Crash. The worst part about cocaine was that it took you high rather quickly and as a result, the crash came just as quickly and hit even harder. That led to Henry sitting on the floor of his bathroom with his head in his hands and a prolonged miserable groan leaving him. He now fully understood why users often mixed it with other drugs to try and help the horrible comedown. But that wouldn't help with what was causing the worst part of his crash. He was now dealing with the weight of all the things he said to Charlotte.

It seemed like he had a talent for running her off with his words, especially when he was angry. And the coke just increased his anger and made everything ten times worse. Their argument played back in his head like a never-ending bad movie, all the horrible things he said, the anger and hurt in her eyes, and the faint guilt in the pit of his stomach as he and Tati had sex. It was a small empty feeling but he figured it was just something like hunger or an impending orgasm. But it was still there post-sex, and it was still there as they lazily ate a sandwich together, and it was there now as he sat on the floor. Now the feeling was bigger and it ached in his heart as well. He felt awful. He hated himself so much at that moment.

His misery was soundtracked by the pouring rain outside. The bathroom was dark, barely illuminated by the light from the hallway shining in through the cracked door and only lighting up more when lightning struck outside. He didn't really remember going in there but he figured he made his way there to vomit up the sandwich he had or to cool his body down on the cold tile floor. His mind remained solely on Charlotte. He knew how much she hated the rain so he figured she was probably wrapped up in a blanket and curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa. Or, she was in her bedroom listening to music or watching TV rather loudly to try and drown out the thunder that she always swore she wasn't afraid of. If he dared, he could sneak over to her house and climb up into her window to see her. If she didn't kill him, he could apologize, and maybe they could come to an understanding.

But he knew that bridge was long burned and there was no use in doing that. Not tonight at least, the hurt was too fresh and Charlotte Page was not going to move on that easily. And he couldn't blame her. He sighed heavily and ran his hands over his tired face, his body melting lazily against the floor as he tried to ignore the aches that were coming on. Why do I snort that shit? He never really enjoyed it. Sure, the high was fun and exhilarating, but the comedown was absolute hell. He didn't budge when the door slowly opened wider and the bathroom lit up more with the hallway light.

"Weed helps with the crash, you know," Tati's familiar voice said. He sighed, his hands still on his face and muffling it. While she and her body brought him comfort, it wasn't the voice he really wanted to hear at the moment. He pulled his hands away and sat up, looking up at the beautiful young woman. She was dressed in one of his plaid button-downs, the shirt stopping at her mid-thighs. She looked good in it but he wished it was adorning Charlotte's figure instead. It was rather ironic too, seeing as the aforementioned woman was the one who even bought him that shirt. He took the blunt that she offered him and took a hit, holding it in for a moment before slowly blowing out the smoke with a sigh.

"You're a bitch, you know," he said suddenly. It was laced with more venom than he intended and it clearly caught her off guard. She raised an eyebrow and stared down at him before she chuckled dryly.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, going after your friend's ex? Who does that shit?" he asked as he looked up at her. Their eyes met in a tense staredown that lasted what felt like hours before Tati broke it with an eye roll. She took her blunt back and took a hit from it.

"I know that's just the crash talking and you just fucked me really well, so I'm not gonna kill you for that. Besides, no one told you to stick your dick in me, so blame yourself too. I'm going back to bed, when you stop being a little piss baby then maybe you can get a round two." She passed the blunt back to him before leaving him in the bathroom. He remained on the floor with his head hung and his eyes blankly staring at the off white tile floor. She was right. It was the comedown talking, he never would've said any of that out loud. She was a little awful in his eyes but he was even worse, so he had no room to judge. He messed up badly enough and there was no fixing it. So he got up from the floor and sighed heavily as he returned to his room and laid in the bed he made.

He woke up the next morning with Tati laying on his chest as she slept. He sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling blankly. What's wrong with me? He had this gorgeous woman who wanted him. He clearly made a choice and his choice was Tati. But why was he feeling so…empty? When he woke up to Charlotte on his chest or in his arms, his heart would always skip a couple of beats and he felt like he was on cloud nine. Being with her was just comfortable and cozy, it felt…right. But he didn't have that feeling with Tati. It was like the only things that connected them were lust and drugs. What kind of relationship would that be?

