Looking back on my previous chapters I feel like I was rushing. So I've slowed it down a bit. Let me know if it's sounding better. I really appreciate the feedback so far!

"My Medicine": The Pretty Reckless

An awful sound filled Maya's ears. Frantically she searched for the source, make it stop make it stop make it stop! The alarm clock had fallen under the bed, a casualty of last night's...oh thats right! It all came flooding back to her. Lilith slamming the door, the way her hair felt between Maya's fingers, her lips, her body.

Maya yanked the screaming clock from the wall. Her head was pounding. Where was Lilith now? Maya slid a hand over to find emptiness next to her, she rolled over and noticed something new on the desk. She sat up slowly, her brain feeling like it was going to burst from her skull. A cup of black coffee, two painkillers and a note sat on the corner of the desk among the rubble of last night. She picked up the note and squinted her unfocused eyes...

Hey Killer,

Pills for the hangover

and coffee for the wicked

comedown you probably

have. It helps I promise.

Lilith

Maya gratefully took the pills and downed the coffee. Then sinking back into bed she pulled the covers over her head to mull over the events of yesterday.

Lilith stood in the shower, scalding hot water pouring down on her head. She'd been standing there for a while now just thinking. She was still processing all the events of the previous day. It was a lot to take in and she wasn't sure how to deal with it or even how to go forward.

Shields go down

Shit gets real

Phaseshift an entire city

Roland gets semi impaled

Roland doesn't want me anymore

Seek comfort

Almost get killed

Story time with almost killer

Get welcomed as hero

Get drunk

Drunk fuck Maya

What the fuck?! What a crazy fucking day from hell! What was wrong with her!? None of that had been good decision making! Well the city turned out ok, but the rest? None of that was ok! Erm...well...sex with Maya wasn't bad either, she'd like to keep that memory...but Roland...she wouldn't be sharing anything more with him...ever...and then that shit where she almost died at the hands of the person she'd just slept with? She'd dealt with that real well hadn't she. She felt like she was on overload, she could feel tears welling up. Not just tears, she felt sobs welling up. It was too much, all of it. She still loved Roland and it was all her fault that she would never find herself in his arms again. She was no hero, she was no lover, she was just a selfish addict who'd tried to fuck her problems away and failed. She couldn't keep going on like this.

She leaned against the shower wall hands on her temples and fingers digging into her scalp. She felt like screaming! Sliding down the wall she put her head between her knees. How was she supposed to know what to do about this? She would have gladly traded places with Maya in this moment. Oh the simplicity of a hangover, if only she could just have a hangover, or something she knew how to handle.

Maya's eyes snapped open, she was gonna barf. Note to self, never mix alcohol and Eridium again! Bathroom, she had to get to the bathroom but she was still naked! Frantically searching the dark room she threw on a t-shirt. Good enough! She opened her door and was greeted by blinding morning light, she threw her arm in front of her face to shield her eyes. Hurrying down the hallway she passed Axton who gave her two thumbs up and wiggled his eyebrows, she smiled at him nervously. Keep your mouth closed Maya! Good gods bathroom! bathroom! Oh no, someone was in the bathroom already. The shower was running but Maya didn't care, she didn't have a choice. She opened the door and threw herself over the toilet.

She imagined this was what dying felt like. Your skull split open, turning inside out through your mouth. Make it stop make it stop.

Just when she felt it couldn't get worse it ended. Giving a flush Maya leaned on the side of the toilet. This was the price she was paying for all her fun, her jumping to conclusions and...fun. She heaved herself up to the sink and rinsed her mouth. She paused as she turned off the water, she was sure she'd heard an odd sound from the shower.

"Who's in there? Are you ok?" When she didn't receive an answer she slowly peered around the curtain. There was Lilith, sobbing into her knees with her hands on her head as if she was ready for an air raid. Her skin was bright pink from the scalding water and she'd chewed her nails into nubs. Maya climbed into the shower and gathered Lilith up in her arms. Damn this waters HOT. She wasn't sure of what to say, so she just held the other girl as her body wracked with sobs.

