No longer on Courtney. This chapter's Gwen's. Enjoy!

Duncan raced back to Courtney's house in order to get his car and get to Gwen's ten times faster. However, as he was about to slam on the gas pedal, it hit him.

In the rush of everything else that had happened today, he had forgotten the one reason that he'd come here in the first place.

He jumped from the car, heading at a fast walk back toward her house. Nothing had changed. Despite the drastic change in the family which resided there, it remained ever the same. he pushed the door open gently despite his rush, so as not to destroy anything. The inside was the same too.

He sighed bitterly, walking over to and up the stairs which he had descended with Courtney in his arms hours before. They were stained with the vomit that had covered the girl, but besides that, they were as they'd been upon his entry. As he reached the top, something caught his eye on the wall beside him.

He turned his head slightly, taking in the objects covering the wall. They were family photos. The first he noticed, the one in the center, had Courtney, her mother, and...was that her father? It was the largest, the picture intended to grab the attention of others first and foremost. And it did.

Courtney was young in this one, about four or five maybe, her mother much younger as well. They both looked happy here, more so then they'd been today. The man, on the other hand, did not appear to harbor the same feelings. His face was set in a stone cold manner, eyes void of life, and mouth a flat line. The only hint of his affinity towards Courtney was that he had his hand resting on her shoulder.

Duncan tore his gaze from this one to glance over the others. There was one of Courtney on her first day of elementary school, a pink bow in her raised hair, a red backpack over her shoulders, and a front tooth missing from her otherwise perfect smile. Another had her at about nine, still with that same backpack, albeit a bit worn, and her hair was longer, not held up by anything. He looked further. The next one which caught his eye was one that held both her and her mother in it. Now, however, her mother's face came off as more turned, her smile forced, and eyes lacking the same life as in the center picture. Even Courtney didn't seem as bright. In fact, they both appeared to have been crying. Courtney was six, with that same bow in her hair as the individual picture of her. Duncan furrowed his brow. What happened to them...?

He shook himself of this bad feeling, turning slightly to look at some more despite his better judgment. In the next one she was in middle school. She no longer had that backpack, having traded it in for books which she carried in her arms. Her smile was smaller then when she was a child, but it still gave off a lovely glow, and her hair was shortened down to about her chest. It was yet to be as short as it had been today.

None of the others were all that interesting, lacking something the others had. They were simply pictures to him. But there were many of them, of her alone, of her with her mother, and a few of her and friends, but no father. He was in but one.

Duncan cocked his head. Why? Could it be...he left them? He jerked his head back to the one of the two looking so sad. Was that the reason behind their tortured faces? It was definitely a possibility. It would be one of the few things a six year old would understand. Daddy is leaving...

Duncan cringed, turning away from the wall so as not to be pulled in to any more of this family's issues. Only half way through the action, he set eyes on a rather intriguing piece. He narrowed his eyes, studying it harder then the others. She was nearly identical to the girl he knew. Her hair was cut perfectly so that it reached just above her shoulders, she was wearing her usual gray and white collar shirt, and her eyes held a glassy look. It was the same look as she'd had as she seized, only in this image, there was a hint of terror mixed in. As strange as it sounds, she hadn't appeared afraid of death. Instead, it seemed, she was more afraid to live. And truthfully, as he further scrutinized the picture, he saw shockingly similar aspects between her and the one image of her father. Her lips were drawn tight, only the corners of her lips turning up ever so slightly simply because she forced it, her face was drained of life, eyes looking straight on at the camera in a way that one would only find necessary when another was holding a gun to your head. The latter didn't exactly apply to her father, but it didn't make it any less jolting. This previously hidden factor actually gave the piece a much darker feel along with a sense of strangulation. It was as if at any moment the girl before him would die from lack of air. And in a sense, it was true. It had taken longer then normal strangulation, but it had nearly happened. She'd been so close to death.

That was it! No more of this! He came here for one reason and one reason only. He needed to find Gwen's books and return them to her.

