Hello everyone! I'm back with the second chapter! I want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out! Back in April I received the sudden news that I had to move out of the house I was living in. And while I had a fair amount of time to do so it became a scramble to find someplace to go as everyplace I looked at and every plan I made seemed to fall through. The situation took up all of time, focus and energy leaving me with no time to write. Thankfully I finally found a solution to the situation and I got moved in a couple of weeks ago and once I was settled in I was able to get back to writing.

My thanks goes out to Penguin Lord0029, Power of Magic, and Guardianrebel18 for their reviews of chapter 1! With that all said lets dive right in!

Chapter 2: A Foe in Need

"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming Through!" Several people moved to get out of the way of young woman of twenty as she wove her way through the early morning throng of college students. She looked at her phone and cursed under her breath, picking up her pace a little. "Sorry! Running late!" She called out as she just managed to spin out of the way of a startled young woman before they collided. She really wanted to get to class on time. Her professor was giving out grades on their latest creative writing assignment and she didn't want to miss out. Thankfully she was dressed for a run at least, black stretch pants and a blue hoodie allowed for ease of movement. As she ran her shoulder length brown hair flowed behind her, the subtle highlights throughout her tresses helped to accentuate the movement of her hair in the wind.

She was kicking herself in her mind, she really should have gone to bed a lot sooner last night, but with Nella and Marna finally coming home after being gone for five years the temptation to party had been too great to resist. The pair had arrived just two days ago and the celebration had been pretty much non-stop. And what a party it had been, and with good reason. With the two of them returned it felt like the family was whole once more. It had seemed like a piece had been missing the entire time they were gone. She understood why Nella had to get away and go on their journey, she had been through a very rough time during the war with Logrim and she needed to get away and find herself again. And as far as she could tell the young princess had managed to do just that.

A cold breeze hit her suddenly, snapping her back into the moment. It was late October, a little over two weeks away from Halloween and the weather was making sure people knew that Autumn was in full effect with Winter just around the corner. With a sigh of relief she reached the building her class was in and busted through the double doors. Another glance at her phone told her she was going to just make it in time. Dashing into the lecture hall she had just five minutes to spare. As she leaned against the wall to catch her breath a few of her classmates turned to look at her. She waved sheepishly at them before brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Party a little too much Becky?" Said a voice next to her. Becky turned to look at the speaker and got a mischievous grin on her face.

"I guess you could say that. I went home with this gorgeous blonde woman. Lovely blue eyes with these cute patches of freckles beneath them. Really nice pair of boobs, perky little butt, great legs."

"Ohh, she sounds hot. Anyone I know?" The speaker said with an arched eyebrow.

"You should, seeing as it was you." Becky said playfully as she wrapped her arms around her wife Lisa and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here? Don't you have class?" Becky hadn't seen Lisa at home when she had gotten up and assumed she had left to go to class.

"Professor Baylor called in sick so class was cancelled for the day. So, I decided to come see my future famous writer of a wife put the rest of her class to shame." Lisa said as she gently poked Becky in the ribs with her elbow.

"Oh, stop it." Becky said in mock annoyance as she poked Lisa back with her own elbow. It was one of the things she loved about her wife, how she was so supportive of her. Becky did everything in her power to be just as supportive of Lisa.

"Good morning, everyone." Said Becky's English professor said as he came into the lecture hall and set his briefcase down on the lectern. Becky and Lisa quickly took a pair of seats next to each other in the back row. "I hope you all had a good weekend. I finished going over all your creative writing assignments and I was pleased with a lot of your work. Some of you are doing quite well. But here was one piece that really stood out to me and I would like to take a moment to recognize that individual. Miss Vandom, are you here?" Becky went bright red in the face and sank down in her seat a little before slowly raising her hand. "Ah, there you are. In the back as usual, I should of know." Her professor said with a good-natured chuckle. "Well, I must say I was very impressed with your work. The attention to detail, the vivid, life like characters. Well done. If it's alright with you I'd like to make your story available to the rest of the class."

