DISCLAIMER: IT IS OWNED BY NEW LINE CINEMA AND WARNER BROS. STUDIOS!

Trigger Warning: There is a scene where a character attempts suicide, so beware if the topic makes you upset.

Well... I did not get this one-shot out within the following week after the last one... oops. I'm so sorry, guys! I was just so busy, and I'm STILL so busy. I hope you guys understand.

Also, PLEASE DO NOT BEG ME TO CONTINUE MY STORIES! I am very busy and I'm not able to continue them as much as I want to, so be patient and don't leave review begging me to continue!

SuperSentai199: Thank you!

.2019: Yeah, I know haha Glad you enjoyed it!

MusicLover14: All I have to say is THANK YOU SO MUCH! Yup, that's it!

Special thanks to SuperSentai199, .2019, and MusicLover14 for leaving a review on the last chapter!

Now, without further ado, here is the fifth and very depressing one-shot!

Gotta Try to Move On

Monday, April 29th, 1991

"Do you always have to say the most disgusting things, Richie?!" Steph exclaimed as the two walked down the school hallway, laughing their heads off. Bill, Eddie, and Stan walked alongside the two as they all smiled, just enjoying the fact that school was over for them that Monday. Bill was holding his girlfriend's hand as they strolled towards the entrance of the building.

It had been nearly two years since the eight members of the Losers' Club had defeated It. And, although two of them had moved away and one was being homeschooled, the original five were approaching the end of their sophomore year at Derry High School. They're favorite part about this stage was the fact that high school was a hundred times better than middle school was. The classes were better, the food was better, and everything was so much easier. Overall, high school was Heaven compared to their previous school years.

And the best part was the most relieving part: none of them were being bullied anymore.

This was except for the occasional harassment from Greta Keene, but Steph never really cared about that anymore. She always ignored her when she did this, and it was all for the better. But other than that, life was going surprisingly great for the five kids, and she wouldn't have it any other way than that. She had awesome friends, a perfect boyfriend that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and nearly every bully was gone from her life.

But everything was bound to be ruined that day... and for the very worst. And it was about to come out of nowhere.

"Steph, my love!" Richie declared in an over-the-top, dramatic voice. "You've known me for nearly five years, you ought to know how I freaking behave by now!" Steph couldn't help but try to stifle another laugh as Bill pulled her closer to him.

"B-Beep Beep, Richie," Bill said in a slightly irritated voice as he squeezed Steph's hand, causing her to smile at him. "And also, I b-b-believe Steph is my love, so back off!" He then shoved Richie playfully, causing everyone to laugh.

Bill's stutter had started improving tremendously, despite the fact that Steph was going to miss it when it was completely gone. All of his speech therapies were paying off, and Steph was very proud of him, as well as the others. The speech impediment would only truly come into play when he was either emotional or nervous, even though it happened every once in a while on normal circumstances. It wasn't as annoying for the boy anymore; he had grown quite used to it now.

Richie shot Bill a sly smile as he looked at his hand that was linked with Steph's, a new idea for teasing coming up in his mind. "Oh, I'm sorry, Big Bill," he taunted jokingly, trying not to chuckle. "Steph is your princess, so you should defend her like the knight in shining armor that you are!" He gave the couple a mock bow as Steph smacked the back of his head; but she couldn't hide the pink hue in her cheeks. But, luckily for her, nobody noticed this.

"Shut up, Richie!" Eddie yelled, although he himself was smiling. All of the teenagers laughed again as they opened the entrance doors and stepped out into the beautiful Monday afternoon. That beauty wouldn't be lasting long, however, since it was forecasted to rain in the next hour, so they needed to get home quickly. Neither of them seemed to care for the time being, since they all started joking around. Meanwhile, Bill put an arm around Steph and looked at her.

"Rich was right," he whispered to her. When she raised her eyebrows in confusion, he gave her a loving smile. "You are my princess..."

Steph giggled bashfully but she, surprisingly, didn't blush at all. She instead kept her eyes locked with Bill's. "And you're my knight in shining armor," she replied shyly. Bill grinned and leaned down to peck her on the lips, which made her heart skip a beat. He pulled away, but she gave him a kiss in return, making his face turn red. She gave her amazing boyfriend a smile as they walked towards their bikes, hand in hand.

