Chapter Fifteen:

Victoria sat up with a jerk. She blinked a few times and looked around herself. She was in her room on her bed. She rubbed a hand over her face. Her sleep had been fitful and not at all relaxing.

She grabbed her cell from her bedside table and looked at the screen. No new messages. She licked her lips and flicked open the cell. She dialled Reid's number and waited. It didn't ring before going to his voice mail.

"Damn it," She said hanging up the phone. There wasn't any point in leaving another message.

She got up and looked at her watch. It was almost ten o'clock; her spare would be over in about twenty minutes. She walked into the bedroom and grabbed her stuff; she needed a shower before she could think properly.

She came back to her room and checked her phone again. There were still no messages. She wasn't all that surprised it wasn't exactly like Reid to be forgiving but she thought he would have called her by now, even just to yell at her but at least he would have called. But he hadn't…

She took off her towelling robe and got dressed. She put on her favourite jean mini skirt and a black turtleneck and a jean vest with her favourite red leather knee high boots.

She sat down on her bed and dialled Tyler's number quickly. As it rang she manipulated her sleeves until they encompassed her hands, it was a nervous habit she had had since she was about thirteen, all her sweater's cuffs were stretched, her mother hated it.

"Yeah," Was the sudden answer.

"Oh hi, Tyler? It's Victoria, I was wondering... have you heard from Reid?" She asked quickly.

"Uh no actually, he didn't come back to the room last night either and he wasn't in class this morning, just figured you guys were fooling around." He said casually.

"I wish," Victoria whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing,"

"Oh, well look I haven't been to our room since first thing. He may have come back while I was in class."

"Right, well thanks…" Victoria said looking out the window at the grey day that had worked it's self across the sky.

"Should I cover for you and Reid in Chemistry?" He asked sighing.

"What?" Victoria asked suddenly.

"Chem…ringing any bells?"

"Oh, uh, yeah thanks Ty,"

"Don't call me that."

"Right," Victoria giggled, "Sorry, habit. Talk to you later, kay?"

"Kay," They both hung up.

Victoria sat on her bed contemplating what to do next. There were a lot of different places Reid could be and a lot of things he could be doing, a lot Victoria didn't want to consider. Using, getting back at her with another girl…

She flexed her hands in and out of fists, and then came to a decision. She stood up and grabbed her purse and left the dorm room.

She would just calmly explain to him that she was under too much pressure and emotional strain last night and wasn't thinking clearly. She came to a halt in the middle of the crowded hallway. He would never buy that.

Well, she would find him first and then think of what to say, it would come to her eventually, it just had to because she wasn't about to lose Reid, and she wasn't going to let Caleb ruin it for her either.

She knocked on Reid and Tyler's dorm room door. "Hey…Reid?" She opened the door.

The room was dark and there was defiantly no one in it.

She stood in the doorway a little disappointed. Reid's side of the room looked like it had been ransacked... but then, it always looked like that.

"Hey, Tori," Victoria jumped at Caleb's voice. "I wanted to talk to you," She turned and saw him standing behind her.

"Oh hey Caleb, have you seen Reid?"

"Uh no, but I wasn't really coming to talk to you about him." Victoria crossed her arms and looked up and down the hallway. She hadn't been listening to Caleb's words after he said no. "Look, we need to talk about last night, I think things got out of hand and-"

"Can I borrow your keys?" Victoria asked suddenly. Caleb looked affronted at the interruption but Victoria just stared at him.

"Uh why?"

"Reid isn't here and he isn't returning my calls so I want to go look for him but I don't have a car, Tyler is in class, Reid has the Escalade and I can't drive Pogue's bike."

"Did I really have to be the last option?" Caleb asked sounding offended.

"Yes because every time I say Reid's name you flip your lid and this is important."

"Look, Victoria,"

"No you look Caleb," Victoria said. He looked at her, "I am tired of this over bearing protective big brother role you are playing. I am done with it, I really care about Reid ok? I want to find him, no matter if I have to walk all over town. But your car would save me some time, so please do this because you are my big brother and I need your help." She took a deep breath.

Caleb looked at his feet, "I don't want you to get hurt." He said looking up at her from under his brow. Something both Danvers sibling did.

"Caleb, you are starting to sound like a broken record." He looked at her like he wanted to argue. "No, listen to me, please. I appreciate you care about me but this is my life, I am like barely eleven months younger than you, so no you don't know what's best for me." He looked at her hurt, and Victoria looked back at him sympathetically, "I know you...take care of mom. But, you don't have to take care of me." Caleb looked at the ground but Victoria stepped towards him and put a hand on his arm. "And I think that is kinda a good thing. Because really, you shouldn't have to look after her in the first place. So can't I just be your sister? Let me make my own mistakes, don't try to save me from them. And maybe that way I could be there for you and not want to kill you."