"S…sure." Becky said nervously, more than a little blown away by the praise she was receiving from her professor.

"Excellent. While I'm sure you're all eager to see your scores and critiques you'll have to wait till the end of class when I'll be handing them out. For now, we'll be continuing our study of the works of Charles Dickens. If you remember where we last left off at…" For the next forty-five minutes Becky took notes while Lisa paid polite attention to the lecture, even though she wasn't that interested in the subject matter. When he was done the class lined up so they could pick up their graded assignments. Becky hung back so she could be last in line, a move Lisa could only shake her head at but understood.

"Ah, miss Vandom. Here you are." Becky took her story back and took a quick look, her eyes bulging when she saw the score she had received.

"One hundred ten percent! Becky that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Lisa said in excited happiness when she saw the score for herself. "We are so framing this!"

"As I said, you did an excellent job. Every one of your classmates took a copy to read for themselves. You should know that I don't give out scores above one hundred percent lightly or very often."

"Professor Miller, I don't know what to say… I didn't think it was that good."

"Of course it was!" Lisa said as she gave Becky a big hug.

"You should listen to her." Professor Miller said, nodding towards Lisa. "Remember what I said back in our very first class. You will always be your own worst critic."

"I got to go babe. My next class starts soon. Catch you later."

"Ok. Later." The two kissed briefly before Lisa departed.

"Your girlfriend I presume?" Professor Miller asked politely.

"Wife, actually." Becky said with a smile.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were married, and at such a young age. You are quite full of surprises, aren't you?" There was no hint of judgement in his voice and there was a genuine smile on his face.

"You have no idea." Becky said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Uh, sure. I have a free period coming up."

"Excellent. Again, I must say how impressed I was with your work. You have a real talent for writing, and you could go far with it."

"That's what Lisa keeps telling me."

"Well, I like your wife even more now. You should be listening to her." Becky smiled bashfully. "I meant what I said. Frankly you are one of the brightest students I've ever had the pleasure of teaching."

"Thank you…" Becky's face was completely beet red at this point. She wasn't used to receiving such praise.

"I'm having a party in early December, mostly some friends of mine from the literary community. I'd be honored if you could attend, and your wife of course."

"Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds wonderful, thank you."

"Excellent. I'll have my secretary send you the details. Have a good day."

"Yeah, you too professor." Becky said in a bit of a daze. It took a couple of minutes before she regained her senses. Even then it was still hard to believe what Professor Miller had said to her. It was right then her stomach decided to rumble a bit, reminding her she hadn't had breakfast yet, something that was coming back to bite her in the ass as she realized how hungry she had become. Deciding a trip to the dining hall was in order she set off to get a meal in her stomach before her next class. On the way she took a small shortcut she knew about, a small garden like area sandwiched between two buildings. She and Lisa had discovered it during their first year of college. It was secluded and didn't see much foot traffic and during the warmer months they would often have lunch together there. Not today however she thought to herself. The overcast sky hinting at rain said it was an indoor dining type of day.

As she passed through, she noticed someone sitting on one of the stone benches with their back to her. As Becky got closer she could hear the faint yet unmistakable sounds of crying. Becky didn't know who it was, other than it was a young woman with long black hair that went about halfway down her back. Becky slowed down and went to check on the crying girl.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked putting a hand gently on the crying girl's shoulder. When the young woman turned her head to look at Becky, she felt herself stiffen in surprise. It was the last person she expected to see. "Stacey?" She blurted out. There was no mistaking it, looking up at her with tears in her eyes was Stacey Ghelding. Becky had met her on her first day of high school at Sheffield Academy, an encounter she wasn't likely to ever forget. Stacey had gone out of her way to make Becky feel like dirt, even going so far as to try and out her and Lisa as lesbians after she had walked in on them making out at a party five years ago. An act that had gotten Stacey kicked off Sheffield's cheerleading squad. She wasn't the only victim of Stacey either. Her good friend Jenny had also been on the receiving end of Stacey's cruelty.

