Title: Running With the Devil
Author: TWbasketcase
Rated: T for language and certain issues.
Chapter Summary: Taking a look at the 'damsel in distress', and using serious topics as lame, but somehow convenient plot devices.
A/N: Okay dudes and dudettes, I'm back! I'm so sorry for my lack of updates lately…and seemingly falling off of the face of the planet, but school has just been damn hectic lately. I tell you, if you want to be a successful fan fiction writer do not get involved with the health field. Lol, so anyways, here is chapter 11; I hope you all enjoy and feel free to drop me a line.

Chapter 11 – Just Let the Good Times Roll

Claire sighed miserably and pounded her fists on the computer desk. Brody watched her with an amused face as she pulled at her hair and growled something fierce at the screen. "What the bloody hell!" She bellowed

"What is it?" Brody asked

"These stories; I cannot believe what some of these people do to me."

Brody nodded her head understandingly, "Yeah I have yet to come up with a name for story-that-pisses-you-off-to-no-end-so-badly-that-you-scream-and-shout-at-a-screen-syndrome."

Claire looked at her, "Not funny."

Brody shrugged, "I dunno, I thought it was. Just tell me…what is it about?"

She turned in her chair and faced her with a scowl plastered on her face, "Let's see…I slit my wrists in private, I get near raped by Andy's friends, get beaten up by my drunken mother, watch my father slap said drunken mother, get in a car accident…may I continue? All for the sole purpose of getting me and John together!"

Brody nodded, "Don't forget about Brian's many suicide attempts, and Allison's near rapings, and John getting tortured by his father in the basement of their house."

John perked up at this, "Was I chained?"

Brody nodded while John wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "How kinky."

Claire sighed, "No seriously, do you know how sick that is?"

Brian scratched his chin, "If you were just raped, don't you think it would take a little while to trust people again? And why would attempting killing yourself make you so turned on that you just have to be with someone. Aren't those things a little traumatic to be thinking of love?"

Andy nodded, "Old damsel in distress cliché."

Claire sighed, "Yeah, a twisted cliché. Who the hell said I ever slit my wrists?"

Allison laughed, "I think that's a little more up my alley."

Andy frowned and looked at her with an 'I can't believe you just said that shit' look, "Don't talk like that will ya? How many freakin' times do I have to tell ya! That's fucked!"

Allison laughed, but Claire just groaned some more, "No seriously guys! I wanna know who made me this weak little, suicidal, abused, freak!"

Bender nodded, "I will give her psychotic…but not that."

Claire put her hands on her hips and sighed, "I mean really, torture? This is middle class, white, suburban areas in Illinois we are talking about here! When does that really happen?"

Brian coughed, "John Wayne Gacy," cough.

"Yeah and he dressed as a clown and sexually tortured people with dildos," added Andy.

"And buried the maggot food in his crawl space," Bender piped up.

"My aunt and uncle knew him," Allison said proudly.

They all looked at her strangely and then slowly – very slowly – turned back to face Claire. She frowned, "Besides him!" They all laughed at her being flustered, so she continued, "Seriously! Who the hell sees me doing that shit! Andy do you honestly think one of your friends would rape me?"

He thought for a moment before the light bulb went off, "No."

"I would…if you were unconscious," Bender declared with a grin.

She glared at him and turned to Brody, "What is this all about? I mean, I'm sure there is someone out there reading that has been raped, or abused, or attempted suicide once…or knows someone who has…that's kinda low don't you think?"

Brody contemplated this, "I honestly have no problem with it if it is written tastefully and it is for plot purposes…rather than hooking two people up. I think yeah, it is a touchy subject…but it is okay if you are showing the side effects of it…or teaching some kind of message, you know? But if it's just for convenience then that is kind of gross."

"And sick."

"And morbid."

"And silly."

Claire turned to the three boys and just rolled her eyes, "Do you guys have to keep doing that?"

Brody laughed, "Yeah you know in the ninja turtles movies…how one of them will always say something, and then the other three will pitch in something their own one after the other. Man I love that movie! That poor Donatello, he always got the crappiest words to toss in…he is so sexy! If he was a human…"

"That movie didn't come out yet, so that really wasn't all that funny," Allison replied, unimpressed.

"They made a Ninja Turtles Movie!" Brian exclaimed happily, "That is so radical!"

Bender just shook his head, "Man, you guys are the biggest dorks ever…ramble too much and talk about dorky stuff…why don't you just do it."

Claire rolled her eyes, "Or Brody can just throw herself down the stairs in a suicide attempt so that Brian can give her something to live for and they live happily ever after." She turned and glared at the author, "TW if you ever do that…you are forever kicked out of our fandom!"

(Author squeaks in panic and just keeps typing) "Yes ma'am!"

Claire turned back to the rest of the group (who were looking all over the room trying to figure out who she was just talking to), "Okay so where were we here?"

"Me falling down the stairs and dying…" Brody said worriedly.

"Oh yes, that," Claire continued, "I just want to say that the moral of the story here is that these serious subjects should not be taken lightly by people who know absolutely nothing about it. They are very serious situations. We should all just get together like normal people do."

"Since when have you become Amnesty International?" Bender asked.

Brian rolled her eyes, "Well it's true…I find it rather disturbing myself."

"Maybe I should stop lying to my councilor then…" Allison thought out loud.

TBC

A/N: I know this was short but I hope I got my point across. :) R&R purty please!