Bad Things Happen

Ranting!

A/N: just a filler of Alexander and Laurens yelling at each other about pain.

Laurens was sweating horriblely. He went to the stairs when he heard the doorbell ring. He went back down to answer the door. Then he saw him.

"Hey Jack."

He tried to close the door, but Henry shoved a knife between the door and the doorway. John panicked and tried to run away. His father grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Laurens tried to scream before Henry covered his mouth. He dragged him over to a truck before throwing him in the back seat. Before he knew it, his hands were duct taped behind his back. A cloth bag over his head and another peice of duct tape over his mouth. He began to panic.

John woke up screaming. Washington ran in quickly. "What's wrong?"

"It.... was .... it was a dream." He panted out of breath.

"It's ok. You're home now." Washington replied.

Laurens pondered that word. Home? Even though he was back in his old room, he still didn't feel home. Maybe it was a trust thing? After all, Washington said that this was his home when he first arrived. He also said it was when he came back from living with his father. It seemed like it was just a cycle repeating itself.

"Do you need anything?" Washington asked.

"No, I'll be ok." Laurens turned over then went back to bed.

Washington, not able to do anything else, sighed and left the doorway. He knew Laurens wasn't ok, but he couldn't push him to talk about it. He didn't want to force that on him. He would just wait and be there when he was ready. 

A few minutes later, John heard a knock on the door. "Can I come in?"
It was Alexander's voice.

"Yeah sure?"

Alexander came in and sat down in Laurens' desk chair. "I never thanked you."

"For what?"

"You saved my life." Alexander said like it was obvious.

"I'm also the reason you almost got killed. You shouldn't be thanking me." Laurens sighed.

"Don't be like that. This wasn't your fault." Alexander started to get upset. He didn't like John constantly blaming himself for everything. "Why do you have such a hard time excepting that! Why do you have to be so stubborn not to realize you didn't do anything wrong!!!"

"Because! Everything bad that could happen to me has happened to me! I'VE ALMOST BEEN KILLED FIVE TIMES!" Laurens ranted. "I've been sick, beaten, my parents are dead, or are almost dead! I went into foster care where I was abused! I had a family that loved me then sent me away after their daughter died! I've been kidnapped, starved! How can I not think that in some way, that some how, this is my fault?" Tears formed in his eyes. "Not to mention, my own father blamed me for killing my mother! I had a grandfather who didn't want to take care of me! No one else in my family had enough money to either! I was told all my life that I was a murderer because my mother died in childbirth! The last home I was in before I moved here just used me for the check they got in the mail each month. Then they got jobs and moved on with life, sending me away like I'm an object!" He almost woke everyone up, but luckily he didn't. 

Alexander was quiet. What could he say?

"They say bad things happen. But not like this." Laurens whimpered.

"I know what I've been through doesn't compare to what you have, but sometimes hearing someone else's experiences makes life easier." Alexander finally spoke up.

"Go on."

"My whole life I've been treated differently because my mother was a whore. My father left me when I was ten. My mother and I got sick when I was twelve, I got better but she died in front of me. She died holding me. I lived with my half brother Peter and my older brother James, until a hurricane destroyed my town and killed them both. I moved to America shortly after to be with my cousin. Still twelve by the way. He lost his job and committed suicide while I was in the house and asked me to do it with him." Alexander saddened remembering the worst year of his life. "I wanted to go back to my home in Nevis, but instead was put in foster care. I went into many abusive households, was picked on the most because of how smart I was and because I could always persuade an argument with ease. I got into lots of fights because where I'm from that's how we used to deal with things. I was labeled the bad child and none of the good families in the system wanted me. I went to 18 different homes when I was twelve. 19 different schools. I went into school one day when I was 15, after my foster father had beat me because he was mad that his son was arrested for drunk driving. The teacher saw the bruises on my arm, told my social worker. Again, Charles Lee, so you know that sucked. But then I met the Washingtons."

"I thought you said they didn't compare? That's pretty darn close." Laurens smiled a little.

"I almost died only three times." Alexander joked. "You said five, I've only known of appendicitis, abducted, and your father."

"My father twice. If you count him abducting me then three."

"What's the fifth?" Alexander questioned.

"Well, I mentioned I had a family that lost a daughter. Her name was Luna, her parents wanted to adopt me. The day before, she and I went tree climbing. We went too high and sat on a branch that was too thin and it snapped. We both fell. I hit another branch and grabbed it. She didn't." Laurens whimpered. "She was like a sister to me. I wanted her to be my sister. Then after she died they didn't care about me anymore. Sent me off the next week. But at least it wasn't my real sister. I couldn't imagine that."

"Yeah, losing a sibling sucks. You should ask Laf. He had a brother who was killed the same day the rest of his family was." Alexander suggested.

"I won't wake him. Maybe in the morning." Laurens yawned. "I should probably get some more sleep. What time is it anyway?"

"Around 3am."

"Ok. Goodnight." Laurens rolled over and went back to sleep.

Alexander got up and walked out the door. He felt better. He went in to help Laurens feel better, but he too felt better after being able to get that off his chest.

"Hey Laurens!" Alexander came back in for a minute.

"Yeah?"

"It's good to have you back." Alex smiled.

"Thanks, it's good to be back."