one shots.

Sirens.

Her body hit the mattress, all she could do was stare at the ceiling that was slowly beginning to peal away, due to aging. Out in the hall distant music could be heard. He laughed, probably due to some joke his friend had said, and she sat up running a hand through her hair that was a bit roughed up. They'd forgotten to pay the water bill earlier that week, so she wasn't able to bathe herself. Her eyes shut tight, as a mere tear escaped, rolling down her pale cheek.

The door peered open, and a pair of big brown eyes appeared. "Mommy? Can I sleep with you?", she asked, her voice a bit cracked since she herself had just awoken. "Daddy's too loud", the young girl frowned.

She nodded and scooted over a bit as her daughter hurriedly ran over and climbed onto the bed comforter, it creaked since the small family had had it for who knows how long. "Mommy?"

Lauren glanced down, "yeah?"

"Why does daddy like to do this?"

She stayed quiet, pursing her lips into a thin line.

In the living room, a man, probably the age of 23 at the least, was sat at a round table. He held a few cards in his hands as he watched the few men around him. His mind wasn't in the right state, and his breath smelled of nothing but alcohol.

"Justin, your move", one of his friends said with a smirk. He nodded, glancing around before laying down the four cards, revealing a flush. "The undefeated Bieber wins again", he said aloud, as they all groaned and argued as he gathered their bidding cash.

"It's getting late, I'm gonna go", one said, before they all began leaving. "Next Thursday, remember", Justin called out as they'd left. He lit a cigarette, placing it between his lips as he began cleaning up. The apartment was falling apart, Justin knew that. Lauren had begged for them to move out of the shack and into a nice part of the city, but he never listened. As he finished, he plopped himself onto the worn out sofa that had began to form small openings in them. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back, sighing.

"Did you have fun?", a feminine voice asked. He looked up, noticing Lauren stood against the side of the door. Her hair was wavy and parted to one side, she wore only his t-shirt since that was all she wore to bed. He faintly smiled, patting the spot next to him as she walked over and sat, instantly laying her head on his shoulder. "How much?"

"Almost 500", he said, pulling out the large wad of money. "We have enough for the water bill, gas bill.. And groceries", he stated, a smile growing on his face.

"When are we going to leave this place?", Lauren asked as she laid her legs on his, as they were rested on top of the coffee table.

"Soon..", Justin sighed, "I just.. It'll be soon."

"How long will that take?", she said dully, glancing at him. "I'm tired of being here, Jay. I actually want to do something with my life.. Like, moving to LA, to pursue that dream I've always had of singing."

He watched her, than bit at the inside of his lip. "Lauren.. You've gotta face reality, face it. We can't do anything, and you know that. We're stuck here, I can barely find a job that pays enough, we can't even afford to put Haylee through daycare."

She frowned, "maybe, I could talk to my parents?"

"Your parents? They haven't bothered to contact us in years, they don't care about Haylee."

"You don't know that, Justin. Look.. I could care less if they hate our guts, but Haylee is their granddaughter. I'm going to talk to them. Maybe than I can go back to school, and make something of myself."

Justin watched her for a moment, a small smile forming. "You're determined about this, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am.. And I want you to be determined, too. I don't want you being so pessimistic about how we live. You're a very smart guy, you don't have to gamble every week, or drink. I know you can actually go out and find a good job. Because I believe in you, I believe in us."

"Alright.. If you think it can happen... We'll do it, starting tomorrow morning, I'll go job hunting and we can talk to your parents. That sound good?"

Lauren smiled and nodded slowly, "it's perfect." She leaned in and kissed his lips softly. She ignored the fact that she could taste the bitter alcohol that covered them, because at the moment she didn't care. All that was on her mind now, was her future with him, and her daughter. Maybe, just maybe things were about to change for the better. That warmed her heart.