Chapter One: Coming Home Again.


The car engine rumbled ever so quietly, and finally stopped completely when Sean Cameron pulled up to the front

of his apartment. Rather, his old apartment. Sighing, his hand gripped tightly on the steering wheel. Memories

flooded back, and he closed his eyes to keep them out. He had broken Ellie's heart. More than he had ever done to

Emma. Would Ellie even take him back? There was only on way to find out. The air was warm and sultry as Sean

opened the car door, and his palm slipped as he fumbled with the keys in his hand. He jogged to the door quickly,

anxiously, but froze suddenly before he opened the door. What could he expect? A list of wild scenarios ran through

his head: Ellie cutting, Ellie crying, Ellie making out with Jay, Ellie dead... Shaking his head, Sean knocked on the

door. No one answered. "Ellie?" He yelled. "Ellie, are you home?" He could hear laughter coming from inside of the

house, and a loud crash.Someone who sounded suspiciously like Jay shouted "Nice going Ellie!" Sean went to put

his hand on the door knob, but it swung open first. Ellie was standing in the doorway, her hair messy, a crazy grin

on her face and her eyes wild. Her sweater was halfway off, exposing her bare arm. Sean's eyes widened as they

traveled up her shoulder. Bruises, cuts and burns were scattered all over her. "Ellie?" he whispered, stepping

forward. Her eyes were yellow, and her pupils were dilated."Ellie, are you stoned?" He placed his trembling hands

on either side of her face, and she burst into a manic fit of laughter. "JAY!" she shouted to someone in the other side

of the house. "ALEX! This is some strong SHIT! Look! Look! Where'd you get that stuff!" Sean frowned as Jay

walked into the room, a beer in one hand and Alex on his arm. Jay frowned at the strange man with his arms around

the younger girl. Then he did a double take. "Sean?" His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "Holy Fuck! What the

hell are you doing here, man?" Jay reached around to hug Sean, but Sean pulled back, clutching his waist around

Ellie tightly. "Jay. What the hell did you do?" Ellie giggled, and slammed her head backward into the closet door

behind them. Jay frowned, confused, and stepped back. Sean continued, shaking. "I tell you... I tell you to look after

her and you give her drugs?" Jay shook his head, taking a swing from his beer can. "No man, seriously? She did it all

to herself. Everything." Sean frowned, and scanned the living room. His eyes widened even further in disbelief as he

noticed the mirror on the ground, with lines of coke and a rolled up paper bill sitting on it. "Oh shit." Jay glanced

uneasily at Alex, and Alex motioned toward the door. "Maybe we should get out of here..." she mumbled, and Jay

nodded, slapping Sean on the back as he went. The door clicked shut, and Sean turned to face Ellie. She smiled at

him, and kissed his neck, but he stopped her. "Oh my god," he mumbled, and started to direct her over to the couch.

She collapsed on it willingly, and lay down, staring at the ceiling. "Ellie?" Sean whispered. His world seemed to be

doing a complete one eighty. This wasn't Ellie. Not his Ellie. His hand moved to her shoulder, afraid of what she

had done to herself in the four month span he had been gone. Sean was tempted to roll down the sweater, but

remembered how private and uncomfortable Ellie had been about her other scars. Biting his lip, Sean, pulled back, and stretched out on the floor beside her. This was his fault, all of it. He had done this to her. And he would never

forgive himself for it. With the music from the speakers booming in the background, and Ellie's manic laughter

coming from beside him, Sean lay awake all night, tears silently streaming down his face.

Please Review. It only takes a second. And don't get mad at me for changing Ellie. She'll (hopefully) get back to her normal, rational self.