When she stirred from her sleep, he forced himself to smile at her. She returned the smile and kissed him sweetly before climbing out of bed and stretching her arms above her head. She was definitely a sight for sore eyes as she stood there completely naked. Smooth silky light caramel colored skin, brown curls that went down to her back, a small waist, and that perfect bottom. She was desirable, sexy, and a dream girl for any fully functioning heterosexual man. But…but damn, she wasn't Charlotte. He loved Charlotte's rich ebony skin, the way it was always so soft and velvety to the touch. He loved the way her body developed and she went from this lanky awkward girl to a woman with soft curves and a butt that suddenly appeared out of nowhere (okay, he may have been an ass man). He loved her curls and how she always experimented with them, be it trying different natural hairstyles or getting braids or faux locs. But most of all, he loved the way she fit so perfectly in his arms whenever he held her. He missed her already.

She was his person.

And he fucked that all up.

No. She fucked that all up by being engaged. She fucked that all up by letting another man love her and want to marry her. She fucked that all up by leaving him in the first place. They were perfect and happy together and she left. She fucking left and got engaged to someone else. He fucked up big time, he could admit that, but damned if she wasn't at fault too. And blaming her made him feel a little bit better.

"Henry?" He blinked a few times when he heard his name being called. He looked at Tati who stared at him, still naked and her arms folded. The blond wondered how long he had zoned out and he cleared his throat, sitting up in bed as he looked at her.

"Hmm?"

"Don't 'hmm' me, I hate that shit. Anyway, I said I'm going to Charlotte to get my clothes and stuff so I can crash here. Is that still cool?" she asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah, but you're going over now? Shouldn't you let things blow over a little longer?" He wondered how much she knew about Charlotte's life. She was far from the girl who was easily bullied and intimidated by Bysh Bilsky. Years of dealing with Ray and helping him and Henry out of touch situations made her tougher, and she definitely showed her prowess in Dystopia. She could easily bring down two men double her size without any assistance from Henry or Jasper. But the way Tati rolled her eyes and waved him off dismissively told him that either she didn't know about Char's strength or she could hold her own. Henry wasn't really sure which one it was.

"Char's a huge pacifist. One of those 'solve your problems with words' bitches, you know? She'll just wanna talk but don't worry, I'm from The Bay. I can handle myself." She winked before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself then leaving to the bathroom. Henry just sighed and laid back on his bed. Maybe he'd just stay in bed all day and avoid the world today. He knew Piper was pissed with him, and Jasper probably was too. Therefore, his bed was the safest place to be.

Down the street, Charlotte busied herself with getting dressed in her athletic wear. She was determined to keep the commitment she made to herself last night. She wasn't going to cry over Henry anymore. When her mother came home and found her with her whiskey, the two of them spent the night talking, and Charlotte confided in her about everything that happened, and when she was done, Diana had to take a few sips of the whiskey herself. While she was annoyed about the clothes littering her garden and the makeup in the toilet, she fully understood and told her she would've done the same thing herself, if not worse. Charlotte got all her crying out last night and now she was done, she was moving on. Eddy was gone, she and Henry were over, and Tati was never stepping foot in that house again. She was going to start living her life freely.

When she woke up that morning, it was hard for her to stick to her plan. Her mind instantly went to Henry. She wondered if he was okay, she hoped he didn't take too much of whatever he was high off of last night, then she remembered he was with Tati and probably fine. She wanted to cry again but she didn't. Instead, she suppressed it and let her anger drown out her sadness because she was still royally pissed. And so was Jasmine when she called her and the two video chatted, Charlotte telling her everything that happened. The youngest was still ranting about it as Charlotte got dressed.

"I knew that nasty heifer was up to something, I just fucking knew it! Man, I really should've told you sooner so we could get to the bottom of it before I left."

"Girl, it's like as soon as you left, shit just hit the fan," Charlotte recounted with a sigh. "My mom and I went to the soup kitchen and when I came back, there's Henry, there's Tati, and boom, there's fucking Eddy."

"And that trifling bitch called him?! And was fucking him the whole time too?! Ooh, I swear to God!" Jasmine clapped her hands in frustration and walked away from the camera. As she got angrier, her Southern accent came out as she was originally from Atlanta, and it earned a small chuckle from Charlotte. She was usually so prim and proper, a quiet and meek girl, but when she was angry, she became a whole different person.

