Nocturnal Fate

by ImpressofChina

Marceline knows Josh. This was the first person she met and befriended when she was forced to settle into this new place. She knows him. She swear she does... That is until the night of the Anniversary of Hannah and Beth's death. What would happen if one person fights harder than the rest to reach out for him? Could she she save him and change Joshua's predestined demise? Josh x OC

6. Chapter Six: Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Until Dawn or any of its characters. The faceclaim I used for the cover of this story is model: Marilhéa Peillard.

Author's Note: Omg, I can't answer some of these reviews. I want to but I have to keep things in this story a mystery. Glad to know you guys have no idea where I'm going with this though.

The World in Black and White: I had a hard time deciding when I was going to get them together tbh. I think now is a good time because she's super emotionally invested in the Washingtons, Josh most of all. Me too, Beth was my favorite. / wipes tear ) Haha, you have to read and find out.

Chloe: Thank you! Since I made Marceline an affectionate person, she would definitely fight hard for people she loves/cares about. (ง'̀-'́)ง Brave and Charitable are Marceline's highest character traits in Until Dawn standards.

---

It was quiet, eerily so. Even though he had drunk so much with Chris, he found himself waking up and his head was pounding. It felt as if someone was beating the back of his brain like a drum over and over, continuing a throbbing rhythm and making the pain worse as it continued on. He groaned out of agony as he groggily lifted his head from his arm, his green eyes blurred from sleep. Joshua's mouth felt dry as blinked the blurriness away and smacked his lip. His hand then rubbed the side of his face before he slowly leaned into it to keep his head up. Once he could fully see, he saw Chris staring down at the island counter in a sleepy haze, his eyes were squinting as he was trying to wake himself up completely. "Chris," Josh muttered, his friend slowly looking at him, "wake up."

"I am awake. Well," His shoulders when up and down, "not really."

Josh shook his head as Chris' head kept dipping, his body was acting as if his head was the heaviest thing on his body. Joshua looked around to see that they were the only ones in the kitchen and due to the quietness of the lodge, everyone had to be asleep or in another part of the large estate.

"Where is everyone?" His best friend asked, wincing as he rested his head against the palm of his hand. "Damn, my head hurts…" Adjusting his glasses, he looked at Josh who was slowly getting up from his chair with some difficulty. "What time is it anyway?"

"I dunno but let's sober up, Cochise." Joshua casually walked over to the sink, grabbing the nearest glass and filling it up before chugging it down. It felt good down his throat. That cooling sensation had made his body shiver in a good way, and helped him wake up just a little bit more.

"Uh," Chris shook his head and raising his hands in an exaggerated confused gesture, "how am I supposed to sober up if you can't even give me some water, bartender?" He teased before scooting his chair back, "Guess I have to do it myself." He got his own glass and began to fill it up.

"It's awfully quiet, don't you think?" His eyes slowly looked at his best friend, feeling weird about how quiet it was. How could eleven teenagers possibly be this quiet? There was no way everyone went to sleep. Something just wasn't really adding up.

The blond shrugged, "I'onno." Taking another sip of water, he sighed afterwards. "Maybe everyone went to bed."

"Maybe." Josh had then went into the hallway and then noticed that Beth's jacket, which was lying on the sheet covered chair as he last remembered, was gone.. He remembered clearly that's where she left it and Marceline's had been on the chair next to it, but neither jacket was nowhere in sight. Squinting, he wondered if they had put their jackets elsewhere. There was no way they could've went outside.

"I think it's time we wake up, Josh." He heard Sam, "It has been two hours and they haven't came back yet."

Walking towards everyone who was standing rather suspicious at the front door with their heads down and their expression mixed with worry and guilt. The eldest Washington child looked at them rather skeptically, "What's everyone doing?" He finally asked, scaring them yet capturing their whole attention.

"Josh!" Ashley jumped as if she had seen a ghost. "Uhm…" She hummed, her fingers nervously twiddling together.

Everyone looked alert, guilty, and just overall strange. It was starting to bother Joshua. "Who hasn't been back? Did someone go out?" He kept up with the questions. "Beth and Mars' jackets are missing."

Jessica and Emily kept their eyes on the floor as Ashley began to bury her face in her hands. Samantha and Michael looked as if they were trying to think of something while Matthew turned around to keep staring out window. "Josh…" Sam said, trying to say this as calmly as possible.

Josh glanced around at the ground before resting on Sam, giving her his full attention. "Sam, what's going on?"

Chris had soon joined them, "Why is it so awkward right now? You can cut this tension with a knife and serve a slice." His hand made a slicing motion as he said slice, trying to keep the air light but it ended up failing. It was still thick and heavy, and somewhat making it difficult to breathe.

"Beth, Hannah, and Marceline ran outside." Sam shook her head, "And they haven't come back."

Joshua's eyes widened, surprised. "W-Why would they do that? What happened?!"

"A terrible, terrible prank made Hannah upset and she ran outside. Beth and Marceline went to go look for her but they haven't been back. We were waiting to see if they found Hannah and calmed her down, but…" Samantha sighed, hating herself as she tried to explain.

"My little sisters and Mars are out there and all of you are just standing around?!" His voice rose as disbelief spread across his features. He was obviously angry, as he should be, "Do you know all the dangerous animals that are out there? How cold it is? Marceline's can't be out there! She has iron deficiency! She can't push herself!" Distraught, Josh took his coat off his coat rack. "I have to go find them."

"I'm coming with you." Chris said while grabbing his coat. His eyes glanced at Ashley as she looked too ashamed to look at him, he tore his eyes away from and then looked at his best friend with a much more determined expression. "C'mon, Josh."

Both boys went out the front door. "I'm going with them." Samantha said as she grabbed her jacket, "Jess, Em, and Ash… You guys stay behind in case they come back." She said, coming up with a plan. "Matt, Mike, and I are going to help Chris and Josh." Everyone nodded, agreeing. Sam, Matthew, and Michael had placed on their coats before going out but before Samantha followed them out the door, she stopped for a few seconds to look at Emily, "Oh, and Emily, call a Park Ranger. If you can't reach them, go to the cable car station and use the radio."

Sam, Michael, and Matthew had caught up with Chris and Josh. "We're going to help. Matt and I will break off in one team, and Michael will go with you two." Josh glanced at her and then at Michael and Matthew. He had a suspicion that Michael was apart of that prank. That's the only person that could upset his sister to the extent of going outside in a snowstorm. Still, he couldn't question or start a fight. He had to find them first.

"Their footprints probably got covered up by the snow." Christopher said as he looked down at the ground, not seeing the slight trace of anything that resembled a human foot on the ground. The snow looked smooth and pristine as if nobody had went out.

"I don't care. We have to find them." Joshua declared, not trying to offend Chris but too worried that they wouldn't be able to find the three girls.

They used their cellphones as flashlights. Michael remained quiet, knowing that talking wouldn't help ease Joshua's worry. Both his sisters and his girlfriend were missing. How could he be rational? It was obvious he was trying to be strong but you could see it in his eyes just how afraid he was.

Joshua walked ahead of them, Chris slowing down so that he could keep his pace the same as Michael's. "Mike, tell me what happened."

"Chris, I don't think this is the time." Michael insisted. He didn't want to talk about it because he felt guilty enough, but he also didn't want to remember the look on Hannah's face once it was exposed that everyone was in the room with them. Michael doubted that he could ever forget or erase that look of hurt in her eyes.

"I need to tell Joshua the story. If you do it or anyone else that was involved in that prank, he might snap." Christopher tried to explain, knowing that he was the only one Josh would listen to. It would've been Sam but knowing that she was involved in some sort of way ( even if she was against it but still knew ), he could tell it would be a while before his anger subsided for her and understood that she was the good person out of all of this.

The Class President began telling the tale of how the whole prank started. How they thought it would be funny to tease Hannah, and they thought she would take the joke with a grain of salt. Of course, they were wrong and she ran off. Beth ran after her and Marceline demanded an explanation, told them off, and then ran after the two.

"Wow…" said the blue-eyed boy, shaking his head. "Poor Hannah…" He mumbled.

Michael didn't say anything as he then looked around, shielding his eyes from the strong winds and snow. The rest of the way was quiet. They called out each of the girls' name, somewhat hoping that they would hear a response back. After two hours, they had no idea just how far out they were.

"Chris! Mike!"

Both of them had ran towards Josh after he called their names. Joshua bent his knees, pointing to the ground. "The snow melted around here."

Chris and Mike had both bent down, inspecting the area. "Whoa, do you think they made a fire?" Michael asked.

"Why would they do that?" Chris shook his head, "I don't think they would want to stay out here and roast marshmallows. Something happened here." The blond was sure. "Let's keep going forward in this direction until we see anything else." They kept going, flashing their phones in every which way possible. "You know, I had a tracker app for situations like this. If everyone had just downloaded it, the search would've been much easier."

"Chris, now is not the time to talk about your stupid apps!" Michael barked, annoyed, but then simmering down. "Besides, that's creepy."

"Yeah, it kinda is." Joshua agreed. "Why would you need to track us?"

Looking at them both, he raised his hands. "In case one of us got, I dunno, lost? I think about stuff like this. What if there was a zombie apocalypse? That'd be the quickest way for all us to get together, right? You have to think about these things." Joshua and Michael gave him a long, blank stare before looking ahead. "Wow, some friends you guys are."

"Wait, you see that?!" Michael then flashed the light of his phone to what looked like a shadow on the ground. All of them had slowly inched forward, careful with their steps since they didn't know what it was. It soon became clear that it was a person lying next to a tree, face down with their face buried deep into the snow. Upon closer inspection, the long brown hair was a dead giveaway.

"That's Marceline!" Joshua broke out into a sprint, both Chris and Michael following close behind him. "Marceline! Marceline!" He yelled, hoping she would hear him and wake up. His eyes were burning as he slid to a halt, practically falling in his knees as he lifted her up. "O-Oh fuck, oh fuck! She's... She's not moving! She's not moving, you guys! W-Why isn't she moving?! Why isn't she moving?!"

Her lips were blue and her body felt limp. How wobbly her arm was, was a great indicator that her arm was dislocated from her shoulder. "Oh my God…" Michael whispered, his hands pressed to his head in disbelief. "What the fuck happened to her?!"

