A/N: This takes place directly after Exposure, as in, directly after. As a result, there are massive spoilers. Last warning!

The dialogue in italics below is taken directly from the book Exposure written by Kathy and Brendon Reichs, and I mean no copyright infringement by it.

Enjoy!

oOoOoOoOo

Chance hesitated. Looked from Ben to Hi to Shelton to me. Then he smiled sadly. "You're not the only Virals anymore."

Chance's eyes ignited with molten red light.

The atmosphere in the room is beyond tense, for a few unbearable moments. At first, Tory wants to shake her head and laugh; the very notion that Chance could now be a Viral, one of them, is absurd. Absurd, and yet makes perfect sense. The feeling of raw connection and power she gets just from touching Chance, the way that the bonds she visualizes in her mind between each pack member only glow brighter and stronger as she draws closer to him, the sensation of an unexpected, powerful flare creeping up on her like it could take her at any moment…it's all too much.

"How?" she breaths, eyes wide. Haltingly, she takes a step back, back into the comfort of her pack.

Chance lets slip another tear, and Tory watches it trickle down his face and off his chin. "I'm sorry," he says, tongue flicking out to wet his dry, cracked lips. "I'm a fool. I know. But I will say this…I'll help you in any way I can-"

"Help us how, Chance?" Ben steps forward, voice deathly quiet. Tory almost expected Ben's reaction to be…louder, angrier, more visceral. But Ben appears completely calm, albeit the twitching of his left eye that Tory knows manifests when he is enraged beyond all doubt.

"Ben…" Shelton says warningly, as Hiram stops himself from placing a hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Why did you even think it would be a good idea?" Ben asks with the same calm tone. "Tell us, Claybourne."

Chance remains silent, eyes flickering between Tory, to Ben, to Hi and Shelton, back to Ben.

Ben slams a fist into the wall angrily, calm composure suddenly disappearing into thin air. "Answer the question!"

"I…" Chance exhales heavily. Closes his eyes. When he opens them, they look more watery and bloodshot than ever. Tory can't remember Chance ever looking this hesitant, this broken, even when he was still questioning his own sanity. Your fault, she thinks guiltily. Your fault all this has happened.

Chance smiles his sad smile again. "I don't know," he says, shrugging helplessly. "I'm not…I haven't been right. Not for a while."

"Damn straight you're not right," Hi mutters under his breath. Shelton whacks him on the shoulder subtly, but Chance simply chuckles.

"I know," he says again, and the room lapses into another uncomfortable silence. It continues for a few tense moments, before Ben speaks up again.

"So what are you going to do about it?" he asks, adopting the same even tone as before.

Chance frowns. "Pardon?"

"What happens next?" Ben raises his eyebrows. "Did you think this through at all?"

"Honestly?" Chance runs his fingers through his hair. "No. I have no excuse, and I deeply, deeply regret my decision."

Ben is silent for a few moments, fuming quietly, and then turns to Tory. "Well?" he asks sharply. "Is this okay with you, Tor?"

"I…" Tory's throat goes dry at the reality of having to make a decision this large, of having a responsibility so huge it could land her and her friends in massive trouble. Letting Chance in closer could be a big mistake, but shutting him out could be even worse. The guy had obsessed over finding out their secret, invading their privacy and practically stalking them, but only because Tory had made him think he had gone insane in the first place. He was arrogant, cold, and often self-absorbed, but before they'd gained their powers he'd been a genuinely nice guy. Should she let Chance redeem himself and possibly lose Ben in the process, or shut him out and possibly damage him even further?

Tory chooses neither. Instead, she shakes her head, whispers a quiet "I don't know," and suddenly races outside, running down the hallway and out of sight.

"Tory!" Ben shouts, stepping forward to run after her. Hi and Shelton hold him back, each taking one of their friend's shoulders.

"Let her be alone," Hi says quietly, pulling Ben back gently. "She needs it."

Ben stands still for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before turning wild eyes on Chance. "This is your fault," he growls, eyes suddenly flashing a dark, electric yellow. "Why couldn't you just leave us damn well alone?!" he suddenly yells, wriggling out of Hi and Shelton's grip and launching himself at Chance.

"Ben! No!" Shelton and Hi both rush forward and try and grab him, but Ben is flaring, and is simply too strong. Luckily for him, Chance is flaring too, and the fight soon ends in a stalemate - Chance pinned beneath Ben, hands around his throat, blood gushing from his nose, and Ben with a black eye, holding Chance down. Both are breathing heavily, eyes wild and bright with their own flares.

