew her close, Dawn leaned momentarily her head against his shoulder. She hoped he was right, she couldn't lose Faye... At his words she gave a slight nod. A moment later Charles turned to leave, and she turned her attention to the door, fumbling with the keys in her hand for a few seconds, searching the one for the front door of the house, before looking up and turning to look after Charles.

"Charles..." she spoke up, almost hesitantly, and as he paused and turned back towards her she asked, "Would you ... stay with me for a while?"

When Dawn called out his name Charles came to a halt, looking back at her. "Of course, Dawn." he told her gently, giving her a reassuring look, while walking back to her.

Meanwhile Dawn was still absentmindedly playing with the keys, probably having had the right one in her hands several times by now without even realizing it. However, she stopped abruptly when it occured to her that she didn't even actually need the damn key anymore, now that she had magic again, and letting the hand with the keys sink she looked up at the door, watching as it swung open at a mere wordless command.

As they walked inside Charles put an arm around Dawn's shoulders, closing the door behind them, before leading her to the couch in the living room.

"Thanks." Dawn said with a tired smile as they walked into the living room. Upon reaching the couch she merely kicked off her shoes before laying down, too exhausted as to head upstairs to her actual bed. However, even so it took seemingly forever for her to fall asleep, and when she did she was turning restlessly from side to side, drifting in and out of sleep. Though it wasn't really surprising, stress had always led to insomnia for her. After the fire she hadn't gotten any real sleep in almost a week, always only drifting off for half an hour, one and a half at the most...

Dawn wasn't sure how long she had slept when she bolted awake, though a glance at the clock standing on one of the shelves near the TV told her it was late in the afternoon by now.

After Dawn had laid down and drifted off to sleep Charles had picked up a blanket from the armrest and draped it over the blond, before sitting down in an armchair. For a while he had watched her sleep, occasionally frowning in concern as she turned restlessly from side to side. However, eventually the exhaustion of the sleepless night had hit and he had fallen asleep as well, not moving the entire time. It was only upon hearing noise of movement that he snapped awake.

Looking up to Dawn and noticing she was awake he asked concerned, his voice slightly groggy, "Dawn... are you alright?"

Dawn ran a hand over her face. At Charles's question she glanced over at him, her brows knitting momentarily into a thoughtful frown as she considered it for a moment. Eventually she gave a slight nod.

Eyeing Dawn for a moment Charles rose to his feet, asking, "Do you need anything? I could make coffee, or tea. Perhaps something to eat?"

"Coffee sounds good." Dawn said softly, giving a slight smile, although it didn't fully reach her eyes, as the concern for Faye was still weighing heavily on her.

At her response Charles gave a nod, and got up as he told her, "Alright. I'll be right back."

Dawn watched him head towards the kitchen. For a moment she kept sitting where she was, lost in her thoughts, before glancing another time at the clock. She then reached for the wireless phone lying on the coffee table and dialed the number of the hospital to check if there were any news on Faye's condition.

She had just finished talking to the head nurse of the ICU and set the phone back down, when Charles returned, carrying two steaming mugs with coffee and a plate with several slices of toast, having come to the conclusion that it probably would be a good idea if Dawn ate something.

Setting the cups and plate down on the coffee table Charles motioned towards the phone and asked, "The hospital?"

Dawn gave a nod in response to the question. "Faye's out of surgery. She's stable, but still in the coma. They're keeping a close eye on her condition." she told him, in a low monotone, as if all the stress and worry of the past night had sucked all emotion from her voice.

While Dawn was speaking Charles sat down beside her on the couch and resting his hand upon her shoulder, giving it a soft, reassuring squeeze, he said, "It's going to be okay." Letting his hand sink after a moment he motioned towards the plate, telling her, "I figured you'd probably be hungry."

"Thanks." Dawn replied, giving another small smile.

For a while they sat there in silence, drinking their coffee and sharing the toast.

Finishing a slice of toast Dawn frowned thoughtfully as she picked up her cup of coffee, and after a moment she asked, almost absentmindedly, "You remember the snowman Faye and Diana built when they were little?" However, she had little doubt that he would remember, considering...

Faye and Diana had been six years old. It had been a particularly cold winter with lots of snow, so when Diana came for a sleepover the two girls had spent almost all afternoon building a snowman in front of the house. The next noon Faye and Diana had just gotten ready to go outside when Charles arrived to pick up Diana. Opening the door to let him in Dawn stepped aside as their respective daughters eagerly ran outside, Diana only briefly pausing to hug her dad before following after Faye.

