TAGS INCLUDED/ADDED: (Eating Disorder! Arguments! Crying!)

Won't be long.

In the last year, a lot had happened. Jack had moved into the apartment on Evans street permanently, Merritt moved to Chicago for a while, Daniel moved to Vegas to do some more shows and Henley moved to L.A. Henley quite frequently did small shows, and some large ones, while she stayed in L.A. Originally, she was born in L.A, so it was nice to get back to her home roots.

While Henley enjoyed the slowed down life for the first few months, she missed having the boys with her. Merritt's constant sarcastic jokes, Jack's childish, innocent humour and she even missed Daniel's need for control. But after the 3rd month had passed, Henley found herself longing for a sense of chaos again. Running from the FBI for a year did that to you. So, she did something about it.

Henley arranged for Merritt, Jack and Daniel to have a meet up in L.A for a month. When Henley broached the idea, all of them seemed excited. Jack was through the roof, more than happy that he could leave his "shitty, deadbeat job in the local corner shop" and Merritt was more than willing to: He'd gotten a call-centre job, which was apparently really boring. Merritt and Jack could get flights on the same day, but would arrive at vastly different times. Jack was scheduled to leave at 11 am, and is scheduled to land at 5pm, and he'd probably be at hers by 7. Merritt was scheduled to leave at 8 am, and is scheduled to land at land at 12:30pm, and would probably be at hers by 2ish. Daniel had shows booked for the first week of their visit, so he wouldn't be able to come out until the following week.

Merritt and Jack had arrived safely and had settled nicely. They'd done the Santa Monica pier and chilled out at Santa Monica beach, but they mainly stayed at Henley's house. Henley had a small pool built into her garden, so they mostly hung out there. Henley had rung Daniel at least 4 times a week in the lead up to the visit. She'd tried asking him normal questions, but all he ever did was boast about a new chick he'd slept with or how well his show went.

Merritt had called Henley through to her living room, sounding worried. "It's not another snake is it? If it is, stay calm and leave the room. Make sure you shut the door again!" She called as she wondered through. You'd be surprised to know how many snakes Henley had seen in her house in the last 4 months. "No, it's not a snake! It's Daniel's show on TV!" Henley raised an eyebrow as she pushed through to the front room. She made her way through and sat down on her leather sofa and watched the tv. Henley suddenly knew why Merritt sounded worried.

Even from the TV, 270 miles away, Henley could see how sick he looked. Not like he had a cold sick, but "I've not taken care of myself" sick.

Henley could see how thin he looked, and how lifeless his hair was. "God, he looks so ill, Merritt." Henley couldn't help but think how much he'd forgotten to look after himself. Merritt nodded. "I know… he's due to land tomorrow, isn't he?" Henley nodded, biting her fingernail.

Daniel landed at about 11 am, and Henley made sure she picked him up. When she hugged him, she could feel all of his bones. "Danny, have you been eating?" She asked, poking his ribs. Daniel flinched back and pulled his coat tighter around his body. "Yes, Henley. Can we go now? I'm cold,"

Henley didn't say that it was 25 degrees. (77 farenheight)

When they were in the car, neither of them said anything. Henley was concerned over the lack of words pouring from Daniels mouth. Daniel looked like he was desperately trying not to puke, so Henley didn't say anything. Only once they'd pulled into her drive, did Henley speak. "Daniel, are you ok?" Henley asked, not looking at him. "I'm fine, Henley. I had flu last week. I'm still getting over it."

Judging by his weight, he did not have flu last week. Daniel clearly hadn't been eating anything for a little while. His face suddenly blanched, and he hurried out of the car and into the house.

Henley sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes. She got out of the car and grabbed Daniel's bags before making sure it was locked and going into the house.

Daniel never actually surfaced from the guest room for the rest of the evening. Henley had told herself that he was sleeping from the time difference, but a nagging feeling inside told her he wasn't. After Jack and Merritt had retired to the other guest room, Henley walked into Daniel's room.

She frowned when she saw it was empty, and undisturbed. That means he'd never been in. Suddenly, a loud retching sounded through the empty hallway. Henley grimaced and weighed up her options.

On one hand, she absolutely loathed germs. There was a reason she wore gloves all the time. On the other hand, Daniel was her friend, and he clearly needed help.

Henley sighed deeply and prepared herself for the worst. She gently knocked on the door. Nothing happened, so she pushed the door open. Henley couldn't help the fury that coursed through her veins. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Henley yelled.

When she'd walked in, Daniel was bent over the toilet, with two fingers rammed down his throat. Daniel had then gagged painfully, sending a stream of bile into the toilet before looking up at Henley. "Fuck off, Henley… I don't want to talk about it." Henley's eyes had widened. "I do!" She yelled.

At this point, Daniel had stood up, facing her. His face was white, and he shook like a leaf. "It's none of your business!" Daniel yelled back. "What are ya'll yelling for? It's 2 in the goddam morning!" Merritt asked as he trudged in, Jack following quickly behind. "Daniel's been purging!" Henley answered the unspoken question. "Whats purging?" Jack asked. Merritt turned to him and whispered in his ear. Jack's eyes widened before he addressed Daniel. "Dude, why would you do that? Isn't that like… bad for you?" Daniel shuddered before storming out of the bathroom. They all followed him. He abruptly stopped in his tracks and shivered. "Daniel, I didn't mean to get so angry, but why are you doing this?" Henley asked, reaching out for his shoulder.

Daniel whipped around, tears rolling down his face. "I said, I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone." Henley grabbed his (too) boney wrist before she looked him in the eyes. "Daniel, we can help you, just tell us why!" Daniel snatched his wrist away and shut his bedroom door.

Henley didn't sleep that night. She was too concerned for Daniel's physical and mental wellbeing. She snuck in during the night to make sure Daniel wasn't purging again. Instead, he was shivering underneath several layers of blankets. Henley had gently shook him awake. Daniel inhaled sharply, before realising who it was. "Henley, I'm really not in the mood for your questions right now." He said, before turning on his side. "I came in because you were shivering. I wanted to know if you wanted anything? Any blankets or extra radiators?" She asked. "No," Daniel replied, not looking at her. Henley nodded, and slowly left the room. Just before she shut the door, Daniel spoke again. "A heating pad? Do you have one?" His voice sounded so broken and fragile.

Henley smiled sadly, but knew he couldn't see her. "Sure, no problem…"