"I swear," Richie yelled enthusiastically in a teasing manner. "You two are gonna end up married after you graduate! The two little lovebirds!" He then made dramatic kissing noises, which made Steph and Bill laugh hysterically, but he kept going. "Bill and Steph sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S -"

"Beep Beep, asshole!" Steph warned. "Again, just like I told you last year, I can make out with him if you want us to!" She then grabbed Bill's face and pulled him into yet another kiss, and he brought a hand to her cheek, playing along with her game.

"Okay, okay! Gross, guys! Enough PDA... y'all can screw later," groaned Richie as he looked at the two. Steph pulled away from her boyfriend and gave the boy with the coke bottle glass a horrified look as her eyes widened.

"Sh-Shut up, Rich!" Bill said as he looked down, hugging Steph to him. The blonde was also blushing as she hid her face in Bill's chest, away from the others.

All of a sudden, deafening sirens broke through the cheerful moment. Steph's head snapped up at the noise and she covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut for a second. The others had done the same thing as her when they saw an ambulance and two police cars sped past the school. This made Steph beyond puzzled as she looked in that direction.

"What the heck is going on?!" Stan yelled as they saw the vehicles bolting down the street. Steph didn't say anything as her eyes followed the ambulance. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as she saw it turn to the street on her right. Her eyes widened in worry and dread.

That was the corner she always turned on to head home.

Before any of the boys could ask what was wrong, Steph jumped onto her bicycle and began pedaling faster than she ever had before. One foot after the other, she rode the bike a little fast but it was with reckless abandon. She was able to quickly catch up to the police cars that were behind the ambulance in next to no time, literally standing up on the pedals to go faster. And, sure enough, the vehicles actually did turn onto Steph's street.

The girl's heartbeat began thumping like she had just ran a marathon, ricocheting off of her ribcage more swiftly than it had ever done in her entire life. Her breathing came in and out in short, haggard gasps as she started losing air; it was almost as if she were choking on the oxygen that she was breathing in. She couldn't seem to calm the adrenaline pumping in her veins as she kept on pedaling.

Several times, Steph was almost struck by cars as she chased - literally chased - after the two police cars. When she saw the ambulance turn into her driveway, she nearly fell off of her bike in pure shock. She quickly sped into her yard and jumped off the bike before she could even stop, letting it crash to the ground. The teenage girl then sprinted to her front door just as two police officers got out of their cars; they tried to stop her in the process, but she wasn't listening.

"Miss, you can't be here right now," the female officer said in an urgent tone.

Steph snapped her head to her in disbelief. "I live here!" she yelled as she threw open the door and stepped inside so quickly she almost fell to the floor. She immediately saw her neighbor standing in the entry hall, clearly crying, and Steph was automatically concerned.

"Oh, Steph!" her neighbor exclaimed, rushing over to hug her. "I'm so sorry!"

The teenage girl was stunned for a moment, but she hesitantly hugged her back after a few seconds, clearly bewildered. "What happened, Ms. Grogan?" she asked in a small voice. Her neighbor, who was in her late fifties, pulled away and tried blinking her tears away. Steph patiently awaited an answer from the older woman, and she eventually got that.

"Sweetie..." she began. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to tell you this... I hate to be the one that has to say this, but... Your mother's gone... I think the tuberculosis finally got to her..."

Steph froze as time stopped completely, her breath suddenly caught in her throat. She knew that her mother's health had been declining very quickly recently. Jamie had been diagnosed with tuberculosis about a week after Steph and Bill's one year anniversary, and the teenage girl spent less time with her boyfriend to take care of her mother. Bill had understood this, always coming over to her house to help her when she really needed it. Steph really appreciated this, and she loved him all the more for it.

She could still remember the day Jamie had to go to the hospital; it had been the scariest day of her life by far, and she would never forget that moment for years to come. Heck, she was sure it would stay in her mind for the rest of her life.

And now... Steph didn't truly know how she felt at that moment... Those words kept repeating themselves in her mind like a skipping record, echoing off of the walls of her subconscious. Her eyes were wider than they had been before as she stared at the woman in front of her.

"What?" she breathed out, an appalled expression on her face.

Ms. Grogan had a look of agony on her face as she sadly shook her head. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said. "I came over to bring her some food I thought y'all would like, and... she was on the couch... I thought she was asleep... but I couldn't find a pulse... She's gone, honey... and I'm so sorry..."

