Sara'd been right. Hearing her story didn't make her feel better. And her friend had stalled for time, but was at least thoughtful about it. She'd gotten Charlotte a glass of water with a bendy straw, to cool her parched from screaming throat.

She'd told it, grudgingly, and it was as if she were reading a story. She even started with Once upon a time.

"Are you crazy?"

"What?"

"Once upon a time?" charlotte'd snorted with laughter. "Hell this is a rape story, not a fair tale."

At the word rape, Sara looked like she wanted to hit her. Charlotte wondered how recent her friend's rape had been. While they'd been friends? And she'd not confided in her?

"You wanted me to tell the story," she objected.

"Well fine, tell the story, then."

Resolute, Sara raised her chin and looked off into the distance. Her eyes alternating between looking dead and really angry,

"How you want me to start then? It was a dark and stormy night?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Try starting at the beginning."

She'd stopped the flow of blood from Sara's arm, and was slightly, well more than slightly ashamed to see her own teeth marks deep into the flesh. A visual reminder of the fact that she had been weak.

"Quit staring at my bite mark, or I'll tell everyone you're a vampire. Or a canibal."

" You quit stallin'," she retorted. "Cooper's gonna be here any minute-"

"You tell him any of this-" she warned.

"Do I look like Violet Turner?"

"I have no idea who that is."

charlotte sighed aggrivated. "Just open your yap."

So she had, she'd told things. Charlotte learned she'd been smart done 'the good thing' and followed procedure, going to the ER and asking for a rape kit. But with the injuries she'd sustained, she'd needed medical attention, so the ER was the logical place to go.

The attack had occurred when she was just out of college, in a dark parking lot during a sports game, which meant the area she'd been walking through was nearly deserted, and if anyone'd heard her screams, they hadn't assisted.

"When she'd gotten care, and the cops'd shown up, the men had laughed at her in disbelief because the parking lot she'd been attacked in? Was that of a kid's toy store and the men had found this amusing, and hard to believe.

While her friend had sat there, injured in pain, and alone. They'd laughed at her. It made charlotte want to punch someone. Sara was smart, dependable, and though she wasn't a doctor, she was no push over and certainly no fool. No one should have laughed at her truth.

"That rape exam hurt like a bitch," she recalled.

"And after those assholes proved just how seriously they took this...I let them have their evidence, but I knew I wasn't going to testify if anything came up. I gave them the wrong street address. While I wanted that son-of-a-bitch in jail for life, I knew reality. Reality is that they never find the guy, or if they do, trial or no trial...he'd be let out in a number of years and just do it again."

"I know they say they re-hab these losers, but you know like I know people never change. And the people they do nab nine times out of ten they're repeat offenders. What's that tell you?"

Charlotte was grateful for the story, for the distraction, for the emotions that she could put on someone else. "The system sucks."

"right."

"And it's true, when you're on the stand for a rape trial, they talk at you like you're the fucking rapist." She shook her head. "My cousin went through that and told me all about it. You'd think this was a third world country or something. So I wasn't going to do that, put myself through that."

Charlotte nodded. "That's your right."

Sara nodded back and took a shaky breath.

"That's about it. I never told anyone else after, Until you."

Charlotte smiled at her. "Thank you," she whispered. "For telling me."

Sara shrugged a shoulder, but couldn't look her in the eye. "Whatever."

Charlotte nodded again in understanding. There was a reason they were friends, this was one of them. They got each other, and neither one of them was the huggy new-agey tell your feelings type.

"You know in some countries they put the woman in jail if she's raped? Even in this country there are a lot of people that still honestly believe it's the woman's fault. She seduced him. A man can't control himself, n' all that garbadge."

Sara sighed. "The world's a fucked up place."

"Amen to that."

They sat in silence for a moment. Just a moment. But it was long enough for them to hear a slight commotion outside.

"Cooper," Charlotte hissed.

Sara looked at her quickly, to see if she was panicked. To her relief, she wasn't, and wasn't looking like she was trying to fake like she wasn't panicked.

"I don't want him to see me like this," she whispered.

"I can send him away," Sara offered.

Charlotte shook her head. "No, it's fine. Just...just give us a little bit alone."

Sara rose, understanding, then uncharacteristically kissed Charlotte on the forehead.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and looked at her in mock concern. "Don't you turn lebsian on me now."

Sara smiled back. "Better than being a vampire," she stuck her tongue out, then squeezed Charlotte's good hand.

"How about I go get you some good food, okay? Something that'll be easy on the stomach?"

Charlotte didn't feel hungry in the least but she nodded. "That'd be nice."

"Sure it would be," Sara's words were hollow, and Charlotte knew she understood the words Charlotte didn't want to say. Food sure wasn't going to fix her problems.

"I'll be back in a little bit. You need me before then you holler, or call."

She smiled. She could tell Sara was reluctant to leave her alone or leave her at all, even knowing Cooper would be in right behind her.

"Go on then, I'll be here when you get back."

Sara licked her lips, nodded slowly, and slower still turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Charlotte heard the door click closed, and immediately after Sara's voice saying, "Hey Cooper."

And Cooper saying, "Thanks for staying with her while I was...otherwise engaged."

"No problem. I'm doing a food run. I'll be right back."

Even through the door Charlotte could hear the tone of warning in Sara's voice. Warning Cooper not to hurt her, that she'd kill him, and that she'd be back soon to assess any damage he might inflict upon her absence.

She winced. She hoped Sara got back soon. She needed more ice.

I'd ask for reviews, but I guess it really doesn't matter. I'm doing this for me. I'm tired of waking up hearing Charlotte's screams in my ears.