TW – mentions of rape (not explicit, just the word), and homophobic slurs of the 'f' and 'q' variety. Also general content warning – this chapter is the darkest one yet.

"Madison," Claire said, walking quickly into her room. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she was out of breath – as if she'd just run across the school just to tell Madison something. It was almost as if she thought she was important – how hilarious.

"What do you want?" she asked. She exhaled, a large cloud of smoke dissipating out the open window.

"You'll never guess what I just found out."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, my god, I don't care –"

"No," Claire said, firm enough that Madison decided to let her speak. She spent enough time with her tail between her legs – it was kind of interesting to see her not act like a wimp for once in her pathetic little life. "Trust me. You want to hear this."

She shrugged, acting as uninterested as possible – it wouldn't do to let Claire think she actually cared about what she had to say. She didn't want her to get the wrong idea about where she was on the hierarchy. "Fine."

"Okay, so you know Misty, right?"

Madison snorted. "Duh. She's my roommate, you fucking moron."

Claire's cheeks coloured, but she didn't say anything. "Well, I just heard her and the new girl – whatever her name is – say that they're together. Maddie, they're queers!"

"Don't call me Maddie. And sure they are, Claire, you probably didn't hear them right."

Claire shook her head. "Oh, no, I definitely heard them right. They're… they're lesbians Madison. We have lesbians in our school." She put a hand to her mouth, her eyes going very wide. "Oh my god, I'm in the same gym class as Misty, what if she was checking me out?"

Madison laughed. "Claire, anyone who owns a set of eyes would think you're disgusting, and even Swampy has taste."

"Why do you always have to be so mean, Maddie?" Claire asked, her lower lip wobbling. She always managed to piss Madison off. The girl had absolutely no respect – she was either following Madison around like a puppy, doing something to try to impress Madison, or crying. She really needed some new hobbies.

Madison smirked, and stubbed out her cigarette on the windowsill. "I'm not mean, Claire. I'm just honest. And don't call me Maddie." She pointed to the door. "Now leave, I already had a headache and you just… you always manage to make it worse. I need to think."

Claire frowned. "About what?"

"Oh my god, Claire, get the fuck out of my room already!" Madison said loudly. Claire finally, finally got the goddamn hint, and turned on her heel and left.

Madison looked over at Misty's bed. A smile crept onto her face. She'd just been dealt a very good set of cards. Now she just had to decide what to do with them.

0o0o

"So, that went well," Cordelia said, smiling.

Misty hugged her. "Oh, Delia, I'm so happy."

"Me too," Cordelia said, twisting her hands through Misty's curls.

"It just feels like… a weight's gone, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know," Cordelia said. "And now we don't have to worry about them as much, when we leave."

Misty grinned into Cordelia's shoulder. "I can't wait to leave, Delia."

"Soon, Mist, soon."

"We're gonna have the whole world. Just the two of us."

Cordelia smiled, and hugged Misty closer, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair. "I love you."

"I love you too. I don't think I ever loved anyone this much," Misty said, and it was the truest thing she'd ever said.

0o0o

"Oh, Swampy," Madison sang, walking into their room, her hair wrapped in a pale pink towel which was far too fluffy to be a school-provided one. Misty sighed – she always enjoyed the peace and quiet when Madison went to shower. She wished for the millionth time she had her own room – or shared with Cordelia. She'd even share with Miss Venable – anyone but Madison.

"What do you want, Madison?" Misty asked, putting down her book. She was in such a good mood, she didn't want Madison to ruin it. It had been a good day – one of the best days she'd ever had, actually. She was so glad everything had gone well with their friends. She wasn't sure that even Madison could ruin how happy she felt – though she'd always managed to find a way before.

"I learnt something very interesting about you today."

Misty rolled her eyes, and picked up her book again, although she knew she wouldn't get much reading done now that Madison was here. "Oh yeah?"