She was probably freaking out right now over his absence. God knows, she probably had called him about fifty times since he abandoned his task for her and went to aid Courtney and her mother, so he needed to get a move on! He didn't want her to be crying over him, especially when she was going to have to cry again because of Courtney.

He then swiftly entered Courtney's room, scanning the space just as fast. He saw the made-up bed, the cluttered desk, the disgusting floor, and any other inch that wasn't these. Nothing.

He frowned from annoyance, stepping further into her domain. He noticed she had a closet that had been out of his view previously and floated toward it. It was unimaginably clean, everything organized according to type of clothing. But despite the cleanliness, there was a set of books lying on the floor beneath the hanging clothes. Duncan knew it well. There was no denying it was Gwen's.

He scooped them up in one easy movement. They were so light compared to his own books that he nearly fell backwards from the amount of effort he exerted. It would have been perfect if it was his things, but he hadn't accounted for the difference. He chuckled lightly at his slip up. "Funny shit," he breathed, staring aimlessly at the wall a moment before losing his grin, and leaving her home.

As he exited the house, it hit him. As much as it was all the same, there was one thing that had changed.

The hectic situation he had had the misfortune of walking in on was no more. The house no longer held that feeling of insanity which had consumed it. It was strangely at peace, a solemn kind of peace mind you, but peaceful nonetheless.

Although one thing this factor would never change, not ever, was how a certain fog of despair and forlorn would descend upon the house and wrap it in an inescapable grip. It would feel the effects long after the whispers died and those who knew passed on. Much like the victims themselves, it would hold the secret within until the end of time.

Duncan was particularly sullen as he slipped into his car, dumped Gwen's books on the passenger seat, and started the car, shutting the door behind him as he sped off.

For all the miles he covered, he never once ceased thinking about how he was going to explain this all to Gwen and whether he should say anything at all, but naturally, by the end of his ride, he had come to the conclusion that he would have to say it...somehow.

He sighed irritably, running his fingers through his dark black hair. "God help me," he murmured, pulling up into the driveway of Gwen's home.

It was so unlike Courtney's. It had an outwardly dark appearance, perfect for Halloween, which Gwen loved so much. That's why her mother never bothered changing the color and only went over it with the same shade. Not to mention the biggest difference:Gwen lived in a "poor" neighborhood while Courtney lived in the richest part of town.

As such, there was no porch at Gwen's house, just stepping stones that Duncan took over the dirt to reach the door. In fact, although he'd never really noticed before, there was no doorbell. He had to do it the old fashioned way. He rapped on the door.

For a while, there was nothing but silence on the inside and Duncan had to wonder if she was even here. He peeked around his shoulder. Their car was there, so why was he getting no response?

He knocked on the door again, growing impatient the more time passed. He even found himself crossing his arms across his chest as well as tapping his foot repeatedly on the concrete. "Where are you...?" he whispered to himself.

With a dark scowl on his features, he now reached out to hit the door with much more force then before. As he raised his clenched fist the sound of hurried footsteps finally reached him. They sounded like the person was running a race to get to the door and he cocked a brow. Only when he saw her did he fully understand.

Gwen hadn't heard the knocking the first little while, but once she had, she launched into a full out sprint. She reached the door in five seconds flat, flinging it open with great force.

Her action was so swift that she nearly banged Duncan with it in the process. His only saving grace was that he had anticipated it and jumped back a step.

Immediately after setting eyes on him, Gwen launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hold and pressed her shaking body up against his calm one. "Duncan!" She cried, voice wavering some. "God, Duncan!" She squeezed tighter. "Thank God..." she murmured much softer.

Duncan's eyes grew wide and a slight blush crept up onto his cheeks. He had expected the hug, not as fast, but he knew it would come from his unexpectedly long absence.

However the thing that really caught him off guard was the fact that she was crying. As she nuzzled into his neck he felt fresh tears slip from her face onto his skin. He shivered unintentionally, wrapping his arms around her waist a moment after.

"Gwen..." he muttered gently, leaning his head down so his mouth rested right next to her ear. Not only that but he was able to smell the fruity flavors in her hair. "Don't cry..." he cooed.

