Soundtrack (and since this was such an up and down chapter there are lots):

Video Games by Lana Del Rey - the opening hospital scene

Love Is A Fire by Courrier - when the notice comes and they discuss the bar

Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless - when they arrive at the bar

Three Wishes by The Pierces - when Will and Candi fight

Signs by Bloc Party - when Candi walks into the bathroom and sees Will (also the very end scene with the doctor)

~ * ~

"How the hell did this happen?" I asked, stumbling into the emergency room where my friends were waiting. My head was already pounding, and I found it strange that my brain was currently a mix of completely drunk and hung-over at the same time. My feet ached from my heels, my dress was too tight (how the hell did I get into a dress, anyway?) and my hands were shaking. My face was sticky from tears, and not even the comfort of having Luke's arm around me was enough to stop the thickness in my throat and the croak to my words.

Shae looked up at me and sniffed, shaking her head. Her hair was a mess and her artsy shirt was rumpled. "I don't know. I'm so sorry, Candice."

I collapsed into a chair with Luke next to me, and he draped his mustard-colored jacket over my shoulders. Somewhere along the way I'd lost my leather one, but I didn't have it in me to mourn the fifty dollars wasted (or the fact my phone was still with it).

Ava appeared at the end of a corridor holding a cup of coffee, and she rushed over to me. It was hard not to notice the fact she was barefoot, and I wondered what had happened to her stilettoes. She shoved the Styrofoam into my hands and patted my hair. Her mascara and lipstick were smudged, and her green eyes were filled with worry.

"Here, drink this, it'll make you feel better," she whispered. I sniffed and lifted the cup to my lips, taking a sip of the bitter liquid.

My hands shook violently, and when I noticed the blood still staining my fingers, my stomach lurched and I thought I might throw up. I handed it back to her, knowing I would drop it if I held onto it any longer.

"This is a mess," I whispered, burying my face in my hands and letting out another sob. I could smell the residual scent of tequila mixed with the coppery tang of blood and the familiar smell of disinfectant from the waiting room. "How did everything get so complicated?"

I knew how, though. It had started with a drink at a club, which had turned into shots and dancing and loud techno music and sweaty bodies and lots of stairs and dirty toilet stalls.

It had disintegrated into my best friend making out with Luke in a bathroom, my phone disappearing at the most crucial moment, a stupid drunken fight, slippery floors and a fateful fall, and a man fighting for my honor.

There were eight people in the waiting room from our group, with two missing.

My first love.

My fiancé.

And both were currently fighting for their lives because of me.

~ * ~

Thirteen hours earlier...

The eviction letter came six days after the Winchester's visit, while I was deciding between butterscotch cake and red velvet for the wedding.

Starting the morning after the disastrous day, we'd gone hunting for apartments, and skipped through everything from one-bedroom shoebox apartments to grand apartments far out of our budget. Finally we'd settled on a four-bedroom brick flat in a hotel with good recommendations that was fairly cheap. It wasn't luxurious like the Winchester condos, but for the price range we were looking at, it was definitely good enough.

Ava was sitting next to me on a stool talking to the caterer when Will breezed through the door with a grim look on his face. We'd been trying to keep a peppy attitude since, throwing ourselves into house hunting and wedding planning, but I could tell by the set to his jaw that doomsday had come.

He held up an ivory envelope with the insignia embossed on the front, and I sighed and closed the magazine I'd been reading. "How long?" I asked quietly.

He threw the letter onto the counter, as if it had burned his hands. "We have two weeks until all traces of us need to be gone. I can't believe they went through with it."

"I can," I told him, standing up and placing my hands on his shoulders, massaging gently. "But we'll get through this, Will. We always do."

He nodded and kissed my forehead lightly. "I guess we better put the down payment on the apartment and skip the long settlement period."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll get Jamie to make the call this afternoon."

Ava bid her phone partner goodbye and turned to us. "So, this is it, huh?"

I nodded. "We are officially no longer welcome in the hallowed halls of Winchester."

"Sorry, guys," she said, and she sounded like she meant it.

I nodded, but no apology could comfort us. "We appreciate that."