"Oh, yeah," Madison said, smiling. She untwisted the towel, pulling her long her out from it. A drop of water splashed onto the floor. "I hear you've got yourself a girlfriend."

Misty nearly dropped her book. Clearing her throat, she tried to act as though she didn't know what Madison was talking about. "What? No I don't. Where'd you hear that?" How did she know?

"Doesn't matter where I heard it," Madison said, shrugging innocently. She picked up a hairbrush and began brushing out her damp hair. "I just thought it was really interesting… there's a lot of stories I could tell, you know. We've shared this room for a year. A lot of things suddenly make sense."

"The hell are you talkin' about?" Misty growled.

"Oh, you know," Madison said, waving a hand. As if this was all a joke, to her. As if it wasn't Misty's whole life. "The looks. The fighting. Obviously an excuse to get close to me, right? And here I was, thinking you genuinely hated me. You sneaky little pervert."

Misty crossed her arms. Inside her closed fists, she dug her nails into her palms as hard as she could. "Don't flatter yourself, Maddie, I do hate you."

"Yeah, well," Madison said, smiling. "It doesn't really matter though, either way. You're out of here, Swampy. Who are they going to believe? The pervert? Or me?"

"What are you gonna do?" Misty asked, trying not to let her lip tremble.

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything. I might say some stuff, though. To Robichaux. I'm sure she's very sympathetic to victims of rape."

The last word felt like a knife. "Madison," Misty said, suddenly feeling very cold. Anxiety leeched into her like water into a sponge. "What the fuck are you gonna do?"

"It isn't personal, Swampy." Madison dumped the towel on the floor beside her bed. She cocked her head to the side, as if she was thinking about something. "Well, actually, maybe it is. I honestly just want you to out of here. You've been a thorn in my side since day one and I can't wait until the day I never have to see you again."

"You can't prove anythin', Madison." She wasn't sure if she was saying it to Madison or to herself. Surely Madison wouldn't have the power to throw her in jail… surely she wouldn't be able to do that. Everyone knew how manipulative she could be… surely they wouldn't fall for her lies. Right?

"Oh yeah? Why are you here?" Madison asked, raising an eyebrow. Misty fell silent. She didn't know how Madison had found out, but somehow she had. And Misty could tell she was being genuine for once. She knew that Madison actually, genuinely knew. "I know, Misty. I know you're a fag. I don't have to have proof."

"Why are you doin' this?" Misty asked, biting her lip. She dimly registered the taste of copper, and bit down harder.

Madison shrugged. "Boredom, mostly. Of course, we can make arrangements."

"What do you want, Madison? I ain't got no money or anythin'."

"Bullshit, I know you do. But anyway, I don't need your money, do you have any idea how rich my father is? No, I want you to suffer. I want you to wonder when I'm going to tell… I want you to know that there's absolutely nothing you can do." With a click, Madison turned the lights off. Misty stayed right where she was, as still as a statue – she wasn't sure she could move even if she wanted to. She felt cold, from head to toe. "Because I always win, Swampy. Always."

Misty wasn't sure how long she sat there, staring into the darkness. It was a while; she knew that much. Her butt and lower back had gone numb. She sat there, staring at nothing, as the school went fell asleep around her. She could hear all the clocks – the ticking sounded almost like a hum, if she focused on it enough. She imagined the arms of the clocks spinning so fast they were simply blurs.

She didn't know what to do. If Madison spoke – and Misty knew she would, at some point – she could end up going to prison. She might not ever see Cordelia again. She'd never feel the sun on her face, or feel the grass between her bare toes… she'd never, ever be able to kiss Cordelia again. Misty sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, and realised dimly that her cheeks were wet. She didn't even realise she had been crying.

Madison's breaths had slowed, by now. She was sleeping like a baby, as if she didn't know she had the ability to completely ruin Misty's entire life.

Slowly, Misty swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up, and pushed open the door as quietly as she could. Thankfully, it didn't creak. The corridor was dark, and felt impossibly long – Misty felt she was staring straight into the void. She thought, if she looked long enough into the black, she would be able to lift both feet off the ground and tumble directly into it.

