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She knew that running away was supposed to be hard. She knew that it meant cutting ties and erasing herself, and if she wanted it to truly work then she'd have to commit. This meant no contact. No writing to Grandma Maggie, who always sent her chocolate cookies every Tuesday. No calling her brother Kohl, who was supposed to be coming home from the army next June. No chance at seeing the twins that were going to pop out of her sister in law. Though she wasn't fond of her family, that didn't mean that she wouldn't miss them. Her parents, though oblivious to her most of the time, had a few moments where they would hug her, holding her close, and for a moment she would feel like they loved her, that they understood her, but then the reality set in. They didn't. They didn't know her. They didn't know about how depressed she had become in her years at St. Marys. Katherine had fallen apart with only Deanna to put her back together. She couldn't tell if her parents were truly so shallow that they didn't notice, or if they just ignored her, not wanting to notice.

But Deanna had noticed. And, for that, Katherine had to believe she was making the best choice for herself. She had to convince herself that what she was doing was one hundred percent what she wanted because if she admitted, for even a second, to doubt, she'd go back. And going back couldn't be an option. Her parents would pull her out of St. Marys. Her family would never look at her as anything besides the wild child that had caused them bad press. Katherine couldn't stomach the thought of being caged in, with nowhere to go and no one to look at her without seeing her mistakes. That's why she tried not to linger on the thoughts as she lied in bed at the hotel. She could only focus on Deanna, and pray that she wouldn't hate her when she showed up.

She bought a burner phone. It was cheap, but not because she couldn't afford a better one. Katherine sported a wardrobe of simple things, mostly from Salvation Army and Goodwill, but she liked to preserve her money, especially now since she was on the run. With the prepaid phone, she kept her daily conversations with Deanna. Deanna never asked, and Katherine never had to lie. Deanna had just assumed she snuck in a prepaid to call during school hours. Things had worked out fine, where Katherine would call from her cheap motel room until Deanna had called her, angry. Apparently, Katherine's parents had called Deanna, wondering if Katherine was with her. At that mention, Katherine's blood drained from her face. However, Deanna ended her worries when she admitted to lying to Katherine's parents before hissing at Katherine, wondering what the hell was going on.

Katherine broke into tears, explaining everything in between her sobs and her pleading that Deanna wouldn't tell on her. "I don't want to go back!" and "Please don't make me go back!" were her two mantras that she kept crying until Deanna shushed her and promised not to. Deanna promised that everything would be okay, and that she'd find a way to work something out, but for Katherine to at least leave the motel and to come to Deanna to sort things out.

And so, Katherine had did exactly that. She had took a bus to Forks. It had been late. Eleven pm to be exact. However, based on Deanna's description, all she had to do was cross the highway and follow the forest until she saw the house in the pictures Deanna sent. It was about a seven mile walk, but Katherine was sure it would be no problem. She was a runner, the owner of several track medals- they had been left behind, all except one. It was a first place medal, and Katherine couldn't part with her whole pride in the past. So, she followed the trees. Wet leaves sloshed in the mud that dirtied her boots as she trudged off to the side.

Katherine was a paranoid girl before, even more so on the run. Though there wasn't a state wide man-hunt for her, let alone one to find her in Forks, she felt like anyone who so much as looked at her knew what she did. And, with it being night, on a trucker's highway, she kept near the road, but stayed slightly in the forest, hidden by the trees.

It had been cold. She could see her breath in the air. Goosebumps marred her skin, and her body shook as she rubbed her arms for warmth. Forks was living up to it's cold and wet reputation, sadly. Her dark lips had a purple tint, but she was never a warm nature girl, so it wasn't a surprise. It was getting late though. Her eyes were heavy, and she stopped to drink some of the coffee she had loaded up on before leaving the motel. Looking for a place to sit, she wandered slightly more inward into the forest before finding an only damp fallen tree to sit on. She made herself comfortable, swinging one leg over for balance before pulling out the thermal. Her back pressed into the bark that was angled upward. The sound of owls and the crisp breeze calmed her fast beating heart.

The rise and fall of her chest slowed and became steady, and a smile graced her lips as the feeling of peace set in. She got it. She understood now why Deanna loved Forks so much.

Her right arm stretched to prop herself up after she was rested, but then something cold circled her wrist in a matter of a half second. Before her brain could process anything a shriek ripped through the air...

