Look who's back with a new chapter! :D Sorry I've been gone for a while, just been busy.

But I'm here now :D

And I hope you all like it : )

Updated:11/30/2012

…

Tommy fell to his knees in surprise, feeling weak and vulnerable for once. Merton didn't bother looking at him; actually, Merton wasn't really looking at anything. His eyes looked spaced out and he seemed to be somewhere that wasn't in the room with them.

"Mert? Merton?" he whispered, but with no response from the Goth, he looked up at T n' T, who were oblivious to his distress. "Merton's the werewolf?" he got out with some difficulty. They just nodded.

"Admitted it himself. Said all those times we saw him with the Wolf was just a robot he made so people wouldn't get the wrong idea. We finally got him!"

"T N' T RULES!" they barked out, but Tommy was silent as he just stared at Merton, who seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Listen Dawkins, we know you and Dingle here were friends, but he's been lying to everybody, making fools of us all. Help us finish him off." Tommy looked at them, then back at Merton, who seemed to grow paler by the moment.

"No," he said, feeling just like Tommy Dawkins; no Wolf-ish instincts springing forward, no growl ripping from his throat. He was just Tommy Dawkins, staring at his best friend who was practically dying before his eyes. "I can't hurt Merton. No matter what he says he is…"

"Dawkins, he's the-"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID HE IS!" Tommy screamed at them; no response from Merton, but everyone else took a step back as Tommy stood up from his spot on the floor. "I don't care. I will never hurt him." With that, he pulled his fist back and hit one of the twins with a right hook, knocking him flat on the floor. Lori soon joined him, sending a flying kick to the other, knocking him down as well. Tommy looked at Lori, who looked back, sympathy in her eyes.

"Merton needs you. Get him out of here! I'll take care of these two." Even as she said that though, Tim and Travis groaned at their feet; besides that, they didn't move much.

"I don't think they're going anywhere," Tommy said before leaning down and scooping Merton up in his arms, who just groaned miserably. "Mert? Merton? Baby speak to me," he whispered, a whine to his voice; but there was no response from the pale boy, and Tommy felt blood leak from him onto his clothes. "Let's get you to a hospital. They'll take care of you."

…

"Merton," Tommy whispered, brushing his fingers over the pale hand of his friend, "Please wake up." Merton J. Dingle had been asleep for almost 24-hours now, pale and cold; ever since Tommy and Lori had gotten him to the hospital, he has been in this comatose state, and Tommy knew it was all because of him. "Come on Mert, you gotta get up. Please."

"Tommy, are you okay?" Lori asked, setting a hand on his knee in attempted comfort; he shook it off and glared at her.

"No! Of course I'm not okay! The love of my life is sitting here DYING because of me… I'll never be okay," he whispered, watching the pale teen just breathe in and out.

"You know he'll be okay," she whispered back, just watching Merton now too. "He's always okay. Remember when Medusa turned him into stone [*End of season2*]? We got him back then, and we'll get him back now." Tommy looked at Lori and nodded.

"You're right. Merton's stronger than he lets on… And I'll be right here waiting for him when he wakes up."

"And Tommy? … I'm sorry, for what happened earlier. I just … I never thought of you two being together… like that."

"I know it's a lot to handle Lori, but I love him. I've always loved him. I was just too stubborn to admit it I think… It was always him. Who else can I be myself around, and know they will accept me no matter what? "

"You know he feels the same way right? I don't think he'd let himself get mangled just for anyone. Do you?"

"No… But he still did, and I'm gonna set Tim and Travis straight when Merton wakes up. But for now, I'll be here."

…

Tommy couldn't sleep. Night had fallen on the small town of Pleasantville, and Tommy was awake, lounging in an uncomfortable chair next to the hospital bed in a quiet room, the only sounds that of soft breathing and machines beeping.

Nurses came and went, checking on the pale teen, but there were no changes in him. He was comatose and empty looking. Tommy just watched him, eyes never leaving the pale, unmoving figure.

"Merton. Buddy. Baby. I screwed up. I was looking for you, and I got distracted by Lori… I should've been protecting you, but I wasn't… This is my fault. All my fault. Oh Mert, I'm sorry. I'm so so so sorry," Tommy said, resting his head against the end of the Goth's hospital bed, just listening to nothing. "Oh Merton, why did you let this happen?"

"I was protecting you," a scratchy voice whispered, making Tommy sit up suddenly to see a tired, worn out looking Merton watching him with sad eyes. "They would've killed you. They were going to kill me either way. At least this way, I died for you."

"But you're alive."

"Barely."

"I should've protected you. Instead, I was-" Tommy stopped talking then, but he knew it was pointless. By the look in Merton's eyes, the Goth already knew what Tommy had done. "I'm so sorry."

"You kissed her," Merton said simply, still watching Tommy. "Why?"

"I don't know. I was … weak. She was tempting. I just … gave in. I was so weak."

"Only humans are weak. I thought the Wolf was stronger than that…" Merton stopped talking when Tommy lowered his head, shame clearly radiating from him.

"The Wolf is gone."

…

Dun-dun-duuuuuuuuun

Lol.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time

-JustMe133