An hour earlier...

Honey held onto Tiffany's waist, guiding and supporting her as best as she could as they stepped onto the elevator from the club floor. As intoxicated as Tiffany was, she still handled herself well, and Honey had seen her worse off... But by the sound of her bitter laughter, Honey knew her emotions were not so well handled.

"Did you see their faces?" Tiffany huffed as they stepped off the elevator. "I thought Jazzi was going to -"

"Slap you unconscious?" Honey snapped.

Tiffany laughed harder, and Honey heard the hurt beneath the surface. She had to get her out of here, away from them...all she had to do was get her down to the alley exit...

She tried to quicken their steps as they got closer to the alley door. She was afraid, felt it rushing through her veins like ice water as if the bastards were right behind them. Why did Tiffany have to have such a mouth?

She didn't know what Tiffany had said to them, but by the looks on their faces, Tiffany had hit a big nerve -

"Boots should be here any minute -"

"Boots?" TIffany asked, her anger breaking as she looked at Honey's face. The hopeful look in her glassy eyes touched Honey's fear-soaked heart. Her face lit up and said it all: Jack.

Their long silk gowns tangled around their legs as Honey opened the alley door, the wind cutting through them. They tucked against each other, shivering instantly. They didn't have time to grab their coats, only their purses.

"I called him a minute ago, remember?" Honey sighed and muttered under her breath, "I wasn't about to ask Jazzi to take us home -"

"Fuck her," Tiffany spat through her chattering teeth, goosebumps appearing on her exposed skin.

Honey readjusted their purses on her shoulder, searching for her phone as they stood on the stair landing with the noises of the city echoing off the walls around them. Tiffany grabbed the railing and leaned against it, her hair falling out of its intricate bun as it whipped around her face and long sparkly earrings. She ripped the jewelry out of her earlobes.

"Oh man," Honey scanned the missed messages on her phone…"They're looking for us," she stated, her eyes narrowing.

"Let them," Tiffany said. "F-fucking assholes -"

Honey looked up at the sound of jewelry hitting the ground and quickly reached out to steady her friend - Tiffany leaned back against her and Honey saw her eyes...dark and dilated.

Her brow furrowed, "Tiff - ?"

Tiffany's feet, steady until now, bent beneath her. Honey, in five inch heels, fought to hold her upright before she fell onto her legs - Tiffany had suddenly become dead weight.

She saw the way Tiffany moved, her hands and arms suddenly moving strangely, slowly, unable to do anything.

"Something's wrong -" Honey's voice caught in her throat, suddenly tight like her chest.

"I ff...f-feel strrraan - strraannnge…"

Tiffany's voice dragged and gurgled in her throat. She slid down to the ground and Honey lowered her onto her side.

"Oh my god - Tiff?! Tiffany stay with me -"

Headlights flashed around the corner, and Honey looked up, seeing Boots' taxi number on the side of the car. He came to a screeching halt, sprinted around the car and up the steps to their sides, his eyes wide as he tried to grasp the situation.

"What -"

"Help me," she said quickly, grabbing Tiffany's arm. "She can't walk, and we can't stay here."

Boots jumped forward and they hoisted her up between them. They stumbled but stayed upright, and he managed to open the passenger door. Honey slid into the back and guided Tiffany in, laying her down on the seat.

Boots closed the door and ran around to the driver side, trying not to peel out of the alley as he drove them away.

Tiffany's head lay in Honey's lap, and she stroked her cheeks, wondering why they were wet... she touched her own face and realized they were her tears, splashing onto her friend's face.

Don't you go into shock, ol' girl, she thought fiercely, closing her eyes tightly to gather herself. She needs you.

"What happened? Is she drunk?" Boots asked, his eyes glancing at them nervously in the rearview mirror.

"Yes - but something's wrong -"

"Did someone drug her?"

Honey's brain stopped, the noises of the city falling away behind them as Boots drove, lights flashing by like a tunnel.

Of course they did. What else could it be?

Tiffany finally got her fucking proof.

"Where am I taking you?" Boots pressed. "The hospital?"

"No." Honey snapped in panic. "I can't take her to a hospital -"

"J-jaaack," Tiffany said, her voice lost as if in a dream. "Jaaack...J-ja-J-johnnnn…"

"Keep her awake," Boots said as he took alleyways and short cuts around traffic. He drove swift and smooth, never jostling them. "Don't let her pass out."