Steph lost all ability to breathe right then and there, the oxygen leaving her lungs just like that. She subconsciously couldn't feel her heart beating in her chest, and she felt as if it were better that way. Her hands started shaking as she felt tears brim the corners of her vivid, midnight blue eyes... and all she could feel was a sense of emptiness as she stared down at the floor.

Her mother was gone... Just gone. And Steph didn't get to tell her goodbye... She didn't get to spend a second longer with Jamie before it happened... She wasn't by her side like she should've been... She didn't let the words, "I love you," be her last to her...

The nothingness that Steph felt made her collapse to her knees, her muscles and emotions giving out. Then the tears flowed, bursting out like a dam. She just let it out and began sobbing quietly. In her mind, this wasn't supposed to happen, she didn't want it to happen. She hated - No, she loathed the fact that this had to happen and hit her like a brick when her life was at its happiest.

She had a small victory by defeating It, but this was a massive defeat.

She suddenly heard footsteps beside her as someone ran into the house, but she didn't turn her head. Instead, she leaned back against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face in her hands. Her body shook uncontrollably as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her form and pull her closer. Steph had a sense that she knew who this was. So she just barely welcomed the embrace, but she didn't return it at all. The shock and the sorrow of the situation at hand wouldn't allow her to do anything emotionally or physically. It was like she was stuck in her own little prison, unable to break free.

"St-Steph..." came a murmur as the girl trembled violently.

She didn't lift her head from its position, she didn't even regard the fact that someone had spoken to her. She couldn't move, let alone speak. She pretended that Bill wasn't holding her tightly to him; but he was, and he was planting kisses into her hair, tears streaming down his own face.

"I'm so suh-sorry, love," he whispered, his voice cracking majorly. That was when Steph finally lifted her head, although she didn't look at him, not even acknowledging his presence. Hell, she didn't even notice the rest of the boys standing mere feet away from the couple, all of them with horrified expressions on their faces.

She herself was solely focused on a stretcher that carried a mass on it... a mass that was covered with a plain white sheet. And that was when Steph finally lost control; she broke, her heart shattering into billions of pieces as a part of her soul shriveled up and died. And she did something that she had never done before in her life.

She wailed. She wailed at the top of her lungs as she jumped off of the hardwood floor and flung herself towards the stretcher. She threw the white sheet away from her mother's corpse, seeing her closed eyes and blank, pale face. Ignoring the fact that Jamie indeed looked peaceful, Steph sobbed hysterically as she began screaming.

"No! NO! MOM! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE!" she screamed louder than she ever had before.

Bill and the others pulled her away from the stretcher as a paramedic gently pulled the sheet back over Jamie's body, rolling her out of the house.

Bill's heart broke and vanished into nothingness at the sounds of his girlfriend's screams. He held her to him as her muffled cries kept continuing, wanting nothing more than to give her the entire world at that moment. Her sobs would haunt him for the rest of his life, even after they moved out of Derry.

"It's okay, it's okay!" he assured her, although he himself didn't believe it. He stroked her hair and softly shushed her as the others watched them, all of them looking solemn and upset.

Richie looked more serious than he had ever been in his life, and it was a change in behavior for him. He felt so bad for his best friend that he couldn't help but walk over to the couple and embrace them. Stan and Eddie quickly followed suit and they all formed a group hug. They had Steph enveloped in their arms as she continued crying and crying.

As Steph felt the salty tears coursing down her cheeks, a million thoughts were rushing through her mind all at once. There were so many that she could barely focus on any of them at once over her crying. She tried to pay attention to the situation over her sorrow and distress, trying to pick out the important thoughts as quickly as she could.

And it was at that moment that she realized the most relevant thought and she envisioned it in her mind. Steph was seeing her whole life as if she had already lived it… It was an endless amount of suffering, tears, and depression. Up until now, she had never experienced grief this badly before, and it was surging through her every breath, reaching the highest peaks. As tears kept spilling from her helpless eyes, the sure knowledge that life would go on without her mother, the fact that time had only stopped for her, undid her completely.

She saw herself in the future crying every single day, mourning over Jamie every second… always the same tears, the same mumbles of grief. And, in the present, she felt like she was standing at a great precipice, ready to let go. And she felt that if she did, nobody would be there for her… there would be no one to pull her back, nobody who cared… or even noticed.