"She must've hit the tree." Chris tried to reason, trying to think of a possible scenario. "She might've ran and accidentally ran into it. It's dark out here and she d-didn't have her phone." Chris had to be the levelheaded one despite how afraid he was about Marceline's condition and what might've happened while she was out here. He had to make sure Josh and Michael were calm, especially Josh. This was the girl he loved after all, and he couldn't let Josh think the worse. "Let's just get her inside immediately. We have to warm her up and make sure she gets to a hospital as soon as possible! Matt's a football player, he might know how to fix her arm."

"Its gonna be alright, Marceline." Joshua tried to coax her, pressing her body close to his own. He rocked back and forth, burying his face in the crook of her neck. It was obvious he was crying, his voice going in and out. "If she's like this t-then Beth and Hannah…" His mind was becoming hazy, muddled. His fears were starting to take form inside his head, scenarios of the worse things that could've happened out here. He was beginning to think of his sisters in the same condition or even worse.

"Josh, take her back to the lodge." His best friend remained calm, trying to get Josh out of his thoughts and into reality. "Mike and I will keep looking for Hannah and Beth. Sam and Matt already are, and we don't know if either one of them made it back to the lodge. Stay calm. C'mon Josh, be calm. Be calm for her." He didn't want to mention his medication in front of Michael but the look Joshua saw in his eyes was a nod towards that.

The brown-haired boy weakly nodded before lifting the unconscious girl in his arms and took off in a run.

o

It was warm. It felt like she was in an enclosed space, like a room. Her eyes soon opened to see that she was standing near the stairway, right near the front door. Her eyes looked around, quickly observing the place until the clues came rushing at her.

She was at this place.

This was the first place she ever considered home. It was the place she grew up in. It was where she used to have dinner with her parents. Kiss her father to work and wave her mother goodbye when she went to school. It was the same place where she opened her Christmas presents and when her mother used to read her in bed. This was home. Her first home. The home that she had missed.

"Mom?" Her eyes looked back at the front door to see it opened. A woman and a young girl standing there. Her mother, much youthful then and as beautiful as she could remembered. Her mother's long, black hair that would lay neatly on her shoulders and her round, big brown eyes always held a happy glint. Marceline had to been thirteen then, looking at her mother, clearly confused as to why she had a suitcase. "Mom, where are you going?"

Her mother's hand gently rubbed the back of her head, comforting her young self. "I have to go away, Marceline." A smile was on her face but there was nothing happy about it. It seemed forced. Painful. "I have to go away for a while."

"But why?" She asked, "How come Dad and I aren't going with you?"

"Where I'm going, you both can't go. You have to stay with your Dad company and happy. Please, Marceline, do that for me? That's all I can really ask."

With a hesitant nod, she decided to accept her mother's answer. "When will you come back? You'll miss my ballet recital if you don't come back on time."

"I don't know, sweetheart. We'll see each other again, I promise you."

Her mother said nothing else and slowly turned to walk out the door. From here, Marceline couldn't see past the door. Instead there was a vast and white empty space before her. Once her mother walked through it, it was liked the white light swallowed her whole until there was nothing left. "Mom!" Afraid, Marceline followed her through the door, rushing past her young self. "Mom!"

But there was nothing.

Not a single person in sight.

The white space had transformed into a large snowdrift, and in the distance, she could see the lodge. Her eyes looked down, seeing her hands red and irritated as if she had been burned. She was in a black coat, snow boots, but there was half of a red scarf around her neck. Marceline tried to remember how she had gotten here. She wasn't sure why she was here, but then she remembered they were staying at the Washington Lodge.

Looking away from her hands, she looked to see Hannah and Beth standing before her. Hannah was wearing Beth's pink coat while Beth wore a wool sweater and a beanie. "Beth? Hannah?" She whispered, confused yet surprised.

Beth gave her a smile, Hannah too. "Why are you looking like that, Marce?"

"Yeah," Hannah's soft voice said, "you look like you're seeing a ghost. Is something wrong?"

Marceline couldn't help but smile, shaking her head. "I just don't know why I'm here. Why are we outside?"

Hannah and Beth glanced at one another before looking back at her. "We have to tell you something." Hannah's eyes looked down at the ground.

Worried, Marceline walked over to them grabbing their hands. "What's wrong?"

"We need you to take care of Josh for us." Beth answered, "We can't take be there for him now, so do it for us."

"Beth, what are you talking about? Why do I need to take care of Josh? Josh is fine." She insisted, not sure what they were talking about.

"He's going to need you." said Hannah, both of them began to squeeze her hands. "So please, do this... for us."

"I'd do anything for you guys." Marceline nodded. "We're friends, remember?"

"We know, but we have to go." Beth then looked at her sister. "I know you'll keep your promise, Marce."

Why were they so cold? She pondered. Was this a dream? At the same time it had felt so real. She could feel the cold wind on her cheeks and their hands holding hers. "Where are you guys going? We need to go back to the lodge."

Beth shook her head, "See ya, Marce."

"Beth!" Marceline felt their hands slip away from hers as they walked away. "Beth! Hannah!"

Six weeks after Hannah and Beth's disappearance...

Voices. All she could remember was hearing a whole lot of them, even though she couldn't coherently hear them. Some had sound familiar but others sounded like they belonged to complete strangers, but all of them sounded like someone trying to speak underwater. None of them ever made sense but the ones that she deemed as familiar, particularly a set few, made a surge of warmth flood through her chest. They would calm her and made the fear of the blurred images of faces looking down at her disappear. She would see them but they would move away and things would become dark all over again. Marceline would constantly fade in and out of consciousness and the only sort of memory that she could remember at the time was that same dream of Hannah and Beth. They would constantly coax her to "wake up" and she had no idea what they meant. Why was she not awake? And why did they keep leaving? They would never stay, and constantly kept asking her protect Josh. The dreams would be repetitive with few minor differences. No matter how much she tried to change them, they always ended the same.

Gradually, things had started to become much clearer and she was becoming more aware during those short times of consciousness. Marceline began to understand that she was in the hospital and could very well hear the heart monitor, and she could hear few of her visitors very closely. Joshua visited her a lot of what she could hear and he always held her hand, promising to do this and that when she woke up. Her grandmother was the second constant, who prayed to her in Castilian and asking Mother Mary to take care of her and bring her back. Chris, Ashley, and Sam fought for third place, and she knew Sam and Ash constantly brought her flowers while Chris brought cards and balloons.

Chris would always tell her about his day and always said a few jokes, and would even laugh at his own jokes, which amused her. Bob and Melinda had even came to visit her, hoping that she would wake up soon and Melinda would tell her how much Joshua misses her and how happy she was to know that the two of them were a couple now. Matthew would keep apologizing and saying how she was right that he was a better person than what he did. Michael would always say she was right about him, and that he was an asshole. Jessica would tell her about happy things, pretending as if nothing ever happened, and Emily would constantly apologize too, much to her surprise. She knew Emily was only saying it out of guilt and because she was alone during her visits. Her words did sound genuine though. The only people that never came were Beth and Hannah, which worried her. Marceline began to wonder if they were in the same condition as she was in and probably hadn't woken up yet. Never in her mind did she think they were still missing or even worse, dead.

Today was the day she was finally able to open her eyes. She was even strong enough to force herself to sit up. Marceline could very much remember who she was, which was a good thing, but she couldn't recall exactly why she was here. How did she get in here? What happened? Her memory of what happened at the ledge was blocked. Inaccessible to her. All she could remember was looking for them, and that was it. What happened after that was nothing but a blur and would give her a needle-like throb in her head, which would make her give up and focus on what was happening now.

A nurse had walked in, gasping when she had seen her. Her eyes lazily looked at the woman, who immediately went running out of the room. She had returned with more nurses and more doctors, and they had flooded her with a series of questions: they asked her if she knew her name and family, telling her about the many people that diligently came. Marceline knew, she could recall the visitors and even specific visits but hearing the numbers made her happy. She managed to answer as truthfully and clearly as possible to anything they had asked her except the last question. Marceline still did not know why she was here or what happened to bring her here.

As she continued to sit up, her body had felt rather heavy and she began to feel even more drowsy. The IV in her arm was irritating, but she knew she needed it. Her hair looked as if it grown some, which made her worry about how much time had passed. Her eyes had then looked at the bright colors from the corner of her eyes to see the vases of flowers and the balloons touching the ceilings. Some of the flowers looked new and were still alive while others seemed to be wilting or possibly dead.

The door to her room had opened, she assumed it was probably a doctor or nurse that wanted to run some more tests and check her condition. She was hoping it was on her friends, but she felt it might be too early since it read eleven o' clock on the wall clock. However, she was startled when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her, her head pressed to their shoulder. From the scent alone, she knew who it was. "Josh…" Her voice was quiet as she let Joshua continued his embrace. Marceline raised her hand, rubbing the back of his head gingerly as she could feel his soft brown hair between her fingers.

His hold on her had tightened as her arms weakly encircled him. "I'm sorry for leaving you to worry about me." She felt so inclined to apologize, hoping that he would forgive her.

"I was so scared…" His voice was low, and she could feel him trembling. His throat felt taut as he tried to not to break down. He didn't want to stress her or make her worry. Josh felt that he wasn't the one who needed comforting, it was her. She had been in a coma for six weeks and the doctors always sounded positive saying she had brain activity, but they were never sure when she would wake up. He was always scared it would take a year or more, but he was glad that after six weeks she was awake and she could remember him. She didn't even have to see his face, she instantly knew it was him and that was enough for him.

"I'm sorry…" Marceline apologized again, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Don't be." His words made her smile, which was easy enough considering she found it easy to smile by just seeing him. "You're awake and that's all that matters." His hand rubbed against her back, giving her a sense of comfort. "I almost thought I lost you too."

"Lost me… too?" Confused, she pulled back from him and looked up at him. His eyes looked down, unable to look her in the eyes. His hands quickly cupped hers, "What are you talking about?"