"Coffee?" Dawn offered as she closed the door. As Charles nodded she turned to head to the kitchen, asking, "What do you think of the girls' snowman?"

At the question Charles frowned, inquiring, "What snowman?"

"The one Diana and Faye built yesterday." Dawn replied, raising an eyebrow, "You can't have possibly missed it, Charles, it's right on the front lawn and almost as tall as the girls."

Charles was just about to reply when they heard Diana cry out and Faye called, "Mom!" a clearly upset edge to her voice, causing both of them to turn back towards the door in alarm to check on the kids.

"Our snowman is gone!" Faye announced, angrily coming towards them, while Diana ran over to her father, looking as if she might start crying.

At that Dawn frowned, "Faye, what are you talking about? Snowmen can't just get up and leave..."

"Noo - someone stole it!" Faye accused, her tone adding a silent 'du-uh', while lifting her left hand and pointing to where the snowman had been. In the snow were tread marks of a cart, leading up to where it had stood and back to the sidewalk. Meanwhile the two girls walked back inside, no longer in the mood to play in the snow.

"You want to build a new snowman later, Faye?" Dawn asked, watching Faye and Diana take off their jackets and boots.

Faye paused briefly in taking off her boots, turning to look at her mother, eyes narrowing. "So someone can go and steal it, too? NO!" she huffed, pulling off her second boot and throwing it across the entrance hall, the boot marginally missing the mirror on the wall. Faye then clasped Diana's hand, drawing her along as she trudged towards her room all the while grumbling angrily about how stupid people should learn to build their own darn snowmen.

Dawn momentarily looked after the two girls, then took another glance outside to where the snowman had been, before eventually closing the door. Shaking slightly her head she looked at Charles, a slightly disbelieving frown on her face. "Who on Earth would steal a snowman?"

Needless to say that had been the last snowman Faye had bothered to build.

"Of course." Charles replied, frowning slightly as he looked at Dawn, wondering where this was coming from.

Dawn herself wasn't quite sure why, of all the things she could think of, this particular memory had come to her mind. Maybe it was the absurdity of the whole incident... At the memory a heavy sigh escaped her, eyes filling with tears. After another moment she looked back at Charles, a pained expression on her face. "Faye might die, Charles." she said quietly, the first tears trickling down her face as she was barely keeping herself together.

Charles instantly took the cup from Dawn's trembling hands and drew her into his arms, resting his chin upon her head as he held her, trying to comfort her. "Faye's not going to die, Dawn. It's going to be okay." He kept holding her, running his hand soothingly over her back, until her sobs began to subside.

"I don't know what to do, Charles." she admitted, once she was able to speak again, looking up at him, "What's the point to have magic again, when I still can't do anything to help my daughter!?" as she spoke frustration mixed with the concern and pain in her voice.

Charles looked sadly at Dawn, seeing the pain in her blue eyes, the fear. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face he said softly, "I know you're worried, but I'm sure it will be okay." as he spoke he drew her close once more.

"I can't lose Faye." she murmured quietly after a moment of silence, her head resting against his shoulder.

Frowning Charles pulled slightly back, moving his right hand from the back of her head to her cheek, and gently lifted her face so he could look at her. "Listen to me, Dawn, you're not going to lose Faye. She's strong, she will pull through this." he told her sincerely, his eyes locked on hers. As he spoke he softly wiped the tears from her cheeks, before leaning down and brushing a kiss against the top of her forehead.

Dawn briefly closed her eyes at the gentle caress of his fingers on her face, the feeling of his lips brushing against her forehead. When he pulled back again she opened her eyes, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. For a moment she just looked at him, noticing the concern and affection his eyes, his expression held, but soon got distracted by the feeling of his fingertips still brushing over the side of her face and found her gaze drifting to his lips, suddenly becoming all too aware of the palpable tension that had formed in the silence between them, the warmth radiating from him. However, it wasn't until their lips brushed against one another in a tentative kiss that she realized that they had moved.

After a moment they pulled slightly apart, exchanging a look, before Charles leaned down and kissed her once more, his lips moving gently against her own as she kissed him back. For a while they kept sitting there on the couch, completely absorbed in the moment, the sensation of comfort and mutual affection the contact between them sent through them. As their kisses slowly became more passionate they got up in silent agreement, slowly making their way towards the stairs leading up to where her bedroom was, never breaking contact for more than a few moments.

Author's Notes: Well, I hope you like the story so far. As always, feedback would be very much appreciated as it's a great motivator to actually worked on new chapters, if I know what people think and whether they want me to continue the story. So, it would be great if you could take a moment to share your thoughts. :)