"Hey, it's not all bad news," Will said, his hands sliding onto my hips as I turned to look back at him.

"Why, because we're free of your parents?" I asked, smiling sweetly at him.

"That is a definite bonus, but not the one I was talking about," he replied. "Shae called me earlier. All of the friends are heading out for drinks. They thought it might be a good pick-me-up. Luke, Pip and Milla, Leon and Shae, and us five. What do you say?"

"Well, since our new budget means bachelor and bachelorette parties are officially off the table, I guess this could suffice."

He smiled. "I'll call her back."

"I heard drinks," Jamie said, coming into the room while scrolling through something on his phone. "You know how the mention of liquor gets me riled up. What's the plan?"

"Well, we were thinking of heading out to a bar with some of our friends," I told him, stepping out of Will's grip and turning to Jamie. "You in?"

"For an English pub crawl?" Jamie asked, grinning devilishly. "Hell yeah."

"I'll call Shae?" Will asked.

I nodded. "Thanks. And Jamie, can you call back the real estate agent? Time to put the deposit down."

Chance wandered into the room, and Jamie looked around. "So this is what we all want?"

"Where the hell else have we got to go?" Ava replied, drumming her fingers on the countertop with a wry smile.

"If you guys are in, I'm in," Will said, wrapping his arms around my waist and hugging me from behind. I snuggled into his brown shirt.

"If this is what you really want," Chance said slowly, "then I'm in."

Ava's green eyes flicked up to me. "Candice?"

I smiled. "Then I guess we're all agreed. Make the call."

~ * ~

England was alive that night, the smell of rain and perfume in the air. Dressed to the nines in heels and leather jackets, Ava and I trotted along at a leisurely pace as the boys walked behind us in the parking lot, hands in their coat pockets as they talked amongst themselves about sport.

We'd agreed that just for tonight we'd put our woes behind us. No talk of eviction notices or paycheck-to-paycheck living. We were just a group of friends looking for a few drinks and a good time. An escape.

So Ava and I had donned our finest jeans and fanciest shirts. Ava had styled her black hair and twisted it up into curly disarray. Her scarf glittered and her face shone with makeup, and her glossed lips broke into a smile as we teetered in six-inch heels and stumbled around puddles. It was like old times, and it made me forget the complications we faced.

I'd gone all-out, curling my hair and adding mascara and eyeliner. My lips were done in a fanciful cherry-red, and I wore a tight black shirt with flowered motifs and skinny jeans, a leather jacket completing the ensemble. I felt rejuvenated and younger, ready to have a good time and drink the blues away. It was one night in a million.

We'd driven there in Will's expensive convertible and pretended just for a few moments that we were normal people; that everything was the way it had always been. And it was so close to working.

The bar was booming as we stepped inside, with dim lights and a smoky atmosphere. Though it wasn't a nightclub, it bordered dangerously on something similar, with a long bar stocked with different types of alcohol, loud music that made the floors vibrate, and a dance-floor packed with gyrating bodies. On the second level was a much mellower place with a smaller bar and several booths and couches for relaxing. We headed towards the metal stairs and up the twining staircase, where we'd agreed to meet our friends. I kept one hold on Ava's arm and the other wrapped safely in Will's hand so we didn't lose each other, and, holding onto each others sleeves, we kept a long train until we found our friends.

They sat in a dim purple booth, and the smell of nicotine and cheap perfume mixed with the sounds of people laughing and whispering to each other. Girls in tight black dresses lounged on men in business shirts, sipping apple martinis and whispering into his ear. It was hard not to notice the distinct gleam of a gold wedding ring on each of their fingers.

"Well, look who finally made it!" Luke yelled, sitting up to attention and consequently causing the girl who had been running her fingers through his hair to slide off gently. The young girl, a brunette with bright red lipstick and smoky eye shadow, turned large unimpressed blue eyes towards us.

Léon and Shae looked up from where they'd been sharing a martini with two black straws and smiled at us. Pippa was nowhere to be seen-no doubt on the dance floor kicking up her heels-and Milla was over by the bar flirting with the handsome bartender.

