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Gold sat Sarah on the couch and went to fetch her some water. Courage came to her, sensing she was upset and he climbed onto her lap and licked her face.

"It's horrific," Gold said as he returned and handed her the water, "such a tragedy, nobody could've done anything. No one suspected something like that would happen."

"I should've known... she was there longer than me...most of them were..."

"No, you can't blame yourself. None of the others, Brittany, Christina, Megan, they didn't know either. So you can't feel guilty over this, Sarah."

"Still...I should've done something..."

Mr Gold sighed, "like what Sarah? What do you think you should've done, that would've made any difference?"

"...talked to her more...I should've tracked her down to find out where she was living...," she was now crying.

"That wasn't your responsibility to do," he handed her his hanky, "she never tried to track you down. You all went your separated ways, that's just life. And she chose to end hers, and that is nobody's fault except the Joker's. You should be mad at him, not yourself."

"But she was...," she stopped herself. Her father was right. She had been blaming herself too much. She blamed herself for not being a good daughter to her biological father. She blamed herself for not protecting her friends when the goons took them when they were bought for the night. She blamed herself for not fighting back to escape. She even blamed herself for not being able to protect her father more. But...it felt all true.

Sarah dropped her head down, "I'm...I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Papa...I don't know why I feel guilty..."

"You don't have to be sorry. But I think you really need to reconsider getting help. This trial is going to be tough and you're already fragile. You'll need to let Arthur go, and you're already carrying so much guilt. You need help from someone, or some thing."

Sarah was in shock when he said to let Arthur go. How could he say that, "Papa, why would you say that. I...I love him...and I will be honest with you...I know I should've waited, but I missed him for all those years. That night you came to check on me and you found the mask...he was actually with me...and we...we're making love..."

Mr Gold covered his face with his hands, "Oh no, Sarah." Gold dropped his head in his hands, "...I noticed the tie he was wearing today, it was the one in your room that you said was mine! But he was there all along, what, hiding?" He stood up and began pacing agitatedly, "...please tell me he...used protection. You could be pregnant!"

"...n-no...but I'm not...if I was you would've noticed. I would've been sick the next morning. It's been 3 months since...that...," she looked down feeling like she was in trouble.

"3 months...so you've had your...time of the month then?" he blushed, having to talk about this with her, "and you're not always sick the next morning. Every woman is different."

Sarah was shaking. He was definitely was mad, "Y-yes I had it...I...I...," she stopped herself. She really upset him. She could tell. "I will take therapy...rehab anything...but also, why couldn't you let me speak to him...as if you were angry with Arthur?"

Gold sighed with relief, "thank god you're not pregnant. It would've put you even more at risk. Sarah, that horrid woman, Quinn, she came to me when I was in hospital...she wants you to stay away from Arthur. If you don't, she'll kill you. I know she's in jail right now, but she could easily be out on bail or escape again. And I won't risk loosing you. Arthur will understand. If he loves you he'll leave you alone."

"...," Sarah looked at him worried. She then walked up to him and hugged him. He wasn't mad at Arthur? He was just scared for her?

Sarah gripped on his jacket tightly. She felt bad now, but mostly hurt.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were mad at him for something. For saving you...or something. I tried to...I don't know what would happened if I loose you. You are all I have, Papa. You all that I have left." She hugged him tightly and he slowly wrapped his arms around her as she cried on his chest.

He held her tightly, "you won't loose me, Sarah. I promise. We'll be fine just the two of us, once The Joker is sentenced to life, you can move on and put all of this behind you. And...in time, you'll meet a nice young a man and fall in love again. One who isn't caught up with a criminal lifestyle."

"....," she was hurt when he said that. She teared up when he said that and dropped her head. He looked at her and brushed her tears away. She then stopped and noticed Courage by their feet. He got on his hind legs and pressed his front paws on Sarah's leg. She looked down and picked him up.

That night, Sarah got a text message from Brittany, Megan, and Christina in a group chat.

"Everyone here?" Brittany texted.

"Yeah," Christina texted.

"I am," Megan texted.

I am also," Sarah texted.

"We all are hurting over Lucilla, I know," Brittany texted, "She was a sister. A survivor. A fighter."

"We will never forget her," Megan texted.

"And always love her." Christina texted.

"Joker took this pretty hard as well," Megan said, "as if...he loved her. Like you Sarah."

Sarah thought for a bit. Arthur cared for her. He cared for them all. She sighed.

"Joker loves all of us, even for the others would couldn't come and confront The Joker." She texted them, "He risked his own life and his goons to save us all. He knew how to make us happy. When I saw him run back to save the others, I seen he was running out with Lucilla in his arms. She was definitely scared. Like we all were. But he always knew how to make us happy. He knew how to make us stronger."

"He also loves you the most," Megan texted.

"He did say you were special." Brittany said.

"Lucilla was special too," Sarah texted.

Sarah sighed.

"Still, special as in...you had it worse and horrible than us." Christina texted her. "And you stayed strong. Stayed sane. Stayed alive. And kept fighting for life when none of us could if we were in that situation. If The Joker choose me to be his personal...you know...I don't think I would around long enough to live."

"Me neither," Megan said.

"Neither could I," Brittany said.

"None of the other girls would either," Christina added.

Sarah looked down. They were somewhat right. There so many times those months of captivity Sarah just wanted to end it all. She thought there would be no option of living since The Joker killed her parents, and forced her to do inappropriate things with him.

"Thank you, but...you guys are kinda wrong...there was so many times...I would want to end it all right then and there. He killed my parents. I had nothing left."

"But you didn't. You kept fighting," Brittany texted her, "And look, you have a amazing connection with your step dad, better than your biological father. You both are very close I can tell. All of us can tell."

She was right about that. Her and Gold has similar past traumas. She lost her parents. Especially her loving mother that she missed dearly. Mr Gold lost the love of his life and even the child he would never meet in this world. Their love ones were taken away from them. By different people yes, but it was all the same.

Sarah was also abuse. Mr Gold was abuse by everyone around him for being a coward (before he studied upon witchcraft).

The young woman broke down crying. She had to keep reminding herself why she survived that hell. If she didn't, she would be in a wonderful home. A safe home. A loving father.

"We are. I just to keep reminding myself why I lived. So I would be his life and he was in mine. I lost my marbles when I thought I was going to loose my father. I lost my mother. My dear mother, and just the thought of loosing my stepfather, I just couldn't bare the thought." Sarah texted.

"And we don't want to loose you, Sarah," Megan texted.

"I don't loose any of you," Christina texted. "I promise to you all I won't leave you."

"I promise as well 🥰," Megan texted.

"I promise too," Brittany texted.

Sarah shivered. She didn't want to loose another friend. And the girls really cared for her as well.

"I promise too," Sarah texted.

"From the moment on, we are sisters," Brittany texted, "we will fight together until The Joker is put to death."

"Amen! 😊" Megan texted.

After they chatted, Sarah turned off her phone and looked up at the night sky. She was thinking about Arthur. Seeing how torn he was when they left the courthouse. All his Joker Supporters had stop chanting when her and Gold left the courthouse. As if they heard the gunshot. Sarah even remembered when they got in the truck, she could see Lucilla in a stretcher taken in the ambulance. Seeing her lifeless body hurt her. One of her good friends, gone.

"Even if...it's too much, Lucilla, I will fight for you. I promise."