Chapter one-

It was a few days later. After being clean for a few days of the yaba that she decided finally that it was time to go see Jane. She had avoided it so long. Now was the time. Jane deserved the apology that Daria knew she had been avoiding. And there was no time like the present. Since she was coming down from the high of seeing her family again, and the yaba.

So, standing in front of the Lane house, she knocks and rings the doorbell. The door opens after a few minutes, someone having yelled as they ran down the stairs. Luckily it was Jane who answered the door, and upon seeing who stood at her door, she looked at her for literally the first time in years. "Jane," Daria says after a minute, letting her old friend take the new her in, "We need to talk." Jane nods slowly and opens the door wider without words.

"Go to the kitchen," Jane says only when she had closed the door, "No one else is home." Daria nods and leads Jane through the house to the kitchen. She slides into a seat at the table and Jane sits down across from her. "Do you want something to drink?" Daria shakes her head. They sit quietly for a minute. Daria noticed her hands were starting to shake. "You got skinny," Jane says trying to break the ice. Daria nods, not really wanting to tell her friend that it was the drugs that had made her loose the weight.

"Yeah," she says. "You got…" Daria looks over her friend; her longer hair and her black lips, and could only think of one word, "Cooler." Jane nods.

"Art school can do that to you," Jane cracks while nodding still. Daria sighs.

"I guess I should just say it now." Jane looks up at her. Looking at her again. "I'm sorry, Jane." Jane starts to cut her off, but Daria stops her. "No I am. And I know I messed up." Thinking about it, I've messed a lot up, Daria corrects mentally. "And I don't even remember what we were fighting about, but I'm sorry for slapping you." Jane nods.

"Apology accepted, ol' girl." Jane says in that way that made Daria think about how things used to be, about how she used to be so happy. Now, she was 98 pounds and an addict. Daria looks up at her friend, tears in her eyes. Jane looks at her. "Why do I get the feeling this is the part were you tell me the other reason your sorry?" Daria laughs, looking up at the ceiling and blinking away her tears.

"I'm not happy anymore, Jane." Jane nods. "I need you." Jane doesn't nod. She simply looks at Daria for a long time.

"I can see that," she says seriously, "Just tell me what's wrong, Daria?" Daria smiles and produces a small bright yaba from her pocket. Jane had never seen the pill before. But she knew what it was. "Drugs?" Daria nods.

"I've missed you, Jane." Jane shakes her head.

"I hope that's not the only reason you do them." Daria laughs slightly.

"No." And suddenly Daria found herself starting at the beginning. And Jane listened. Though shocked, she listened. And as she watched her good friend, her best friend, cry. She stood and Daria stood, and they hugged. Jane didn't know what else to do. There was never a moment in the last years that she hadn't thought about Daria, and hoped she was okay. Now she could see her friend was anything but okay. And she had been suffering all alone. Jane laughs and looking at Daria they laughed and cried together.

Needless to say when Trent walked into the room some time later, it was kind of odd to find the two in such state, "Did a hurricane blow through," Trent says walking into the room, "Or have Janie and Daria made up." Jane nods, and Trent looks at Daria walking over to her and reaching forward to hug her. Daria took the gesture and hugged him back.

"Good to see you Trent." Trent nods and pulling back looks at her. He hides his concern well and turning looks at Jane. He smiles and walks toward the fridge. He would talk to Jane about it later.

"So Daria?" Trent starts looking in the fridge. Daria and Jane had moved to sit back down at the table, but now Daria stops looking at him, "You spending the night, now that you and Janie are all hunky-dory?" Jane looks at Daria and nods.

"Come on," Jane says looking from her brother in the fridge to Daria, "It'll be just like old times." Jane winks at her and Daria smiles. She knew Jane was trying to make her feel better. Trent looks at her over the fridge door. Jane smiles again, "Please?" Daria nods after a minute. She didn't know what the two siblings were up to, but she knew it was something.

"Yeah, okay," Daria agrees, "I have to go get cloths though." Jane nods and walks Daria to the door. When she reenters the kitchen, Trent had settled for a bag of chips and as playing with the small pill Daria had showed Jane

"What is it," Jane asks him.

"Yaba," Trent says, looking up at his little sister. "Where'd you get this?" Jane smiles sadly.

"It's Daria's." Trent nods. "She was raped." Now he looks up at his kid sister and shakes his head.

"Pardon?"

"Daria," Jane says affirmatively, "She was raped… Two years ago." Trent looks back down at the pill of yaba. "Remember that fight we had. She went to a party that night, she was drunk raped." Jane's eyes tear up a little. "I kinda feel like I should blame myself for this."

"No, Janie." Trent shakes his head. "When did she tell you?"

"Just a minute ago… She left her dealer in New York, she's not going back until she's clean."

"She's not going to finish College," Trent questions. Jane shakes her head. "Why?"

"She can't do it. She can't stand to be in that city all alone anymore." Trent looks at the table. Jane shakes her head and looks out the window. "Are you still up for this?" He looks up at her now.

"It changes nothing." Jane nods.

"It changes a whole hell of a lot, Trent. You haven't seen Daria in two years. She's different now. She was crying, hard. And she…" Jane sighs, "She's not happy-her anymore." Trent nods.

"All the more to see you with, my dear," Trent says standing and walking from the room.

"When did you become euphemism city," Jane yells after him.

The door bell rings and she stands from the table. Walking to the front door, she pushed Trent aside and welcomes Daria into the house again. Trent gives Jane the 'be quiet' look, and walks up the stairs, bag of chips in hand. "So," Jane says and looks at Daria as she stands in the entrance way Daria nods and Jane smiles. "TV, Daria?" Daria smiles now with a powerful nod. Jane leads her into the living room and Daria throws her stuff on the couch, sitting down next to it.

After watching a few shows, Jane looks at her friend. "Daria?" Daria nods, knowing along the line of what was coming, "What was the last time you took one?" Daria sighs.

"This morning," She answers truthfully. Jane takes her hand, and as her best friend smiles.

"Daria, I know that this is going to be hard for you." She laughs a little and looks at her friend. "But we're here for you. You have to keep trying. Promise, you won't give up?" Daria closes her eyes, and when she opened them again she was crying. "Promise?" Daria nods. And lays her head on Jane's shoulder. Jane pats the back of her head and looks at Trent who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. He'd never seen this side of Daria, and a part of him wanted to say that he was going to make sure she got better. He was going to help her, weather she liked it or not.