Life After High School - Ten Years Later

By Risty and Silver

Disclaimer: We don't own them.

Summary: Just read the damn thing.

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(Benny's POV)

That night, since we knew that Emma was definitely going to be all right, I persuaded Damon to come home to get a few hours sleep. The poor guy had hardly been sleeping at all; he had been surviving for days on endless cups of coffee. We did the two-hour ride, and I took the opportunity to tell him about everything that had happened recently and slipped in the fact that Ria was staying with us. As I had half expected he was not too happy about it, but he didn't have the strength to argue, beyond saying that although he was not too bothered, providing she was willing to do her bit to help out, Emma had to come first and having Jaime's child around could prove to be too much for her. He understood why I had not talked to him sooner and he also understood that I had had no other choice. We would just have to see how things went.

We got home at just past midnight. As we went into the tavern, I could see that the downstairs light was still on and I knew that someone was down there working on a case. I hoped nothing bad had happened in my absence, but I didn't plan on going down there and finding out until Damon was asleep.

Upstairs, Sol-leks and Laddie came running to meet us. We looked in on all of the kids and were pleased to see that all five of them were asleep. I just hoped that Galia had not stayed up too late, since she had to get up at seven to leave for school. I knew that Damon would be gone long before that, but we had agreed that I would stay at home to keep an eye on the little ones and make sure that Galia left on time. I wasn't sure how we were going to manage without her; my daughter really was a star. She had left us some potato soup and some salad, so I heated the soup and we quickly ate, more or less in silence. When we had finished, it had just gone midnight and I suggested that Damon try to get some sleep. He agreed, but said that he didn't want to sleep in his and Emma's bed, so I got him some blankets and he lay down on the sofa. Sol-leks and Laddie instantly laid by the side. Within two minutes, his eyes had closed and he was fast asleep. I quickly checked on the kids again, I had put Crystal's cot in my room temporarily and I had Prince in there while Vince and Kane had Jack, and checked that all the upstairs doors were locked. Lucas had not come up yet, but I knew that he had his own key so I did not worry too much. When I was sure that everything was all right, I went into my bedroom, collapsed on the bed and fell asleep still fully clothed.

I was woken about six hours later by Crystal. I picked her up and took her into the kitchen where I began making her some breakfast. As I gave it to her, Damon came in, still looking worn out, but not nearly as bad as he had been the night before. He went to the fridge and poured himself some orange juice. As I turned to speak to him, I saw him slip something into the glass and drink it down in one. Instantly he seemed brighter, a fact, which troubled me a great deal.

"I am going to the hospital," he told me. "I probably won't be back tonight, but I'll call you."

I nodded and he disappeared. Just a few minutes later, I heard the stable doors open and then the sound of horses' hooves on concrete as he galloped away. The sound had barely faded when Galia came in rubbing her eyes.

"Morning darling" I said as she sat down and poured some cereal into a bowl. "Ready to go back to school then?"

"Yeah, I suppose" she pulled a face. "You will call and let me know if there is any change in Emma's condition won't you? Whether it's good or bad?"

"I promise," I told her. "But I don't think there will be much change before you come home Friday."

"No, I suppose not" she agreed and fell silent. After she had finished breakfast, she got dressed as quietly as possible, picked up her rucksack and kissed Crystal, Kane and Vince goodbye, although the two boys did not wake up.

I went down to the stables with her and helped her to prepare her horse. When she was ready, we exchanged a hug, I kissed her on the cheek, warned her about being careful and not mixing with any boys and handed her some money for emergences. Then with one final wave, my daughter trotted off to meet her school friend at the crossroads just outside Silverwood. I knew that she would be safe, our little town is a busy place even early in the morning and it would only take her five minutes to reach her friends. Even so, I always told her to call me when she got to school, just so I knew for sure.

When I went back upstairs again, Crystal had thrown food all over the kitchen and, much to my surprise, the other kids still hadn't woken up yet. Which was fine by me since I had something that I wanted to check out. Giving the baby a quick wipe down, I put her in her playpen and ordered the guards to watch her for a few minutes. Then I hurried to Emma and Damon's room and opened the wardrobe door. Damon's jacket was hanging there; it had been exceptionally warm recently so he had not been wearing it to the hospital. I slipped my hand into the inside pocket and my fingers brushed against something. I held my breath as I drew out a small clear plastic bag containing two white pills and a small amount of powder. Having been trained in medicine, I knew at once what I was holding. Drugs, and not the legal sort either. I had had my suspicions for quite some time now, and now I knew for sure. Quickly I put the bag back in his jacket. I would talk to Damon later, but no one else would know of my discovery. No matter what he did or what he had done, I was Damon's best friend and I would be loyal to him until the end…