After graduating high school, a little over two years ago she hadn't seen Stacey at all, let alone thought about her that much, though she had heard through the grapevine that her former foe was attending the same collage as her. What was shocking to Becky wasn't running into Stacey after all this time, it was bound to happen at some point, it was seeing her in such a state. Stacey had always come across as this strong, confidant person, even if she was a total bitch all the time. The person in front of her however was the complete opposite, vulnerable and lost looking. Her eyes red and puffy from crying, her makeup running from her tears and her normally well-maintained hair was ragged and tangled looking.

"Becky Vandom? Is that really you?" Stacey said, she looked away, clearly embarrassed at being seen in her current condition. "What, what are you doing here? Spying on me?" Becky felt a flash of annoyance. All she had done was stop to check on her, and what did she get in return? Attitude, though admittedly it had kind of felt forced, like Stacey's heart wasn't in it. Becky almost turned and walked away, not wanting to put up with her old adversary, but something stopped her, a voice in the back of her mind telling her it wasn't her way to abandon someone in distress, even someone as bitchy as Stacey. In that moment Becky took a deep breath and decided to be the bigger person.

"No Stacey, I'm not spying on you. I was just passing through when I noticed you crying." She said.

"Oh…, s..so that's it. You stopped to have a good laugh at me. I, I see how it is."

"No, that's not who I am Stacey." Already Becky was starting to feel somewhat exasperated, it was taking a lot of her determination to not walk away from the situation. "I stopped because I saw someone in obvious pain and wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help."

"W,well there isn't!" Stacey said rather quickly. "Ev..even if there was, I wouldn't want help from you, so just go!" Becky closed her eyes and counted to ten. She so wanted to listen to Stacey and just go, but for whatever reason something was telling her she had to stay. She sat down next to her and looked her in the eye.

"Look, I can tell something is clearly bothering you. I'm willing to listen." Stacey didn't respond, she just turned her head away again. Becky saw that Stacey wasn't going to talk, so instead she decided to try a different approach. "I was on my way to the dining hall to have a bit of a late breakfast. Why don't you join me?"

"I…"

"Come on, it's my treat. Besides, you might feel a little better after having something to eat. I know it works for me."

"Al… alright. I am kind of hungry, I guess. And if you're paying. But don't get any funny ideas! We're not friends!" Stacey jumped up and started walking away.

"Believe me, the thought never crossed my mind." Becky muttered out as she stood back up. The pair made the short and rather silent trip to the dining hall. Becky loved the food there, and owing to the nature of collage life it was usually open twenty-four seven. Students and staff got their meals at a discounted price, but only at certain times of the day, the rest of the time it was full price. As they entered the smell of French toast, eggs and bacon assaulted their nostrils. The line was thankfully short so they didn't have to wait too long to get their food. Becky stuck with her usual choice of pancakes and a side of sausage links while Stacey went with a ham and cheese omelet. Becky found them a small table in a secluded corner of the dining area, figuring Stacey might want a little privacy in case she did decide to talk. Becky was content to eat in silence, and just like she thought Stacey did seem to perk up a bit after filling her stomach. Becky hoped that Stacey would be a little more forthcoming now. Though she had already decided that if she got anymore lip she was gone, her patience went only so far.

"So, care to tell me what's wrong now?" She asked when they were done with their food. Becky leaned in a bit, resting on her elbows, but not enough to invade Stacey's personal space.

"I…" Stacey started to say. The look on her face suggested she was waging some sort of internal war in her mind. Becky's guess was that the winner would determine if Stacey would go full bitch mode or not. "I, I got an e-mail from Chad. You remember him, right?" Becky remembered Chad all too well. He was Stacey's boyfriend at Sheffield. She had gotten him to flirt with her as part of a ploy to make it look like Becky was trying to steal Chad away from Stacey. The plan had failed however and it helped to show to everyone what a schemer Stacey was. "I don't know if you're aware, but after high school he went on to play football for Penn State."