She felt that the world and her friends were better off without her; she could feel the depression slowly seep into her soul, emotionally killing her like it were an unseen, unheard, silent killer. Her mind went dark as it plummeted into darkness. Steph realized that there was one possible way to end it all, and she needed to get it over and done with now.

So, using the only physical strength she had left, she broke out of the embrace and shoved the boys out of the way. Her feet hammering against the ground, she dashed out of the house before her friends had a second to react. She painfully ignored Bill's cries for her to come back, and they only made her cry more as she sprinted down Kansas Street, her blonde hair fluttering behind her by the breeze her racing figure caused.

The tears that flowed from her eyes blinded her as she turned the corner of the street, running as quickly as her skinny legs could carry her. She was bolting down the next street like an Olympic champion at the start gun; she had never run so fast in her life, and she was surprised about how quickly she made the distance between her and her house. The pounding noise of her tennis shoes resonated and echoed in her ears and it matched her throbbing heartbeat in her chest. The thick feeling of grief and sorrow motivated her to run faster, and she did.

As she kept putting distance between herself and her friends, she could see dark gray clouds beginning to cover the sun. The thunderstorm was fast approaching, but she could care less about the rain right now, even if she despised it. All she wanted was to get this ordeal over with quickly, but she didn't even know where she was going.

She passed by a few people, not bothering to glance at them to see if they were concerned or annoyed; she even bumped into people, and they shouted things like, "Watch where you're going!" "Stupid girl!" or, "Show some manners!" She ignored them all, even if her shoulders hurt from colliding into so many people. She didn't even feel the pain as she darted onto the main road that led into Derry, secretly relieved that there were no cars or people around to witness her despair.

Steph finally ran into a streetlamp, her chest softly smacking into the metal as she clung to it for dear life. Her entire face was now covered with tears as she sank to the ground, her arms wrapped around the pole and her left cheek pressed against it. Her body quivered as her legs went weak. Her breathing was ragged, and she was gasping for air as the strength left her body; she started to sob again, faint cries pouring from her mouth as she stared at the pavement below her.

Her heart felt completely empty now; it was gone. The awful hollowness… the waves of wretchedness nearly engulfed her mind, body, and soul entirely as she just sat there. She felt helpless, knowing that nobody was going to support her through this. And that was what urged her to look up.

She was on the main Derry bridge, not the Kissing Bridge. Steph didn't even know that this was the same bridge that Adrian Mellon would get thrown off of 25 years later, but she was focusing on the rails that guarded it. And she slowly stood up, her legs carrying her to the edge, although it felt like she was walking through molasses. She could barely see the rushing river below that went to God knows where as she approached the rails. The water felt strangely welcoming to her, as if it were awaiting her.

Steph quickly looked behind her to make sure nobody was watching and, sure enough, no one was. She sighed with relief as she felt a huge gust of wind blow through her air and send a mild chill through her body. It was getting colder by the second, but she didn't care as she inched closer to the edge. And, eventually, her body was nearly pressed against the rail as she stood there, staring down into the rushing waters of the river below her.

What she couldn't hear over the wind was thundering footsteps behind her as she, very slowly, lifted up her arms, her hands caressing the metal of the guard rail. Her fingers enclosed around it and she gripped it tightly, her heart beginning to race in her chest as the adrenaline died down. She didn't stop was she was doing, however, raising her right foot up and stepping onto the rail below the one she was holding; her left foot did the same. She had to be careful, not wanting to fall and break her neck. She would rather have this be painless than her being in agony.

She carefully swung her legs over the rail, clutching onto it as if it were her lifeline as her feet hit the small ledge on the other side. She then turned around, looking at the trees for a moment before staring down at the water that waited for her to jump. And that was what she wanted to do; just jump and get it over with, end it all, and finish it.

And then I'll see Mom again, Steph thought as more tears streamed down her face. She could have sworn she felt a ghost of a smile form on her lips as she started to lean forward, closing her eyes. But, for some reason, she stopped, and opened them again.

She was starting to sense other feelings in her gut: the first one was hesitation, almost as if she didn't actually want to do this, her mind stuttering for a second in her moments of distress. The second was the implication that someone was watching her and that they were about to intervene. And she was quite right about the last one.