"We have to party it up before we're domestic house-spouses," Will replied.

"I'll go get drinks," I offered.

"I'll come with," Chance said, and, after taking the orders, we walked off to the bar.

Another bartender, this one just as handsome as the other, wandered over with a smile that made my stomach drop. "What can I get for you, pretty lady?" he asked.

"I'll take a double-shot of whiskey, three shots of jack, apple martini, and a pina colada," I said, smiling.

"That'll be forty-five dollars and your phone number," he replied.

"Hands off, buddy, she's engaged," Chance replied, narrowing his eyes at the sleazy barkeep.

"Lucky man," was all he said, turning around and beginning to mix the drinks. I pulled out everyone's crumpled money onto the table, and he loaded a black tray and handed it off to us.

We walked back to the table and I dished out drinks, taking my apple martini and taking a long sip. I pulled off the lime wedge and sucked on it.

"Let's go dance," Shae said, grabbing León's hand and pulling him out, shot in hand.

"Come on, let's go scouting," Jamie said, clapping Chance on the back. He nodded and disappeared.

"I'm gonna go look for cute girls," Ava declared, sipping her pina colada. "Text me if you find one."

"And then there were two," Will said, grabbing me and pulling me onto his lap. I laughed and brought my lips to his, ignoring the pulsing music and loud noises nearby. It seemed the honeymoon phase of our relationship was never going to end.

I pulled back. "Careful now, William. We are still in public."

"We could always find somewhere a little more private," he replied, pulling me back to him again. His lips were a sweet escape from reality, and I was more than happy to comply.

I pulled back reluctantly and stood up. "We will. But first, dancing and a few drinks. Enjoy your last day of freedom before real life kicks in and we hit marital bliss."

"I'll drink to that," he replied, and we went to the bar and ordered another round.

We spent the next hour drinking and laughing and kissing and just enjoying being young and free and happy and in love (which we were, unconditionally).

After dancing until my feet hurt, I laughed. "I need to use the bathroom," I declared, almost falling on Will.

"Mind if I come?" Will asked.

My jaw dropped. "You wouldn't be slipping back into your bad habits, would you?"

"Hey, you need someone to help you navigate your way up those stairs!" Will said. "It's dangerous for you to go up there alone in your current state. You might trip and fall."

"A gentleman wouldn't take advantage," I said sweetly, pecking him on his clean-shaven cheek.

"Then I won't take advantage," he replied, grabbing my hand and sliding me through towards the stairs.

I stopped at the railing and leaned closer. "And if I didn't want you to be a gentleman?"

"A real gentleman does what his lady wishes," Will said suavely.

I kissed him long and hard. "Perfect answer, Winchester."

We made it up the stairs and towards the bathroom. Will tried the door to find it was locked. He frowned and crashed into it, and we practically fell through the door. He was already laughing and kissing me, making me giggle.

"Oh, my God," Will whispered, and not in the good way.

I pulled back and frowned, noting his gaze was definitely not on me. I frowned and turned, taking in where he was looking. I gasped, disbelieving of what I was seeing.

Ava had her arms around someone's neck, her hair undone and falling in raven cascades around her face. Her lips met theirs in a heavy kiss, and it was impossible not to see the smile.

What was most surprising, however, wasn't even the fact it was a boy she was kissing.

But that this boy was Luke.

"Oh, my God," I said, louder, causing them to pull apart. Ava looked up, and her swollen lips dropped when she saw us standing there like a deer in headlights.

"Candi," she said, sliding out of Luke's grip. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned, and tension permeated the air. "I thought we locked that."

"About that..." Will said, turning back and looking at the lock we had splintered.

"Well, this is a surprising turn of events," I said, cocking an eyebrow at Ava. "Mind telling me what's going on here?"

"I have no idea," she admitted. "But we were kind of in the middle of something, so..."

"Right, well, we should leave, then," I said, grabbing Will's hand and dragging him towards the doors. "Cheerio. I mean, toodles. I mean, have a good time. Just..." I trailed off. "Goodbye."

We shut the door behind us, and I turned to Will. "That was weird."

