It was one thing for him to hold a gun to my head, a completely different matter when he pointed it at myfamily. I glared at him with such a ferocity, it drove him back a step, toward the two cowering figures, which made the flame in my eyes flare.

Serenity and Sam huddled together, with Serenity trying to cover her daughter with her own arms, but not succeeding much. Sam had her eyes closed and I could see the glitter of tears under her eyes and down her cheeks. Serenity's eyes were open and full of panic as she whimpered when my father took a step from me towards her.

"I thought I'd have to actually shoot someone to wake you up." He laughed cruelly and I felt something rise in my throat, getting lodged there. No, I was mad, not sad.

"I'll kill you." I gritted out through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you if you hurt them." He stepped closer to me and I held my ground. Never again would I back down from him, this was the last time, the last confrontation.

"Really? Didn't think you had it in you." I was weary from the whole thing with him. I still found it kinda funny, although in a sad way, that I couldn't say his name. My father came up close to me and tapped my head with the gun. It clunked against my skull and I cringed, but other than that, made no reaction. He watched me and broke out in laughter, holding his side with one hand. It was the only sound in the whole room. Both Serenity and Sam were both holding each other, eyes open and watching the pair of us.

The gun clicked as he abruptly stopped his laughter and cocked the gun at my forehead. I stared at him, unblinking. I truly expected him to shoot me right there and then, but it was a few moments before I myself lowered his gun and pressed it against where my heart lay underneath.

"I'm your own flesh and blood, you know." I said, tightening my grip. He kept his gaze on mine, his mouth a thin line. "If you shoot me, there's no one left to what you use to have. Is that what it is? You don't want to forget about my mother, so you keep me alive, hoping it will keep her alive. Well, I hate to tell you this, but she's dead. And you're the one who killed her." His face flashed from neutral to angry and he backhanded me across the face, the gun striking the blow. My head turned and I was thrown off balance, but I regained it and turned back to him.

"What? Did I strike a cord?" He pointed the gun back at the duo and they shut there eyes tight. I took a step forward, but he held up a finger and wagged it back and forth.

"Another word and I shoot. Don't doubt me, it's not hard to kill a stranger you know." His glare took a fight with mine and I forced myself to pressure mine more. I wouldn't lose to him. "Now, I want you to take this gun and shoot yourself." I froze, looking at the new gun he retrieved from his pocket. "What are you doing? If you don't, I'll kill one of them and guess which one that will be?" He cocked his gun and stepped back to them, leaving the gun on the floor in front of me. He cocked the gun to Sam's temple and I froze. There was no way around this, no way to avoid it.

"Don't!" Sam voiced as I leaned down, my fingers an inch from retrieving the gun. She shied away from the gun touching her temple, but her voice spoke volumes to me. "Don't do this. I don't want you to die." Tears spilled over my lids, but I picked up the gun anyway. I held it to my chest and silently cocked it. I knew how to use it, one pull of the trigger that's all I needed. My father watched with a hunger, something I knew would never be saturated fully until this one task had been done.

My hands trembled, my whole body trembled, but I couldn't just jerk my finger and pull the trigger. I couldn't kill myself. My father was getting angry, but I couldn't do it, despite what was at stake.

"Do it!" He yelled so loud and with such force spit flew from his mouth. He jerked the gun to me and I dropped my own. I didn't realize it until it had gone off, the bullet shooting through my leg. It was a trail of fire as I hit the floor and gulped in air. It hurt so much, I couldn't breath for a moment and my hand instinctively clasped around my bleeding leg. I could barely register what was around me and sunk to lay down on the floor, my hand still clasped under my back leg. I felt heavy footsteps run past me, stop, for barely a blink, before running again and then a pair of hands were touching my arms and pushing back my hair. Calling my name over and over again, but it hurt so much and I didn't want to hear anything, so I blacked out.

----

he hospital lights above me made me blink and lift an arm to shield my eyes as they adjusted. It was quiet except for some quiet beeping coming from somewhere around me. I dropped my arm once my eyes adjusted and watched the area above me, frowning. My leg throbbed, but the pain I had felt before had faded and I sunk into the bed with relief. Hearing a noise and shuffle near the edge of my bed, I turned my head and stared at Serenity, who had fallen asleep in a chair near the bed. Sam was beside her in another chair, curled up and breathing deeply. I furrowed my brow, what were they doing here?

