A/N: We realize we may have bungled the set design for Nathaniel's apartment and some other locations. We also forgot when many of the events of season 4 took place. We will not be retconning much, though, so put it down to AU and try not to think about it if it bothers you too much.

xoxo

Chapter 12: Bring Me to Life

It was the worst 24 hours of Rebecca's life. She had cried herself into an exhausted sleep and had the worst nightmares since she was a small child. Finally, at 6:00 a.m., unable to sleep anymore, she got up and went to shower. Paula had looked up at seeing her coming out of her room but went back to napping when Rebecca shook her head and went into the bathroom. GODS! Everything reminded her of him. His shaving cream, his toothbrush, his hair products. She couldn't stand it, being apart from him! She was going back!

After a quick shower, and a bribe of a hot breakfast for Paula if she drove her back to the hospital, Rebecca walked in and headed for Trent's room.

Greg looked up, at hearing the door opened and he stood, seeing Rebecca standing there. "Hey...feeling better?" Stupid question, but he asked because he cared. Seeing the look she gave him, he nodded and walked out with Paula trailing behind him.

Rebecca had checked with the nurses and was told of Trent's condition. She was filled with such worry that she might lose him. She couldn't lose him! She would be lost without him! She had to call him back to her, had to!

Coming to sit by his side, as she had all those months ago, she reached out and took his hand into hers, entwining their fingers together. "Trent? I'm here... I'm here, my love," she said gently, watching him for any signs of a response. "Please wake up. Please be ok. I miss you so much." She kissed the top of his hand and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I love you... more than anything, Trent. Please, wake up."

The drugs had done a lot to calm Trent's emotions. His catatonia was, the doctors guessed, psychosomatic, so as long as they could keep him mellow, there was a higher chance he would come round.

He was hallucinating again, and he smiled contentedly "Hello, Angel," he greeted the celestial being who bore such resemblance to the woman he loved. "Come to escort me to Purgatory already?"

"What?" Rebecca's gaze furrowed slightly in confusion. He was—hallucinating again? Oh great! "No, Trent... it's me. It's Rebecca." She scooted closer to him and reached out to caress his cheek, trying to get him to actually see her. "You aren't going anywhere, and neither am I. I promised that I wouldn't run from anything you ever had to tell me. I promised to be honest with you. Whatever it is that made you like this... Baby... we can work it out, together, remember?"

She tried, she really did, to get him to come around. Him being like this flat-out scared her. But he was speaking to her, if not outright seeing her; that was a start.

"No?" Trent asked, automatically leaning into her touch. "To Hell, then. Well, Angel, if I'm going to Hell already, there's no harm in posing a simple question. Impart your wisdom upon me. Why do..."

Rebecca couldn't stand it! She simply couldn't stand seeing Trent this way! He was looking right at her, was speaking to her but not seeing her! When he spoke again, trying to ask her a question, she cupped his cheeks, pulled him to her, and kissed him deeply, but gently, in the way that only she could, in a sense silencing him.

That kiss, lasted for damn near two minutes before she pulled back, looking at the man she loved with worry, love, and devotion in her eyes. "Trent... Love... it's me!"

"Hi, you," he said, still a little dazed.

His eyes looked past her as he saw someone come through the door.

"Hi, Nathaniel," he said drowsily. "You should eat more pineapples."

Rebecca froze at Trent's words. Turning, she looked back over her shoulder and her eyes went wide. But she retained her control. She would not explode again.

Standing, but not moving away from Trent's side, she crossed her arms and gave him a look. "What are you doing here, Nathaniel?" she asked, her voice soft, but the anger was there, as was the sound of how tired she was about all this. "Can't you just leave well enough alone? I'm tired... I want my boyfriend back... so just…. Please... if you are thinking of fighting again, just leave..."

Nathaniel looked at his ex-girlfriend and back towards his best friend. Both of them were siding with his enemy, and no one seemed to care that, when someone gets off on the idea of killing you, it's an actual problem if they've actually tried to do so!

He had come to confront Trent again, to tell him he wasn't scared of him and was going to tell everyone the truth, but surprisingly Trent had just done so, sort of. Thank God for potent sedatives, Nathaniel thought, even as the blush crept across his cheeks.

He didn't get why everyone was turning against him. Trying to hit Rebecca hadn't been the smartest decision he had ever made, but did that mean he had deserved what happened next? To be the target of a psychopath? Because that's how everyone was treating him.

"Fine," he said. He would find another way to expose Trent, maybe drive him out of town or get him arrested, so Rebecca could have some distance and clear her head. "I don't need to stay here and be gaslit. Rebecca, I'm sorry I hit you. Trent, I'm sorry I didn't taste good enough for you when you forced yourself on me yesterday. Poison me if you want. I'm out."

And he left. He would go visit Josh, apologize— sincerely— to him for telling him to fuck off when Josh had first raised concerns about Trent. He knew what it felt like now.

Complete and utter shock coursed through Rebecca as she stood there and listened to all that Nathaniel said.

Nathaniel's words reminded Trent of what he wanted to ask the angel before he got distracted. "Oh right," he said vaguely, "Angel, I wanted to ask, why do women taste better than men?"

As Rebecca heard Trent talking after Nathaniel left, she turned back to him with a look of complete hopelessness; she thought her heart was falling to bits and dying. Trent did what? No! It couldn't possibly be true? He wouldn't!