"We'll talk about it later." Managing to pull his lips up into a smile, his eyes then gazed at her own. His hand let go hers and then pressed itself against her cheek, letting his thumb caress the side of her face. Too busy comforted by the warm touch, she leaned into it rather sleepily. "After being in a coma for that long, you're still tired?"

"I don't want to be." She answered, her lips forming a pout, which made him smile wider. "But you're warm…" Her hand rested on top of his, wanting to keep his hand pressed to her face.

"Its because after so many days of rain, it finally warmed up." Josh looked out towards the window, her eyes following his gaze to a cloudless sky. "But if you want to use me as a human pillow, I don't mind."

Looking at him, she nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

"I should call Granny Serrano." Joshua then used his free hand to pull his cellphone from his pocket, unlocking the screen after entering the pin.

Her brows scrunched together, eyes squinting. "Granny Serrano? You've been spending time with her?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "she calls me grandson, y'know."

"We haven't even been dating that long and she's looking that far ahead…" Marceline couldn't fight her smile. "How is she?"

"She was really worried." He answered truthfully, "She visited everyday until I told her to take a rest." Hearing that made her heart sink, her eyelids lowering as she looked down at the bed in thought with a frown. "I've been taking care of her and making sure she's fine. Your dad came too."

Marceline's eyes widened, looking at him in surprise. "Fuck…" She sighed, "I never wanted him to worry while he was away…"

"Mars..." Placing the phone down on the bed, he placed both his hands on her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "Its alright. Don't stress yourself. It's not your fault that you got hurt. He's staying with your grandma until you get better and finally leave this place."

She nodded, trying to not stress herself. "I bet Gran-Gran is happy about that."

Picking the phone back up, he had called Aureliana to let her know that Marceline was awake. She smiled as she listened in, seeing how comfortable Joshua had become with her family. They always had a good atmosphere but for her to call him grandson and for him to see her like his own grandma, it made all the stress she felt completely melt away.

"She said they are on their way." He told her, ending the phone call with a tap of his thumb. "I never really spoke much to your dad. He's…uh, pretty intimidating."

Marceline gave him an uneasy smile, "Sorry about that. My dad is really nice though. I know he seems super serious, but he's really sweet. I promise."

"Can't really picture a guy that could squash me with just his thumb as sweet." He then gently poked her forehead, "But I'll take your word for it." Josh smiled as he saw her laugh, "I'll text everyone else that you woke up."

"While I was asleep," She began to say, "I could hear everyone talking to me." Her eyes softened as she reflected back on some of the conversations. "I could hear the nurses having to kick you out because you tried to stay past visiting hours." His eyes looked down in the bed, a smile still on his lips. "What happened to me isn't your fault, okay? There are many things at fault, but not you. Don't ever say it's your fault." He swallowed his hurt, his eyes somewhat glassy as he shoved his phone his pocket. Marceline had scoot closer and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him a tight hug. "I told you I would be here for you. I promised you that, and I don't go back on my promises."

Pressing his lips against her jaw for a quick peck, he began burying his face in her hair. "I know." He gave a slight nod. "It was just…" He paused, not wanting to bring up his sisters. It was too soon to tell her that they were still missing and the investigation was going on strong. Until she was out of the hospital and the doctors thought it was okay for her to be questioned and hearing news of that level, he wouldn't say anything. Josh hated keeping things from her as they had always been honest ( except when it came to their own feelings about each other ), but he had to do it for her mental health. There was no way he could do to her what had been done to him. He wouldn't let her be forced on medication that left her hollow, struggling with voices and hallucinations.

Joshua believed his sisters would be found. He was hopeful they were alive. "Hey, did you eat some Canelés?" She asked, pulling away from him and giving him an annoyed stare.

"Uh…" He looked around before looking at her, confused. "Yeah, why?" Did she really sniff him? And she called him a weirdo for that.

"What the hell? Why didn't you bring me any?" Her eyes narrowed as she asked, her brows scrunching together

Josh tried to stifle a laugh. "This girl…" He shook his head, "You just woke up from a coma and you're thinking about food already?"

"I'm hungry." Her hand rubbed her stomach in small circles. "They had me on a feeding tube and you know it sucks."

He closed his eyes, unable to keep his laugh in. "That's my girl."

"So, are you gonna feed me?" Marceline rubbed her hands together, her eyes big and pleading.

"The hospital is going to give you food. You can't eat some unhealthy or heavy stuff just yet." Pinching her cheek, he watched her give him a glare. "Sorry, babe."

"Tch!" She sucked her teeth, folding her arms as scooting herself back and away from him. "I'm just gonna tell Gran-Gran to feed me. At least she cares!"

Rolling his eyes with a smirk, he took a seat on the chair next to the bed. "You're so spoiled."

"So?" Her lips pursed, "I deserve to be."

"Mhm, you definitely deserve it." She knew for a fact that he was taunting her, which made her eyes squint at him angrily. She wasn't too mad, but she was mad that he had Canelés and didn't get her any. Since when did he eat those anyway? "How does your back and shoulder eel?"

"Super sore." She sighed, "Especially in the middle and so does my shoulder?" It winced whenever she tried to reach her hand back to touch it or even stretch. "How do you know there was something wrong with my back and shoulder?"

"You've been laying down for six weeks." He quickly answered, catching himself. He almost could've reminded her of that night. "I'm sure it would feel sore."

Marceline look down in thought and then nodded, accepting his answer. "Shouldn't you been in class anyway?"

"I don't have classes today." Joshua then took hold of her hand, "Trying to send me away already?"

She shook her head, "No, but I don't want you missing classes just to spend time with me." Her eyes looked down at their joined hands, "Besides, I have nothing to do and I need to know when you have time. I'll be bored here."

"I'll keep you company." He reassured her, "And I'm pretty sure Chris will stop by soon as will the others. You'll get sick of seeing our faces at this rate."

Using her other hand to grab his face, she pulled his cheek as he did hers. "I'll never get tired of this face." She puffed her cheeks, acting as if he was a baby. "This is the cutest face."

Giving her a dull stare, he tried to pull his face away from her hand but to no avail. "Alright, alright."

The door to her room had opened, a nurse coming in. "You have visitors." She said with a cheerful smile. "It's nice to see you awake, Miss. Moreau."

"Uh, thank you!" She politely said as she watched Joshua stand up. "Where are you going?"

"You can only have two visitors at a time." His answer made her puff up her cheeks, irritated. "I'll be right back, alright? Its probably your grandma and dad."

"You promise you'll be back?" Her eyes gazed up at him, grabbing the sleeves of shirt. Instead of giving her a verbal answer, he kissed the top of her head. That was enough reassurance for her and she had let go of his sleeve.

Just as Joshua expected, her grandmother and her father came rushing in. She was given a double hug, her eyes peeking over their shoulders. "Gran-Gran, Papa."

After a minute, they finally freed her and she had given them a smile. Her father was a tall and handsome man with short, wavy hair that he had cut instead of letting grow like he had when he was young. Now it was neatly slicked back, making his brown hair look dark and showing how smooth it was. His eyes were a emerald green and his skin a perfect tan like her grandmother's. He was lean but due to training and his insane workouts she personally witnessed, he bulked up before. Now it seem as if he was losing some weight, probably from eating the healthy foods in Seoul. "I'm so relieved to see you okay." He sighed, letting all his anxiety and worries go with that sigh alone.

"I'm fine." She said rather dismissively as if what she went through was nothing. "You guys worry too much." Her grandmother slapped her shoulder, which made her granddaughter hiss. "Ow!"

"Worry too much?! You were in a coma!" Aureliana fussed, "¡Ay dios mío!¡Esta niña!" Sucking her teeth, she shook her head with her eyes narrowed. Marceline tried to keep her laugh in, enjoying seeing her grandmother not worried and more so angry. It was better than seeing her sad.

Her father, Adrián, tried to calm his mother down in a few words in Castilian. The woman's angry face had then softened, a sigh slipping past her lips. "How are you feeling?" He then asked Marceline, rubbing the side of her head. She had leaned into his touch, very much enjoying be the center of her father's attention.

"Hungry." She answered truthfully, "I'm super hungry."

"Food, that's all this girl thinks about!" Her grandmother had became irritated all over again. "You know she can eat the whole fridge if I don't stop her? She gets that from you and your father."

"Ma!" Her dad felt embarrassed, hearing the nurses that were coming back forth and the room giggling. His cheeks flushed a beet red as he then tried to defend his daughter, "She's been in a coma, of course she's hungry. And she was a growing girl, they eat a lot."

His mother wasn't buying it. The cold stare she was giving him was a clear indicator of that. "Growing girl my—"

"Gran-Gran!" She stopped her from cursing.

"Tch." Folding her arms, she had changed the subject. "Joshua has been coming here everyday." Marceline had gone rigid, her eyes looking at her father from their corners. "He's a good boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Adrián repeated, "Since when did you get a boyfriend? That boy? The one that keeps coming here is your boyfriend? The one that's here now?"

Biting down on her lip, her eyes looked up at her father. "Uh-huh!" She then placed her hands in prayer form and rubbed them together, "Papa, please! Please don't hurt him or scare him away!"

Adrián rose a brow, "I need to have a talk with him. Weren't you with him when you got hurt?"

"Joshua is not the reason why I got hurt, okay?" She tried to clarify even though she didn't have a single clue of what happened in the first place. Still, she knew that Josh would never hurt her. That much was obvious to Marceline. "I don't remember what happened but I know Joshua is not involved, so be nice to him."

"He should've been taking better care of you." He wasn't buying what she was selling. "You could've died, Marcy." The worry on her face disappeared, the look her face much gentle as she realized just how scared he was. "I could've lost you. You're my only child and…"

"Dad…" Grabbing his hand, holding it firmly, she gave him a warm smile. "I'm fine. I'm sorry you were so scared for me, but trust me when I say this: Joshua was not involved, okay? Please, don't blame him."

It was hard to argue when she was looking at him like that. With a deep, long sigh, he caved. "Alright, but I still want to talk to him."

"That's okay." She gave him a bright smile, "Just be good to him. I care about him, a lot, and I will be very upset if you hurt him or his feelings. Okay, Papa?"

That was an undercover threat. He knew that. "Fine."

"She's got you whipped." His mother mumbled, "I brought you some soup. The food here is terrible! Trust me, I tasted some while visiting."