"Steph, don't do it!"

The blonde girl whipped her head around to face the source of the voice, her hair billowing in the wind as she stared at him. Her defeated gaze pierced into the boy's soul as he stood there, a panicked and heartbroken expression on his face. But, despite the fact that she felt bad for putting him in this condition, she wasn't able to show it in her heart.

"Go away, Bill!" she shouted. "You don't need to see this… I'll let go, no matter what you do!"

Bill didn't listen, approaching her regardless, although very cautiously. "You're ruh-right," he replied rather easily. "I don't need to see th-th-this… And you're not luh-letting go. I won't let you." His tone was blunt and final as he said this, but Steph failed to notice the deep emotion in his voice as his eyes shimmered with tears again. The young girl chose to look away, not bearing to face her boyfriend.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" she snapped back, her voice cracking with each word. "I'm already on the other side... it's too late, Bill. You can't do anything…"

Steph didn't have her eyes locked on the water this time, instead having them staring into the wilderness of the Barrens. For a second, her gaze froze on the exact spot that Adrian Mellon would get killed by It over two decades later; she couldn't help but feel a bit of uneasiness as she glanced at the area. She then looked back to the water, the sky darkening more and more by the second, matching the emotions she was feeling at the moment. She shut her eyes again as she could barely hear footsteps beside her.

"I know you're on th-the other side…"

The girl turned her head to look at Bill, who was less than two feet to her left now, staring at her with determination. The adrenaline didn't come back, but her heart fluttered a little when she saw the desperate look in his eyes; it was at that moment when she felt the sensation of reluctance building up inside her. It made her drop her gaze for a split second.

"But I can do something about it," Bill continued, still staring at her, his heart breaking at the amount of tears on his girlfriend's face. "I can puh-pull you back over, but I know that it won't be easy to-to convince you… I can try though…"

Steph looked at Bill again, her expression now one of shock; she was surprised at how much he was hell bent on getting her back, and they both knew it wouldn't be easy. She even flinched away slightly when Bill took a step forward, but she was relieved that he didn't grab her hand or something. She avoided his eyes, but also paid close attention to what he said next.

"Listen to me, Steph," he began. "I know losing your mom must be huh-horrible for you… Trust me, I know th-th-the feeling of losing a loved one…"

The girl nodded. "I know," she said quietly. "Georgie…"

"But I learned something… something I'm a-about to tell you right now," Bill continued, his tone softer and more soothing. "You don't have to b-bluh-blame yourself for this… it wasn't your fault. Your mom died because of something natural, it happens every day… She's at peace now… She wouldn't want you to feel like this, she would wuh-want you to be happy. All of us want you to be happy, Steph. If you let me pull you back, I'm going to h-h-h-help you through this…"

It was at that moment that Steph really started to regret making this decision, slowly choosing to change her mind; she was such an idiot. Why did she think suicide would help her here? She knew that it would only make things worse, especially considering that there were people that could help her, support her, comfort her when she needed it. Killing herself would make her friends go through the same thing she currently was. She didn't want to make them suffer through that depression… and that was the only thing that stayed in her mind for several moments.

"It's going to be okay, and I'll make sure of that," finished Bill, not stuttering whatsoever. "Now, come on… give me your hand… for me. Please, Steph… You don't want to do this. I'm begging you, let us help you. Let me help you…"

Hearing how close Bill was to tears finally made Steph relent, and she sighed. She couldn't do this to her friends, she couldn't do this to herself. And, most importantly, she couldn't do this to the boy she loved so dearly. She realized that if she jumped right now, he would probably live on in grief, and she didn't want to make him go through that pain. But she was also too scared to let go of the railing, she didn't want to jump anymore; she knew that doing this was a dumb decision she had made during her moments of sorrow. And she couldn't help herself at the time.

But she had a way out of this now; she had a key to going back to where she just was. And that key was standing right next to her, holding out a hand for her to grab. Bill Denbrough was ready to pull her back over the railing, and back to him. He cared, he did notice, and he loved her with every fiber of his being. He was here to save her from her sorrow, to rescue her in a way.