He nodded in agreeance. "Uh, yeah."

"I need another drink."

Two shots later and we'd almost forgotten about the amorous encounter between our friends that we'd unknowingly stumbled in on.

Just then Will's phone rang, and he pulled it out. "Oh, God," he whispered, swaying slightly. He leaned against me and showed me the Caller ID.

"Ew," I said, and then giggled. Something about the fact his parents were calling him was unbelievably hilarious to me.

He answered it. "Why, hello, Mother. Or, better yet, she-devil."

I giggled into his shoulder and played with his hair. I didn't hear her response, but his answer was enough to clue me in on what she'd asked.

"Me? Drunk? Psh, no, Mother. That would be incredibly stupid of me, wouldn't it? I mean, what would I have to drink for? It's not like you evicted me from my house, made me choose between my girlfriend and my fortune, and then left me out in the cold. Oh, wait, yeah, you did that!"

Silence.

"I'm not being immature, Mother, I'm having fun," he replied petulantly, and began kissing my neck. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have much better things to do. Candice says hi, by the way."

He ended the phone call and continued kissing my neck, and I laughed at the sensation. "Why did your mother call?"

He groaned. "Something about staging an intervention. The usual."

I leaned back, frowning. "What kind of intervention?"

"Between insults and offending my masculinity, something about your parents."

"Why didn't you reply?" I asked.

"It's probably just a scare tactic, come on," Will said, leaning forward. I put a hand on his chest and pushed him back.

"Will, this is serious. If they manage to contact my parents we are over."

"Why?"

"You haven't met my parents. They are bad people, Will. If they team up with your parents, there's no limit to the things they could do."

"We'll make it through this," he said, leaning forward again. "I thought we agreed to just put it all behind us tonight."

"Will, this just got serious," I told him. "We need to think of a plan."

"Ugh, I'm sick of thinking!" Will replied, groaning and leaning back. "I'm done worrying about our parents. I just want to be you and me."

"And you don't think I do?" I replied. "It was your parents who started this! I'm just trying to make sure mine don't finish it!"

"And we will, later," he said. "For now, let's not worry."

"I can't do that, Will. You need to call your parents back and set up a meeting. Tell them we'll do anything."

"I'm not negotiating with terrorists."

"And I'm not asking," I replied. Couldn't he see all I wanted to do was keep us together? Having the strain of one set of parents on our backs was one problem, but having two was playing with fire. And I didn't like our chances of exiting unscathed.

He stood up. "What happened to us being a team?"

"We won't be a team anymore if my parents get involved," I replied rationally. "I know you don't like it, but it's something we have to do."

"I'm not doing it, Candi," he told me. "I'm not going to call them up. We said we could do this on our own and I meant it. I'm not going to back down now."

"If you don't call, then I will," I told him, reaching for his phone.

"No, you won't!" he said, holding it out of my reach.

"Will, give it to me," I demanded, practically jumping over him in order to obtain the device.

"No!" he cried, unceremoniously dropping it into the full martini glass on the table. The liquid fizzled and the screen went black.

"What the hell did you just do?" I yelled. "I don't have your parents number! And neither do you!"

"Good!" he yelled back. "Then you won't be able to get involved! This is my battle, not yours."

"It became my battle the day you were asked to choose between me and the money. You just said we're a team. So why aren't we acting like one?"

"I'm trying to hold this together."

"Are you saying I'm not?" Our argument had become a mess of broken slurs and jumbled words, and I wasn't even sure how the argument had evolved.

"Lately it doesn't seem like it," he told me. "And I think your little trick with the phone just proves it."

I stood up. "Well, if that's how you really feel then I guess I should go."

I turned back to him and crossed my arms over my chest. "You know, I was trying to make sure my parents didn't break us up. But we seem to be doing a damned good job of it all by ourselves."

I turned around and stormed off, quickly flying down the stairs and into the dancing couples before I could have a chance to turn back and fly into his arms with apologies. I held my head high, but my eyes were a blurry mess of tears and confusion.

Someone grabbed me by the arms. "Hey, are you okay?"

