Sorry! I'm so sorry this has taken me such a long time to write… I've had a few issues with it! xD I will try to write more quickly next time 'cause if I don't I know that CERTAIN people, (naming no names, but you know who you are!) will pester me for it, I'm sure!
Disclaimer: You know the drill by now… I do not own Luka or Abby. Does anyone ever read these anyway? You must know that if I did own these amazing characters I wouldn't be on here, writing about them… I'd be spreading a very clear Luby message around the world! The first lines in italics and with central alignment are lyrics from Greenday – Give Me Novocaine and the second lines also in italics and with central alignment are lyrics from Dido – Don't leave home.
Dedication: Wow I swear this list gets longer each chapter! As usual, this story is dedicated to Josefin, Alice, Elissa, Tani, and Andy but I also want a point of also devoting this to Kenzie, Karissa, Allie and of course also to Heather, (who is and always will be, my clone… don't think I was ever going to forget about you!) As I say every time, you people are the best! You make me laugh so much; I don't think I could do this without you, in fact I KNOW I couldn't!
Thanks: I want to say a massive thank you to my fantastic reviewers (Josefin-, Andy2301, BeautifulWreck, Peaky, Alik22, CocaCola1052, strumpfhase, LLF, Muskoka Girl, CarbyLivesOn, Moonlight Enchantments, trillion kisses, AmYkYo, VoiceNumber08) because, like I said last chapter, your comments give me a HUGE boost of confidence and encourage me to keep writing!
A/N: Right I know I confused some of you with my little comment last chapter so I hope this explains what I meant when I said: "Abby isn't mentioned directly in this chapter, but don't loose faith my lovely Lubies, she is there, all the time." Basically, last chapter was Luka's darkness. The darkness I was talking about in Chapter 1. So yeah, this chapter should, (I hope!) show you all that Abby was there all that time, but that the last chapter was just a description of the darkness. It's a bit angsty at first, but things have to get worse before they get better, right! (That is what people say isn't it?)
…by the way all of the …s in these paragraphs are all for you Heather!
Now they're all gone.
Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.
The word resonated in his mind, knocking against the sides of his skull, screaming in his ears. Images projected across his subconscious, locked behind his closed lids. Images of his childrens' faces, with expressions of agony carved on their features. Images of Danijela, with her eyes fixed on him, staring straight at him, cold and unforgiving.
Too quickly. Much too quickly. It was happening too quickly, much too quickly; he couldn't stop it. His temples throbbed as the darkness continued to seep into his body through every pore in his skin.
He was drowning in it. He couldn't escape.
It was smothering him. He couldn't escape.
It was poisoning him. He couldn't escape.
Silence.
Was it over? No. It was never over.
Silence.
Had it finished? No. It never finished.
Silence.
What was happening? Where was it?
Silence.
Then.
Laughter?
Marko reached out towards him, Jasna reached out towards him. Their small hands teased the corners of his mouth into a smile, the sensation as foreign to him as laughing was. He longed to hold them; he was so close to them, and yet so far, and it was killing him. Then their hands were gone, leaving a trail of blood behind them.
The blood. The pain. The guilt. The death. Their faces.
Then they were gone.
Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.
GONE!
Abby jolted awake suddenly. Where was she? Her eyes darted around the room and rested on the trembling form beside her. She was home, where she was meant to be, but something wasn't right. She saw that his shoulders shook, and she saw the tears wracking his exhausted body, streaming from his eyes onto the crumpled sheets. Oh Luka, no.
His heart knocked at his ribs, the blood coursing through his body, begging to burst free from the tight restraints of his veins, and rushing to his head, making him dizzy. He trembled as waves of shivers ravaged his body. Was he cold? No. Was he hurting? Yes. He was hurting more than he ever thought was humanly possible. He lifted his quaking hand to his face, could it be that the darkness left a visible mark? What was that? There was something wet on his face, where Jasna and Marko's hands had been. Blood? No. Sweat, cold sweat.
Disorientated.
Where had it gone? When would it be back? Of course it would, it would always come back. There was no escape, no way out, no remedy. You know that Luka, don't kid yourself otherwise. It will always be there, it will never leave like they did. It's not a comfort, but it should be. Everyone else always leaves you, but this won't Luka. Get used to it, it will always be there, it will never go away. You'll never be free; you'll always be a prisoner to this darkness. It will always rule over you. You're weak, that's what you are. You're pathetic Luka. You'll always have to face this darkness alone. Never with someone else, always alone.
Alone.
But wait.
Something is different. You're not alone.
Abby?
"I'm here Luka, I'm here."
She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly; an attempt to protect him from his demons, an attempt to save him from the darkness that encircled him. She kissed his cheeks, his forehead, his lips; the taste of salt resting on hers as she did. She dried his tears, stroked his face, held him close. What else could she do?
Out of body and out of mind,
Kiss the demons out of my dreams.
Oh Luka. I'm not going anywhere, ever. I'm never going to leave you, I promise. It kills me that I left you before; it kills me that we left each other. I've been lost since that day; I've been lost without you. I wish we had never parted, then maybe I could have saved you from all this. You don't deserve it Luka, you of all people don't deserve this. You're one of the best people I have ever known, you are the best person I have ever known. I've got you. Hold on Luka, just hold on. I will save you from this, I will heal you. I just wish I knew how.
If you're cold I'll keep you warm,
If you're low just hold on,
Cause I will be your safety.