"Serenity?" I asked, my voice weak and tired. "Serenity." She stirred like I knew she would and her eyes opened to stare over at me. It took her a moment to realize I was staring back at her and she radiated relief. Not only did she jump out of her chair and scream for a doctor, but she leaned over and hugged me so tightly I was sure I would black out again from lack of air. The doctor came rushing in and a grin broke out on his face as well to see me.

He was silent though and started to check me out, while Serenity went to call everyone, who I assumed was Rain, and just Rain. Sam watched me with tears in her eyes and as soon as the doctor was done making sure I was okay, she sat on the edge of my bed and gave me a hug. It warmed my heart and I wrapped an arm around her as well.

"We were so scared. You were just moaning and crying and then you blacked out." I hadn't even realized I'd been crying, all I could remember was slowly fading to the black.

"Well, I'm fine now, so don't worry alright?"

"Okay." Sam smiled and slid back to her chair, glancing towards the door, waiting for her mother. I had never asked what had happened to their father. I couldn't even remember if I'd been told something before, but now it struck a deep chord. I ignored it, I couldn't ask. Not… not with what had just happened.

Serenity returned and was beaming.

"She's on her way, with Julie." She said, "and they're so glad you're okay."

I stared up at the ceiling, feeling a dread build in my chest. "My dad…"

"We'll talk later, you need to relax right now." I nodded and Sam watched us with a look of interest and sudden fear. I knew the whole experience would terrorize her for awhile and longer than I would want her too, it didn't make me feel any better.

We talked about what had happened in the last two weeks and it was then that I noticed all the flowers around me and the small teddy bears. Turns out that a few friends from school had sent me these items, ever since they had heard about what happened. Serenity told me that numerous people had come in and talked to me while I was in my coma.

"Katie and Summer came by so much, more than anybody." Serenity told me, her smile wide, but sad. I looked up at the ceiling, the last time I had checked, they had been extremely mad at me. Both of them had been.

What had changed?

"Camille? Oh honey." Rain rushed forward and I was surprised at the speed that she'd gotten here.

"Hey…" I stuttered, blushing as I realized how weak I did look. My leg was bandaged near my thigh, I could feel the bandages now, itchy and uncomfortable. Rain hugged me just as hard as Serenity had and I saw Julie walk over to Sam and smile. I could see the new relaxation in her shoulders and found myself smiling at it. Everything was okay, nobody had gotten seriously hurt really, and I was with my family. The thought broke open the wound of Ponyboy and I couldn't help but let out a cry, soft and subtle, but they caught it.

"Camille…" Serenity trailed off and I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder affectionately. I gently eased myself down from my slight hysteria and smiled.

"It's okay, I'm alright. You don't have to worry." They didn't believe me and I hadn't guessed they would.

---

"So, my dad." I asked, laying in my bed at home and staring up at the ceiling. They had finally let me come home from the hospital after a week and I still hadn't talked to Pony or anybody yet. I wanted to know how he was, but I couldn't bring myself to be so impersonal and call. I wanted to see him and kiss him again. That's really all I wanted.

"He left…" She bit her lip and then went on, "and the police and an ambulance came. I had to tell them what happened and they picked him up, on the way out of town." I closed my eyes and breathed easily.

"So what happens now?" There was more silence as I let my eyes drift closed, trying to remember the happy memories of my father, of what I use to know.

"He's going to jail." She didn't list the charges and she didn't elaborate, but I knew.

"I don't know what will happen to him there." I said, my voice sounding oddly dull. "And despite what he did to me, I don't want him to go there." Serenity made an effort not to look surprised.

"But he hurt you and tried to make you shoot yourself."

"You don't get it. None of that matters. What about your parents? Huh? Would you still love them, even if they wanted you dead?"

"Camille… you can't blame yourself for how he turned out." She was trying to soothe me and I fidgeted out of sudden discomfort. "My parents… I should tell you about them shouldn't I?" I watched her expression carefully, but it was open, more open that I had ever seen.

"You should know too…" I said, trying to make my face as open as hers. "What happened to my mom. I mean, what actually happened, what I figured out."

"Me first?"

"Please." I said, finding that what was coming from me would be painful enough to send me into a fit of hysterics.

"Before Samantha was born." She started as I turned my gaze back to the ceiling. "My parents paid for everything I wanted, my school expenses, board, food, clothes, jewellery, everything."

