I just wanted to thank you all so much for your feedback! I appreciate it very much :) I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far- and i hope you like this next chapter. thanks again!

Once Andrew had left her bedroom, Bree found herself in an indescribable state-of-mind. She stood in front of the mirror and just stared at her reflection. She didn't looked tired, not did she appear overwhelmingly pale. In truth, she looked pretty good for a grieving widow. There was an emptiness, however, which lurked within her glassy eyes. Bree could not even see their naturally green pigment; she could only find gray. She felt such futility throughout her entire body, but this was her first time actually seeing it.

Bree stepped away from the mirror and sat back against the windowsill. She would silently scold herself, hoping that it would somehow justify her actions. Though she knew she was wrong for raising her arm to her son, she wasn't entirely overcome with guilt. Of course she felt badly, but she also felt a sense of accomplishment. Andrew truly believed that he had every right to overpower her, and she had finally set him straight.

Although she thought it somewhat unnecessary, Bree planned to apologize to Andrew. She combed a few fingers through her hair, patted down her skirt, and headed for her son's room.

"Andrew, sweetie, please let me in." she lightly tapped the doorway.

"He's not in there." Danielle appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Oh. Well, would you happen to know where he is?"

"Not a clue. He said he'd be back though." Danielle shrugged.

"Danielle…where is he." Bree was beginning to sound more serious. She assumed her daughter knew of Andrew's location, and was choosing not to tell her.

"Mom, I told you I didn't know."

"No, I need to speak with your brother."

The young blonde began to back away. "He's probably just at his friend's house!"

Bree approached Danielle and saw a look of pure fear in her eyes. "Are you…are you afraid of me?"

"No. What are you talking about?" Danielle replied, brushing a few loose strands of blonde hair away from her face.

"Did Andrew mention anything to you about our little confrontation?"

"Yeah. So you hit him. I would have done it too. I'm not mad."

The fear was obvious. "But baby, you know I'd never hurt you, right? I never meant to harm Andrew either- something just came over me. He was so cruel and well, anger and grief certainly aren't a great mix…but I would never ever hurt you, Danielle. Please promise me you know that."

"I know." She quickly nodded her head.

"Danielle…" Bree put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly.

"I um…I've got a few things to do. If I find out where Andrew is I'll let you know, okay?" Danielle turned away from her mother.

Bree gently smiled, though her immeasurable pain was obvious. "Thank you."

The redhead slowly retreated back to her sanctuary (also known as her bedroom). She could hear the sound of her breath with each step she took. Bree had reached the point where she was feeling such a wide range of emotions, that her body had become numb for protective purposes. Bree felt nothing at all and it scared her. She may not have enjoyed her agony, but at least she knew she was still capable of feeling. Seeing no other options, Bree neatly unmade her bed. Although she didn't feel tired, she didn't see any point in staying awake. She believed that she actually got more accomplished while unconscious.

As Bree faded into a deep sleep, her neighbor, Gabrielle, sat home alone. She was sitting on the edge of her couch, nervously biting her nails. She wanted to deal with her many tribulations, but didn't know where to begin. Gabrielle felt herself getting a headache. She was well aware that stress was the last thing she needed, but couldn't do a thing to stop it. Her friends were too busy, her husband despised her, and her lover was most likely at a keg party. The lonely brunette finally decided to make herself useful and to visit her friend Bree. She had been feeling so incredibly selfish and maybe by brightening Bree's evening, it would provide her with a sense of comfort.

Danielle was sitting alone in her room flipping through outdated fashion magazines when she heard a knock at the door. She truly enjoyed getting visitors. It allowed her to have a form of human contact- even if for only a few moments.

"Hi Mrs. Solis." Danielle greeted, as she opened the door.

"Danielle, are you okay…" Gabrielle immediately noticed how awful the young girl appeared. Her mother had been too blind to see it, but the circles around Danielle's eyes were enough to catch her neighbor's attention.

"Yeah. I um, I mean my mom's upstairs if you want to see her."

"Is now a good time? Are you busy or anything..?" Once again Gabrielle found herself asking a rhetorical question. The truth of the matter was that she felt awkward and actually wished she hadn't gone to visit Bree at all.

Danielle didn't even respond. She just gave Gabrielle a strange look.

"Right. Well you know what? I'm not here to visit your mom." Gabrielle settled on a nearby couch.

"Oh. Well do you need to borrow something? We have like, every kitchen appliance ever created."

The brunette felt a pang of sadness as she realized that Danielle immediately assumed she was there to take something. "No. I'm here to visit you."

"Me…why?"

"Because I know what it's like to feel unnoticed. Everyone's so worried about your mom, but no one's taken the time to even think about you."

Danielle looked down and began playing with one of her bracelets. "It doesn't bother me really."

"Well, why don't you try talking to me for a bit."

The girl reluctantly took a seat next to her neighbor. They had never been remotely close, nor had Gabrielle ever taken the time to say more than a few words to her. They both sat in silence for a few moments. Danielle was uncomfortable with the situation, but also realized that this may be her only chance at an emotional release. "I tried to make peace with my mom. I mean, I was still mad at her…but…I felt really bad at the same time."

Gabrielle nodded. "Have you two been speaking at all?"

"For a night we were. But now, not really. She sleeps a lot."

Gabrielle gently smiled. "She's just not willing to face reality yet. Don't tell her this, but well…she's not as brave as you."

Danielle cracked a smile which quickly disappeared. "I really miss him. My dad I mean. Mom won't even mention his name. And all these pictures" She directed her neighbor's attention to the many overturned photographs which cluttered the living room. "She won't turn them back. I have a few times, but she always puts them back down."

Gabrielle just looked back at Danielle sadly. She saw a girl so desperate for a mother, but who essentially had no one. She even saw a bit of herself. The two stayed and talked for quite a while. Gabrielle allowed Danielle to open up to her, and truly listened. Danielle eventually fell asleep on the couch, and once she seemed relatively still, Gabrielle headed upstairs.

She looked in on her widowed friend. Throughout her conversation with Danielle, Gabrielle had begun to feel a bit of anger toward Bree, but it all seemed to disappear as she watched her sleep. She realized that Bree didn't ask for the attention she had been getting from Susan and Lynette, nor did she intend to steal it from Gabrielle. She didn't want to hurt her daughter; she just didn't know how to act.

Gabrielle gently nudged her sleeping friend. "Bree…" she whispered. She wouldn't have woken her, but Danielle explained how she had already been sleeping for hours. Besides, it was only about 9:00 pm at this point. "Bree." she repeated.

The redhead jolted up, causing Gabrielle to jump back.

"Whoa okay, didn't mean to scare you."

Bree looked disgusted. She didn't realize it, but she had grown incredibly bitter. "What are you doing here!" she sounded angry- her words sharp.

"I was coming to see you…"

"Why did you wake me, Gabrielle! He wanted to hold me…" Bree of course was referring to Rex. The fact of the matter was that he was never actually going to hold her, she just imagined he would. "…and you come and disturb me. Now it's over."

"I'm sorry?…but what are you even talking about?" Gabrielle was offended.

"Get out of here."

"Excuse me."

"I said get out."

"Bree!"

"GET OUT!" she screamed.

Gabrielle threw her hands back, and shook her head. There were many choice words she would have liked to use, but avoided. "You're not the only person in the world suffering right now, you know!"

Bree had turned her back toward Gabrielle. She wouldn't respond nor make eye contact. She forced her eyes shut, and tried to instantly jump back into her dream…