Deanna woke with a jolt. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to catch her breath. Her hair was tangled, much more than usual, and the sweat that dampened her clothes and sheets made matters worse. Her eyes swept across the room, back and forth, until she felt her heartbeat calm down. Turning to her nightstand, she flicked on the nearest lamp and latched onto her waterbottle. She drank it like a man living in a ten year drought would seek out water, and she hadn't stopped until her fingers clenched around the bottle seeing it crush in her fist.

"Just a nightmare... it was just a nightmare... I'm okay... I'm okay... I'm oh-kay," she whispered under her breath about a thousand times before she started feeling like how she said she was. And by the time she looked at her window, still curled into a fetal position, she saw the first light of the day stream in. She closed her eyes, drawing in a fragile breath. It was as if her head had been held underwater. Sure, she had caught her breath, but the paranoia was at her side, clinging to her as she clung to her sheets.

Swinging her legs over the bed, Deanna dragged herself to the bathroom, one hand on the wall to keep her balanced. She felt drained of all energy. She took her time showering. Charlie had came knocking, but when he saw her face, as pale as Bella the last time she had came to visit, he offered to take her to the doctor's. Of course, she didn't turn him down. She just returned to showering and when she came out, she had to lean on him for support when walking, almost having to be carried when it came to the stairs.

Charlie was terrified.

He had gotten to the hospital in a matter of a few minutes and had her rushed into critical care when she couldn't so much as lift herself into a sitting position. The look on his face read exactly how he felt. His eyes were wide, mouth open even after he had shouted for help. The wrinkles on his forehead were prominent, and his eyes were reddening with a burning behind them as tears threatened to come out at the sight of Nurses, whose worry had matched his own, rushing to stick an IV into Deanna.

His only relief was when his eyes settled on the doctor: Carlisle Cullen.

"What happened?" he asked, immediately sensing the fear in the room. His golden eyes flickered to the girl on the Hospital bed. Her skin was pale, coated in a layer of sweat. Her face was contorted in pain, and her body shook as if it were freezing despite her body temperature rising alarmingly.

"I-I don't know!" Charlie choked out, clinging to Deanna's right hand. "She- She's just getting worse! I-I don't - I don't know what happened!" Charlie could barely get out a few words as Deanna let out a sob of pain.

"Did she consume anything?"

"I... I don't think so."

"Did she fall?"

"No."

"Any history of disease?"

"No."

Carlisle moved closer to the girl, placing a calming hand on her forehead. Even his cool hands could be warmed by her skin. She was radiating, but as to what, he didn't know. Looking apologetically to Charlie, he tried his best to convince the man to stay calm. And it took three minutes to calm him when they had to rush the girl to testing. X-rays were rushed. Blood tests were too. All came back without anything. The whole staff seemed to be on edge as he flipped through all of her symptoms. He'd never seen anything like it. The rate of which she was escalating... He'd only seen it in one kind of change o

Moving to her bedside, he looked at her.

"Deanna," he said softly, hoping she could hear him over her own heartbeat which was pounding despite the medicine that should have calmed her. Her shudder was the only indication of a response, if it was even that. "Deanna, I need you to tell me something. Can you do that?" he asked. And for the first time, the girl opened her eyes turning to him. He could tell she was having trouble focusing on him. "What was the last thing that you remember before this all began?"

Her words made no sense to the common mind. But to him... To him they struck him like lightning.

"K-Katherine...Woods... This morning..."

Charlie frowned as he heard Deanna's words to Dr. Cullen. He knew Deanna couldn't have been out in the woods. He also knew that Katherine was miles away, across the continent, so her words made no sense to him. However, looking at Dr. Cullen, he would have assumed that Deanna had just solved all the world's problems in three words. Charlie cleared his throat, looking for an understanding that the doctor seemed to have. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for Dr. Cullen to give him the low down on her condition. Yet, when Dr. Cullen spoke, Charlie didn't gain any enlightenment.

"Do you know this Katherine?" Dr. Cullen asked, looking Charlie dead in the eyes.

"Katherine's her best friend," Charlie clarified.

"Do you know what Katherine looks like?"

Charlie gave a silent nod before throwing his hand into his pockets, rummaging through his jacket until he got his phone out. He had Katherine's mother's number in case anything happened to Deanna. He had hoped to have a picture of any of Katherine or maybe one of her and her mother, but all he had was a name. Then his eyes settled on the silver chain around Deanna's neck. He didn't know if he should touch Deanna. She looked so fragile like a teacup that was so delicate that the slightest touch would shatter her. However, when Dr. Cullen's pale fingers slipped around the chain, he felt relief seeing Deanna's condition not skydive. However, the look on Dr. Cullen's face when he opened the locket, Charlie wondered what was going through his head.