So, although she hesitated due to her sudden major fear of heights, Steph slowly released her right hand from the rail. She was scared that she would fall right there, but she surprisingly didn't plummet towards the water, much to her great relief. Her heart thundering in her ears, she inched her hand towards Bill's right until she found it; when she did, she gripped onto it for dear life, that fear still in her heart that she would make the wrong and fatal move. He gently and carefully moved his left hand to hold her right one instead, just to make it easier.

Steph made sure to be cautious when she moved her feet to where she could face Bill. And when she did, she refused to look at him, ashamed of what he must have been thinking at that moment. She felt so stupid and distraught, afraid that he would hate her for doing what she had just tried to do.

"Thank God," whispered Bill, but Steph still refused to look up, knowing she would have to directly face him soon enough. And that time was now.

"Steph… look at me, please…"

And she did. The second she locked her dark blue eyes with his blue-green ones, more tears spilled down her face and she shut her eyes. Several more sobs made her body tremble as she choked out the words, "I'm so sorry…" She sniffed, now feeling humiliated because of her crying. Bill didn't care about this, now more desperate to pull her back so he could hold her forever.

"It's n-nuh-not your fault," Bill whispered. "Hold on to me and I'll pull you over."

Steph obeyed, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in the crook of it as he put his own arms around her back. He started to gently pull her over the guard rail, and she felt a sensation of slight relief that he was doing this, and this made her cling to him even more tightly as her feet hit solid ground again. She pulled away to look at him again, and his hands were already on her cheeks, wiping the tears away as fast as possible. He then brushed a strand of hair out of her face as he stared into her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm here…" Bill murmured, and Steph put a hand on his cheek in response.

"It isn't your fault," she replied.

"And it is-isn't yours either."

Steph shook her head. "I shouldn't be crying like a baby right now," she added, her voice quieter.

Bill ran his hands through her hair as he gave her a sympathetic look. "No… you have every right to cry, love," he said. "Don't fuh-feel stupid for crying, you just went through something h-horrible. Let's just go to my house and we can deal with everything el-else later, okay?"

The teenage girl nodded, resting her head on Bill's shoulder as the two began trekking back to where they both came from. She started to feel raindrops falling from the sky and onto her slightly pale skin, but she didn't notice and she just ignored it. Both of them were silent as they walked to Bill's house, the rain pouring down and soaking their clothes now, but they didn't care. Bill just had his arm around her to hold her to him as they put distance between themselves and the bridge.

Bill was thinking about how he had nearly lost his girlfriend forever. If he hadn't gotten there in time, Steph would have probably let go of the rail and fallen to her death, and he would've never seen her again. Even though he wasn't that religious, he was thanking the Lord that he had managed to save her; he didn't know what he would do with himself if he hadn't made it. But the love of his life was right here, in his arms, and perfectly safe. And that was all he wanted.

Meanwhile, Steph had her gaze frozen to the ground as the rain plastered her blonde hair to the sides of her face. She felt as if there was something eating her up from the inside, combined with that numbness and coldness, as if her conscience were telling her she wasn't good enough. The darkness in her soul haunted her, scared her even; it was as if she knew it was going to remain there for a long time. But, despite the fact she really wanted to be with her mom again, she was very grateful that she had listened to Bill and let him pull her back over the rail. If she hadn't, she couldn't bear to think of the consequences.

The two finally arrived at Bill's house, and they were both shivering from the freezing rain splattering onto their skin. They walked up the front steps and Bill dug for his house key, getting it out of his pocket and unlocking the door. They stepped inside, immediately welcoming the warmth of the living room, and Steph pulled away from her boyfriend to hug herself, feeling the goosebumps on her arms.

"Wuh-We need to get showers," suggested Bill as he gave her a worried look. Steph didn't say anything, but she nodded, agreeing instantly. He took her left hand and they walked up the stairs and into his room; he let go briefly to go to his closet, digging through it for two pairs of clothes. He got one for himself, but he paused, turning to the girl that stood behind him.

"Is there anything in-in particular you want to wear?" he asked in a respectful tone. Steph, although she really appreciated his caring nature, shrugged.

"Anything's fine with me," she whispered, her voice distant and small as she looked away.

Bill nodded, getting a random shirt and pajama pants out of the closet and handing them to her. "You remember that we have t-t-two bathrooms here, right?" he inquired. At her nod, he continued. "You go to the one across the hall, and I-I'll go to the one downstairs, okay?"