Caleb relented. "Fine." He said raising his hands. He nodded and handed over his keys.

Victoria let him drop the keys in her hand she stood there frozen for a few seconds before looking him in the eyes.

"I just want you to be happy, and I reserve the right to beat him to a pulp if he hurts you." Victoria nodded trying her best not to cry, suddenly overwhelmed. She gave Caleb a hug.

"Thank you," She took off down the hallway.

Victoria stepped out of Nicky's back into daylight. It was a long shot and it didn't pay off. Reid wasn't in there. She had searched every one of Reid's haunts Victoria could think off.

Her cell rang and she dove to answer it, "Reid?"

"Sorry, it's Caleb."

"Oh right, what's up?"

"No luck finding him huh?"

"Nope." Victoria looked around the street heading back to Caleb's mustang. "I've looked everywhere." She sunk into the driver's seat.

"Have you checked his house?"

"Reid wouldn't go there to be bombarded by questions from his father."

"His dad isn't there, he's on a business trip,"

"What?"

"Yeah, what happened with you and Reid last night anyway?"

"Nothing. I hope. Look, I'll tell you later, I am going to check his house hopefully he's there."

"Have you considered the option that maybe he isn't answering your calls because he doesn't want to talk to you?"

"Then he can tell me to my face. Bye." She hung up the phone and put the car in gear.

Victoria walked up the steps of Garwin Manor and knocked on the front door.

There was no answer so Victoria knew for certain Reid's dad wasn't there. When every he left the house the entire household staff was given a vacation. It was all very Downton Abbey, just the way the Garwins liked it.

She tried the door, which to her surprise was open. She stepped into the enormous entrance hall.

"Reid? You in here?" She called. Her voice echoed off the walls.

She closed the front door quietly behind her. She felt slightly weird being in the Garwin's house alone but at this point she was sure Mr. Garwin would understand.

She walked briskly across the hall and glanced in the living room, which was also empty.

"Come on Reid, where are you?" She said under her breath.

She left the family room and went back into the hall. She supposed she would try his room next and then the kitchen and if he wasn't anywhere in the house she could only assume he had gone to join his dad. Which would be totally out of character for Reid but she didn't really know what he was going to do.

She walked down the stairs case to his room but stopped when she found her self in front of his door. She went to knock when Caleb's words rang in her head.

'Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you…' She pulled back her hand and stood there thinking. 'Yeah well if he never wants to talk to me again he can tell me to my face and get ignored, I am not about to let him take the easy way out of this…this… mess.'

She knocked on the door and there was no answer. "Reid? Reid it's Victoria," She waited for a response that never came. "Reid, you in there?" She waited again and there was still no sound. "Reid- if you are in there I am coming in whether you like it or not okay?"

The thought occurred to her that his bedroom door could be looked in which case she would just have to kick the door down. She tried the doorknob, which gave to her push.

The sight of his bedroom was such a shock that it made her freeze. Everything was trashed. All the lamps and pictures were shattered. The rug on the floor was looked like it had been picked apart piece by piece. His bedding looked like it had been slashed. All the furniture had been moved.

"Reid?" She asked her voice quiet and scared. There was a quiet moan and she saw something move. It made her enter the bedroom more. Then she saw it…

Reid's foot was beside the bed and had barely twitched. She ran over to see Reid lying on the ground. One of his legs was folded under the other. His arms were beside him and his eyes were closed.

"Oh my god Reid!" She fell to her knees beside his seemingly unconscious body.

Carefully she ran a hand across his forehead moving his hair out of his eyes. "Oh my god Reid, wake up! Please wake up!"

His eyes flickered open at her voice. They were totally black. The sight scared Victoria to the point where she felt tears fill up in her eyes.

"Oh Reid what have you done?" She whispered looking over his body again, the mess of the room coming into perspective.

He coughed trying to say something, drawing Victoria's eyes back to his face. "Shhh, don't try and speak, look Reid you gotta stop using." She whispered her hands starting to shake.

He blinked a few times and nothing happened, his eyes were still black. Terror started to scratch the inside of Victoria's chest. She had no idea what to do.

"Look Reid, it's okay, I am here, I didn't mean what I said last night okay?" All she could do was keep talking, keep him conscious. "Okay? I am not going anywhere, so lets get you better okay?"

She looked around the room but nothing came to her. She looked back at Reid, whom she could only assume was watching her.

"Okay," She said, Victoria took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and gently she rested her forehead against his. "Okay, we are going to open our eyes together and you will look at me with your eyes, your real eyes," She whispered to him.