But the question that tumbled out of his mouth made Rebecca gasp and she had to turn away a moment, hand over her mouth as her eyes instantly filled with tears. This couldn't be happening! Truly, it couldn't. But she had to get through this. Breathing was good. Just keep breathing, and all will be well. In. Out. In. Out. Control herself, compose herself. Trent wasn't fully back yet. Now was not the time.

When she felt more in control of herself, she turned back to him and wiped her eyes before she came back to sit by his side. "Well...I guess that depends on the person's preferences," she managed to say without a hint of a break in her voice. Was she really doing this? "Trent... it also depends on emotion... love... if you love someone, really, truly love them, then all that stuff doesn't matter." She tried hard to reach him.

She looked into his eyes and bit her lip, feeling her heart break again. "I can't do this by myself, Trent. Please... come back..."

"Okay, Angel. That makes sense," Trent said happily. "I don't love Nathaniel at all. I just wanted to make him squirm and let him know he can't come near me or my Princess— she's the one you look like. No offense, Angel, but she outranks you because she's a goddess. I would do anything for her."

A slight frown creased his forehead. "But I got carried away. I think I really made a mess of things. I wanted to take control away from him to get back at him for making me lose control, but... I think I cheated on my goddess. She would kill me if she found out, so I threatened him. Told him I would kill him if he told anyone. And he believed me, because he knows I get horny thinking about killing him and doing things with his corpse, thanks to Paula's big mouth.

"So there you have it. Take me to Hell, Angel. I'm ready to go. There's truly nothing left for me here if I can't be with her."

Hearing his confession, right from his own mouth, Rebecca felt something in her break. It took everything she had to be stronger than her emotions for once, to not give in to the raging anger, fear, and pain she suddenly felt flood her at hearing how her lover had acted. He had all but lied to her, or at the very least, wasn't honest with her when she had asked what had happened. He broke their rules. He broke her heart, and it took everything she had to push those feelings aside and not bolt. She had promised, too.

Hearing what he said about her, though, made her feel a little better but not by much. Still, she knew he loved her; he just had to be reminded that she loved him just as much in return.

Leaning forward, she reached out and ran her hand lightly over his cheek, taking in his form. A few stray tears escaped as she smiled faintly at him. In the end, he had been honest, even if he didn't realize it was her. Strange way to look at it, but still...she had to reach him.

"Trent... my dear, sweet, brilliant, loving, Trent... I—I forgive you..." she whispered softly, her eyes closing as she took a shuddering breath. She meant it, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't hash it all out later, together. But she knew, on some small level, that that was what he needed to hear.

"I forgive you and I am not going anywhere. I will never, ever abandon you. I will be by your side no matter what happens. To love you as you should be loved, to protect you and take care of you as you take care of me. For you, Trent, you are my life now... and I cannot and do not want to be without you either." She sniffed softly.

"Neither Heaven nor Hell could keep you from me... I am yours, as you are mine, till the day I die... I promise..."

Those were the words Trent was aching to hear, and, just like the last time she had visited in the hospital, her words... woke him up inside.

He came to, feeling emotions stronger than the drugs, tears pouring down his face as she came into focus.

"..." He had opened his mouth, about to say something, but this wasn't the time or place. They had a lot to work through before that would be appropriate.

Seeing him actually see her, Rebecca felt a sense of elation mix in with the other emotions that was floating around inside of her.

"Trent...?" She was so happy to have him looking at her and seeing her, and so scared that she was going to lose him earlier that she reacted naturally. Tears streaming down her own cheeks, she moved so she could pull him into a hug, tight enough to let him know that she was there, but not so tight as to hurt him. Her fingers threaded lightly through his hair as she stroked him, trying to give comfort as she silently shook with sobs of her own. "I'm here, Trent...I'm here..." she said softly, blinking tears out of her eyes as they fell like rain and soaked her hands and his hair.

"Rebecca— OOF!" He hugged her back with his non-IV arm, pulling her close. "I'm sorry, Rebecca, I'm so sorry," he babbled. "I did something terrible, and I thought I was protecting you, but I lied to you, and I lied to myself..."

Rebecca nuzzled into Trent's hair and neck as he talked, reaffirming their bond as they held each other close. For the moment, nothing else mattered. Only he mattered, because he was seeing her, speaking to her, holding her. She was so happy she could explode into a thousand pieces of glitter! Any other emotion was shoved to the side and bowed to the power of her love for Trent. Nothing else mattered...

"Trent... it's ok. I forgive you. Just... don't do anything like that ever, ever again." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Promise me." Her words were forceful, but her tone was still gentle.

Before he even had a chance to respond, she kissed him! And put all her love, devotion, and adoration for him behind that kiss. So he would know, without a doubt, that she loved him! She trusted him, and that she would never abandon him.

Pulling back again, she smiled lightly down at him. "We will get through this, together, just like we always do. Alright? I love you...never for one moment ever doubt that again. We might get mad at each other and fight or disagree, but I will never leave you for it. Ever!"

She gave a sigh of relief and leaned against him, careful of his IV, and just let the tensions she had been feeling the last two days go... only to giggle softly to herself as she tilted her eyes back up to look at him.

"I punched Nathaniel." She smirked playfully. "Twice..." She chuckled and shook her head and then sighed as her phone rang. Reaching for it, she nearly fell off the bed because she didn't want to move, but managed to get it and answered it.

"Hello Paula... yes, everything is fine." She paused and listened. "Nope, promise. Things are good." She paused again and chuckled. "Yea, we will talk later... might need your help anyway... yea... ok... and Paula, thanks. For everything... ok... bye." She hung up and turned to cuddle back up against Trent lightly. This was so much better now that he was back...things would work themselves out. Of that, she was sure.