Steph didn't nod, just saying, "Okay," in response before slowly walking out of the room and directly into the bathroom a few feet away. She turned on the light and shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a second; after a moment, she started to remove her soiled clothing and she tossed them to the side, putting the pair of clean clothes on the counter beside the sink. She then went to the shower and turned it on, immediately stepping inside and pulling the curtain over her.

The scalding hot water poured down, dripping down her skin as her mind faded into dullness and everything was a foggy illusion. The sensation of the water strangely calmed her; it took her mind off of things. Her mind swirled, and it felt like she was in an everlasting waterfall, but she knew it wouldn't last forever, and she hated that with a passion.

And that was when her thoughts snapped back to her mother. The fact that Steph had left the house without telling Jamie she loved her broke her entirely and it made her want to die inside. She didn't cry this time, but she could physically feel her heart slowly fall apart into nothing due to all the emotions that she sensed. She felt as if she were worthless, helpless… nothing.

She stood in the shower after cleansing herself for another ten minutes, just waiting for the water to turn cold. And when it did, she cut the shower off and stepped onto the floor, grabbing a towel in the process. She ran it over her body and hair, drying herself as much as she could before putting Bill's clothes on, appreciating the comfort they brought her.

Afterwards, the tears burst forth again, just like water spilling from a dam, and she clenched the sides of the sink for support, the sobs entering and leaving her lungs. Her chest heaved up and down and her body shook more than it ever had before; it was worse since she was temporarily alone and there was nobody with her. It made her bang her fists against the marble counter, the words, I hate myself, echoing in her brain over and over again. That one thought caused more tears to flow.

Steph sank to the floor and she never felt like she did at that moment, so deflated. Her sagged shoulders quivered, her hands hung low, and she made no attempt to conceal or wipe her tears away. Each drop from her eyes carved furrows in her tender flesh and the saltiness sank into the skin.

After a while, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

The girl refused to get up at first, reluctant to have comfort. But when the second knock occurred, she got up, finally relenting. She realized that needed comfort right now, and she knew that Bill was the only one who could give that to her. She unlocked the door and opened it, facing her boyfriend.

Bill's heart fell at the sight of Steph crying; it seemed that she had been doing it for a while, and he didn't know about it, only just coming upstairs. He longed to have her in his arms, to hold her, to do what she had done when he lost Georgie. It seemed like it was forever ago now, although it had been nearly three years, and he was moving on. But he needed to comfort his girlfriend, his love, his angel. And he was going to… whatever it took.

"Oh, Steph…" he murmured, his own eyes shimmering with tears as he examined her broken face. He instantly stepped forward and hugged her, and she returned the embrace, although weakly. Seconds later, he kept his right arm around her back while he slipped the other under her legs; he lifted her off of the floor and carried her to his bedroom, while she held onto him as tightly as she could. When he entered the room, he kicked the door shut behind him and he sat down on the bed, holding Steph in his lap. He pushed a few strands of her blonde hair out of her face, kissing her on the forehead repeatedly and running his fingers through her hair.

Steph could barely breathe through her cries but the gentle pressure of Bill's fingers against her scalp soothed her. If he weren't so close to her like he was at that moment, she would've lost it. She used her arms that were slung around his neck and pulled herself closer to him, something that he welcomed instantly. As Bill held her, she kept thinking about what life would have been like if her mother was still in the world with her.

They could've had so much more time, Steph could have taken care of her mother more, everything could have been okay… but Jamie was taken away from her before that could be possible. She didn't just die… she was taken away from Steph. And she hated that immensely, she had the slightest feeling of vengeance. But she knew that it wouldn't help anything.

She didn't care.

"It took her away from me…" she said quietly, furiously.

Bill pulled away from her slightly. "W-What?"

"It took her away from me," she repeated, her teeth gritted with rage. Despite how angry she now was, the statement made Bill shake his head as he lifted her chin with his fingers.

"Listen to me, Steph," he began. "It did not take your mother from you. Okay? It was just her time to go and sh-sh-she's at peace… Remember that…"

With the tears slowly stopping their waterworks, Steph blinked as she sniffed. "You're perfect," she muttered.

Bill's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He wasn't embarrassed, rather touched by the saying, but he still lowered his head for a moment. He then stared back into her eyes, shaking his head a little. "No, I'm not," he responded.

