Disclaimer: King Kong kicks ass.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 8: When There's No Hope Left

Libby burst through the trees, sprinting past Jimmy. Carl stumbled to Jimmy's side, wheezing harshly. "I got help, Jimmy," he gasped. Looking over his shoulder, Jimmy saw Cindy, Nick, and a whole assorted group of kids standing behind them, all of them staring, horror-stricken, at Sheen with a gun to his temple, a sign they had never expected to see, never in a million years.

"Oh, hell," Nick whispered; Cindy slowly walked to stand on Jimmy's other side. Her eyes widened.

"What the hell is going on, Neutron?"

Jimmy looked at her silently, telling her with his eyes to keep her mouth shut. From here, the rest was up to Libby. There was nothing anyone else could do.

Libby slowed as she approached Sheen. She stopped for a moment, taking a few timid steps forward. "Sheen?" she whispered.

"Get outta here, Libby. I don't want you to see this." Although Sheen's voice was as dull and lifeless as it had been when he spoke to Jimmy, there was a definite, unmistakable tremor now.

"No." Libby risked another step. "Sheen, I'm not gonna let you do this."

"I've got the gun, Libby. You can't stop me."

"Jesus, Sheen," Libby choked out. "What are you hoping to accomplish by doing this? You're only going to hurt people!"

"Don't you get it, Libby? There's no hope left for me. I'm a screw-up."

"You are not!"

Sheen's grip on the gun wavered; whatever shield he had built to repeal Jimmy wasn't working on Libby. "Libby…"

"Sheen, you aren't a screw-up." Libby's voice shook, thick with unshed tears. "You mess up, yeah. We all do. So you're a little air-headed. That isn't a crime. So you're not smart or serious or constantly thinking of going to college and all that crap. So you enjoy being a kid a little bit more then Jimmy and Cindy and I. So what? Sheen, that's who you are."

Sheen's hand was shaking now, and Jimmy closed his eyes. Please, he begged. Please, oh God, let Libby get through to him…

Carl's face was pale, but a small sliver of hope had begun to glow in his eyes, and Cindy had her hands clasped tightly in front of her, so tightly so that her knuckles were turning white. One of the kids began to move forward, maybe to comfort the three, but Nick shot him a look; the kid stopped in his tracks.

Libby fought back tears that stung at her eyes. She couldn't cry, couldn't break down, not now, not when Sheen needed her to be strong, not when he needed her more then ever.

"Sheen, don't do this. This won't make things better. You think it will, but it won't. You're going to hurt so many people if you do this." She swallowed. "You're going to hurt me."

Sheen's whole body was trembling now, the gun rattling softly. His eyes were no longer dull, but shining with tears, and a few lone tears streaked his cheeks, falling silently to the grass below, silver in the moonlight. Whatever resolve he had built for this moment was weakening, beginning to crumble.

"Sheen," Libby pleaded softly.

She didn't need to say anything else. The softness of her voice, the gentle pleading, seemed to be the final crack in the walls Sheen had built around his heart, a crack that brought the walls tumbling down. The gun tumbled to the grass, hitting the ground with a soft thud, and he fell to his knees, sobbing.

Libby took a tentative step forward, then other; when she understood that he wouldn't reach again for the gun, she ran to his side, kneeling next to him, gently cradling him in her arms, letting him sob against her.

"I just don't want to be a burden," Sheen sobbed. "I want to help…"

Libby murmured soothingly, rocking him gently. Slowly, Jimmy, Carl, and Cindy walked from the crowd to form a circle around their two friends, kneeling in the grass with them. Tears were running down Cindy's cheeks, Carl was sniffling, and Jimmy's eyes were bright.

"It's gonna be okay, Sheen," Libby whispered. "It's gonna be okay…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This isn't the last chapter; there will be one more...