I looked up and saw the worried hazel-brown eyes of Chance looking down on me. I let out a sob and fell into his chest, hugging his waist tightly.

"What's wrong?" Chance asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know. Everything. It just feels like everyone is against me right now."

"Well, I'm not," Chance told me, flicking away a tear with his thumb. "Come on, let me take you somewhere a little quieter and we can talk, okay?"

I nodded and sniffed. "That would be great."

I was so wrapped up in being grateful at Chance that I didn't even see the waiter holding a tray of alcohol until he had collided into me.

My whole body went cold, and I looked down to see liquid dripping from the hem of my shirt. The bottom of my hair was covered in red wine, and I smelled like a liquor store.

"I am so sorry!" the waiter said, looking horrified. Thankfully none of the glasses cracked in the collision, and he handed me some napkins as he bent down to pick them off the floor.

I sighed, though this only added to the conundrum that had been my day. "It's okay. I just need to change."

"You know, occasionally we have showgirls roll through here. I think we have some spare clothes in the back if you want."

It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do for now. I just hoped they had something beyond feather boas and cowboy hats. "Sure. Thank you."

He deposited the tray on the bar and asked for a reorder of the drinks, before leading Chance and I through the throngs of drunken bodies and towards a black door at the back. He opened it, and it led into a musty storage unit filled with cardboard boxes. He disappeared and came back holding a black dress. "Not ideal, but it's clean."

"It'll do, thanks," I told him, and he disappeared behind some boxes and up a set of metal stairs at the back.

"I'll wait at the door and make sure no one comes in," Chance said. "Call if you need me."

He walked out to act as my sentry, and I sighed and slowly shucked off my soiled clothing. Getting the soaked denim off of me was a struggle, and I was almost too happy to step into the satin black slip the man had given me. I stuffed my feet back into my boots and used a tablecloth to dry my hair the best I could. It wasn't ideal, but it would get me through until I found shelter.

"You looked nice in those jeans, but the dress looks better."

I squealed and spun around to see the waiter upstairs slowly walking down the staircase. He was smirking, looking far too happy to be here alone with me, and I felt my heart seize.

"I was just leaving," I told him, stepping towards the door and feeling far too exposed in the frigid air in just the sheath and boots.

"When Alec told me a pretty girl was down here, I could hardly believe my ears. But tonight is my lucky night."

"It's really not," I told him. "Like I said, I was just going."

"Now, just slow down, sweetheart," he replied smoothly. "We still have all night."

"I have someone waiting outside for me."

"Then we'll make this quick."

He dove for me, and I screamed and stumbled back. Catching myself on a box, I fell back and hit the dirty concrete floor with a smack, feeling pain ricochet up my body. I groaned in pain and struggled to my feet, slipping again helplessly. The man advanced like an animal, and I used the time to open my mouth and let out a bloodcurdling scream fit to wake the dead.

"Help!" I screeched. "Chance! Help!"

"Shut up-" he began, but it was too late, as Chance was already crashing in, a look of worry on his face.

"Candice, what-" His eyes narrowed when he noticed the unwanted party crasher. "What the hell are you doing?"

"This is none of your damn business, pretty boy," he replied. "Beat it."

"I'm making it my damn business," Chance replied, and launched on him without further ado.

"Chance!" I screamed, stumbling to my feet. He was lost in a flurry of flailing limbs and grunts, and I felt my heart seize. "Chance!"

"Get out of here!" was his only response, and in the one glimpse I got of him, it was of the bartender's fist meeting his jaw with a sickening smack that made me release an earth-shattering scream.

"Stop it!" I yelled, searching for an opening to intervene.

Everything seemed to slow down. I felt someone's presence behind me, and turned to see Jamie running past me and diving straight into the fight, pulling the man away from Chance, who lay crumpled and bloodied on the ground, completely unconscious. While the man had a bleeding nose and a split lip, he had come out much better off than Chance, but I couldn't care. All I could see was Chance, whose knee was on a bad angle and whose face was bruised and battered.

"Chance?" I yelled, running to his side. "Can you hear me?"