Adrián smiled as his daughter shook her shoulders in excitement, "Gran-Gran knows what's up!"

They eventually left, her grandmother leaving her food to eat and told the staff to heat them up and that they were approved by the doctor since they were healthy. Marceline was glad she wasn't stuck with the bland hospital food and could eat some cooking that she did like. Joshua said that the group sent text messages, happy that she was awake and arranged different days to see her. Sam even skyped her, expressing how happy she was to see her awake and with energy. Marceline, while happy to see them, was still very much angry. She hadn't forgotten the prank but she knew she would have to talk to them individually about it. The confrontations that she wasn't looking forward to were Jessica, Emily, and Michael but they had to be done.

There was also the fact that Hannah nor Beth were never mentioned or even stopped by. No call or visit. It worried her to no end but Joshua wouldn't answer her questions about them. And it honestly scared her that he didn't. Whatever happened, it left him looking shell shocked and lost, like, he didn't even want to talk about them at all. Then he would swiftly change the subject and her mind would allow him to tear her thoughts away from them before it would come right back. Marceline had to know where they were and how they were. How could she not be worried? Beth was her best friend, and Hannah was just as much as a best friend of hers too. How could she pretend like it was okay to not speak about them and not see them?

Her eyes had glanced at Joshua, who was eating some fries that he got by the nearby fast food place while her father and grandma were visiting her. He often taunted her with it, knowing that she just wanted to dig her hands in and snatch a few fries. It was so tempting but Marceline knew better. She couldn't eat the foods she wanted to just yet and she would have to settle for the nutritional foods. See, her mind would get distracted again and she would lose focus from her goal. Maybe the doctors didn't want her stressing herself out about anything and that's why he wouldn't say anything about his sisters. That made sense. She just woke up. It would overwhelm her to hear anything, but what could possibly overwhelm her into a state of shock that the doctors would not want her to hear?

"What are you thinking about?" Her eyes stopped staring into space, her mind clearing away her thoughts so that she could shift her attention to him.

"What?" She shook her head and clearing away her thoughts, "What did you say?"

"I said what are you thinking about?" He repeated himself, "You looked like you were thinking some heavy stuff."

"I'm just a little confused, that's all." Laying down on the hospital bed, she turned to her side to face him. He seemed so focused on his french fries.

He gave her a slow nod, "You should be. You just woke up. Nothing must make sense to you."

"Only a few things don't make sense to me." Marceline said rather honestly. Joshua's eyes then gazed up at her, meeting her eyes to see that set-lock she would do. It was obvious of what she was thinking but he wouldn't cave because that what was best for her.

"I see." Not saying anything more, he threw the empty fry holder in the trash, wiping his mouth with a napkin before taking the hand sanitizer by her bed to clean his hands.

He leaned over so his elbows were resting against the bed, letting his eyes observe that despondent look on her face. He knew that she was thinking about Hannah and Beth. That much was obvious. She was so close to them, and so why did she know nothing about their whereabouts? The police would want to question her now that she was awake and he hoped that he could delay it for a while.

:::

After a few days, she was released from the hospital. The doctors said she was fine, steadily improving, but she would be wheelchair bound for a while until she could gather full strength in her legs. She could stand easily but walking for a long period time was difficult and so they got her light physical therapy. Joshua had even stayed at her grandmother's home from time to time to help take care of her with her grandmother and father. Adrián would have to go back to the base in Seoul eventually but he planned to stay with her until he was reassured that she was completely fine. The group had promised a "Welcome Home" party for her at Joshua's studio apartment, which she wondered would even go well. She already heard from Josh that everyone was slightly distant from one another after what happened at the lodge. It didn't make her the happier to know that they were merely coming together for her sake.

Right now, she was nibbling down on a granola bar and staying at Joshua's place since the party was tomorrow. He was working on an assignment on his computer, steadily editing and slicing a few scenes since he had a group project about perfect camera angles. His college friends, some that she had met, had left minutes ago. Now Marceline was studying him quietly, liking the fix concentration on his face and just how quickly the mouse would move under his hand. It was always entertaining to see someone doing what they loved and she had always hoped to see Joshua behind the camera one day or at a premiere for his own movie. "Is something on my face?" Her eyes went wide as she noticed he was now looking at her. "You've been staring at me for fifteen minutes straight."

"I just like watching you work." Marceline answered truthfully, "But isn't it hard to make a apple look cinematic?"

"Not really." He smiled, "Don't worry, babe. I got this. This is nothing against a pro." You could say she felt jealous since her semester didn't start in the fall. It was still winter, but next week it would be spring. Spring, Summer, and then Fall. She had such a long way to go before she could do what she wanted. "Someone's birthday is next week."

Her lips went up in a smile, "Mhmm." Looking down at the raisin granola bar, she tilted her head. "I wonder what my boyfriend is going to get me."

"I already have something in mind." He smiled at how her face lit up with curiosity. "You'll like it."

She hated surprises. He knew that. The last time they tried to surprise her, she ended up punching Chris in the stomach because he jumped out from behind the couch and scared her. He remembered the way she kept apologizing and hovering over Chris, feeling bad for what she had done but Josh and Beth wouldn't stop laughing.

He tried his best to think positive thoughts about his sisters and that they would come back. It was almost seven weeks now and there wasn't even a sign that they were found or even alive. Instead of keeping his thoughts on the worse of it, he poured all his attention into his schoolwork and Marceline, using them as a distraction from thinking the worse. The worry would still creep up on him every now and then but as long as he was distracted, he would be able to not mope around.

"How is physical therapy?" Joshua asked, curious to know of her process.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she shrugged her shoulders. "The leg massages are great." She nodded, "Not better than yours, though." She playfully reassured him. "My legs feel wobbly when I try to walk for a good few minutes but I'm getting better. So it's going fine."

He could tell she was frustrated. From as long as they knew each other, he knew she hated relying on people. She always tried to do things herself and asked for help as a last resort. She frowned more than usual when he had to carry her up the steps or push her around in the wheelchair when they went places. It didn't matter what he said to cheer her up, it would only work for a little while until she got one in her sad moods.

"After I edit some of the lighting in these shots, I'll take you upstairs." Marceline nodded, taking another bite from the light snack. His phone began to ring, making his brows furrow questioningly until he answered it. "Hello?" Her eyes watched his face contort in a look of confusion but then remembering something that the person must've asked. "Oh, I got it. I'll bring it right away." Hanging up, he then glance at her. "I have to return Angela her book, she needs it for a test. I'll be right back."

With a quick peck to the forehead, she watched him grab his bookbag and rush out the door. Now left alone in this place, despite how bright it was from the many windows and skylight, she felt lonely. Grabbing the wheels, she had slowly rolled them towards the sitting area to watch tv. Once she was facing the tv, she picked up the remote and pressed the on button and flipped through the channels.

Before she could find something to watch, a knock came from the front door. Placing the remote down, she wheel'd herself over and opened it. It was two men, both of them rather tall, especially since she was sitting down in her wheelchair. She looked at them confused, and somewhat scared. "Hello, we're from the Alberta County police department. Are you Miss Moreau?"

"Uhm, yes. Yes I am." She nodded and moved herself back, "Come in."

They allowed themselves in and looked around before turning to face her. One man had a notepad in his hands while the other kept his hands in his pockets, having a rather calm demeanor. "We'd like to question what happened at the Lodge of February 2nd. You can help us find the Washington twins."

"Find the… twins?" Shaking her head, she closed her eyes briefly before looking up at them. "Are you telling me they're stil missing? They've been missing for weeks?"

Both detectives looked at one another and then back at her. They assumed that nobody told her the information since she was the only injured party of the group and was found out in the snow. "Yes, and we heard that you tried to run after Beth Washington after she ran after her sister. Do you remember anything at all?"

Gripping onto her pants, she let out a sigh as she tried to recount the events. "I remember chasing after Beth. I kept calling her name, just asking if she heard me. It was so dark and the snow and wind made it even harder to see and then…" Her eyes squinted as she had suddenly been flooded with a clip of a memory; it was of Beth and Hannah holding each other, backing away from something. Behind them was just the sky, and trees in the distance "And then I found them… at a cliff or a ledge, and they were scared. Petrified."

"Scared? Scared of what, Miss Moreau." The detective insisted.

Marceline combed her fingers through her hair, holding the sides of her head as she tried to not lose her concentration.

"Oh my God!" "Someone was chasing us!"

Hannah's voice echoed in her head, but a slow needling pain pierced through her head. Wincing, squeezing her eyes tightly as she could muster, she shook her head with a pain filled groan. "Hannah... Hannah said someone was chasing them."

"Miss, don't push yourself. Calm down." He tried to relax her, pressing his hand on her shoulder. "Someone was chasing them? So that means you all weren't alone."

She nodded, breathing in and out deeply to regulate her heart that was stammering so fiercely. Her eyes looked into nothingness, digging deep in her memories as much as she could. "There was a man and he had something, like… like a flame thrower. I keep remembering fire, lots of fire."

"A flamethrower?" The one detective that was writing down her words questioned, making sure that Marceline was sure about what she said.

Marceline gave him a quick nod, "I told him to not come any closer but he told us to get away. He wanted us to leave."

"Can you remember what the man looked like? Any description of him you can give us at all? How tall he was? Brown or blond hair?"

Marceline shook her head, slowly this time as she was trying to calm to pain in her head. "No, Detective, I could barely see. It was too dark."

"Can you remember what happened afterwards?" She was then asked. "Anything at all?

Sighing, she shook her head again. She was feeling frustrated. Not at them, but at herself. "No, I can't remember anything after that." The memories stopped there. It was blocked with a thick wall and it wouldn't let her move any closer. "I'm sorry." Her bottom lip began to quiver, her eyes filling up with tears and letting them stream down her face. "I'm sorry! I can't remember anything! I can't remember…"

The younger detective had placed his notepad away and taken her hands in his as she tried blink away the rest of tears that kept pooling at the corner of her eyes, letting out a few sniffs. "You've done an amazing job. You've told us a great deal that'll help us with the investigation. Be proud of yourself that you're helping us get a couple steps closer on finding your friends."