"Tiffany, Tiffany keep talking to me, baby," Honey pleaded. Her hands were shaking on her beautiful face…She remembered earlier, when Tiffany had been so happy to see Jack, and yet so heartbroken to leave for work -

"Tiff, Tiff you gotta stay with me, baby girl -"

"Joohnnnn… J-jooohnnn...B-beck -"

Boots swerved, dodging a cyclist. His eyes were wide as he glanced at Honey in the rearview.

"Who?" Honey asked, distracted by the unfamiliar name. "Tiff, who's John Beck? Keep talking, love, you gotta stay with me - Who's 'John Beck'?"

"J...Jaaack," Tiffany slurred.

Honey looked up and couldn't comprehend the shock on Boots' face -

"Tiffany, stay with me baby," she patted her cheek repeatedly and reached down for Tiffany's purse on the floorboard next to hers. "Please tell me you took your medicine today -"

"They have his name," Boots muttered, his eyes peeled on the road.

Honey barely registered Boots' words; Tiffany's eyes began rolling around in a sickening way, like she couldn't see. She began shaking almost violently in Honey's lap.

"Tiffany? Oh my god what's happening -"

Boots glanced in the backseat at them and immediately reached for his phone. He called Jack and cursed when it went straight to voicemail. He called Mush -

"Tiffany? Tiffany stay with me - please stay with me -"

"Fuck," Boots kept dialing, his eyes and hands steady as he drove. "Pick up, mother fu - MUSH! Shut up an' listen, you need ta get home, right now."

Honey stroked her friend's face over and over, as if it gave her comfort.

What can I do? I can't call Jazzi -

She pushed the thought away - she couldn't think about Jazzi right now. She'd deal with her later.

"There's no time! Jus' get home -"

Honey snatched the phone out of Boots' hand. "Mush, it's me, please help. Something's wrong - I don't know what to do."

We're almost there, he answered.

"Sorry," she said as she threw Boots' phone into the front passenger seat.

"Is she awake?"

"No." But she had stopped shaking...her eyes were closed. She was out cold.

"Dammit."

Boots parked in an alley and Honey barely registered where they were, barely registered anything at all other than the feeling of Tiffany's limp body in her lap. He came around to the backseat, leaning over Tiffany's legs.

"Tiff? 'ey, Tiffany? We're here, and Jack's on his way."

Tiffany stirred, her eyes struggling to open.

"Wha - J...Jack…?"

"Yeah, he - he's almost here," Boots said.

Honey wondered why his eyes were suddenly full of a strong emotion she couldn't place. Painful. He sniffed and cleared his throat, "Can ya stand? We need ta get you up stairs."

"N-nnno," Tiffany said slowly. "H-Hon...H-honey?"

"I'm here," Honey answered shakily.

Seeing her like this, unable to move or speak...helpless.

Honey's head snapped up at the sound of voices footsteps and Boots was suddenly gone from the car door - Jack's dark figure appeared and reached for them, his eyes steely.

The guys were outside, talking fast. Boots told them what happened in a low voice as they looked up and down the alley, turning their faces away when a car drove by. Honey pushed Tiffany forward gently as Jack grabbed her, his arms going beneath her as he lifted her easily. Her lavender gown tangled in his hands and her head and arm hung limply.

He said nothing. His eyes spoke louder than anything he could've said.

Then there were hands reaching for her in the backseat - Mush. She sighed, almost sobbed, as she let him hold her to his chest tightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked after a moment, holding her at arms length to look at her face. He smelled like pot and whiskey.

"Sh-she just started shaking, her eyes -" As Honey's voice tumbled from her, someone placed a coat around her shoulders-

Spot was at their sides, not even shivering with his sleeves rolled up, his light eyes analyzing her face. Honey saw other boys walking briskly up the alley behind Spot. Tiffany had told her about them…she could see why Tiffany was already so fond of them.

"C'mon, we can't stay out here," Spot muttered impatiently.

They turned and followed Jack, Racetrack, David and Boots who were already at the front of the building, the others close behind.

"She'll be ok," Mush held her tighter against him, practically carrying her with him. "We jus' need ta get ya inside -"

Spot stopped in the lobby and said something low to the boys behind them - in a moment they were gone - they went back outside. Honey kicked off her shoes and bounded up the stairs with her dress and shoes gathered in her hands, Mush at her elbow. Boots had their purses.

