Disclaimer: Yup, not mine. Any of it.


Chapter Seven- Chasing After You

"I'm desperate for changing

I'm starving for truth

I'm closer to where I've started

I'm chasing after you

I'm falling even more in love with you

Letting go of all I've held onto

I'm standing here until you make me move

I'm hanging by a moment here with you

I'm living for the only thing I know

I'm running and not quite sure where to go

And I don't know what I'm diving into

Just hanging by a moment here with you"

Lifehouse- "Hanging By A Moment"


Leah wasn't sure whether or not to follow her, but in the end she did. The clacking of her heels was the only sound in the house. She wanted to take them off, but she didn't want to hurt Alice's feelings.

She walked into Alice's room to find her laying on the bed with tears running down her face. "Alice, you don't have to grow up so fast." She said, sitting next to her.

Alice wiped her eyes. "I know, it's just…." She sighed. "This is my punishment. My parents left me here alone for the weekend hoping that I would pray to God for the monsters in my closet not to get me." She laughed bitterly. "I just have to know, what it's like. What you're like." She said, looking up at Leah.

The need in her eyes caused Leah to shiver. Leah looked at her. "Alice, you know I can't stay here. I have to go, get out of this town."

Alice bit her lip. "I can go with you."

Leah stood up too quickly, pain shot through her leg, but she ignored it. "No, not a fucking chance."

"Why not?" Alice asked.

"Because, you have a life here, you have so much to live for. You don't need to tag along with me and end it so soon."

Alice glared at her. "It's my life, shouldn't I get a choice in when it ends?"

Leah shook her head. "No, because if you're choice is to follow me, I won't let you. In fact, I need to go now. The train will be coming soon."

Alice panicked. "No!" She latched onto Leah's waist.

Leah sighed. "Alice, let me go. I have to get out of here. Do you want me to get caught?"

"No, but I don't want you to go without me, either." Alice whimpered.

Leah bit back tears. "Alice. Your parents will be home tomorrow."

"So?"

"I have to go."

"No, you don't Leah."

"Okay, I'll just stay here, then. I'm sure if I'm real quiet your parents won't notice me sitting here." She said sarcastically.

"The train doesn't come by here until around midnight. You can hear the whistle from here, so you have awhile before you have to leave." Alice said. She couldn't explain the feeling, but she didn't want Leah to go without her. Leah wouldn't admit this, but she didn't want to leave without Alice, either.

Leah sat next to Alice on the bed and gently placed her hands on Alice's face. "Alice." She whispered.

Alice turned her tear stained ivory face up to meet Leah's eyes. Leah's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her.

She smiled a little. "Alice, I want you to come with me, believe me, but you have so much more to do. I don't, my life is over. I killed two people, and if the cops find me, they won't ask me what happened. They'll just kill me. Just another red-skinned savage they won't have to worry about."

Alice's heart sank further into her chest at Leah's words. She reached up and took Leah's hands from her face and held onto them tightly. "I would have done the same." She whispered.

Leah looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I would have killed them if they had done that to me." Alice replied, looking into Leah's eyes. She meant what the words she had just spoken, there was zero doubt in her mind that she would have done the same as Leah had.

Leah didn't answer her. She didn't want to believe that her sweet little Alice, who was so innocent and pure, would have been in the situation Leah had. She didn't want to think about Alice being beaten and raped, then pushed out on the side of the road like she was trash. She didn't want to imagine Alice stumbling back to the bar and killing the men who had abused her. She bit down on her tongue to keep from crying.

She couldn't imagine Alice being in her position. Leah felt this insistent need to protect Alice, to make sure that nothing ever happened to her and the best way to do that was to leave her so that she wouldn't be caught up in Leah's crime.

Leah was trying to think of what to say to Alice when a train whistle sounded in the distance. Leah's head snapped up. "No, it's too early. You said midnight!" She yelled at Alice.

Alice shrank back and looked down. Leah jumped up and limped from the room as fast as she could. She made it to the bottom of the stairs, when her foot caught on the bottom step and she tripped. Her hands shot out to break her fall. She landed face down on the hardwood floor and she started to crawl to the door.

Alice's footfalls were heard on the stairs behind her. Leah pushed herself up and pressed her back to the wall next to the front door. Alice knelt down next to her and put her arms around Leah's neck.

"Why did you lie to me?" Leah asked.

"I don't want you to go." Alice said.

Warmth spread through Leah's body. She was so happy that Alice wanted her that much, but Leah had to get away from this place. She put her hand on Alice's elbow and leaned her head against Alice's.

Alice pulled Leah closer to her. They sat in silence, enjoying the warmth and comfort the other offered.

After a while, Alice stood up and pulled Leah to her feet. Leah's leg was killing her from the fall, so Alice helped her up the stairs and change into pajamas.

Leah lay down on the bed; her breathing was a little quicker than normal. Alice lifted the hem of Leah's nightgown and began to change Leah's bandage. She looked closer into the wound and realized something.

"The bullet's still in there." She said. "You have to get that out soon or you'll get an infection."

Leah didn't answer, so Alice just finished putting the bandage on. Leah was already asleep when Alice stood up. She backed up, never taking her eyes off of Leah, and sat down on the floor at the end of the bed, her back against the wall. She wasn't the least bit tired, she was too afraid that Leah would wake up and leave without her knowing.

Alice pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs. She rested her chin on her knees and watched Leah sleep the whole night away.


A/N: Sigh. Only ONE review for my last chapter. I was thinking about doing a trilogy for this story, this being part one, but if no one's reading this I won't do it. Thanks so much WhiteTiger18 for reviewing. I posted a Jasper and Edward one-shot if anyone wants to read it and please go read my friend's story. It's called "Mistletoe" and it's by Tifa .Loveless We are sisters through slash! ;) -Loveless-