With glassy eyes, she looked up at him and forced herself to smile. "Thank you, Detective."

"If you remember anything else, please let us know." said the older man, giving her a pat on her shoulder after handing her a card with his number and the younger one did the same. She had let it rest in her lap, giving them a nod. She had looked down at their contact cards, wanting to remember their names: Detective Milton Arbogast and Detective Benjamin Stango.

"I will. Thank you for coming by." Marceline helped escorting them out and closed the door. Her sleeves quickly wiped away her tears as she didn't want Joshua to know she had been crying. Marceline wasn't even sure if she wanted to tell him that she knew the twins were still missing with no signs of alive or dead, but he had every right to know what she suddenly remembered and gave the police. This would be a long and awkward talk, but it had to be done.

The anger she felt towards the rest of their friends hadn't subsided either. In fact, it grew. They were all carrying on with their lives despite the fact that Hannah and Beth were missing, and they were the ones at fault at that.

It was an hour later when Joshua walked back in, seeing her stare out the window. "Mars, I'm back. Do you want to eat?"

She said nothing. Her eyes still staring out at the beautiful city of Los Angeles. The sun was setting and so the sky was many of colors; shades of red, orange, and a golden yellow as it was dipping into the horizon. The ocean made it even look even more beautiful and serene, but nothing could calm her resentment and anger that was boiling in her blood.

"Mars?" He called her name again, placing his bag down and slowly making his way over to her. "Mars, what's wrong?"

Kneeling down next to her, he watched her eyes slowly turn to look at him. "Why didn't you tell me Hannah and Beth were still missing? It has almost been seven weeks and they haven't been found."

His eyes widened and then looked down, wondering who could've told her or how she possibly knew. He wondered if she heard it on the news since his sister's faces were plastered all over, especially since they were the daughters of the famous Bob Washington. He tried his best to not let her watch any television. He wanted to keep her in the dark until it was the right time.. "Your doctor didn't want you to hear any heavy news. I was looking out for you."

Marceline stared at him, reading his expression to see if he was lying. Joshua was a good liar but sometimes she could figure out whenever he was deceiving her. She wasn't sure if he was just being good as he naturally was now or actually being genuine, but because he was just as every much a victim in this situation. Joshua had to be the most pitiful one since his baby sisters were missing... She couldn't feel angry at him. In fact, she felt more enraged for him.

His hands then grabbed onto hers, pressing her knuckles to his lips for a quick peck. "I didn't want to keep it from you, but I was supposed to so that you could get better."

Squeezing his hands, she let out a soft sigh. "I get it." Joshua was relieved to hear her say that, "You've been handling this all by yourself and taking care of me. How? How are you even holding yourself together?"

"For one, I have you." His smile made the corner of her lips lift. "Taking care of you has been a great distraction. Hearing you laugh, seeing you get better, and hanging with Sam and Chris has been so... so good for me. School has even been good for me too..." He shook his head, wanting to laugh at that. "As crazy as that sounds."

Seeing her face light up and hearing her chuckle made him keep his smile. "Now, did you eat? I don't want to hear you complaining how nobody fed you in the middle of the night."

"No, I haven't ate yet." He nodded at her answer and made his way in the kitchen. He pulled out pots and ingredients he would have to use. He was very transfixed on what he was doing that Marceline knew she couldn't bother him.

Joshua was a good cook much to her surprise. It almost made her feel a little embarrassed since she couldn't cook. At all. If her grandmother knew, she would surely praise him and ask her why she still burned water. Marceline smiled at the thought as she watched Joshua steadily tasting and adding whatever seasoning that instantly came to mind from taste testing. It also saddened her because she could picture Hannah and Beth helping him at the same time. A tear rolled down her face as she pictured Beth yelling at him for adding too much salt while Hannah would try to fix his mistakes and tell Beth to calm down. Marceline placed her hand over her mouth, trying to keep her sad laugh quiet but also forcing herself not to cry.

Letting her teeth sink into her bottom lip, she glanced away from him and stared down at the couch that he helped her on before looking at the tv, searching through Netflix for something to watch and to distract her. She was going to be a crying and shaking mess just from watching Josh cook, and she didn't want him to worry. She hated seeing him fret over her.

"Your grandma tried to teach me this recipe." He said from the kitchen, "I might not do it justice."

Arching a brow, she looked over at him. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I'll love anything you make."

"You say that now…" Shaking her head, she tilted her head as he gave her a quick smile before paying attention to the food. "Jess said she was going to make a cake. I know you've been wanting something sweet lately." Her hands tightened their grip on the remote, her jaw setting at the mention of Jessica's name.

Jessica was the one who created this whole prank. She was so-called looking out for Emily because they knew Hannah liked Michael. They wanted to teach her to "lay off" him, realize that he was Emily's man. Hearing her name was enough to make her annoyed, pissed, but she tried to make herself sound happy, for him. Only for him. "Oh? That's sweet… of her."

Joshua hadn't noticed the hardness in her tone, which relieved her. She then watched him walk over towards the table and putting plate of food down. He had already set it up and she tried her best to help but he kept telling her he could do everything and got a glare from not letting her help lessen the workload around here.

He had helped her back into her chair and pushed her back to the table, they got into a squabble as she lifted herself into a seat at the table and hmph triumphantly. With a roll of his eyes, he smiled at as he sat down and then glanced at her to soak in her reaction. She was surprised to see that he made her Linguine with Alfredo sauce and broccoli. For a second, he thought he saw her mouth water. "Gran-Gran told you my Alfredo obsession?"

"Yep." He said as he twirled his fork in the pasta. "I don't know if tastes good."

"Its Alfredo. Alfredo cannot be damaged." Marceline said, "It can make anything taste good." Twirling her fork the same, using the spoon at the ends of it like Joshua only saw fancy people do. He was glad to see the shimmy of her shoulders after the bite. That was the best way to know she liked something. "It's so good! I'm gonna have seconds and probably thirds."

Smirking ,he shook his head as they ate in silence; a comfortable one with the occasional sounds of her humming and dancing in her seat.

After dinner, she forced herself into the kitchen, standing up and helping him with dishes. She would wash them and he would dry them as well as got squirted with water from time to time when he wasn't looking much to her entertainment. Marceline ducked whenever he tried to place his thumb under the faucet to give her the same treatment and left a mess of water on the floor that he didn't mind cleaning up. It felt good for them to go back to how they were. Back to a time where Beth and Hannah were undoubtedly alive and well. There was still a lingering sadness around them, but they were desperately trying to ignore it due to the hope they were clinging onto.

Her arms were around his neck, legs squeezing his waist as he gave her a piggyback up the stairs. They had to take turns showering and brushing their teeth, which made Josh wonder if this was how it was to live with your girlfriend. He couldn't understand his college buddies that argued how messy their girlfriends were but then again, Marceline didn't have all her things here. All she had were clothes and underwear she planned to wear at night and tomorrow, her toothbrush, her own brush, and her vitamins. He didn't know how it was like to have girl products all over the place but he still thought it was comforting to know that you weren't alone.

He hated living by himself at first. He started last year, wanting space and having his own place away from home. He could honestly say he missed his sisters barging into his room whenever they wanted. The way his mom would call him down for dinner and on the occasion seeing his dad at the table, reading his tablet with a cup of coffee. He thought it would be liberating to be on his own. Having no one to pester him whenever he wanted but when he came here or when his friends left, he felt lonely.

Joshua wanted to ask Marceline to move in but he knew it wasn't right. This was a young stage of their relationship and she loved her grandmother to the moon and back. It was selfish to ask her to stay with him but he knew it would be hard taking her back home tomorrow. It was always hard for him to drop her off back home just to go back to an empty place with her scent in the air and all over his pillow. The only ways of communicating with her afterwards would be skype or texting, but it wasn't the same as hearing her laugh or smile in front of him. Hearing her belting out music from the the top of her lungs or watching her body sway perfectly in sync with the music.

When she stayed over, they never slept together. She slept in his head bed while he slept on the couch. Sometimes he wondered how it would feel falling asleep with her next to him but then he would remember back at the cabin, when she was unconscious in his arms and how he refused to let her go. He kept thinking she was dying or already was, he would keep pressing his ear to her chest to relieve himself. The beat of it was weak at the time, but it was still there. Just the thought of her not being awake in his arms now kind of scared him.

As he opened the door from his bathroom, he saw her sitting on his bed, kicking her feet in the air as she sat the edge of the blue blanketed bed. Her eyes looked up at him, her hand reaching out to him for him to grab. With a smile, he interlocked their hands and sat next to her, letting her rest her head comfortably on his shoulder. "Can you sleep with me?"

The way she asked was so innocent and almost made him afraid because his thoughts weren't, in fact nowhere near, innocent. It was already difficult seeing her sleeping his shirt, which he wasn't even sure why he found it attractive. Girls wearing oversize clothing that belonged to you just had a way at getting at you. Still, he had to answer her. He had swallowed, hard. "You… sure?" He asked and she had nodded in reply.

Marceline had crawled up the bed, climbing under the cover and rested her head on the right pillow. Joshua took a deep sigh, trying to keep himself together as he did the same. Her arms then wrapped themselves around him, pulling her face into his chest. His arms wound themselves around her as well, letting his hand rub the back of her head in slow, steady strokes.

There was something comforting about Joshua's smell that made Marceline believe that everything was fine. Even when she was afraid that their friendship had gone to the point of no return, his scent on the scarf he gave her had comforted her then. Her arms tightened their hold onto him, her faze nuzzling against his chest as she tried to blink back her tears. How could she honestly hope that things were fine when Hannah and Beth were still missing? It was easy to think the worse than it was to think the good. Her heart wanted her to grieve. It wanted her to cry, for hours, for days, and get it all out of her system but she felt like she was betraying them by just assuming they were dead. They could be alive. They could be.

Joshua's eyes widened when he felt his shirt becoming wet. "Mars, what's wrong?" He asked, knowing very well what was bothering her. He still wanted to ask her in case she wanted to talk. Talking was good. His old therapist taught him that.