"I hope you rock her shit," she said as she returned to the screen. "I'm pissed that this went down when I left because I would've happily knocked her into next week for you." The curly haired woman laughed again.

"I haven't seen her since last night. After my fight with Henry, I just came home and fucked all her shit up. Bougie bitch, bringing all her designer shit to show off to everyone. But!" She held up a finger as she left the frame to head into her closet. Grabbing two hangers, she returned with two dresses in her hands. "I'm keeping the Herve Leger and Mirror Palais."

"As you should, you look better in them than she did anyway," Jasmine said proudly. The two shared a laugh as Charlotte returned the items to her closet. As she entered her bedroom again, she pulled on her athletic jacket and put in her earbuds before taking her phone and leaving her bedroom. It was nice to talk to Jasmine because for a while, she felt like she had no friends on her side. She had her mother, but she was her mother, she was obligated to like her and stick up for her. She had Piper and Jasper, but they were friends with Henry too and she wasn't going to demand they pick a side, especially not Piper. Tati and Jasmine were really the first friends she had that were just her friends, and one of them completely betrayed her trust.

"Mom, I'm going for my morning run!" she called out. She continued her talk with Jasmine as she went to the door, stepping out onto her porch and closing the door behind her. As she began to walk down the stairs, she looked away from her phone briefly and froze.

"Char? You okay?" Jasmine asked as she stared at her friend.

"That bitch is coming over here…" she breathed out. She quickly switched to the back camera and showed Tati's approaching figure. Sure enough, the curly haired backstabber was making her way back to the Page-Bolton house. Wrapped up in one of Henry's sweaters, she kept her arms wrapped around herself to keep herself warm from the cold morning air. Jasmine loudly guffawed as Charlotte stared at her in shock.

"Oh, this bitch is out of her bird brain mind! Charlotte, do you need me to come through? Because I will gladly say fuck this job and come down there to curb stomp this girl!" Charlotte barely took in anything she said, her eyes trained on her "friend". The red angry Hulk that was her anger rapidly began to grow again and this time, she wasn't going to hold it back.

"Let me call you back," she muttered before hanging up and slipping her phone into her pocket. She jogged down the rest of the stairs and walked over to meet her halfway. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Tati rolled her eyes as she walked up to her.

"Chill, I'm here to get my stuff. I'm gonna be staying with Henry," she said with a smug grin. Charlotte scowled and folded her arms, glaring dangerous daggers at the other woman.

"You're a fucking trip, you know? I've been your friend for four fucking years! I had your back when your parents almost disowned you because you nearly flunked out of school, I was there for you when you broke your leg because those girls dropped you during cheer, and I supported you and helped you when that boy you were seeing almost killed you! All that shit and more and you do this to me?"

"Girl, you didn't want him!" Tati said dismissively with an eye roll. "You said you two were better off platonic so I took him off your hands. You should be thanking me, I solved your little dilemma for you and got Eddy to come through so y'all could try and reconcile. You're welcome."

"Thanking you?!" She guffawed with a clap of her hands. "You're fucking insane! I should thank you for lying about me? For stealing Henry from me? For calling Eddy here?! Oh, and were you gonna tell me that you were fucking him too?!" Her hands balled up into fists as she spoke, her anger only growing. Tati looked so smug, so proud of what she had done. It was like none of it mattered to her. Charlotte reached her breaking point when Tati let out a bored sigh and started to walk past her.

"I'm bored. Let me just get my things so I can go back and cuddle with my new boo," she said with a playful nudge with her hip and a wink. And that was it. Charlotte saw red as she grabbed the woman by her shoulder and turned her around, clearly catching her off guard by her strength. She let out a surprised gasp that was quickly silenced when the back of Charlotte's hand smacked her across the face. Her mouth fell open in shock and she held her cheek that was now stinging in pain, lifting her head back up and blinking a few times before furrowing her eyebrows together.