But the floor was cold, and held tightly onto her bare feet, and Misty had to go somewhere. She wasn't sure where, exactly, but she needed to go. She needed…. Cordelia. She turned the other way, and began walking away from the horrible darkness… she didn't know how she would find Zoe and Cordelia's room in the dark, but she would manage.

She hated admitting, even to herself, when she was scared. But Misty was scared. More scared, even, than when people in her hometown were threatening to burn her at the stake. Back then, Misty didn't really have much to lose besides her siblings – and they at least had each other. But now, Misty had Cordelia, and Cordelia had her. They were each other's moon and stars. If Madison told… her life would be over. Because life without Cordelia beside her couldn't really be life.

She found their room, and pushed the door open. It creaked loudly, and Cordelia instantly began to stir. Misty closed the door behind her. "Misty?" Cordelia said confusedly. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Misty sat down on Cordelia's bed, and began to cry. Something about hearing Cordelia's voice had unlocked something in her – the sobs wracked her body, tearing through her like a storm. "She… Maddie… she knows… said she'd – Delia, she said – "

Zoe sat up, and turned on her lamp. "What's going on?"

Cordelia rubbed Misty's back in small, comforting circles. "Slow down, baby, shh. What's wrong?"

Misty took a deep breath, trying to put words together. "Madison knows. That I'm gay. That we're together. She said she'd –" Misty hiccupped. "She said she'd tell Miss Robichaux that I r-raped her. She wants me in jail."

Cordelia raised a hand to her mouth. "She fucking what?!"

Her outrage only upset Misty even more. She began to sob. She was going to prison… she'd never see Cordelia again. "I can't – I can't-"

Zoe threw the covers back and crossed the room. She sat on Misty's other side, the weight of all three of them making the cheaply made bed creak ominously. "Misty, you need to breathe, okay?"

"I – I can't – " The whole world seemed to be spinning. Her head was spinning… she could hardly feel Cordelia's hand on her back anymore. She put her hands to her hair and tugged, as hard as she could, desperate to feel something, anything… desperate not to feel so fucking tiny and cold and numb. She tugged again.

Cordelia caught her hands, pulled one of them down and squeezed it tight. Her other hand went to Misty's face, brushing away tears, rubbing circles with her thumb. "Mist, breathe with me, okay?" Cordelia said anxiously. She took a deep breath, and held it for a few seconds, before releasing it, a long, slow exhale. Her breath smelt sour from sleep. "Just breathe." Zoe took her other hand, tracing gentle patterns on her palm.

Misty snuffled, and tried to control her tears long enough for her to inhale. It was hard – every instinct told her to gasp, gasp until there was no air left in the room – but Cordelia's anxiety made her stop. She didn't want to stress Delia out. So she breathed.

Cordelia and Zoe just held her. She began to calm. She didn't feel so cold, anymore. She could feel them, at least, on either side of her, warming her up. Zoe reached across to her bed and peeled the spare blanket from the end, and Cordelia took it from her. She wrapped the blanket tightly around Misty's shoulders, and put an arm around her.

"I dunno how she found out," Misty said. "I don'… maybe she followed us, or somethin', and saw us… I dunno, Dee, I dunno…"

"It's okay, Misty," Cordelia said. There was something in her tone that made it feel like a promise. "It's going to be okay."

"I'm just…" Misty sniffled. "I don't wanna go to prison. They're gonna think… oh gods, Dee, they're gonna think I'm some kinda psycho pervert. I don't –"

"They're not going to think that, Misty," Zoe said soothingly, rubbing Misty's back.

"Yes, they will!" Misty said indignantly. "They're gonna send me to prison forever. They'll believe her… especially since they know that's why I'm here."