They all had the same expression, the same glare. Serious and silent as their footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

David had the door open before Jack reached the third floor and they flowed into the warm dimly lit apartment. Honey followed Jack around the couch, grabbing a blanket off the floor as he lowered her body. It was a miracle she hadn't twist or broken an ankle before, and Honey released that worry -

She covered her with the blanket and patted Tiffany's cheek. "Tiffany, Tiffany wake up -"

She wanted to use her name, her real name. The name she used to say a million times a day, and now only said it in her head, or spoke it only when they were alone like a guarded secret… the name she knew when she looked into those fierce eyes. She bit it back, felt it catch in her throat as she felt the guys' gazes on them.

Tiffany was the strong one, the one Honey worried about the most. She wished it were her instead on the couch; she had less to lose.

Mush knelt beside her and held something out - a joint. He waved it under Tiffany's nose, loud and pungent, and after a moment her chest expanded as she breathed suddenly, like emerging from water. She stirred slowly, her eyelids still too heavy to open, her face twisting in confused anguish. Her movements were slow and languid, clumsy. Honey found her hand beneath the blanket and held it to her chest as she stroked her cheek. Her hand didn't squeeze back, and tears welled up in Honey's eyes.

"Tiff, you're safe, you're safe," she whispered.

"I'll boil some water," Racetrack said as he removed his coat and went to the kitchen.

Honey looked up to Jack, who was leaning over the couch. She recognized the look on his face, the I-told-her-so annoyance that she felt too. His eyes were focused, his brow furrowed, his demeanor calm. But she saw - and felt - the darkness beneath, the raw anger boiling inside him. It permeated the room.

She saw how the others reacted to him - aware, and angry too.

She looked back at her friend's face. This must be how the other girls disappeared before, after work shifts...offered a drink, and lost all function within minutes, taken away to God knows where... That's what she and Tiffany had figured, but this was the first time Honey had ever seen it up close...with her best friend.

It sounded like somebody else's voice speaking, far away. "What do we do?"

"Nothin' we can do," Mush said, his eyes sympathetic on her face. "She'll sleep it off...but at least she's here."

Honey's eyes blurred suddenly as she looked at him, the weight of his words echoing the thoughts she tried to push away. If she hadn't found her in the VIP lounge…

Jazzi had been right there. And didn't do anything to stop it.

Get her out of here, was all she had spat to Honey, like an annoyed big sister.

Honey covered her mouth, sniffing and looking away. She hated to appear weak, unable to control her emotions, but it flowed like a river, all the stress, all the worry...

She started to shake from within and felt strong hands on her shoulders, guiding her to the other couch. Spot threw a blanket over her - she had forgotten she was dressed only in a thin olive green silk evening gown, his jacket still around her shoulders, her feet bare on the rug.

"Take it easy," Mush knelt in front of her knees, his hands on either side of her face. His eyes read hers carefully, like a doctor looking for signs of recognition. "You're in shock, 's ok. Jus' breathe. She's ok."

Honey knew this feeling. She had felt it when she had been in a car accident with her aunt and cousin, her in the backseat…cold, numb, nothing but freezing debilitating fear as the events played over and over in her mind...

She forced herself to focus only on Mush's eyes, dark hazel like a forest at night. Eyes she'd come to adore in his lovely face. Clear and vivid, few things slipped by them. His calloused hands were soft on her, soothing, and she held his hand to her face like an anchor, bringing her back down from the fear that threatened to take her away. She inhaled slowly, and he nodded in encouragement as she released.

Racetrack passed Mush a cup of hot tea, and Mush pressed it into her hands. "Drink this while it's hot."

Honey's gaze kept returning to her friend, as if to make sure she really was there, safe...Racetrack handed Jack a warm rag and Jack placed it gently over Tiffany's forehead. Her long dark hair was loose about her on the couch, her face and lips pale as paper, her body seeming lifeless and eerily still on the couch, save for the small movements of her chest as she breathed raggedly.

Jack knelt in front of her, his fingers feeling her pulse at her throat. Honey knew she would've reached for him if she had known he was there…it seemed like an old sadness touched his eyes.

"How can you be so calm about it?" Honey rasped aloud.

Everyone was still. Jack didn't look away from Tiffany.

"'cause we've seen it before."

