I don't like birthdays. Not because I don't appreciate myself, but because there are bad memories associated with mine, in particular.

As I lay down on my bed, all of the memories of today washed over me. Running my fingers through my hair and taking a deep breath in an effort to recollect my thoughts, I heard a knock at the door.

"Emily, what are you doing in here? There's a party outside. Come on, let loose!" Will said while doing a silly dance to cheer me up.

"Eh, I think I'll just skip it. I'm just gonna hang out here for a while. You know, try to clear my head,"

"Is this about what happened today? If you are going to hang out in here, then I'll join you."

A few seconds later, Will was lying in the same position I was, except I could see the freckles on his nose and the sparkling in his eyes.

"This has been one hell of a day, hasn't it" he said while reading my face.

"Yeah."

We lay there for a while just looking up at the ceiling and listening to the shallow breaths coming from our bodies fill the room with a comfortable harmony.

"I think I may start going back to therapy," I said while looking into Will's eyes and trying to judge his reaction.

As he internalized what I just said, his bright blues eyes suddenly turned into a sad, royal blue and the frown lines on his forehead became more evident.

"Em, I'm so sorry that this happened to you. If I had been there sooner or been there to protect you, this wouldn't have happened," Will said, his voice breaking while trying to apologize for the wrongs that he had not done.

"Will," I said softly, "this is none of your fault. Yes, unfortunate things happen, but this isn't something you did. Don't ever think that," I said while tentatively reaching out for his arm.

As we lay there, we talked. About our fears, dreams, and the celebration of birthdays. As our conversation carried on, drowsiness swept over us and we slowly dozed off, escaping the problems that had plagued us as adults and found a moment of tranquility for once in our lives.

Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. This story is definitely not a one shot; it's going to get quite dark and it will be filled with pain, and I'm hoping to write in a Will/Emily relationship. I also want to step away from Will's "happy go lucky" attitude; I want to expose some of his vulnerabilities.

Please rate and review so I can take suggestions to heart.