The teenage boy saw his girlfriend take a shaky breath as she continued what she was saying. "But you're here… with me…" she added, her voice breaking. "You don't have to be, but you are…" In response to this statement, Bill put a hand on her cheek to brush as many tears as he could away. "Yuh-You need me right now," he said simply. "And I'm here."

There was an agonizing silence as Steph looked away, staring into space. So many negative thoughts were rushing through her mind all at once, and she couldn't stop them, as much as she wanted to. And, before she could prevent herself from it, the words spilled from her mouth.

"It should have been me instead of her… I should have died instead of her… Mom was so… so good… She did so many great things, she was so strong… she was strong until the very end. But, she was so sick… and what did I do? Just sit there and watch her die… Hurt her…"

Bill's eyes were wide as he heard the words she was saying; tears of pure sadness appeared in his eyes as his heart broke all over again. He wiped them away and shook his head again, this time, desperately. Steph ignored this, however, and spoke the words that could have literally killed him right there:

"I'm nothing…"

In fact, those words did kill him a little on the inside.

And this made Bill let go of his girlfriend to put both of his hands on her face. He touched her skin, caressing her cheeks, chin, forehead, everything. He even brushed his fingers over her nose. "You're not nothing," he whispered. "You are not nothing. You are the best person I could have ever found. Sure, everyone isn't perfect, but you are to me."

He then leaned forward and pressed kisses to every single inch of Steph's face, making her close her eyes. And as he did, he kept speaking.

"You are the strongest, the most amazing, wonderful, and beautiful woman that I've ever seen or known. You are a freaking angel, and I will remind you of that every single day…"

After a while, he finally pulled away and saw Steph staring at him with a look of astonishment on her face. The girl couldn't believe how supportive he truly was for her. He hadn't stuttered at all, so she knew that he was telling the truth. So, she nodded and rested her forehead against his, doing nothing else but that.

"Bill?" she whispered.

"Steph…"

She took a deep but shaky breath. "Can you… promise me something please?"

He nodded. "If-If you ask me to promise you something, I always will…" he replied. "Wuh-What is it?"

This answer made Steph tighten her hold on Bill. "Never leave me. Please don't ever leave me…" she said. "I don't think I could handle it…"

Bill pulled her impossibly closer to him as he kissed her on the forehead again. "I will never leave you, my angel… Do you hear me? I'm never going to leave you. I'm right here, and I always will be. I won't leave you in any way, ever."

Steph nodded. "I believe you," she said in a stronger voice. She then leaned forward and kissed Bill; she kissed him as if it were the end of the world, and he put a hand on her neck, ever more desperate to have her closer to him. He nearly cried when he tasted her salty tears, but he held it back.

The amount of love Bill showed for Steph was making her head spin as the tears finally stopped. They broke the kiss a little while later, the both of them breathing heavily after their moment of emotion being let out.

"I love you," Steph said in one breath. "I love you more than anything…" More tears filled her eyes as she said these words, although they didn't shed, but these were tears of gratitude. She was so relieved that her boyfriend was there for her in her moments of sorrow.

Bill leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "I love you, too, my angel," he murmured against her soft lips. "I'm a-always going to be here for you, don't worry…"

He then used his hand to tilt her chin back up and he gave her another gentle and loving kiss. He laid her down on the bed and he hovered over her, straddling her as she kept her arms around his neck. Their lips moved in sync and the passionate kiss lasted for a long time. They occasionally pulled away to breathe and when they did, Bill would press his lips against Steph's neck multiple times. But he couldn't resist kissing her lips again afterwards.

Bill would do anything to help the love of his life get through the tragedy she was going through. He was laying down his life to help his angel, and Steph appreciated it.

A/N: Well... that was really depressing... probably even more so than it was in Chapter 7 of Losers Stick Together. *tries not to cry*

So... what did you guys think of this one-shot? Was it too depressing? I need to know, please!

Next one-shot will come out whenever I can post it, so PLEASE wait patiently!

Now, an incorrect quote to cheer you guys up!

Steph: The glass is half empty.

Bill: I think the guh-glass is half full.

Steph: I think you're full of crap.

I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot, even if you guys cried (I hope you didn't!). Be looking forward to the next one! Have a great day, and until next time!

- Hermione Romanoff