"We need to get him to the hospital," Jamie told me, shoving the man away from him and turning to me with wild eyes.

The man pointed a stubby, hating finger at me. "This isn't over!" He sprinted away then as more people began to crowd around, obviously noting the attention drawn to this room.

"I'll call the ambulance," I told him, reaching for the phone.

"We need to take the car," he replied. "An ambulance will take too long and they won't find us here."

"Will has the keys!" I replied, growing panicky. Stress and copious amounts of alcohol was not a good mix.

"Then find him!" Jamie cried. "I'll get him to the parking-lot if you can get the keys!"

I nodded. "I'll get them now."

The fight between us was the last thing on my mind. The need to get Chance to help was more important than any stupid fight. I ran through the crowd and pushed towards the stairs, stumbling up and onto the platform. Milla was there, calmly sipping a drink and examining her nails.

"Milla!" I cried, reaching the table. "Have you seen Will?"

"Yeah, I heard about what happened between you two," Milla said. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not now," I told her. "Chance has been hurt and we need the car. Will has the keys. Where is he?"

Milla sat up straighter. "Chance is hurt? Is he okay?"

"Where is Will?" I asked, my patience snapping.

She pointed to the direction of the toilets. "He went to the bathroom!"

I ran off just then, slipping past couches and towards the men's bathroom. I didn't even have a second to worry about what I was stumbling into; my only thought was getting help for Chance.

"Will!" I called, running through the door.

No one was in there, and only a solitary faucet was running. I looked over to the sink, and that's when I thought my whole world would come crashing down.

On the edge of the marble basin was a smear of blood, and I slowly dragged my eyes down the length of the stain and to the ground, where Will lay completely still, blood slowly leaching from a wound on his head.

"Will!" I screamed hysterically, running to his side and falling to my knees. I pushed my fingers to his neck and felt a pulse, and grabbed for my jacket pocket where I held my phone, when I realized I'd forgotten it in the warehouse.

I pulled him up into my lap, running my fingers through his soft curls. "Will?" I whispered, patting his cheek. "Can you hear me? Will?"

I pulled back and stared at the door. "Help me!" I yelled. "Somebody help me!"

~ * ~

The clock of the waiting room read just after two-thirty in the morning, and the headache had kicked in even more. I rubbed my temples, hoping the painkillers one of the nurses had given me would kick in soon.

Ava was dozing off on Jamie's shoulder, and Luke had fallen asleep with one comforting arm still wrapped around my shoulder. I was shivering from the cold, but didn't have the heart to mention it. I wished for a basin and some bleach to wash the stains off of my hands, which made me want to hurl every time I so much as glanced at them. I shook my head and glanced around, once again, taking in my surroundings.

Pippa and Milla were huddled together under a crocheted blanket, resting and fading in and out of consciousness. Léon and Shae sat holding hands and murmuring quietly to each other, and he occasionally kissed her cheek and whispered reassurances. I wished someone were here to do that for me, but then I remembered that the only person who could do that was currently in a hospital bed.

The minutes turned into hours, which seemed to drag on forever. Occasionally people drifted past, but it was silent all around us. Everyone eventually drifted off to sleep, and I was the only one awake, watching each second tick by with agonizing slowness.

"Miss Sinclair?"

I looked up to find a woman with black hair in pink hospital scrubs holding a clipboard. I slid out of Luke's grip and raced to her. "That's me," I said breathlessly. "What's going on?"

"We're doing everything we can for the both of them," she told me. "We need to keep Mr. Ryder for observation, but he'll be fine. His next of kin have been notified, but he's asking for you."

"What about my fiancé?" I replied. "Is Will going to be okay?"

She looked down at her clipboard. "I'm sorry, but we haven't been able to make contact with immediate family yet, and until we do we can't release any details to anyone outside."

"I'm going to be his wife in a few weeks," I replied. "Is that not close enough to family for you?"

She sighed and looked down. "Miss Sinclair, I don't know how to tell you this..."

"Is my fiancé all right?" I asked, my voice coming out snappily.

She shook her head gently. "Miss, Sinclair, I am so sorry..."

~ * ~

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