(Hey everyone,I must apologize for taking so long to post, but I've had a big case of writer's block that no prescription could cure. But I have a few ideas now, and I think I'll be able to do (at least) monthly posts on this particular story. I don't quite like/remember how I did certain things in previous chapters (thoughts, quotations, etc.) so I might change it up a bit. Like I said, sorry. Lyrics in this chapter taken from R.E.M.'s 07/01/1992 Album: Automatic For The People)

Everybody Hurts

Tru rushed alongside the stretcher, tears and sweat flowing down her cheeks from the stress of it all. The bandages on Faith were drenched in blood, and a light sheen of sweat covered the slayer's forehead. An overwhelming amount of pain and guilt welled up in her at that moment, and she felt as if she was about to vomit. They reached the ER, and Tru tried to slip in, to stay as close as possible to Faith. One of the paramedics tried to shoo her away as inoffensively as possible, closing the door in front of her. She looked through the small wire framed window and collapsed against the door. She sobbed quietly, open-mouthed as an IV was inserted, and needles and blades were jabbed into her 'twin'.

Then they all stopped. And Tru thought it was going to be okay.

She listened closely to the whiteness of the silence, and she heard a faint monotonous beep. She squinted her blurry eyes to look at a heart monitor on the far wall of the room. A glowing straightgreen line played upon the screen, taunting her.

Tru woke up, a loud gasp escaping her, and a cold sweat soaking her tank top. She panted, and looked at the bright glowing red numbers on her alarm clock. It was 4:07AM. A gentle blue light from the streetlights flooded the room, and she turned her head to look at the sleeping figure beside her. The bandaged shoulder rose and fell with every ragged breath the slayer breathed, and Tru sighed to herself. It was only the dream… again… She thought to herself, her breathing, and heart slowing gradually. A hot guilt still flowed through her veins with every beat of her heart, and she felt weak and claustrophobic again.

She kicked her legs out of bed and stood up, walking over to the window and looking out, sad doe eyes filling with tears. She ran a shaking hand through her hair, her breath quivering in fear. Fear that Faith would disappear on her, and it would be her fault, fear that maybe it wasn't a dream, and her mind just wouldn't let her remember how it happened. Mainly, it was fear that she was most definitely in love, and that she may never ever receive those feelings in return. Faith always replied with an "I love you too." Whenever Tru had expressed her love, but no matter how often she heard it, she still felt guilty, and sorry, and disbelieving that Faith would still love her. Her. Even after what she did. It was such an awful memory, as fragmented and forgotten as it mostly was.

"…Baby?" Faith mumbled into her arm as she woke up, her body missing the heat that Tru seemed to emanate.

Tru sniffed, wiping at her nose and still facing towards the window. "Y-yeah, hun?" she replied, the slight stutter revealing her emotion.

"…Did you have the dream again?" Faith asked, sitting up slowly and holding her shoulder. It was the third time this week, and it was only Tuesday. Tru never seemed to sleep anymore. It had been happening two weeks prior, and it still disturbed Faith as much as it did the other girl. The slayer felt guilt herself, knowing that she still caused the brunette grief, no matter how much she forgave her.

Tru sniffed again, and turned around, one shaking hand held over her mouth, the other tucked tightly under her arm. "Yeah… yeah I d-did." The whispered, and Faith felt her heart sink. She pulled the covers away and patted her hand on the mattress.

"Come lay down, babe, it's too early to be up." The slayer said gently, her newly discovered soft and loving side surfacing.

Tru padded over to the bed and sat, fairly rigid beside the other brunette. Faith slid closer to her and wrapped her arms around Tru's waist. She automatically melted into the strong and loving touch Faith offered, and the tears flowed down her cheeks. She bit her lower lip, trying to stop herself from looking like a fool. All of her plans were ruined as the slayer kissed her forehead and laid Tru's head on her chest.

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,

When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on,

Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes…

In the whole duration of her job in the morgue, Tru had gotten more and more immune to the sight of cold dead corpses staring at the ceiling. But she had never experienced a trauma as awful as seeing someone nearly die. Sure, Harry had gotten beat up numerous times, but never because of something Tru did. She also witnessed her mother's murder, but even still, there was no physicality to what she felt there, and very little blood and gore to be seen. Had Faith died from blood loss, she would have been up for murder, and she would have had quite an ironic reputation...Morgue worker who produces bodies for herself. She didn'treallyremember the story she had made up, but they believed her. They believed that it had been an accident, that Tru did nothing to her "sister" that could have been considered cold blooded or murderous. She really didn't mean what happened, she just leaned back on her primal instincts for one short moment. One short moment that could have cost the life of the only lover she really loved. She felt as though she should be punished, chastised, or something.

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along,

When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on),

If you feel like letting go, (hold on),

When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on…

Faith felt that the cold and dreary atmosphere of the room had become too overwhelming, so she decided to lighten the mood a bit.

"Y'know, I'm thinkin' that I'm doomed to be stabbed by all the girls I like." She chuckled slightly and smiled, rocking Tru in her arms.

Tru started to (what looked like) giggle a bit, but as it turned into all-out sobbing, Faith wanted to hit herself for being so immature, thinking that a silly little joke could fix anything. She thought it was a bit unfortunate, that even though she was still learning how to handle the serious things in life, that she couldn't have learned how to do it sooner. Maybe then, but only maybe, she could have made things work out with Buffy and the Scoobs. She longed to have some sort of stable relationship, friendship, anything. Most of all (though she would never tell anyone this) she yearned for a family. A place where she could fit in being herself, and not have to change any little bit of her to make someone else happy. She found that in Tru. It brought her to tears, thinking that someone as smart and wonderful as Tru could love a psycho like her. And it was times like that that made her wonder why she ever thought she could have a chance with B.

'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends,

Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand,

If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone,

If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,

When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on…

"Hey, hey I'm sorry…" Faith whispered gently, rubbing Tru's arms and kissing her head.

"Moh,Noyer-Voll" Tru mumbled into Faith's chest, and the slayer couldn't help but smile a bit at it, as she pulled away and frowned at her.

"What did you say?"

Tru sniffed a bit, wiping at her eyes with her shirt.

"I...s-said, 'No, it's not your fault.'" She stuttered a bit, and Faith thought that she had ever seen something so beautiful. Tru's eyes were shiny and glossed from the tears, and they nearly glittered in the pale moonlight. At first, Faith always thought it was a little strange to think Tru was so breathtakingly beautiful. But now she realized, that even though the two of them looked so similar, they looked incredibly different. Tru's features we're softer, and gentler looking than her own slightly angular, jaded appearance. Anger lines, and premature wrinkles now tainted Faith's once young and fresh beauty. All her life, the slayer was used to hearing the words 'sexy', or 'hot' or 'fuckworthy' thrown at her, in regards to her looks. But when she looked at Tru, she didn't see a mirror image of herself, she saw what she could have been, had she not beentoo stubborn and angry to try. Tru was pretty, and cute, and beautiful… all the things she could now never be.

Faith hugged her close, she was becoming even moreexhausted from her deep thoughts, and she decided that she would cuddle with Tru, and lull her to sleep, as she lay awake again, watching her.

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,

Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes,

And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on,

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on,

Everybody hurts. You are not alone…

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