A/N: Chapter 3 is here. I've finished my exams now so I'll have a little more time to write this. This has been a long time in the making, I've been piecing it together since I finished Chapter 2 and it provided some respite between revision and exams. Thanks again to MeggieGirl for the kind review and thanks to all who have added this to their story alerts. I really appreciate it.

Chapter 3: Passing Out and Losing Faith

Gang. The word left a bitter taste in her mouth, even after all these years, and she sat frozen, her body refusing to move as her mind processed what this meant. Even as Madeline's voice floated in through the haze to let her know that she had brought over the bedding for Kimball, Teresa could do nothing but sit as memories came unbidden into her head and played like a movie before her eyes.

When she next opened her eyes she found herself staring up at a slightly grubby looking ceiling. She frowned in confusion,

"You're awake." Virgil's voice stated with a hint of relief. Way to state the obvious. She looked to her left to find the older volunteer kneeling next to her,

"What - ?"

"You passed out." Virgil stated, answering her unfinished question, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Teresa murmured, trying to sit up,

"Forgive me for pointing out the flaw in your argument, Teresa," Madeline said as she and Virgil helped their colleague into a sitting position, "but people who are fine don't pass out at work."

"You can't argue with her logic." Virgil stated matter-of-factly as he offered a cup of water to the recently awoken volunteer which she accepted and sipped from slowly,

"I - ..." Teresa trailed off, unsure of what to say, and stared at the cup as though it might present her with an answer. It did no such thing. She wanted to tell them the truth of the matter, but she was hesitant to do so,

"Teresa?" Virgil probed gently,

"Kimball mentioned being in a gang and I... I guess I just..." She trailed off again, unable to form the sentence, "This hasn't happened in so long... I thought I'd got over it..." The older volunteer's expression softened,

"Teresa..." He sighed sadly in understanding, "That wasn't your fault. He never blamed you. No one ever blamed you." She looked at him, her eyes glittering with the threat of tears,

"I know, Virgil, but..." she shook her head, "I can't help thinking that I should have seen. That I should have stopped him and helped him..." Teresa bit her lip and stared at the floor, "They nearly killed him. If someone hadn't found him, Virgil..." Madeline stood bemused as the conversation between her colleagues unfolded,

"Teresa, look at me." The brunette lifted her eyes to his face, but made no real effort to face him, "Look at me." Virgil repeated, more forcefully this time. Reluctantly she relented, "All of you were in a dark place." She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a commanding finger and continued regardless, "You had just recovered. You were just getting to grips with everything. You couldn't possibly be expected to continue to look after the others as well. You are not to blame." Biting her lip again Teresa nodded, knowing he was right. She couldn't help but blame herself. She was the one who was supposed to take care of them, to provide what their father couldn't,

"Sorry if I scared you." She said eventually,

"Scared me? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Madeline teased, "But you're forgiven just as long as you try not to do that again."

"I'll try, Madeline." Teresa replied with a ghost of a smile,

"I think Kimball was more concerned than we were." Virgil added, leaving his younger colleague in stunned silence,

"Really?" She asked after a while,

"Really." He confirmed, "I think you should probably go over there and let him know you're okay." A small smiled crept onto her lips,

"I think I will."

Kimball watched the three volunteers closely as they spoke, gauging Teresa's hesitant reactions and nervous posture with interest. She had been far more confident when she had last spoken to him and far gentler, but now he saw a manifestation of the look he had seen in her eyes when they had first met. The emotions she had allowed him to be privy to, if only for a few seconds. As the volunteers' conversation continued he could see her relax a little. The Korean boy was still wary of Madeline and Virgil, despite knowing that the former had brought him to safety in the first place and the latter had quite happily gone out of his way to get him some food, but the way Teresa allowed herself to relax around them spoke volumes. She was damaged and she let them help her. They were trustworthy people.