"I'm angry." She admitted, "I'm sad. I feel guilty… And I don't know what to do." Her voice was shaky as he pulled away, making her look up at him as his hands pressed the sides of her face. The tears kept spilling, her nose twitching with each sniff. "I'm so angry, Josh. I'm so… angry." She gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself together. Marceline hated crying. She could proudly say she hated to cry. It always made her feel weak and to show this vulnerability made her feel even more weak.

His thumbs brushed under her eyes, wiping away her tears with a quick swipe. "I know." He said, knowing how she felt. "You don't want to be but you are. You feel useless, like, there's something you can do but you don't know what it is." Marceline nodded, feeling exactly as he said. He tried to give her a smile despite how hard it was. "You're not alone, you know."

"I know." Her voice was hushed, her throat taut and burning from crying. He didn't know to comfort her. It hurt him that he couldn't stop her tears and hearing her sobs made him feel much more guilty. He had drawn his face near hers, hesitating for a moment, unsure if he should perform the act of kissing her. He felt that he could comfort her through actions than words. Marceline returned to kiss, nearly feeling light headed the instant their lips met. Without thought, she pressed her lips, and her body, closer to him as the kiss lengthened; she didn't want any boundaries. She wanted comfort and she was seeking it through his touch.

He could feel the cushioned plush of her breasts through the shirt she wore, taking deep gasps every now and then between their kisses. If it felt this good with her body meshed up against his with clothes, just how perfect would feel to feel her nude form against his own? He positioned himself on top of her and her legs wrapped around his waist, tightly constricting his hips with her thighs. He felt relieved to know that she was seeking this desperate need of closeness, of comfort from each other.

His lips pried themselves away from hers, latching them in open-mouth kisses on her neck. His hand had slowly slid from under her shirt, his hand finding her breast, bare and without a bra. Her breast had fit perfectly in his hand; the soft, plushy flesh had made him harden even more as he could feel her nipple become harder with each brush of his palm. Her soft moans and sighs felt like music to his ears.

Desperately, he stripped her of her shirt and she had lifted his over his head hurriedly. He captured her lips again, her breasts now pressing harder against his chest. Every curve and indentation were frictioning together now, as they were rubbing and nearly fusing unbearably close.

He suddenly tried to rationalize, thinking that this wasn't right despite how fevered his mind was. He detached his lips from hers, resting his forehead against her own. "We should stop." He wanted her. He had her, right now, in a way he thought would never come due to their pain. Then there was the past surprise from before at how he thought he'd never be with her. Like she said, they hadn't been together for a long time and they haven't went on a decent date as she wanted. The sudden shift in their relationship wasn't supposed to happen like this. He never wanted Marceline to regret it.

Marceline fluttered her eyes open, staring at his closed eyes. She could tell it was taking a lot for him to hold himself back. Her hands had touched each side of his face, "If I wanted you to stop, I would've asked." A smile was on her lips, "I want this. I want you. I need you."

The lust in her voice was enough to snatch him out of this wary stupor he was in. His green eyes slowly looked in her brown ones, seeing reassurance and invitation. "Are you sure?" He asked and he was given a nod in reply. Joshua could remember the days when he would lay awake at night, alone, and imagine kissing her, touching her, and seeing her completely naked. Hundreds of times he had seen this scene play out in his mind, but actually having it was enough to worry him because he wasn't sure if this was just a fantasy anymore. His dreams and fantasies had a habit of slipping through reality, making him see things that weren't there.

The way her eyes gave him a pleading gaze was enough for Joshua to not hold back anymore. He wasn't sure if it was even possible for him to hold back at this point. The way he ravaged her lips was like an intense hellstorm of searing passion that they could only create and make ensnare one another, engulfing the both of them entirely.

Before she would've felt embarrassed to be naked under Josh, and him being naked above her. Marceline was inexperienced and gratefully so because had promised herself to her ex-boyfriend, but seeing how that came to a shitstorm, she was glad she was saved it for Joshua. If he was her first, she could think back of her first time fondly instead of blocking it out like a horrible memory.

It hadn't surprised her to see how well-toned Joshua was either. She could fondly remember times at the beach or that time she walked in on him working out at their High school's gym room with the boys. Nobody had stole her attention like he had, but this time, she would not look away shyly as she had before. Instead she drank in the sight before her, her gaze piercing and appreciate everything that she had saw.

He kissed her, much fiercer this time, but she whimpered since he broke the kiss again. But he did not break away completely from her—just her lips, and they made themselves give attention along her jaw and throat. A soft gasp escaped her as she felt him playfully bite where her neck and shoulder connected, nibbling on the skin, which was enough to make her want to press her thighs together from how unbelievably wet she became. Why was her neck her weakness? He smirked when he realized it too. He had done it again and she had arched upward, her jaw slacked as his tongue swiped over where he had bit her as if he was soothing it.

His mouth ventured down, his tongue moving to her chest but a little after he tasted her collarbone and kissed her throat again. Marceline wasn't fond of his teasing, leaving her keening softly and aching for more. He kissed around the soft mounds that were her breasts, nuzzling his face in between them, which made her face become a bright shade of red. She blushed as her eyes looked down to see the way he was staring at her nipples, and whined once his lips wrapped themselves around one of them.

The way he sucked it was gentle, and he knew she enjoyed it from the way she moaned and how her thighs would brush against his sides as she squirmed beneath him. His hand slowly trailed up her stomach and cupped her other breast, kneading it and loving the feel of how soft and warm it was under his palm and fingers.

If he kept this up, she would probably orgasm. Despite how good it felt, she wanted all of him, but she knew that he wanted to explore her. He wanted to understand every part of her so he could savor all of it in his memory. He kept venturing downward, leaving her breasts and kissing down the smooth plane of her stomach before making his way to her legs. Marceline wanted to clasp them, feeling shy suddenly, but finding the courage to let him do what he wanted. His fingertips ghosted over the skin of her thighs, making her shiver as they parted from his coaxing touches.

His eyes were steadily staring at her most intimate area. Her inner parts were swollen and wet, showing him how aroused she was. Joshua felt a tremendous boost to his ego at the sight of her so moist. A satisfied smirk displayed itself on his lips as he gently stroked her with his finger, pressing soft kisses on her inner thighs. His tongue glided across her swollen flesh, humming playfully as her fingers raked through his hair. The vibration of his hum made her quiver. Joshua enjoyed how Marceline drew his face in closer, and so with each moan that left her lips, he increased the intensity of his tongue. He let the pink muscle flicker swiftly while opening his mouth wider to have her honey-slicked core into his mouth.

His fingers gripped onto her ass, firmly squeezing the round flesh as he let his tongue slip into her moist cave; savoring the taste of her on his tongue. Her grip on his hair loosened and tightened repeatedly, wanting to pull him up to kiss him. With her unbearably wet slit in his mouth, she found it hard to control her lamenting moans. Her eyes were hooded, her bottom lip between her teeth as she began to chew it. His tongue was steadily lapping inside her, feeling her walls coil around his oral muscle.

After growing annoyed with his teasing, she didn't allow his tongue to linger inside her before she neared the edge. She pulled at his hair, forcing him to bring his face towards her own. Her eyes lingered towards his mouth as she freed his hair and let her hands cradle his face. There was a not a moment more of hesitancy as her mouth eagerly met his, turning her head to the other side while forcibly parting his lips to insert her tongue, running her tongue along his.

He liked her aggressiveness, it made his member throb and pre-cum ooze from the slit. The sense of gentleness of her hands cradling his face made his stomach tighten in a knot, especially when they locked lips. Her tongue swirled around his in a playful dance that he was persistent on not losing. His hands rested at her waist, becoming enthralled with her twice as much as ever was before with her. His lust for her heightening to a new high he didn't even think was possible. Annoyed, he realized they didn't have a condom on and searched in the drawer next to him if he had one.

Relieved, he had one and was ready to rip it apart, but the look on her face was warning him to not be savage. As soon as it was free of the packet, he had slid it on and she watched with hungry eyes. He was glad when he could finally return to her and brushed the tip of his hardened length between her wet folds, slowly inching himself inside of her. He moaned into her mouth as her tightness made his cock throb wildly as her maidenhood slowly loosened to fit his girth.

Joshua couldn't wait nor stop himself, he started to immediately thrust inside her; too indulged in the sensation that was he unable to control nor want to while gyrating inside of her. Her hands slid down his face and rested on his shoulders, sinking her fingers in and allowing her nails to graze against his skin. Due to how hot and slippery it was, she didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain. Her legs were wrapped around his waist again as if to tell him he wasn't allowed to leave her.

Him being inside her felt amazing.

Her panting and cries of ecstasy was muffled against his mouth, her face flushed as her body was filled and pumping with exhilaration. Her arms then wrapped themselves around his neck, pressing him so close that his chest was crushing down on her breasts. Experimentally, she tried to focus on his movements and tried to mimic them, letting her hips meet his as she tried to catch on to his rhythm.

The tight fit of her caused his body to arch to secure a comfortable fit deep inside as he continued his pace, carving the inside of vaginal walls that coiled tightly around his shaft. He was surprised when she motioned her hips to be in sync with his rhythm. Prying their lips apart, he pressed his lips against her ear. "You know, you can scream as loud as you want to." His voice was dangerously velvety smooth, his hands gripping her backside tightly as he continued to thrust deeply inside of her.

Marceline hated how around his words made her more aroused and how her quickly body responded. Her moans increased in volume, especially when his cock pounded relentlessly on the bottom of her womb. With each thrust, her back arched further and her walls diligently clung onto him in efforts to milk him of all he had. Her hardened peaks slid against his sweaty, wet chest only to heightened her pleasure, and kept her expression alight from gratification. "F-Fuck…" A soft, mangled cry escaped her as her hips would move back and forth against him, letting him continuously kiss her womb and clench herself tightly against his member.

Their breaths mingled; a heavy haze clouding her mind as she stared absently at the ceiling. "J-Joshua…" Her muscles were tightening as she was becoming light-headed, knowing that she wouldn't last much longer under his spearing assault.

The way her body connected with his was amazing; it was almost as if the two were perfectly matched for each other. Joshua's breathing hitched as her walls tightened even more around him. Marceline moaned desperately as his pace quickened and became more feral and unending, which only made him go deeper and harder and brought her instantaneously to an orgasm. Her body had frozen abruptly, becoming rigid as her lips halted open in a silent shout. Her body trembled and shook with aftershocks.