After taking a few deep breaths, praying that this would work no matter how much of a long shot it was, she pulled back just slightly and opened her eyes. Reid still had his closed. "Look at me Reid," He still didn't look at her. "Come on please Reid do this…"

She placed a hand on his cheek feeling a tear fall from her cheek onto his.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and Victoria was greeted with his blue eyes. She sighed with relief.

"Thank god," She whispered resting her forehead on his chest. "Okay, come on," She hooked an arm under his left arm and helped him into the sitting position and then pushed him so he was resting against the bed.

He was watching her closely. She looked at him tears falling down her cheeks.
"You're crying," He said in a gravely voice.

"Of course I am you big idiot, you scared me!" She said getting angry, "Jesus, Reid, I have only been looking for you all day. I swear Reid Garwin if you every pull anything like that on me again I will kill you before the power gets a chance to."

He looked his feet. "I dunno what happened. I was just so pissed… at you, at everything." He looked back at her. Victoria fell back to sit on the floor, feeling slightly winded at his words.

"Oh Reid, I didn't mean what I said last night," Victoria stuttered holding his gaze. She crawled forward, putting both her hands in his chest, as if to make sure he was still there with her. Like she did want to let him go. "I was just tired, and tired of hearing Caleb moaning at me, and tired of thinking I was doing the wrong thing."

Reid reeled back at her words which she instantly regretted, He looked at her, "So I am the wrong thing?"

"No! No, you aren't. I just..."Victoria shook her head, she was messing this up, "I was tired. And I thought it had to eventually be a choice between you and Caleb, and I thought he was all I had left...for family that is," Victoria sat back on her heels, "And ... We were pretty clear cut in the beginning. No commitments." She said looking back at him.

Reid shook his head glaring at her, "You were the one with the ultimatum."

Victoria swallowed against the lump in her throat, "Yeah, well, I was an idiot because I actually genuinely love you Reid, which is so fucking scary to say, let alone feel, cause my track record with this kinda stuff, people in my life? Not great. And you have been the best thing to happen in my life in the last two years, so yeah. That's been said." Victoria felt fairly certain she was going to swallow her tongue. She quickly looked away from Reid and stared at a spot on the floor.

Reid shifted where he was sitting. He groaned holding his ribs. "My dad's going to kill me," He said after a long silence. Victoria jumped and looked up at him wide eyed. He was looking around the room.

She sighed feeling her heart break, she gave him a weak smile, "I think if properly explained by me then your dad won't mind so much." So this was how it was going to be. ...

"Vic," slowly Victoria looked and and met Reid's eyes, his gaze was intense and for a second she worried he was still in pain. "I didn't want you to say those things last night, ever. I didn't want us to…stop."

Victoria looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Oh god Victoria, you know I hate talking about these things," He looked at her but she didn't offer him any help, "I didn't want you to leave ... Me. I didn't want to lose you. I love you Victoria," He reached out and pulled her closer to him, sitting up off his bed, ignoring the pain in his joints and kissed her, passionately on the lips. Slowly they pulled apart and Reid leaned his forehead again hers, "Thank you for finding me. No one's ever really cared enough about me to come looking."

Victoria put a hand on his neck, "You know that isn't true,"

"Yeah well." Reid pulled back so he could look at her, he put his hand on the side of her face, "Aside from Caleb, Tyler and Pogue, no one ever cared more than they had to, not teachers, not coaches, my dad, defiantly not my mom. And then you just sorta float in and... Just thank you Victoria."

Victoria looked him in the eye wrapping her arms around his neck and he wrapped an arm around her waist, with the other he pulled her legs over his lap.

Victoria's eyes darted down and suddenly seemed very focused on his Adam's apple. "Can you make me a promise?" She asked him in a quiet voice.

"Depends." He said, watching her closely. A Garwin through and through, hedging his bets.

"Try and stop," She asked with a pleading glance suddenly looking up at him. Reid looked away from her instantly. "Oh please Reid, don't try and feed me any crap about how you can control it. Not after this, not after today." He looked at her and opened his mouth. She shook her head cutting him off, "I am scared, ya know that?" He didn't say anything. "I am scared that one day I am going to find your room like this again only next time I might not be able to wake you up."

He looked at her, "Victoria…"

"Reid unless the next words out of your mouth are 'Yes I'll try,' I don't want to hear them. I am not big on requirements but unless you at least try, I can't do this," She looked at the ground, "…us."

He looked at her and then again at the wreckage of a room, "Yeah, I'll try."

Victoria nodded, that seemed like the best answer she was going to get for now. She rested her head on his shoulder and he tightened his hold on her and they stayed sitting there for a long time.