"Did you just pimp slap me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, you're a dirty hoe so I'm going to treat you like one," she shot back. Before Tati could respond, Charlotte's fist soon connected with her nose, causing a loud audible crack to radiate through the air and echo in the distance. She cried out in pain but didn't get a chance to even register what had happened before she was suddenly punched in the jaw and swiftly knocked to the ground. In pain and a little disoriented, Charlotte was soon on top of her and landing a series of hard blows to her face. Her vision blurred as angry tears spilled unconsciously, her anger and frustration completely taken over and shown through her furious punches. She was ao angry, so hurt, so tired of being hurt by people she trusted more than anything. And if there was one thing that Ray Manchester taught her, it's that when you're pushed to your limit, you start throwing punches.

Diana always worried about Charlotte. She worried about her when she was a child and she thought maybe she was too skinny. Some of the kids would make fun of her, but Charlotte would hold her own and give it right back to them. She worried about her while she was married to Michael. She never wanted her daughter to catch him beating her and see the damage he did to her both physically and mentally. But children are often more aware than people realize, and Diana realized that when Charlotte actually celebrated their divorce and not having Michael in her life. She especially worried about her daughter when she flew out halfway across the world and started to live her own life in Dystopia. But she thought that since she had Henry and Jasper with her, she'd be fine. She always loved the boys and she always thought highly of them. She knew they'd take care of Charlotte and she always secretly wondered if there could be more between her daughter and Henry.

So, watching everything unfold as it did had been completely jarring for Diana. All she ever wanted to do in life was to protect her daughter and she thought she'd be safe with her friends. Her falling for one of them, getting her heart broken, avoiding home for years, and coming home finally only to get her heart hurt worse wasn't something anything would see coming, but Diana still wished she could've protected her. Seeing her so devastated last night was purely agonizing for her to see as a mother, and it made her so incredibly angry. At Henry, at Tati, at the world for letting her poor little girl go through this. It wasn't fair that all of this was happening to her.

Diana sighed as she dried her hands off by the sink. Charlotte seemed more put together when she went for her run so maybe she would be okay. The woman decided that she would make her a nice big breakfast when she got home and would make sure she was doing well. Maybe encourage her to go back to California sooner than she wanted so she wouldn't have to deal with Henry. She would miss her, but it would probably be for the best. She walked out of the kitchen with a sigh, pausing when she heard the faint sound of yelling and cursing outside. She raised a curious eyebrow and walked over to the window. As she pulled the curtains aside and looked outside, she was stunned to see Charlotte in the middle of a fight with who she assumed was Tati. She could see people leaving their houses to watch the commotion and she felt her chest and her face heat up with embarrassment. She quickly ran to the door and rushed outside.

"Charlotte, what are you doing?!" she yelled as she rushed over. Charlotte's jacket was torn but she clearly had the upper hand, having the other woman pinned to the ground and holding her head down by her hair. All of her punches connected to her face, splattering blood onto the sidewalk beneath them. Diana grabbed her daughter's arms and yanked her off roughly, her hand still holding on tightly to brown curls and yanking a good chunk out of her scalp as she was pulled up.

"You crazy bitch!" Tati screamed as she held her head where her hair was torn out. Charlotte kicked at her as she was held back by her mother.

"Shut up! I'm gonna fucking kill you!" She forced herself out of her mother's hold and lunged at her again, ignoring her mother's demands to stop as she continued her assault. Her hands found their way into Tati's hair and she tossed her body to the ground as though she weighed nothing at all, managing to stomp on her face and cause another loud crack to sound in the air. People who watched audibly reacted and cringed at the sound as Diana watched completely taken aback. She barely had any control over herself, she just wanted to throw as many punches and kicks as she could so Tatiana would know how badly she was hurting. Suddenly, there was a flash and the Danger Force kids were there. They stood back almost stunned at what they were witnessing before Miles and Bose - well, Awol and Brainstorm, grabbed Charlotte and pulled her off of the other woman with a significant struggle. The teenage boys could barely keep her contained as she thrashed about.

"Char- uh, I mean…" ShoutOut cleared her throat and looked around nervously before looking at Charlotte again. "What's going on here, person I do not know?!" As Volt helped Tati up, she steadied herself before pointing at Charlotte.