"I think I remember hearing something about that."

"Well, I didn't get in, obviously, but we decided to maintain a long-distance relationship. It's been that way for the last two years and I thought it was all good and that we were fine, I was wrong." Becky was beginning to see where this was going. "I received an e-mail from him this morning, but didn't read it right away because I was in a hurry. I didn't get a chance to read it until a few minutes before you showed up." She held up her phone for a second, but didn't show Becky the e-mail. "I won't bore you with the details. Basically he, he said that it was over between us, that he had found someone else and that he's been dating around behind my back for almost the last two years." Tears began to form in her eyes again before she hastily wiped them away.

"So, he didn't even have the guts to call you and tell you? He breaks up with you over a freaking e-mail? Seriously, I always knew he was a braindead jerk, but I didn't know he was that big of a douchebag!" Stacey actually chuckled and smiled for moment, an actual honest to goodness smile. Something Becky had never actually seen Stacey do before. It didn't last long however and the crestfallen look she had been wearing returned. The sting of being dumped and learning she had been cheated on was of course still very fresh in her mind.

"Hey, I'm sorry you're hurting right now. It sucks. I wish I had something more comforting to say to you. But look at it this way if he was going to lie to you and run around with other girls behind your back then it's better to find out about now instead of further down the road. He's obviously not the right person for you." Just then her phone beeped, warning her that her next class was due to start in about ten minutes. "Ah crap. I got to go." She said as she stood up from the table.

"Becky." Stacey said still looking down at the table. "So, uh, you don't think I'm getting what I deserve?"

"No, I'd never say that." Becky turned back around. "Look Stacey, I know we were never friends, but I was never your enemy either." Stacey wasn't sure how to respond, so instead of saying anything she just bit her lip and turned her head away. Becky once again couldn't believe how vulnerable Stacey seemed. She pulled a scrap of paper out of her bag and hastily wrote something down on it. She put it on the table and slid it over to Stacey.

"What's this?" Stacey asked.

"My cell number." Becky said. "If you need to talk, call me. I'm willing to listen."

"But why?"

"Because I know what it's like to be miserable and in pain. You wouldn't know this, but I had a pretty brutal existence at one time. I went through things you can't even imagine. If it weren't for complete strangers who I now call family being there for me when I really needed them. Well, I'd probably have died a long time ago. Maybe I'm just trying to repay some of that."

"I see…"

"Anyways, I got to go." Becky turned and started to leave.

"Becky, I'm sorry." Stacey said without looking at her. "For how I acted back in the courtyard. I know you weren't trying to spy on me. You didn't even know it was me. If you had, you most likely would have kept going. I wouldn't have blamed you if you had." She looked up at Becky finally. "But I'm glad you did stop. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Stacey. I really do hope you have a better day." Becky said in all sincerity. With a final nod she walked off. As she did, she couldn't help but wonder, if she had known it was Stacey would she have kept going? After a minute thought she decided that, no, she wouldn't have. Stacey may have been a former foe, in all likely hood she still was, but when all was said and done, at that moment in time Stacey was just someone who needed someone else to reach out to her in kindness.

And that is where we will leave things off for now! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and getting to see a diffrent side of Stacey. I have mentioned this before in but we will be seeing much more of her as the story continues. I'm excited to be exploring her character more as I move forward! As always let me know how I did in the reviews! Work on the next chapter will begin soon so keep an eye on my profile for updates!

Next chapter: Becky and Lisa joint the rest of the gang for dinner at the 'Silver Dragon' for a chance to catch up with Nella and Marna as well to get to know some new friends. The mention of Becky's run in with Stacey brings up some bitter memories in a couple of people. This and more in the next chapter!

Till next time, this is Shocklance, signing out.