Actress/Character One-Shots (WLW)

All Better - B.D. Howard

A/N: I had a little extra time, and writing has been a good distraction today, so here's this :)

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TW: Mentions of Death/Suicide and Anxiety Attack

"Come, child. There's someone I want you to meet," Constance said, her hold on the young woman's wrist rather tight.

"W-who?" Daria asked. Her voice shook slightly, along with her hands as she followed behind the elegant woman. The clacking of her heels against the floor caused Daria's heart rate to pick up once more. They walked into the kitchen together and were met with the back of a blonde woman's head.

"This is Billie Dean Howard. She's a medium," the older woman explained with a smile. The brunette stood in the doorway, eyeing the medium suspiciously. She watched as Billie lit up a cigarette, took a long drag, tilted her head up toward the ceiling, and let the smoke float into the air. The woman was mesmerizing. The medium finally turned her focus to Daria who was shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Hello, sweetheart. Please, have a seat." She smiled warmly, motioning to the chair beside her. Daria took it cautiously, her eyes never leaving the woman now seated next to her.

"What is she here for?" The brunette asked quietly, finally pulling her gaze from Billie to look at Constance. The older woman flashed her signature smile as she poured their tea and passed them their cups.

"She's here to talk with you." Daria's brows furrowed slightly.

"Okay," she whispered. Nodding slightly toward Constance's pack of cigarettes, she spoke again. "May I?"

"Of course, dear, just don't tell your mama I let you," she mused, taking a stick from the pack and placing it between the young woman's lips before lighting it. Daria took a puff and scoffed.

"I'm twenty years old, Constance. She can't tell me what I can and can't do anymore; not like she'd care anyway," she muttered. Daria slumped back in her seat and returned her attention to the medium, raising her brows in a silent question.

"Well, Constance told me of some... issues you've been having after the loss of your older sister, and we thought you may wish to speak with her," Billie suggested. The young woman froze with her cigarette mid-way to her lips. She looked between Constance and Billie utterly dumbfounded.

"You can do that?" The medium took Daria's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Of course, sweetheart. Tell her whatever you like, she's here with us," she said sweetly. Daria took one last puff of her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.

"I just miss her... so much. Mama's only gotten worse since she left." Her nearly black eyes met Billie's honey brown hues.

"She says that she misses you too, but she's happier now. She also wants to say she's sorry for breaking the pact and hopes that one day you can forgive her. Does that mean anything to you? The pact?" the medium asked as gently as she could, giving the woman's hand another squeeze. The tears that previously filled Daria's eyes now sprinted down her cheeks as if they were Olympic athletes. Billie and Constance looked at her questioningly as they waited for an answer.

"We were supposed to do it together."

"Do what, Ri? What were you supposed to do together?" Constance asked.

"End it. We were going to do it together, so we would never be alone," she whimpered.

Daria pulled away from the medium and stood up. She paced the kitchen, her breathing picking up and heart hammering in her chest. "Why- why did she do it? Why did she leave me? We were supposed to go together. She wasn't supposed to leave me! I'm not supposed to be alone!" Daria yelled. Her body shook and sobs tore from her throat as she pulled at the neckline of her shirt, trying to give herself more space to breathe. Billie stood up from the table and approached her cautiously.

"She says she couldn't take it anymore, and she couldn't bear the thought of making you come with her. She wants you to have a good life and find your happiness," she explained, a few tears slipping down her cheeks as she realized the gravity of the situation. The brunette shook her head rapidly.

"No no no no no-" Her voice quivered and broke. Her knees gave way, and she prepared for the harsh thud of her body against the cold tile, but it never came. Billie had caught her, drawing the shaking woman into her chest and sinking to the floor slowly. Once she'd eased them onto the floor against the wall, she began stroking the girl's hair and whispering to her ear.

"Breathe for me, sweetheart. It's going to be alright. Just breathe," she soothed as she rocked them gently back and forth. Daria continued to sob and tremble as she grabbed ahold of the front of Billie's pink silk blouse. She buried her face into the crook of the woman's neck and allowed the gentle vanilla and floral scent of her perfume to wash over her; it calmed her for some reason, and her cries were soon nothing but heavy breaths and quiet sniffles.

"I'm so sorry," Daria muttered as she pulled away from Billie's shoulder. She gently ran her fingers over the mascara stain on the silk. "I got makeup on your shirt."

"It's quite alright, darling. I have plenty of other shirts I can wear." The brunette smiled weakly at the woman, her cheeks flushed from crying as well as embarrassment. "Let's go get you cleaned up," the medium suggested, lifting both of them up to their feet.

"The bathroom is just down the hall," Constance said as she returned to her seat at the table. Billie nodded in silent thanks and placed her hand on Daria's lower back to guide her down the hallway. They walked into the bathroom together, and the blonde patted the vanity as an instruction for Daria to sit on top of it. The brunette did as she was told and watched as Billie took a soft towel and soaked it in warm water from the faucet. She brought the rag to Daria's face and gently wiped the blackened tearstains from her cheeks before drying them once more.

"There. All better," she cooed, a soft smile replacing her previously focused expression. Daria returned the smile.

"Thank you, for all of that, Ms. Howard. You really didn't have to."

"Please, call me Billie, and I know," Billie replied. "but I wanted to. You're not alone, sweetheart. Just because she's gone doesn't mean you don't have others to help you."

"But I am alone, Ms. How- Billie. My father left when I was two, my mother blames me for my sister's death, and all of my friends moved away from this wretched place to start their own lives somewhere happy. I have no one." Billie took the young woman's face in her hands and ran her thumbs over her cheekbones.

"You have Constance. That's why she called me; she cares about you, and now you have me. I care too," she assured.

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now, let's go talk to Constance, and then maybe we can see about getting you out of your house. Your sister told me some of the things your mother has done, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Okay," Daria whispered. Billie started to walk out the door as Daria hopped off the counter, but the brunette quickly reached out and grabbed the medium's hand. She turned around, cocking a brow and giving the shorter woman a questioning glance as she scanned her face.

"What is it, darling?" She was rather shocked when Daria wrapped her into another hug, holding her close and tight as if it were the last hug she'd ever receive. Billie reciprocated the action, running her hand up and down Daria's back, her acrylics gently scratching against the woman's t-shirt.

"Thank you," she breathed, her body visibly relaxing at the feeling of being in the medium's arms once more.

"Of course, Daria."