"This crazy bitch attacked me out of nowhere! I just came to get my things and she jumped on me!" she explained. She spat out some bloodied spit and gasped when she saw a tooth fly out as well. Mapping her mouth out quickly with her tongue, she confirmed that she had a few teeth missing. "Bitch! You knocked out some of my fucking teeth!"

"That's right, you filthy whore!" the other screamed. "Every time I see you, I'm knocking that little pea you call a brain around in your head! I don't fucking care where we are, I'm beating your ass the second I fucking see you!"

"That's a threat! Arrest her!" the brunette demanded.

"Everyone calm down!" Volt said sternly. "No one's being arrested, we just want to settle everything and go on about our way." Tati rolled her eyes and wiped the blood from her nose. It was definitely broken but she would deal with that later. She just wanted to get out of there.

"Whatever, I just came to get my shit. Can I?" she asked as she looked at the female superheroes. ShoutOut looked at Charlotte as her brother and boyfriend struggled to hold her back.

"Can she get her things?"

Charlotte finally stopped trying to pull out of Brainstorm and AWOL's holds when she heard the question. She smirked as she remembered her activities from the night before and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. They're all sliced up and washed from the rain last night in the backyard. Have fun with that," she added with a wink. Tati's mouth fell open in shock and she started to walk closer to her before she was blocked by ShoutOut.

"You cut up my clothes?! They're worth thousands of dollars, you cunt!" she yelled over the hero's shoulder.

"Sorry!" Charlotte shrugged. "Have your new boyfriend buy you some more." She snickered as Tati tried to lunge at her again but was blocked by the teenager. Sick of all the yelling, and annoyed that she was sent to break up a lousy street fight instead of some real crime, Volt stepped forward and began to charge the electricity between her palms.

"Enough!" she shouted to quiet everyone down. She looked at the stranger with an uninterested stare. "You! Go inside and get your things while we keep her out here. No talking, no yelling, no nothing! Just get your shit and go!" Tati rolled her eyes and glared at Charlotte as she stomped past her and made her way inside the house. As soon as she was gone, Brainstorm and AWOL let go of the irate woman and her mother quickly approached her.

"Charlotte, what are you doing out here fighting in the street like some animal? I raised you better than that!" she lectured her. Charlotte sighed and folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, mom. I just lost my temper."

"That doesn't justify you attacking her in the street like that," she said sternly. She then stepped closer and added quietly, "You find space inside and fight her there where no one else will see and call the law on you." Charlotte blinked in surprise at the advice and breathed out an impressed chuckle. She knew her mom was tough and didn't take any crap since getting divorced, but it was still so surprising to hear. Before she could respond, a loud scream was heard from the house before Tati came running back out with her ruined clothes in her hands.

"You fucking bitch! You really cut up my shit?! This is tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage! How are you gonna pay for this because I know you and your broke ass mama aren't worth a damn!" she shouted in her face. Diana raised an eyebrow as Charlotte took a step closer before Brainstorm quickly stood between the two women. That didn't stop the two of them from glaring at each other and exchanging dangerous words.

"One: do not speak on my mother. Two: fuck you and fuck all your shit. You better be glad I didn't burn it all."

"You are such a pathetic loser," the brunette spat out with an eye roll. "No wonder Henry and Eddy wanted me so bad. Who would want a boring basic ass bitch like you? I bet you couldn't even name half of the designer shit that you ruined."

"I'm a pathetic loser? You're the one chasing my exes! You're the one living vicariously through me! If you're so amazing, how come Eddy proposed to me after being with you? How come you had to lie to Henry for him to be with you? My God, I bet when he's fucking you, he's wishing it was me! You will never be even half the woman I am!" She let out a loud laugh that made her words sting even more. Tati lunged at her and tried to reach past Brainstorm to grab her, only for the other heroes to pull her back.

"Ladies, please!" Brainstorm pleaded. He was starting to get scared for his own safety. Volt let out a frustrated groan as she yanked Tatiana away from Charlotte.

"Stop it!" she yelled. "You! Go home or else we'll arrest you for creating a public disturbance or whatever!" She turned to Charlotte. "And you! Go inside and cool off! No more fighting! Unless you ladies wanna come down to the Man's Nest and have a wrestling match in the ring? We'll sell tickets!" she offered, causing the crowd to cheer and chant for them to do it. Charlotte genuinely considered it, eager to knock Tati around some more.

