I feel like some of you might think that my writing is slow and drawn out. Which I apologise for. I do want people to enjoy the fic, but I feel it's necessary as I feel like things feel stilted if there isn't the right amount of development. Hope you like it regardless and thanks for reading :)

Coldplay – Warning sign
Nine Inch Nails – And all that could have been
Kings of Leon – Closer

Chapter 5 – Keep dancing when the world stops turning

Angela had only been with the Toledo S.R.T department a few months, but she had integrated swiftly with her new team. They were great at their jobs, but they were also good people, so it was natural that she also enjoyed spending time with them outside of work. Melissa was especially good company, with the two of them bonding over the fact that they were some of the most mature ones in their team. Similar tastes in shoes also helped. Today had been another day spent with Melissa enjoying what Toledo had to offer, but now that she was alone she couldn't help her thoughts straying to the past.

At present her life seemed ideal - no past, no haunting questions, living her life in the now, but Curtis' birthday was coming up. With that brought feelings of loss and regret, particularly for her young nephew who she had been especially close with. She really had been ready to go down that night with Curtis and she was thankful for her job in the S.R.T. which made her value her life and the difference she made, but as his birthday neared, she couldn't help feeling dejected and her conscience wouldn't let her rest. She felt like things were still unresolved. Had they really gotten everyone that Frederic Downing was working with? She could never let something like what happened to her brother happen to anyone else nor would she let people like Frederic Downing get away with the things he did. Her thoughts then turned to Leon and she realised that after 8 months the thought of him could still make her heart ache and beat faster. She hadn't seen him once since their parting on that hill and she wondered if she ever would.

Just as she was starting to doze off, however, she heard a noise. It was faint, but it definitely sounded like movement inside her flat. Adrenaline pumping, she slowly slipped out of bed and grabbed the closest potential weapon, an empty glass bottle. Moving from room to room she neither saw nor heard anything. As she approached the living room, however, she could hear flapping. Raising the bottle to inflict damage on the intruder, she stopped as she realised that the window was open and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't remember opening it, but she was a bit dazed when she had returned home that evening. Putting the bottle down, she returned to bed, unaware of what danger lurked in the dark.

"Come on you've been moping around the past couple of days, whatever's the matter Angela?"

"Nothing…it's nothing..." Angela tried to smile reassuringly. She wanted to tell Melissa, but it felt too personal. She managed to stay focussed during missions, but when she wasn't working she had been finding it hard to be involved with her friends and teammates. She just didn't feel quite ready to talk about it; there were just so many old emotions that were dredged up with the thought of the past.

Melissa didn't seem convinced, but Angela was relieved when she let it go and said, "Fine, but no matter what you say, something is wrong. You can tell me in your own time or we can go out for some drinks? Maybe you'll have a drunken epiphany or it'll loosen up your inhibitions sufficiently to tell me what's bothering you."

Thinking about it, it didn't seem a half bad idea. She wasn't drinking alone and Melissa would be looking out for her. It might be a good opportunity to voice the thoughts in her head. "I think…that actually sounds like a good idea…so long as the first round is on you," she said with a slightly sorrowful smile.

"Done, let's head down to Kazu, it should be pretty quiet at this hour, but sorry, I don't think they're going to let you in dressed like that." Melissa said looking at the bleach stained dress she was wearing to do housework in. "I'll go grab a dress for you." Melissa said as she walked towards Angela's wardrobe. Picking up one of Angela's favourite dresses, a soft floral red shoulder hugging dress that flared out from a fitted bodice, Melissa hoped that it would also help pick up her mood.

Unfortunately when they arrived at Kazu, it had been packed with people watching the game. Not liking the atmosphere for their night of drinking they decided to head to Amazon which would be quiet at this early hour of the night. With the empty dancefloor and loud music they headed to the bar to start their night. It suited Angela's mood and with both of them deciding to get started with the hard stuff they ordered a Hunter's cocktail.

Leon had been called out by his informant again. The last time Mr Sanguini hadn't had anything very concrete to give him, other than the fact that a controversial group had been getting more active. Some of them had frequented his less reputable business ventures and he had gotten the information that they had recently teamed up with some powerful and unsavoury group which would be funding their operations from now on. Of course there were no names or details, but he highlighted the fact that they were sympathisers of the genetic engineering movement and considering past events, they were a group to take seriously. Leon had recognised that there were serious ramifications involved with a group such as theirs getting too active and reluctantly acknowledged that his informant, Mr Sanguini, was probably well positioned to keep him abreast of the developing issue. So when he was called saying that he had best make his way to the club immediately, he wasted no time in going over.

"I've lost all my family," Angela said still staring at the drink in her hand. "They're gone and I've got no one and I don't feel like justice has been done by them and it gets lonely. I want my family back. I want a family. Maybe start my own. But what if something bad happens to them again and there's this man who has left a really deep impression on me and I just feel broken sometimes. Like the only thing I know how to do anymore is my job. And I thought that I was doing well here, but I've been slipping back to the place I was before I came here…"

"Oh Angela, I'm so sorry." Melissa said as she moved closer to give her a hug. They'd downed a few stiff drinks and Angela had finally opened up a bit, making her realise why she had been so reluctant to say what had been upsetting her. Regretfully, Melissa didn't know how to help or what to say, but she was glad she had said something to get it out so then at least she wouldn't be alone when she tried to work through her problems. She'd obviously come to Toledo for a fresh start, but that also meant she didn't have her support network of old friends to help her through it. "I'm sorry that I can't say anything much that will make you feel better, but thank you for telling me. I know that this might not sound comforting, but I'm here to support and help you. We can try and get through this together, because I think you're an amazing person and a good friend and I don't want to see you suffering alone."

Angela was touched by Melissa's kind words and she couldn't stop from crying as she hid her face in her friend's shoulder. While she had gone through some therapy in Harvardville, the therapist had been very clinical about what she had gone through, so much so she had felt detached from it all. After that she found it difficult to confide in her friends and disturb their own happy family lives even though they had tried to be supportive. As such, being able to voice it here and now, when it had been eating her up for a few days and with such a sympathetic response from Melissa, she couldn't help but let her emotions flood her as she felt a small weight from her chest being lifted. They stayed like that for a while as Melissa let Angela run through her emotions. Eventually her tears let up and she let go of Melissa as she picked up a napkin to wipe away her tears. "Thank you Melissa. You have no idea, how those few words have really helped. And thank you for dragging me out here. I was a bit sceptical about it helping, but well it seems to have worked in the end. You know, I'm still keen for a few more drinks though. Got to get the fire back in me after that emotional episode." Angela said smiling at her friend.

"Sure. How about something a little lighter and fresher though? Mint Julep? I just need to head to the bathroom though. I'll be back soon," Melissa patted Angela's hand briefly before ordering their drinks from the bartender. She was surprised as she had to squeeze through crowds to get to the women's restroom. Neither Angela nor she had been paying attention to their surroundings and the club had gotten packed full of people. They'd obviously been at the bar a lot longer than she had thought.

Angela in the meantime was a bit lost in thought as she sat at the bar and it was only when someone bumped into her arm that she realised that her drink was sitting in front of her. She took a few sips and found the Mint Julep much more revitalising than the heavy drinks that she'd been drinking and she took a few deeper sips. It wasn't very long when she noticed that she was finding it hard to focus and kept losing her train of thought. She was hit by vertigo and tried standing up slowly, but found herself tipping to the side until a heavy body caught her.