Though he would never admit it out loud being in a foreign environment scared Kimball and he had barely moved since his arrival. This part of the shelter was safe and he knew that, but he didn't know about the rest of it. He couldn't be sure that there wasn't any danger and staying put was his best bet, especially unarmed as he was. His eyes followed Teresa as she approached, her whole body more relaxed now,

"Hey, Kimball." She said softly, kneeling down so that the two of them were more at eye-level with each other, "Sorry if I scared you earlier. You shouldn't have had to see that." The corner of the volunteer's mouth twitched into a small sympathetic smile. Kimball merely shrugged,

"It's okay." He murmured pausing as he fiddled with his thumbs, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you, Kimball." She replied genuinely, "Can I sit down?" The teenager nodded. Yes. She lowered herself onto the mattress next to him and unconsciously readopted her 'safe' position, arms clutched tightly around her knees, "I know that it can be frightening, being in place you don't know with complete strangers, even for a tough cookie like you." The words came flowing freely from her mouth, genuine and gentle, "Especially when one of those strangers passes out on you." She added lightly, eliciting a ghost of a smile from Kimball, "But I need you to know that you're safe here, no matter what happens, and you can talk to anyone here about anything. Anything at all. What you choose to talk about and when is entirely up to you, but if you want to talk there will always be someone in this building who will listen. Even the other kids. Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled softly. It was certainly a start.

Next to her Kimball yawned. It caught quickly and Teresa found herself yawning too,

"You must be tired." She said glancing up at the clock which hung on the wall opposite. It was getting late and she was well aware of the rest the teenager would need in order to help his body heal, "Get some rest, okay?" She told him as she stood up, "The others will be coming in to sleep soon." Another yawn escaped her mouth, making her realise just how tired she was and just how little sleep she had managed to get since Sam's death, "Looks like I need some sleep too." She joked, faking a laugh. Sleep was doubtful, "If you need anything – anything at all – there's a phone in the corner. I'm 2 on speed-dial. Don't be afraid to wake me up if you need to talk, okay?" Kimball nodded, but the gesture was reluctant, something which didn't escape Teresa's notice,

"Stay." He murmured, staring up at her in fear and desperation. Her heart clenched at the sight,

"You want me to stay here tonight?" The teen nodded in confirmation, "I... well... I guess I can do that." Tension slowly seemed to dissolve from Kimball's body at the reply, "Just let me talk to Virgil, alright?" Another nod. She took a deep breath. Virgil was not going to like this.

"Teresa, you should be at home mourning. Besides, you need to rest; you passed out for God's sake!" She flinched, despite having predicted the verbal onslaught from her fellow volunteer,

"Virgil, this kid is scared out of his mind. He's been beaten up, he's in a strange place filled with people he's never met, and all he's asked all day is that I stay here tonight." She argued, her voice not quite as solid and demanding as she had hoped it would be,

"Teresa - "

"The kids are more important, Virgil, they come first no matter what. You taught me that when you agreed to help me that first day." Teresa felt awful the moment the words left her mouth. Turning Virgil's own actions against him, ones that had saved her life no less,

"Don't you turn this around on me, Teresa." Virgil replied dangerously, furious at the way she was trying to twist his arm. He saw her point though. He was being hypocritical, telling her she couldn't do something that he himself would do given the same situation,

"These kids are the only thing keeping me going!" She snapped back, the words leaving her mouth before she even realised what she was saying. By the time she did the moment had passed. There was no taking them back,

"Teresa," His tone softened slightly, "I thought we got past this." The muscles in her jaw contracted and she stared at the floor ashamedly,

"Virgil, please." She all but begged, "Just tonight. You can stay and keep an eye on me if it makes you feel any better, but I need to do this." A defeated sigh left Virgil's lips,

"Alright. Fine." He agreed uneasily. He hoped he was making the right decision for both Teresa and Kimball, "But don't think for a minute that I've forgotten what you said, Teresa. We will talk about this later."

"Thank you, Virgil." The relief was clear in her voice, "I'm going to make myself a coffee, would you like one?"

"You know how I like it." He replied, smiling despite himself. As she left he couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't seen it. He had known her for years, had seen her at her worst and her best, how could he not have noticed that she her faith was slipping again?

More characters will come in soon-ish, I want to try and explore Kimball's predicament a little more first though.

If you spot any mistakes or have any questions, let me know. Reviews and crits are welcomed as always - I'd really like to know what you think.

Afroza-IX