"Hey," Cordelia said, her voice hard. She grabbed Misty's face and turned it towards her, so Misty had no choice but to meet her eyes. "That is not why you're here. You're here because a bunch of bigoted assholes wanted to kill you, and this was the better option. You're not a rapist, or a psycho, or a pervert, that's all a crock of shit and I don't want you believing any of it for a single second. You are perfect. You're Misty, you're my Misty, and I love you so fucking much and they are not going to put you in prison because I will never, ever let that happen."

Misty inhaled, her breath catching in her throat. Cordelia's words had warmed her, comforted her… but the terror had settled deep, deep into her very bones, so deep that not even Cordelia's words could soothe her fear. It almost hurt, the fear. "I'm scared, Delia."

"I know you are," Cordelia whispered. She opened her arms, and Misty leaned into her gratefully, resting her head against Cordelia's shoulder. "So am I. But it's going to be alright."

"You're staying here tonight, Misty," Zoe said firmly. "And tomorrow. And the night after that. Every night until you two get out of here."

Misty shook her head. "Matron'll find out." She didn't want to get them in trouble.

"And what? We'll tell her you were having nightmares, or something, or that Madison tried to smother you in your sleep. I bet they'll believe us, Madison's insane enough for that to be realistic."

Misty laughed – although it was kind of a sob, still. "Thanks, Zoe."

"We'll get out, Mist. We'll go as soon as we can."

"You need to go sooner than that, Cordelia," Zoe said, shaking her head anxiously. "You need to go… tomorrow. You need to at least try. It's even more dangerous for you both now. You need to get away from Madison."

Cordelia tightened her jaw. "Yeah. Yeah, we'll go tomorrow. Right, Mist?"

"Tomorrow," Misty agreed sleepily. She finally felt safe, here in Cordelia's arms.

"Sleep now, baby," Cordelia whispered. She helped Misty lay down, still cocooned in Zoe's spare blanket. She shook out the duvet and pulled it around both of them.

Zoe turned out the light. She pressed a soft kiss to Misty's forehead. "It's going to be okay, you guys. I'll get you out of here if it's the last thing I do."

Cordelia smiled tiredly at her. "Thanks, Zo."

Zoe nodded, and turned out the light. "Of course." There was some rustling as she got into her bed, and then it was quiet.

Misty realised this was the first time they'd ever slept together. Not slept together as in sex – they'd done plenty of that – but just slept, sharing a bed, sleeping in each other's arms. She'd never felt safer than she did right now, wrapped in the blanket with Cordelia's wiry arms holding her tight. Even with… well, with Madison, she felt safe, somehow. That was just the effect Cordelia had on her.

Cordelia stroked Misty's hair, smoothing it out, gently twisting her fingers through Misty's blonde curls. "I love your hair," she whispered, almost to herself.

Though Cordelia couldn't see her, Misty smiled. "Thank you."

"I love everything about you."

"I love everythin' about you, too," Misty said. They both giggled.

Cordelia sighed. "I'm going to kill Madison Montgomery."

"Let's do it together."

"Of course," Cordelia said, pressing a soft, almost chaste kiss to Misty's lips. "But now you have to sleep."

Misty yawned. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

It was certainly an improvement from how she'd been an hour ago, sitting terrified in the dark, with tears drying on her cheeks. Although, she could be sitting inside a dumpster in Florida and still feel perfectly content, if Cordelia was there with her.

Fuckin' Claire. Fuckin' Madison. Mainly Madison. I doubt she'd do something like this in canon but like. she's a manipulative piece of shit in canon anyway so idk though I doubt she'd be homophobic *mainly cos she's in love with zoe shhh* but we need a main villain for this section so just. Plot reasons idk shut up I don't make the rules whatever idk bhadfbhdsydfjsyvdhuygauo sorry its like 1am and I should be in bed it's a school night, I kinda don't care tho I'm failing anyway LMAO

Sorry if there's typos. Like I said, it's 1:16 am so like. suck it

Chapter title from 'No Spoken Word' by Stevie Nicks.