As he spoke, his breath tickled her ear, sending a tingling sensation throughout her body. Still, this was not enough to clear her mind and soothe her soul. If anything it made the fire burning inside her flare up more.

"Asshole..." she moaned in unconvincing anger. It was especially unbelievable when, as she spoke, she pressed herself harder against him and tightened her grip as much as possible without choking Duncan. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Duncan swallowed hard, closing his eyes tight. "I...don't know..." he knew what she was referring to, but he didn't want to have to further her distress in this moment. He wanted to get her as calm as he could before he inevitably spilled all the beans.

Gwen emitted a loud snort, jerking away out of his hold to stand a foot away. "You. Don't. Know," she said through clenched teeth. "What the hell does that mean?" She yelped. "You had me worried sick!" She heaved an irritated sigh. "Do you get that?" She jabbed a finger into his chest. "Do you understand the gravity of the situation?" She said in an almost mocking tone as she waved her hands around to signify the gravity.

Duncan cringed at her harsh tone. He hated when she got mad at him even though it didn't happen all too often. It hurt him for a multitude of reasons, some he wasn't even sure he could explain.

"Gwen..." he trailed off, searching for the right words. "I...look, I'm sorry," he held his arms out as if he were inviting her into another hug. "I don't know what else to say. I'm just really, really, sorry." he cringed again as these words brought him back to when he was back at the hospital and he'd needed something to say to Courtney's mother.

"Sorry?" she whined pitifully. She wasn't even bothering to put up a mask of anger towards him. She didn't have the energy. All the emotion she was capable of displaying was that of immense hurt and betrayal. The anger was overpowered by these feelings. "That's it?" she paused to bite her lip and force the tears to stay back. "You disappear for hours and-and...hours...and all you can say is s-sorry...?"

Duncan was hurting to an unimaginable extent as he listened to her fall apart. His eyes held just as much pain in their depths as Gwen's did and his eyes even gleamed with faint trances of tears. He, much like her, had to struggle to maintain control of them. "What do you want me to say?" he begged her to give him the answer. He didn't know anything but the truth and it had no chance in hell of working. Her stuttering wasn't making this any easier either, nor was her strained tear, stained face, and tortured eyes.

"I don't know!" She snapped, swallowing hard to stifle her tears. "B-But...I need something!...Something more." she whined softly after the words passed her lips.

He didn't know what to say. All he could manage was to remain standing on his own two feet. As such he didn't know how she expected him to help her too.

"Duncan..." she whispered. He perked, eyes wide. "You were gone..." he lowered his eyes to the ground. "And...I-I...was so scared. I-I called...but-but...you didn't answer." a pause. "D-Duncan, you said a few minutes, but-but it ended up being forever..." her voice caught in her throat and she jerked her head to the side so as to hide the tears which now slipped from her coal eyes down her pale skin. "I thought you might have..."

Duncan cringed at the implication and ended up answering. "...Died...?" it was an awful thought, but completely rational. When someone tells you they're going to be somewhere in a few minutes and then they aren't, what else would you think? Ok, maybe not being a little late garners such a reaction, but when you remain absent for hours after and there's no call made to inform them of your whereabouts it is totally warranted.

Gwen whimpered lightly, staying glued to her spot despite her desire to go back to Duncan.

Duncan wiped at his own eyes. "I know. And I wish I wasn't so stupid and had told you, but I didn't. Okay?" he gently said. "But I really am sorry." he moved a step closer, close enough to reach his arms out around her upper back and slowly pull her closer.

She let him take her, only moving once her face made contact with his upper chest. Then she wrapped her small arms around his back and pressed her face deep in his shirt. She let the tears flow easily at this point, his presence soothing her at last. "I'm just glad that you're ok..." she whispered, tenseness fading from her body.

Duncan sighed heavily, shedding a few tears himself as he pressed his face down on to the top of her blue and black hair. "I know." he muttered in return.

Despite the chill in the air, they remained there for a good thirty minutes. Just being with the other was enough to counter the wind which encompassed them. Duncan was especially warm, being a guy and all, and had enough body heat to keep himself content as well as give some away to his best friend. Only when dark clouds drifted overhead did he move.