"No!" ShoutOut said sternly. "Just go your separate ways and stop fighting!" Tati just gathered her tattered clothes and shot Charlotte a final glare.

"I'll get your ass for this," she threatened before she started to walk away. Charlotte rolled her eyes and let her mother tug her up the steps and back to the house.

"Come on by! I'll love to beat your ass again!" she yelled down the street before finally going inside. Diana let out an exhausted sigh before thanking the teenage heroes and going inside as well.

Down at the Hart household, Henry nervously made his way down the stairs. He wasn't sure who was down there but he knew that there was going to be a lecture or two depending on who was home. As he reached the main floor, he saw Piper and Jasper in the kitchen speaking quietly. Even though Piper was definitely going to be on his back, he was happy his parents weren't there to join in on the lecturing. As he stepped off the final step, Piper looked up and frowned.

"Oh look, it's the fuckboy. Where's your slut?" she asked. He sighed and scratched the back of his head as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Stop it, Pipes."

"I should stop? You're the one who let Charlotte catch you screwing her friend and then had the gall to call her a whore! As if you're not the biggest man slut in the world!" she snapped. He shook his head and was about to focus on making his breakfast when the front door suddenly opened.

Everyone in the kitchen turned to see Tati storm inside, tossing some rags onto the floor before walking over to the mirror. She looked like a complete mess. She had blood running from her nose and mouth, cuts on her face, her left eye was already starting to swell, and there was even a small bare spot on her head where it looked like her hair was yanked out. The sight was shocking to Henry and Jasper, but Piper couldn't help the big smile that bloomed on her face.

"What the hell happened?" the tall blond asked as he walked over to her.

"Yeah, what happened?" the youngest Hart asked with a chuckle. Tati glared at her before turning her attention to Henry.

"Charlotte happened. That crazy bitch jumped on me and attacked me when I went to get my things!" she explained before looking at the mirror again. She moaned at the sight of her beautiful face all beat up and damaged. "Look at what she did to me! I know my nose is broken and she fucking knocked out a couple of my teeth! Plus she cut up all my clothes and left them out in the rain all night!"

"Holy shit," Jasper mumbled. He was rather impressed but he wasn't going to say that out loud. Piper, however, had no problem with showing how proud she was.

"Ha!" she laughed boisterously. "She drew blood and knocked her teeth out! Our girl's a scrapper!" She raised her hand to high five Jasper but he quickly put her hand down. Tati glared at her through the mirror before sighing heavily.

"That stupid bitch attacks me, fucks up my face, and those stupid hero kids show up and don't even bother arresting her. Stupid fucking town," she muttered as she looked over her certainly broken nose. Henry looked at her with slightly widened eyes before clearing his throat.

"Hero kids?" he asked for clarification. She looked at him with disinterest.

"Yeah, some kids showed up to break up the fight, wearing primary colors and shit. What about my clothes, Henry? They're designer!" She continued to rant on about her clothes and her face, but Henry just tuned her out. It had to have been Danger Force who broke up the fight, and they probably took Charlotte to the Man's Nest to cool off. Maybe he could go there and see her, see if she was alright and what damage she had from the fight. Or - he could just go to hang out with Ray and maybe he'll see her there. He wasn't actively seeking her out or anything. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Piper as she walked up to them.

"You know what? I'm sorry about your clothes. Let me see if I can salvage some of them and dry them off," she offered as she picked up the damaged items. Henry watched her curiously but Tati just waved her off.

"Whatever. I need to go realign my fucking nose," she muttered before making her way upstairs. Jasper watched Piper as she made her way to the backyard with her arms filled with all of the shredded up clothing.

"What are you going to do?" he inquired suspiciously. She gave him a friendly smile and winked.

"I'm gonna dry them off…maybe with fire…" With a devious grin, she made her way to the back. The raspberry blond groaned and quickly got up to run after her, knowing full well she was going to do it. With everyone gone, Henry licked his lips a little and grabbed his car keys. He looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched before slipping out the door.

A/N: Ah, the ass beating I'm sure many of you were waiting for lol Thank you all so much for reading and supporting my story! I really appreciate it. Please continue to leave reviews as I love seeing your thoughts and reactions!