"They're Socs?" I asked, finding myself oddly interested.

"They're not called that where they live, but yes, here they would be called 'Socs'." Unlike most, Serenity knew about the whole 'Soc' and 'Greaser' thing, I'm not sure who told her, but someone had. "And, unfortunately, they acted like it too. Nothing was good enough for them. I would get an 90 on a test and they'd ask me why I hadn't gotten higher, even though I'd gotten the highest mark in the class." I pursed my lips and turned to her.

"I wish my parents had been around to show me disappointment." I was being bitter and she knew it. Her gaze was blank and I knew she was shutting down and away from me, but she continued anyway.

"I had everything I'd ever wanted and then he came along, the perfection I'd always craved." I could feel the foreshadowing and knew it was Sam's father, the person I had never heard of, not once. "Me? Well, I went for the bad boy. He rode motorcycles, had a tattoo, did all the drugs imaginable, smoked, drunk a lot. Yeah, all that."

"I've never met a guy like that." I mused aloud, thinking of Dallas, but I knew he didn't do all the things that guy had. The thing was, Dallas was a lower class hood and this man Serenity talked about… he was a rich one.

"I met him on the street, when I'd seen his motorcycle. He approached me when I'd stopped to admire it and asked me out. Just like that, bluntly enough that I couldn't answer for a moment. When I did say yes, he grinned and asked for my number and address. Well, it all went well. We went out loads of time and each time we did, I fell deeper and deeper into what I knew I shouldn't. So there was a time, the time, to meet my parents. Oh, when they saw him…" She trailed off and she didn't have to explain the dual looks of disappointment they had worn.

"They didn't like him."

"Not at all." Serenity made another effort to give me a small smile. "They disapproved of him immensely, but I loved him too much to care."

"I got pregnant a few months after that." I frowned when she didn't go on about what had happened at her parents house, but forced myself not to say anything or protest. "Let's just say he wasn't happy about it."

"So he left." I stated, but she shook her head.

"He stuck around, but it got a lot harder after that. Once my parents found out, and I refused to get an abortion, they stopped paying for everything of mine. And me, who hadn't ever had a job, had to get one. Brett… he refused to get one. Telling me that if I wanted my baby, I had to work for it. So, after three months of turned downs, I got a lucky job as a secretary. Thing was… they told me that once I took work off for my baby, after he/she, because at that time I hadn't known, I would be fired. So, I took that and hoped it would work out. Besides that, I was still working through university. Lucky thing was, I would graduate with my degree before my baby was born. Maybe my only lucky break."

"And after the birth?" Despite the aura of the story, I was still interested enough to keep asking questions to press her on.

"That's when things went downhill really bad." She paused and I could see the pain from before leak into her irises, filling her eyes with a look of heartbreak. "When Brett found… when he found out that the baby was… was a girl…" she trailed off to gather her senses as she stumbled. "He left, he stayed for the birth and then just like that… he was gone. He never even stuck around to help me name her."

"Serenity… I'm sorry." I felt truly sorry and reached over to grab a hand that was resting on her lap.

"It's alright, what happens next isn't important."

"Yes, it is."

"Camille, I can't tell you about it. You want to become a mother someday right? Well, I'm not going to tell you what I went through. At the age your at, you'll second guess yourself more than you should." I didn't press, because I knew it was true.

"My mother…" I said after a pause, because I knew it was my turn. "she was killed and it wasn't an accident like the police thought and originally documented. I knew someone had killed her, all along, but I hadn't known who for a long time." I took in a shuddering breath and stopped, glancing around my room. All of it, so familiar and yet so distant.

"Go on…" Serenity spoke after awhile, placing her hand on mine that had carelessly swept away from hers once I started to start my own story.

"My father killed her." I cried pitifully and Serenity grasped my hand a little tighter. My story was shorter than hers, but just as painful, if not more. After awhile, Serenity left and I fell asleep.

I dreamt of that terrible night with my mother, split into an assorted piece of jigsaw puzzle pieces. I didn't want to remember and when I woke up, I remembered it all and wept more because of it. Tired of it, I turned onto my side and tested my leg, deciding it wasn't quite ready yet.

A physiotherapist was coming over tomorrow, to start helping me with everything. I felt weak now and knew I wouldn't be seeing Ponyboy personally for awhile.