"Gwen?" he murmured.

Gwen uttered a soft sound that wasn't coherent in the English language, but he knew she meant to go on.

Duncan smiled wanly. "It's gonna rain." he said in the same hushed tone. "We should go inside."

Gwen didn't move nor make a sound for a minute after, waiting until the first official signs of the changing weather patterns came. The lightning lit up the dark night sky brilliantly, catching the both of them off guard to an extent.

Gwen sucked in a sharp breath, no thanks to how on edge she was. "Okay," she muttered, rubbing her head against his chest one last time before pulling herself back away from him and moving to stand by his side.

He smiled a bit wider since she seemed to be gradually returning to her usual self, but it was only slightly bigger because he knew he was getting closer to having to reveal his whereabouts the past few hours. He grabbed for her hand then, leading her slowly back into her house and over to the black couch before the medium sized TV they owned. It was one of their nicer things.

Gwen wiped at her eyes as she settled onto the couch, a tiny twitch of a smile making itself known on her face. And her smile only grew wider as the minutes passed and she stared contentedly up into Duncan's teal orbs. "Wanna watch something?" she asked sweetly, reaching for the remote on the coffee table before them.

Yes. That's what Duncan wanted to say at least. Only he knew better then to do this. It would certainly ease both their nerves, but ultimately it would do nothing but procrastinate, and he'd had enough of putting things off.

"Gwen." he reached out to grab her hand and stop her from taking hold of the remote.

Gwen's eyes widened slightly. "What?" she said softly, tilting her head ever so slightly.

Duncan mentally cringed. God, how to say this? Should he be blunt and say that Courtney tried to kill herself, or was it better if he beat around the bush for a while? And quite possibly would waiting like he knew he shouldn't have the best end result?

He sighed lightly. Was there really a right way? He flashed her his trademark smirk. "I get to pick."

Gwen stared blankly at him for a moment, blinking a couple of times. After a moment she recovered and flashed him a similar facial expression. "Whatever." she snorted, moving her hand from his to snatch the remote up before gently tossing it his way.

Duncan mentally kicked his own ass for chickening out at the last second while he flipped through the channels to find some late night horror movie they could watch for the millionth time. There was a slim chance it would be new at least, considering they'd gone and watched all the good ones at least a hundred times. He stopped when he landed on a channel showing one of the many Saw movies. He wasn't sure which one it was yet, but it wouldn't be hard to tell within a few minutes.

"Oh!" Gwen cried, pointing animatedly at the screen. "I can't believe it! It's the third one! My favorite!" she laughed sweetly. "It's totally the most gory one too." she gave Duncan an evil-like grin, expecting to receive the same in return.

Duncan did as she wished, grin almost more sinister than her own. He didn't know how she guessed the number. It was so swiftly but it mattered little. He was simply glad it wasn't the gay first Saw which had very little gore. He loved gory movies just as much if not more than she did and so was immensely pleased with his find. "Yeah, baby," he chirped, holding out a hand for a high five.

Gwen was quick to reciprocate, slapping her hand against his. "Now let the blood fly!" she said as if she were capable of willing the movie to do as she said instead of it all being laid out in stone before hand.

Almost an hour and forty minutes had passed before they said another word to each other. Sure they frequently yelled at the TV and cheered when a character met a particularly gruesome fate, but it wasn't meant for the other to respond to.

"Awesome ending." Duncan said with satisfaction, crossing his arms over his chest as he relaxed and leaned back easily to rest against the back of the couch.

"I know!" Gwen piped, grinning from ear to ear. "Those flicks always make me happy."

Gwen didn't see it all, but her words made Duncan cringe. He looked further into them than one usually would have and saw, instead of a happy girl amused by a movie, someone who was telling him that the movie was better at calming her down then he, her best friend, and it stung. That bitterness that he had fought down back when she had been so fragile was creeping back up on to him.

"Yeah," he muttered halfheartedly, looking over towards the kitchen. It was his escape. "Hey," he chirped. "Want something to eat?" he hopped up without even waiting to hear her response.

