Just thought I should drop by a few extra notes to explain this thing, since the story was so depressing, etcetera.
First off, yes, it is a grim outlook, and I have written similarly grim stories in the past. Does this mean I think Darien will come to a bad end? Absolutely not! I firmly believe that Darien will get the gland out of his head, find the girl that's right for him, and walk off with her into the sunset. I also firmly believe that Hobbes will get together with Claire, but that's just my opinion... ;)
I have written at least one possible ending for the show in the past that actually came out happily (it's called 'The End of This Road', and yes, it may look kind of grim at the start, but that's just because nothing in this world is easy, and happy endings are definitely one of the more difficult things to find nowadays).
Secondly, as to why this story is so depressing, I actually wrote it about a month ago just before the I-maniCon, when I had just finished coming through a very... interesting Real Life experience. I knew it was rather disturbing even as I wrote it, and I scrapped it immediately after finishing it, to tell you the truth. But recently a very good friend of mine convinced me to dig it out of the archives and let her read it, and then she pressured me into posting it. *waves at Naomi* Thanks (I think)! ;)
I hope you all enjoyed the story. If you like, I can pass out the anti-depressants now...
liz_Z