Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Ben's Note of Sheer Awesome: Geez, that reaction was not expected. Well, it kind of was, seeing as Neb was pretty much a total jerk. But then again, I can be too sometimes. However, whenever I'm a jerk, I normally have a reason, and Neb has a reason behind everything he does. He may be mostly comedy relief, but he only shows up when it's important.

KCL: Glad you liked the chapter! Neb's funny like that. He wants something… only to do a 180. I mean, look at the Kidnapping arc. Kind of did that to Peeta and Lizzie, to a lesser extent.

Prompt 66: Tears

Kitty stared at the shards of her broken locket. She couldn't believe it… no…

Well, look at this #$%! Crying like the #$% baby she is! Alistair will never love you now! And guess what? It's all your #$% fault!

Tears streamed from Kitty's eyes. Dark Kitty was right… everything about what she said was right… it was over…

"Get over it!" Neb snapped. "Kitty, this is what I was talking about! You can't continue living with this doubt and fear inside you! This is the darkness you have to overcome!"

Don't listen to him. What right does he have to tell you who you are? He ruined the locket. It's his fault you're going to suffer.

Neb rolled his eyes. "Why did I have to make Dark Kitty so annoying?" he muttered. "Kitty, look. I destroyed the locket because this is the first step of overcoming the darkness trapped in your heart. You may think your life revolves around others and you need them to help you out of tight spots. Sometimes, yes, you can't get off the ground alone. But if you keep relying on others, you'll never get rid of Dark Kitty and regain that which you lost."

"Shut up!" Kitty spat, glaring up at Neb hatefully, tears flowing down her eyes. "What kind of friend are you?! You've done nothing to help me!"

"Like I said I wouldn't," Neb said. "I warned you that if you chose to continue down what you wanted, you would end up losing what you needed. So, now you don't want Dark Kitty in your head, but you need me. See how it works?"

Kitty continued to glare as the tears streamed down her face. "How… how could you!" she screamed.

I say we show him how you feel. Show him what will happen to you once Alistair finds out his locket was broken. And it was all your fault.

Neb sighed, shaking his head. "You're letting the darkness consume you Kitty," he warned. "Because of your mistake, I won't help you overcome it, this time or any time to come. And Alistair won't always be there to help you."

"SHUT UP!" Kitty screamed and lunged toward Neb. Neb sighed, shaking his head and Kitty punched him in the gut. Neb hunched over, but not in pain. He grunted, pushed on Kitty's back, and flipped over her. Kitty lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Fist to fist, I'd lose," he said. "Unfortunately, this is where I cut you from the chapter. Fight the darkness Kitty. Think about what you know of Alistair and the locket. Would he really treat you as harshly as Dark Kitty says?" With that, Neb left Kitty alone, still crying tears.

Alistair watched as Maddie was playing cards with Earl Grey. It was kind of funny to watch Maddie loose to a door mouse, but it was starting to grow tiring. However, he grinned as he saw Neb approach him.

"Hey Neb! How are things with you?" he asked.

"Fine. Only, I got punched in the gut by your girlfriend for not only smashing the locket you gave her, but because she's kind of mad at herself for making a mistake," Neb said simply.

Alistair paused, wondering if this was a joke. However, Neb didn't seem like he was joking. "Danggit," he muttered and ran off to go find Kitty.

"Things aren't looking good for you!" Maddie called to the author.

"Yeah. Just think, my fanbase is probably at an all time low," Neb thought, before shrugged. "Eh, not the worst thing that's happened to me. Maybe another chapter of Her Number will make people remember the good me?"

"Hey, I remember when you wrote that!" Maddie giggled.

"Technically it's not done yet, but I don't know it yet," Neb shrugged. "The complexities of being an author. I love them and hate them. Mostly hate them."

"Except for the joy of fans!"

"Except that."

BN: Yeah, so this chapter was basically here to explain the reason behind Neb broke the locket. It's not really because he wanted to. The darkness inside Kitty, Dark Kitty, is something Kitty's been holding onto. Not on purpose, mind you, but Dark Kitty is there as a constant reminder that she doubts and fears herself. This was Neb's way of showing Kitty he cares by forcing her to face a piece of her darkness now. Dark Kitty won't just magically disappear, and Neb knew this. He wanted to make Kitty aware of this by fleshing Dark Kitty out and then having Kitty try and combat her by herself. It might sound cruel and jerkish, but the motive behind it is kind of heart-felt in my opinion.

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