"Duncan!" she called.

He looked back over his shoulder at her with a frown plastered on his otherwise perfect face.

"Are you okay?" She muttered, her smile slipping into a frown and her ecstatic eyes holding a glint of concern.

Duncan cringed again, faking a smile. "Of course," he waved a hand about to emphasis this. "This is fun."

She narrowed her gaze. "Duncan," she growled.

His fake expression fell back into that same sad look. "Really," he murmured.

She glared at him a minute more, scrutinizing his face as much as she could before she finally gave it up. "Alright," she sighed, turning back to the television. "How about some news then?" She half asked him.

He had had some popcorn in a bowl in his hands when she spoke and he instantly dropped it.

"Shit," he whispered. No, no, no! "Gwen!" He cried, hopping over the back of the couch to get to her and snatch the remote out of her hand. He clicked any combination of numbers once it was his, just wanting to get the news off the screen.

"Hey!" She whined, hitting him playfully in the side in slight annoyance. "What'd you do that for?" she grumbled, staring intensely at him once more.

Duncan had no answer for this. "I…" he trailed off.

She rolled her eyes. "Gimme the remote back," she ordered, laying her hand out in front of him. "Unless you have something to hide," she challenged, a brow raised.

He swallowed hard, hesitating in deciding whether to let her have the remote or tell her right here and now.

Gwen emitted a low growl. "Duncan." Her face changed then, lip puckered out and eyes wide in a pity act. "Come on," she whined. "I wanna know what's happening. And…I thought I saw something big about here."

Oh! It was just coming on when she turned it on? Then maybe it'll be close to over! He shrugged. "Fine." He tossed her the remote.

"Thanks," she chirped, smiling big.

She flipped the channel back, just missing the part where it said Courtney's name. "…attempted suicide today in her home on Arrowhead Dr. She was rushed to the hospital and is now said to be in stable condition. Further actions in response to this mind-boggling event are unknown." A pause. "We'll keep you updated. This is your anchorman Ken and this has been the ten o'clock news."

"Aw…" Gwen moaned, crossing her arms over her chest and threw herself back to rest on the couch comfortably. "Man…I just missed one of the only interesting things on the news about this sleepy town." she huffed. "Damn it, Duncan."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her pouting even though he was terrified that she might ask him if he knew anything about this, and when confronted so bluntly, he knew he was unlikely to lie to her. "Sorry," he shrugged. "If I'd known it would've actually been cool I wouldn't have messed with you."

Gwen had the sense that this was a load of crap. Something was just off about her friend. He was fidgeting ever so slightly, his eyes rarely made contact with her own, and his voice sounded as if it belonged to someone else. It wasn't like she was an expert on lying, but she could just tell. "Duncan?" She whispered.

He started at the softness that her voice possessed in that moment. "Yeah?" He knew what was coming. Damn it.

She frowned deeply. "What are you hiding from me?" She paused to allow him a moment to react.

He swallowed hard, lowering his gaze to the ground. "Nothing," he muttered unconvincingly.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't look that way. Look at me." She waited for him to obey.

He slowly looked up to meet her coal eyes, a shiver running down his spine as he was drawn deeper into them. Yet as much as they spooked him he was unable to pull away.

"Now." A pause. "Tell me to my face that nothing is up with you." She eyed him expectantly.

He whined under his breath. "No. I won't." he admitted. "It's not alright."

"I knew it," she said with pride, lifting her head in the air for a moment before she looked back into his teal orbs. "So, what is it?" She pressed.

Damn it. Why couldn't she leave well enough alone? "I…" he trailed off.

She shook her head. "Did it have anything to do with what was just on the news?"

He shuddered involuntarily.

Her eyes widened. "Really? Who was it then?" She pressured, almost excited to find out instead of afraid. "Oh, no," she breathed. "Was it her? Your girlfriend?"

Duncan made a face. "No!" he snapped. "Of course not! She'd never do that! Her life's perfect." He mentally cringed at his words. So was Courtney's. Maybe that didn't really matter in the end. At least not what everyone else saw. Sometimes there were things which no one was allowed access to that drove people to extremes.