A white hot blinding coursed from his shaft throughout his body as he gritted his teeth. Joshua started to thrust frenziedly and relentlessly as he felt her orgasm, his head pounding on to her womb as his lips parted. His breathing increased as he exhaled heavily as he climaxed. It almost felt as if she couldn't get enough air as her legs untangled themselves from around his waist despite feeling weak and shaky.

His body fell tiredly next to her, gathering her in his arms as they were both desperately to fill themselves with air. Her head rested on top of his chest, hearing his heart beating so erratically. She smiled upon hearing it as her eyes lazily looked into nothingness.

"So…" His voice was soft, and even she dare say innocent. "How was it?" Marceline lifted her head off his chest, quirking a brow as she looked at him. "What? I wanna know." A sexy smirk had crept along his lips.

She had enough strength to reach and grab a pillow, smacking him with it. "You arrogant prick." She chuckled, "It was amazing, okay?" She had let go of the pillow, watching him move the pillow from his face.

He was satisfied by her answer. He gave her a smile and tenderly stroked her shoulder, her eyes showing contentment and he was happy to see it. "Y'know," she listened to him, "I don't think I've had enough yet."

"W-What?!" She was definitely sure she could handle another round. "Josh, please." She whimpered as he rolled on top of her, placing firm yet sweet kisses along her throat. "You s-stupid jerk!"

:::

Joshua was relentless.

Marceline had to hide from him, taking refuge in the bathroom by taking a long bath. She was sure that she was beyond the word sore, but she did have the best sleep she ever had in the past few weeks. Marceline enjoyed waking up to see him and having her face peppered with kisses. It was the hungry look in his eyes that made her run. She felt comforted by his touch and realized that it did help her forget about everything, but she would end up feeling guilty whenever the temporary high would end. It couldn't make her escape the grim reality they were living it but at least it did relieve her from it for a little while.

Her mind was racing with scenarios and if she could control herself with this "Welcome Home" party that was being thrown for her. It would be the first time seeing this group of friends of hers since she was awake. There were so many things she wanted to say and so many things that she felt, that she wasn't sure if she could keep her composure. Marceline knew she was going to blow her lid. That much she knew more than anything else. This party would go sour, but she promised herself that she would try her best to keep herself calm for Joshua. He thought it would be good for her to see them. She didn't tell him how angry she was at them. That a good portion of her rage was towards them.

After her bath, she slipped into a purple t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Joshua's studio apartment was relatively warm but a bit nippy, and so she put on a black cardigan that reached her upper thighs. She didn't worry about shoes since she slipped herself into the grey slippers that Joshua bought for her since she couldn't keep stealing his.

Marceline pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, letting stray hairs frame the sides of her face as she walked out of the bathroom, knowing better than to change in front of Joshua since he couldn't control himself after last night. It was much more difficult to walk than it was before and she was glad her wheelchair was waiting for her outside the door. He would have to bring it downstairs after he helped her down soon. At the moment, he was just putting on his shirt when she left the bathroom, and he smiled when he saw her.

"You really had to lock the bathroom door?" He gave her a teasing grin as he watched her eyes widened.

"You tried to come in?!" Furrowing her brows, she shook her head. "You're a real horndog, you know that?"

Walking over, he kissed the top of her forehead. "When you have a sexy girlfriend, its hard not to be."

"Wow, you have such a way with words, Joshua." She replied rather sarcastically, smiling from the feel of his lips against her forehead. "You'll have to carry me and this chair downstairs."

"You're not going to try and walk down them this time?" He asked but then gave her a grin, "Or that's because you can't after last night?"

Flustered, she smacked his side. "You know exactly why, butthole. C'mon!"

Scooping her up into his arms, she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as he carefully went down the steps. He walked her towards the sofa and gently sat her down. His lips then attacked her own, not relenting in the slightest. Despite how much she fought and claimed how tired she was, she always caved when she felt his lips on hers. Her arms snaked themselves around him as he lowered her down onto the sofa, climbing on top of her.

A sudden knock on the door broke their attention and Marceline gazed up at him. "They'll come back, right?" He asked rather playfully.

"Josh, go open the door." She pushed him off of her as he rolled his eyes. Sighing, he walked towards the door and opened it.

"Cochise, lookin' good." Chris has walked in with a bag in his hand, wearing a light jacket and giving Joshua what he called the 'bro hug'.

"What's up, bro?" He greeted him before setting his blue eyes on Marceline. "Mar, you're looking good." He said as he walked over and she gave him a friendly hug. He rubbed her back, making her smile at the warming comfort she felt from it "I missed you, ya know."

"Thanks Chris." Marceline's eyes crinkled as she smiled, "I missed you too, and your lame jokes. I could hear them while I was asleep."

"Are you saying my awesomeness is what woke you?" Chris then looked at Josh, "Where is my thanks for waking up, Mar?"

Marceline chuckled, shaking her head. "If that was the case, I would've woke up earlier to tell you to shut up."

He hung his head dejectedly, in a playful way, before giving her the small gift bag. "Here ya go. This just a little somethin' to show you how happy I am that you're all good again."

"What is it?" Marceline asked, not looking inside first.

"Oh yeah, you don't like surprises." Chris said, actively remembering the time he got punched in the gut for trying to scare her. "I don't want to say but it's something that'll make you smile. I'll leave it at that."

Confused, and excited, she had reached into the bag and pulled out what looked to be a new wallet but it was a red, chibi Wonder Woman clutch wallet. "Oh my God! Chris, this is fucking adorable!" Nearly tackling him to the ground, she gave him a tight hug. "You remembered I needed a new one."

"I saw you staring at it at that one store, so I remembered when I went by there and got it for you." He explained patting her back. He helped her back on a sofa and stood up. "Better watch out, Josh. From the way Marceline was acting, she can't resist me. I'm just too good." He popped his collar, which made her cringe. "Playa playaaaaa~"

"I'm sooo frightened." Joshua teased as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

Chris had combed his fingers through his spiked up hair, "I'm glad to see you looking better though, Josh."

Marceline's expression softened at that, her eyes glancing over towards her boyfriend who smiled at his friend's words. "Thanks, bro."

Another knock came from the door, Chris handing Marceline a piece of candy that he had in his coat pocket while Joshua was distracted. She could rely on Chris giving her the good since Joshua slightly monitored what she ate. He tried to cut junky foods from her diet for a while since her iron was at an all time low during the night at the lodge. Samantha had came through the door with Matthew and Ashley following behind. Both Matthew and Ashley looked afraid to look her in her in the eyes as they came in. Matthew immediately hung his head while Ashley tried to shield her face with her hair.

Despite how pissed she wanted to be, she could tell those two were genuine with their apologies. It was hard being frustrated at them anyway when they looked like wounded puppies. Samantha had came rushing over, giving her a tight hug. Marceline had returned it, feeling any resentment she felt towards Sam that night melt away. Samantha, from what Josh explained, was against the prank and regretted not fighting hard enough to stop them from hurting Hannah. She was also constantly there for Joshua while she was in her coma. At least she didn't want to do it and she stayed so strongly supportive, and that was more than enough for Marceline.

"You look great." She said, brushing the side of Marceline's head with her hand. Samantha had a way of acting motherly meets supportive big sister. And because Marceline never had any siblings, she assumed that this was how it felt to have one.

"Thanks Sam. I feel great." She nodded and gave her a warm smile, "How are you?"

"I'm alright. Don't worry about me, I haven't been through as much as you have. You're all I'm worried about right now." Marceline held Samantha's hands, giving them a squeeze.

The brunette shook her head at the blonde's words, "Well, I'm worried about you. I know you miss Hannah." She kept her voice low so nobody else could hear and intrude in their conversation. "Its hard for you too."

For the first time, she could see Samantha's green eyes express their sadness. Samantha was strong, able to pull herself together quicker than anyone. She was always composed and unafraid, tackling things head on, and just to see that glimpse of sadness and fear in her eyes was enough to make Marceline want to cry. Even heroes need heroes, right?

Sam pulled her into for another tight embrace, and Marceline returned it in kind. It felt good to find comfort in someone who knew how it felt to lose a best friend. And it also felt good to not be mad at someone who was a good friend. Joshua smiled upon the sight of the two before joining back in the conversation with Matt and Chris.

"Here, I got you a gift." Sam said once she pulled away, pulling out a green gift bag.

She dug into the and pulled out what looked to be a picture frame. Her brown eyes became glassy, her lips parted, as she looked at the picture and then back up at Sam. The blonde-haired girl had gingerly rubbed her arm, seeing Marceline fighting back tears all over again.

The picture was of her, Sam, Beth, and Hannah at the beach. Their arms were linked as they were sporting their swimsuits that they all bought at the mall together. Marceline remembered that day like it was yesterday. She remembered how it started to rain right in the middle of them sunbathing on their towels. Beth was super pissed because she had been planning for them to go to the beach for three weeks because each time one of them been too busy to go.

Her arms wrapped themselves around Sam again. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Sam."

Sam returned it again and then linked their arms, changing to topic to something happier. Marceline was grateful for that, and couldn't stop smiling in Sam's presence. Matthew and Ashley were slowly making their way towards her, trying not to piss her off by the slightest step. Ashley pushed Matthew to go first, which he nervously tried to own up to.

Sam looked up at Matt and then at Marceline, trying to decipher how she was going to take this. For the most part, Marceline seemed calm and opened to talking. He slowly sat down on the other side of her. "I know you hate me. You have every reason to after what I did, but I'm glad to see you're awake and okay."

Marceline hated how much she couldn't hate Matt. He apologized over and over while she was asleep and constantly promised her that he was going to own up mistakes. He even spoke about Beth and how he missed her, and how hard it was since they weren't prepping for UCLA together anymore. Matthew recorded the prank for God's sake but he was actually regretful. Her eyes focused on him, hearing him trying to reassure her that he would earn her friendship back the right way. Marceline could always see why Beth liked him. That girl really liked him. As Beth's best friend, and knowing what she would want Marceline to forgive him, and that's why she decided to take that step towards him.