"Is something wrong, doc?"

"Possibly..." Dr. Cullen said cryptically. He didn't spare Charlie another glance. "Excuse me," he said swiftly before leaving Charlie without any answers or consolation.

Charlie felt at a loss. His eyes swept over Deanna and his heart broke. She was shaking, trembling with every pained breath. For what he didn't know, but whatever she was going through seemed to be the most painful thing in the world. He felt robbed of all happiness in the world. Renee leaving with Bella was nothing in comparison to watching Deanna, his daughter in every way except blood, fade before his eyes. She was burning out. She was a supernova, a star exploding as she gave out...

And though he wasn't going to leave her side, especially if it was her last moments, which it very much appeared to be, he knew that it wasn't just to be the only one who needed to know. Though he felt like he was betraying the girl, he pulled out his phone once more, flipping it open as he dialed none other than Margot Walsh. With every ring, he was beginning to feel guilt, but he knew it was supposed to be that way. He knew that his family would never forgive him if Deanna died without her mother being there for her, especially if it was his fault for never calling.

And, when he got off the phone, he fell back into his chair, gripping Deanna's hand with tears in his eyes, he began apologizing to her. He apologized for having to work instead of spend more time with her. He apologized for having never offered her a place sooner when he was just keeping Bella's room open in hopes of her return. He apologized for not giving her a hug the night before when it was the perfect opportunity. And the apology that hurt the most was that he couldn't do anything to help her through the pain...

"Ch-Charlie..." He heard her whisper. His head snapped up, not wanting to miss a single word. He could see tears spilling out of her green eyes. Her bottom lip quivering as she tried to get the words out. She could see the pain in his face if she focused hard enough. She didn't want that to be the last thing she saw...

She could feel it settling in, the numbness. She was cold. She felt so, so very cold, and usually she flocked to the feeling of said coldness, but this time, all she wanted was warmth. She felt lightheaded, and her eyes were struggling to stay focused on him. But nothing scared her more than the thought of this being her last moment with him. She had heard every last apology that had begun to eat Charlie alive. And it killed her to see him that way. And it was then that she realized that Charlie was blaming himself, for something that even Dr. Cullen didn't seem to understand.

She used all her strength to squeeze his hand, and she forced a terrified smile on her face.

"Dad," she began again. She felt as if death's breath was on her shoulder. She had to get this out right. Her last words had to mean something. "Dad...I'm scared," she admitted, letting out a hysterical sob.

"God, Deano... I'm so-"

"Don't."

Charlie's lips slammed shut, tears spilling out of his own eyes as he felt her hand holding onto his for dear life.

"I'm scared, yes... But... But it'll be okay," she whispered, looking at him through her blurry vision. "Everything's going to be okay... You're here," she smiled sadly. She may not have wanted to go with him looking at her with such pain in his eyes, but he was here. He was going to be there for her, and that had been all she ever could ask of him.

Charlie smiled through the pain, laughing, but it came out as a sob.

"I said I'd take care of you," he said, closing his eyes with a bitter taste in his mouth. He felt like such a failure when it came to such a promise.

"And you will," she smiled weakly. Her eyes shut as she rolled back onto her back. "Do you remember when I was like- I don't know - seven? Mom and I came to visit... And you were- you were taking me to bring your daughter to work day, and Bella was with Aunt Renee?" Charlie chuckled at the memory of her, a tiny girl with two pigtails of thick brown hair running around the station, touching everything that her bright green eyes could see.

"I remember you knocking over my coffee when you managed to steal my police baton," he laughed. He heard Deanna laugh wearily, but still laugh none the less.

"Yeah... Well, I remember, how I was so scared to cross the street... And you took my hand, and you held it just like this," she sighed, smiling at him, for him. "And you turned to me, and you asked me if I was ready to cross. Well, I'm holding you hand now..." Charlie began shaking his head at her. He knew where she was going, and he couldn't... he didn't want her to say it. Because, if she said it, then that would be admitting that it might come true...

"Deanna, no." Her hand gave his a squeeze once more, a silent apology.

"I'm ready to cross, Dad."

So...

Um... What'd you think of this chapter?

1) What do you think happened to Katherine?

2) What do you think is happening to Deanna?

3) And also, what do you think will happen in the future, and what do you hope will happen?

~Yours truly, Queen of Idjits