Slowly Lilith seemed to calm down. Finally she spoke, her voice hitching "Roland...hck left me..." she took a deep breath "I wanted to tell you...yesterday. But you were too busy KILLING ME!" She gave Maya a stiff elbow that caught her in the stomach.

She'd deserved that one, Maya reached over and gave the knobs a twist. This Lilith was so different from the Lilith she'd seen before. She was always so confident, always prepared for everything and never shy. This girl in front of her was so venerable. Maya had never seen her without make up, and with her hair dripping wet Lilith looked fragile. This was her, this was what lay underneath that visage she wore like a soldier wears body armor.

Stepping out of the shower Maya drew Lilith into a tight embrace. She noticed the dark yellowing bruising on the smaller girl's back and felt a pang of guilt.

"It's all my fault too...I did it to myself" she spoke into Maya's shoulder. "I lied and I lied and I don't know what I was expecting."

Maya wasn't sure what she was talking about but she didn't say anything. Undoubtably there were better places for comfort than the bathroom. She couldn't take Lilith to her own room, the room she'd shared with Roland. They'd have to go to Maya's room, which was still a wreck from the previous night's escapades.

"Lets go to my room, we can talk" Maya said in an asking tone. Lilith nodded.

She cast off the t-shirt that was now soaking wet and threw it into a corner. Wrapping herself in a towel she peeked her head out the door, no one was in the hallway, good. Lilith bundled up in a towel and followed Maya out the door.

Maya's room was dark and in shambles. It was worse than she'd remembered, she wished she could've taken Lilith somewhere else but there was little privacy in the HQ. So it was here they'd have to make due amongst the fallout.

Lilith paused in the doorway, her eyes flicking over the rubble before slowly entering and allowing Maya to shut the door.

Getting into bed Maya pulled the covers up onto them and let Lilith huddle close. With her head resting on Maya's shoulder Lilith wrapped her arm around the blue siren's waist.

"He says I use to much."

"What?"

"Eridium. It's why he can't be with me... he told me I'm out of control."

"Mmm...Do you think you are?"

"No. I don't know...maybe...I'm not sure."

Maya nodded.

"I'd told him, before I met you...before you got here. I'd told him I'd cut back. He said I was getting to dependent on it. Then he got captured and I couldn't get him back, I tried. I didn't know what to do...so I took more. Well then you guys showed up and kicked everyone asses and saved mine and Roland's. Things didn't get better. He found out about how much I'd been using. Thats why I told you things weren't great. I guess thats when he made up his mind..."

She paused. "I didn't used to need it. I could've moved the city without it before. But the now, I can't focus without it. I'm useless without it..."

Maya laid her cheek on Lilith's head. Her hair smelled good. "The monks used to tell me during my training that my greatest obstacle and my greatest enemy was and always will be myself." She kissed the top of Lilith's head, "It will be ok. I will always be here."

She couldn't save Lilith from herself, that was a fight she couldn't fight, but she would be here to catch her if she fell. In a very short time she felt like she'd grown close to the other siren. She cared deeply for her in this moment. With a finger Maya traced the tattoo on Lilith's shoulder and let her thoughts wander to the night before. It had been sloppy and fierce. But there were some details Maya couldn't get out of her head. Lilith had given herself over with abandon. She'd given herself to Maya completely and Maya could remember how Lilith's body had felt, inside and out. Now here she was giving herself to Maya again in a completely different way. She let herself relax and rested her head on top of Lilith's, closing her eyes Maya slowly drifted off to sleep.

Lilith let a few silent tears roll down her face. But here in Maya's arms she finally felt safe. Despite all of the shit that had happened Maya had seemed so inevitable to her. She was the one Lilith had sought to find comfort in and here in her arms Lilith finally felt like things could be ok.