Honey turned her stunned gaze back to Mush, who was looking down, trying to hide whatever emotion was in his eyes. David and Spot stood in front of the TV, Spot's guarded eyes darting between Jack and the girl on the couch, his arms crossed. David was watching Honey. They were like two pillars holding all of them up, ready to do whatever necessary.

There was the sadness again, bigger and hanging over all of them...a memory none of them wanted. Dark, terrifying, a monster they didn't want to acknowledge. The emotions of the room changed from anger to...heartbreak.

Honey's brow knitted...why didn't she tell me?

Jack pulled back a corner of the blanket, lifting Tiffany's arm carefully.

"They must've put it in her drink." Spot muttered as Jack's eyes scanned the nooks of her arms, his fingers light on her.

Honey tried to remember. "I didn't see..."

"It's worse when they inject it," Spot said tightly, his sharp gaze meeting hers.

Jack pulled the blanket back up to Tiffany's neck and leaned away from her, as if she would burn him.

Chills ran down Honey's arms and she shivered. She forced herself to drink her tea.

Spot jumped and pulled his phone from his pocket - "'ey...yeah, they're here. Are you alright?" He went into Jack's bedroom, his voice was soft and low - Jade.

Honey eyed her purse carefully, afraid to check her phone. "She's never done this at work before..."

Jack's guarded face turned to her, his dark stare locking on to her like a cat's. He wanted to know what happened...she sighed and closed her eyes, her shoulders dropping. He wouldn't like what she had to say.

"Were they trying to get her drunk?" David prompted gently.

"She was the one determined to drink," she said. Her eyes fell to her tea, her heart aching. "After seeing you on campus...I don't think she could bear for any of them to look at her...touch her."

She felt his energy change...she glanced up to see him looking down, his eyes softening on Tiffany's sleeping face. Her creamy coloring was slowly coming back, her cheeks' subtle rosiness returning as she slept.

"...she's always so careful, only getting drinks directly from the bartender, never drinking too much...but tonight, she drank until she was too drunk to perform. And they were…" she thought for a moment, seeing Cage's face. "...furious. 'They can't have me tonight', she said…and when I found her in the VIP lounge, she was laughing at them, Cage and Jazzi...I don't know what she said, I didn't hear what they were talking about. Jazzi told me to get her out of there. I took her away immediately and called Boots, Jade and Kiki stayed... she was fine until we got outside."

Honey felt bitterness touch her heart. "I don't even know if Jazzi's aware of what happened."

Jack's hand clenched into a fist on the couch - of course she does, he thought bitterly as if he'd spoken it. But Honey couldn't accept it, couldn't bring herself to think that Jazzi was ok with any of this. There was no doubt that she loves Tiff… but -

She finished her tea, hoping to wash away her troubling thoughts. Boots refilled her cup, and Spot came back from the bedroom.

"Jade just got home, said she'll be here first thing in the morning." He rubbed the back of his neck. "She didn't want to risk anyone tailing her here."

Honey shook her head. "I don't want to move her until she can walk anyway...I'm glad Jade's safe. Thank you, Spot."

"My pleasure," Spot huffed.

"I'll take ya back ta get your car in the morning," Boots chimed from the kitchen.

"Thank you," Honey said, the weight of exhaustion falling over her like the blanket around her shoulders. "I'm...sorry to get you all involved. Tiffany didn't want to risk any more than she had to -"

"Ya don't have ta do it alone," Mush said, almost like a vow.

"I'd rather not be left in tha dark," Jack muttered, his gaze far away as he looked at the beautiful woman on the couch.

He shouldn't have to see her like this either, she thought. No one should.

Mush moved to her side on the couch and she rested her head on his shoulder, tired of thinking... He tightened his arm around her, and soon her breathing deepened. He took her mug and set it on the table. Jack leaned against the couch, his head falling between his arms on his knees. Mush watched him silently.

Spot lowered the lights and went to David's side in the kitchen as he washed mugs in the sink. Racetrack was making a sandwich, and they shared a loaded glance.

"So... what's this news Davie?" Racetrack asked low and nonchalantly, his eyes intent on their friend's face.

David looked up, seeing Racetrack and Spot on either side of him, trapping him.

He sighed as he set the last dish on the drying rack; he should've known Race was paying attention to their conversation in the car. He knew they wouldn't let up either. He wouldn't.

"Fuck." He ran his fingers through his curly hair.

"Spill it," Racetrack said as he bit into his salami and provolone.