"Matt, calm down." She patted his shoulder. "We're still cool."

He looked so relieved and he let out a long sigh. He looked so relieved and so happy. "You don't know how good it feels to hear you say that."

Smiling, she pulled Matthew into a hug. "It feels good to see you, Matt. And you look like you've gained some muscles." She squeezed his arm when they released from the hug. "Preppin' for joining the Bruins, huh?"

"Hell yeah!" He said excited, sporting that smile she liked seeing him have. "You have to attend my games."

"Definitely." She promised, "I don't know shit about football but I'll definitely support you. I'll also be ready to knockout who ever tackles you!"

Chuckling, he gave her a smile. "I don't doubt that, but please don't."

Ashley had gained some confidence, slowly taking a seat next to met. "Hey Marceline..." Her fingers were fiddling together, her eyes afraid to keep looking at her but trying their best to focus on her. She looked like a rabbit, shaking in her little boots and Marceline found herself adoring how scared she was of her. Did Marceline really seem all that threatening?

"Ash, its just me." Reaching over, she grabbed the redhead's hand. "I'm not gonna bite you."

"I know but you were so angry at me." The words just kept spilling out, "And you had every reason to and then I was so scared you weren't going to wake up and then the whole prank was just so, so stupid! It was the stupidest, literally the most dumbest, thing I have ever done and—"

"Ash." Marceline interrupted her, "Stop." Ashley's lips formed a frown as her eyes looked down at the floor. "I know you're sorry. I'm still pissed, I'm not going to lie." She explained, "But I know you're sorry, and you don't have to keep apologizing. It'll be a while before I forgive anyone, but we're still friends, y'know?"

Ashley looked relieved, her eyes glassy with tears and Marceline pulled her in for a hug. She gave her a few pats before letting go, "Okay, no more tears and stuff, please? It is not making me feel welcomed." Chuckling, Ashley nodded and wiped the corner of her eyes with a quick swipe of her fingers.

The air in the room was calm, for now. Marceline busied herself with catching up with Sam, Matthew and Ashley. Hearing what they were doing was a good distraction from the storm she knew was going to come when the next three people came. She wasn't prepared to see them because she was so scared she was going to immediately lash out. It felt like the right thing to do, honestly. Maybe she just needed to get everything off her chest or else she would bottle it all in. "When your legs get better," Sam said, breaking her out of concentration, "how about we go rock climbing like we promised?"

"Oh," She honestly forgot about all of that. That was even hard to think about after everything that happened, "yeah. Definitely." She nodded as she grabbed onto Sam's hand. The blonde gave it a squeeze, smiling at her. Samantha was so easy to lean on. It came instinctively, "Is it okay if I call you sometimes?"

"Are you really asking me that?" Sam asked, her eyebrow quirked. "We're friends, Marceline. You can call me anytime."

"I know but…" Marceline shook her head rather absently, "I need to know if I'll be too much."

That faraway look in her brown eyes worried Sam. Giving her another tight squeeze, she tried to sound reassuring as possible. "Anytime."

A knock came from the door and Marceline could hear her heart racing. Her eyes looked to their corners as Chris opened the door, "Mike, Em, and Jess!" He greeted them, getting a half a hug from Michael as they all entered the room and Jessica holding a cake in her hands.

Emily looked rather awkward, standing in her grey sweater dress with her arms behind her. She seemed as if she had no idea what to say while Marceline felt like she had millions. Jessica didn't notice the tension, or at least ignored it, and placed the cake on the table before walking towards her. "Nice to see you awake, babe." She tried to sound as happy as ever.

In Marceline's mind, she was just seeing Hannah's terrified face all over again; her scream repeating over and over and over…

It left her feeling numb and she couldn't even force herself to smile. "Thanks Jess." Her voice was low, distant sounding and Jessica immediately took note of it.

Samantha tried to smooth things over while helping her up, she leaned on the blonde for support as they walked over towards the table where the cake was. "Looks pretty snazzy, doesn't it? For Jessica to hate calories, she sure cooks a mean cake."

It was red velvet. Beth's favorite.

Marceline forced herself to look away, feeling like she was being suffocated. Her eyes kept blinking to bat away any tears that threatened to pool in her eyes or fall. It was hard. It was insanely hard to act like she was okay.

"Mar," Michael's voice made her jaw shut tight, "it's good to see you. Really good."

Her eyes met his and she could tell he meant it but all that came across her mind was Hannah's smile that was only meant for him. That dreamy gaze in her eyes and her heart on her lips. The way they shined for him. And he was the one to help put the knife in her heart; his did the most damage than Jessica and Emily's pettiness.

"Yeah…" She replied rather bitterly, "thanks."

Samantha frowned. She always wondered if Marceline had truly got over that night when she basically wanted to tear Michael a new one and she could tell that Marceline was definitely not over it. In her mind, that happened just yesterday, probably. How could she get over it? The wound was still fresh. It was still fresh for all of them but they were pretending as if everything was fine. Like nothing ever happened.

"Babe," Joshua's voice broke her out of her trance, "are you alright? Do you need your chair?" His hands cradled her face very gently, his eyes showing their concern.

Her lips curled up in a halfhearted smile. "I'm alright."

He definitely knew she was lying.

It was written all over her face.

Samantha had then looked at Josh, giving him a look that said to 'take care of her'. He took heed of it and grabbed her hand, letting her lean on him while Samantha tried to smooth things over with Michael and Jessica by distracting them. "If you didn't want to see them then you should've told me." He whispered, leading her near the steps so that they could talk privately.

Marceline looked up at him, "And why are you so okay to see them? Aren't you angry?"

"Of course I am." He answered, "But I'm doing this for you."

Did he think she wanted everyone together? She only accepted this because she thought that this would make him and everyone else happy. Marceline, at the moment, could give two fucks about three of the people in this studio apartment. She was halfway getting over her anger for Matthew and Ashley.

"Marce, can I talk to you?" The both of them had looked at Emily, "Just for a second."

Joshua glanced back at his girlfriend who gave a him a nod for him to go so they could talk. He gave a squeeze to her shoulder and looked back, worried.

"I'm a bitch, I know—" Emily began to say.

"That's not even the half of it." Marceline cut in. "Continue."

Furrowing her brows, slightly agitated, Emily sighed and continued. "It was just a prank, Marce. Nobody knew how badly Hannah was going to react to it. It was just to get her to stop pining over Mike. How would you feel if someone was giving Josh the googly eyes? Not happy, I bet!"

"There were a million ways you could've done it without using her feelings, Emily." Her retort was sharp, "How would you feel if a guy you liked since the 6th grade wanted to talk to you, alone, and this what was you thought was the greatest chance you were ever going to get to with be with him?" Her voice rose, capturing everyone's attention. Michael and Jessica had gazed them, guilty. "How would you feel if all of us were hiding, one of us recording it, just to see the reaction that he doesn't even fuckin' like you, Emily? How the fuck would you feel then?!"

Shaking her head, she rubbed her temples more so out of disbelief than anger. "I just don't fucking get how all of you think it is okay to play with someone's feelings?" She asked, "Like, how the fuck do you think Hannah was just going to laugh it off? How was she supposed to react? Like, "Haha, thanks for embarrassing me in front of the boy I fucking love. Good one guys! Rewind that shot of hurt on my face over again for laughs!" Hannah just didn't just like Mike, she was in love with him."

Michael's eyes lowered to the floor as Marceline continued on. "So, yeah, maybe Hannah should've gave up. She should've been mindful that Mike was with you. I totally understand that! She should've gave up a long fuckin' time ago if you ask me. Ain't nothing goddamn special about Mike, it's not like his dick or his heart is made of fuckin' gold."

Chris snorted, looking away to try not to laugh. "It may have been just a prank but you would tear someone's throat out if they did that to you. Hannah isn't like that! Hannah is very, very vulnerable and easily hurt. We all knew this. We all knew how sensitive she is. Hannah is so sweet. So, so sweet. She…" Bawling up her fists, she took a deep breath, "she did not deserve to be humiliated like that! And now look, she's gone. Missing. Beth too. Both of them are missing! They're somewhere on at that mountain, in the fucking cold, and we have no idea how they are or where they're at!"

Sniffing, she wiped any hot tear that managed to slip out of her eye. "And every single day, I have to live with the fact that I couldn't save them. I couldn't save them!" Joshua had ran over, trying to calm her in an embrace but she shook her head and pushed him away. "You think I want to sit here and party and eat fucking cake?! My best friend is missing! My Bethy-boo, my Hannie, are gone and nobody knows where hell they are! Joshua doesn't have his fucking sisters because his friends did the dumbest, shittiest prank!"

"You know who is not celebrating coming home?! The ones who should be home! Hannah and Beth! They're not eating fucking cake, and why is that?! Because of a fucking prank!"

Panting, she shook her head. She was definitely feeling lightheaded and Samantha grabbed her arm as soon as she began to feel woozy. Resting her face in her palm, she shook her head. "I'm alright, Sam. I just can't deal with this. I can't do this. I can't…"

"I know, I know." She cooed, rubbing her back. "Guys, I think the party is over. Jess, you should probably take the cake with you even though it looks great."

The apartment slowly emptied save for Samantha, Chris, and Joshua. Chris had told Ashley and Matthew to go home even though Marceline had said she forgiven them but just in case her anger got the best of her. Marceline had wrapped her arms around Sam, burying her face in her shoulder and let out a good, much needed wail.

---

Author's Note: All these references in this chapter. This is the longest chapter yet. Phew!

I like how this chapter goes from "whoa" to "awe fluff" to "angsty fluff" to "hot damn" to "oh, shit's going down."

I was half tempted to make her shove a cake in someone's face. Lmao. I don't know who it would've been, but they were going to get a face full.

Every time I'm writing Josh's POV, for the next chapter, I keep thinking about Mr. Robot and I have to keep telling myself that Elliot and Josh are TWO different characters and its freakin' hard. My brain won't stop. They have so many similarities other than Rami, and so it is hard to tell myself that they aren't the same person.

But yes, we're going to get to see his side of things before the one year anniversary. So, you'll get an explanation of his mental process, how Marceline doesn't know his plan, and everything else.