Gwen cocked her head to the side. "Who else lives there that you give a damn about then?" She was truly perplexed. "The only other person I even know there is…" and then she froze. Realization dawned on her.

He sighed, seeing the horror of knowing set in on her face. "Gwen…" he sighed. "I should have told you before, but…you were already upset." He sighed, shoulders slumping. "I didn't want to see you cry even more." He swallowed hard, choking back the sadness he was sure was also swelling in Gwen.

Gwen remained silent, mouth refusing to open as she grappled with it all.

Gwen's silence only worked to further his inner agony. "Gwen..." he murmured, reaching a hand out toward her.

She smacked it away, shocked expression transforming into hate. "No!" she snapped. "Don't touch me!" she sighed heavily, crossing her arms and looked the opposite direction of him.

Duncan's frown deepened as much as was possible. "I was only trying to protect you." He tried his damnedest to convince her. "Really," he whined.

Gwen glanced at him from the corner of her burning eyes, mouth frozen in it's sharp snarl. She was quick to look away again though so as not to let him believe she was on his side.

"Stop it." she growled. It wasn't that she wanted to fight, she just hated when he treated her like some fragile piece of glass which would shatter at any given moment if the circumstances weren't to its desire. She hated when he thought she was like any other girl. Because she wasn't! She was so much more than that. Otherwise, he would never have gotten so incredibly close to her. Had he so easily forgotten this? Every girl had fought tooth and nail to be as she was now. She, however, had fit neatly into the spot by his side. She deserved the same treatment as she'd received back then. She wanted to be different. "I'm not so weak." Despite her words her voice wavered slightly.

Duncan hung his head slightly. "Fine." he shrugged, turning away from her as she had him.

Gwen swallowed hard, a low whine pushing its way out of her throat. "Duncan..." she whimpered. "Why...?"

Duncan jerked his head about to face her instantly without another thought. His eyes were wide even though he knew he needn't worry about her so.

Gwen closed her eyes tight, tears hiding behind. "Why'd she do it...?"

Duncan cringed. He had no answer for this no matter how long he spent thinking about it. Nothing he came up with really made much of any sense. Her life was perfect after all. She was rich, she was smart, she was even beautiful for God's sake. What in the world happened to the girl?

Chocked sobs itched at the back of her throat. "I mean, I knew that..." she trailed off, clamping her mouth shut so that she didn't spill something she'd known forever. It's not like it would be earth shattering now or anything, not after what Courtney did, or more so, got caught trying to do. Still, it made her feel like a backstabber saying that all along she'd known how very screwed up Courtney was. A backstabber to her for breaking a promise, and a backstabber to all those who loved Courtney for not telling them from the start. Courtney was depressed. But Gwen never knew why.

Duncan cocked a brow. Knew...? Knew what? "Gwen." He scooted closer to her, giving her an easy opportunity to lean on him. "I don't know."

She stifled a whine, gentle tears leaking from her eyes as she opened them to look up at Duncan. "Me either," she moaned, resting her head on his shoulder but not moving to embrace him.

Duncan sighed softly, respecting her wish to not hug him. He knew she hated weakness just as much as he did and that their weakness was extremely similar. They both despised the relationships they cultivated when they grew as great as their's had become because, at some point or another, it would end up hurting one or both of them. Today was a prime example. Duncan was hurting just as much as she was over his own absence as well as Courtney's predicament. That's why he wanted little to do with a lot of people to such an extent, he hated hurting.

"She'll be ok..." he murmured close to her ear.

She wanted to say no, that he must be stupid if he really believed this. She wanted to get mad at him over trying to pretend the issue wasn't as large as it was. But in the end she did not. As much as she wanted to, she knew that he didn't deserve it. He was only trying to make her feel better and spark a bit of hope or a smile even.

So she did.

She smiled wanly, more pain then hope showing through. "If you say so..."

Gwen is harder for me to write for some reason. A lot of things I do make her feel ooc imo. Like...she's not weak in most cases, but in this her relationships make her extremely weak. *shrug* Maybe that's normal, but idk. Please review!