"I'm sorry," Chance breaths, loosening his grip around Ben's throat. Ben growls another time and reluctantly releases the other man, and they dust their clothes off.

"You should be," is the only thing Ben can think of saying, too angry and hurt to form proper sentences.

"Is this how Tory would want us to behave?" Shelton asks pointedly, uncharacteristically angry.

"Not at all." Chance looks Ben dead in the eyes, and both at once, their flares die. Both breathe a sigh at the sudden lack of energy and dulled senses.

"We need to go find her," Ben says, running a hand through his hair. "It's dark, and she has a bad habit of getting in trouble. Do the math."

"I think my nose is broken," Chance says quietly. Ben's eyes flash, but he says nothing.

"I'll take you to the ER, get it checked out," Hi says. "Ruth will kill me if I stay out late thanks to Tory again."

"I'll go look for her," Ben growls but Shelton stops him.

"No, I will," he says evenly. "Ben, I don't think you're in the….best state of mind right now, man."

"What are you saying, Shelton?" Ben asks, eye twitching.

"He's right, dude," Hi says hesitantly. "I mean, you did just went crazy and attacked someone. Why not go home and channel all that anger into destroying an actual punching bag instead? Much healthier. For both parties involved."

Ben pauses, looking down at his feet. "Fine," he finally spits out. "But if Tory is hurt, then you-" he jabs a finger at Chance, "-will be in a world of pain tomorrow. You hear me?" He stalks out of the room, not looking back once.

Shelton sighs. "I'd better go look for her," he says, turning towards the door. "Sorry about your nose, Chance."

"I'm sorry about Ben's eye," he replies. "At least I got a hit in."

"Keep us updated on Tory," Hi says, taking out his phone. "She can't have gone far, she's only been gone a few minutes." He pauses. "But this is resourceful, cunning Tory Brennan we're talking about here, so she's probably halfway to China right now."

"I'll find her," Shelton promises, though she sounds worried. "Even if I die trying. Which I probably will. She's probably locked herself into a high-security bank safe or something and I'll have to risk the death penalty for breaking in and letting her out."

"I can pull security camera footage and see if she's left the building already," Chance offers. The two of them look at him strangely. "I want answers about this…virus just as much as you do," he says, answering their unspoken question. He taps a few keys, eyes hovering over the screen of his laptop for a few moments, and sighs. "She left a few minutes ago. Cameras outside show her walking straight down the street, but she's already gone out of range."

"Jesus, that girl is a fast walker," Shelton breaths. "All right, I'm going. I'll keep you updated, 'kay?"

"Sweet," Hi says. "Keep safe! You never know what's lurking in…" He pauses for dramatic effect. "The daaaaaaaark."

"Wow. I'm shaking," Shelton quips, before waving goodbye and leaving the room.

Chance exhales. "I hope he finds her."

Hi raises an eyebrow. "I think we all do, buddy. Now c'mon, let's get that schnozz of yours looked at before it explodes all over your face or something."

oOoOoOoOo

When Tory was little, maybe four or five years old, she'd asked her mother where her daddy was.

Her mother had laughed - bitterly, Tory realised. Now that she was older, she recognized that mirthless laugh for what it was, filled with regret and sadness. Her mother always wished that she could reconnect with Kit, and had never gotten the chance. Now, Tory could speak to her father everyday, lived with him even. Even though she's agnostic, she hopes her mother is watching from somewhere, and is happy for her daughter.

Tory has never liked change. When they moved states when she was six, she'd hated it and refused to go outside until her mother promised her copious amounts of ice cream. When her mother was in the accident and Tory had to move yet again, this time without the comfort of her mom, she'd almost ran away instead of moving in with Kit. Now, after finally, finally settling in properly and given four - five, she smiles, thinking of Coop - great friends, perhaps the greatest of her life, her new-found stability had been ripped away from her with six little words.

You're not the only Virals anymore.

She wants to cry. She wants to throw up. She wants to punch Chance in the face. She wants to punch herself in the face.

She wants her mom.

She sits down on the sidewalk suddenly, not really sure where she is. It's dark, and half the streetlights aren't working properly, leaving her mostly hidden by the lack of light. The street is abnormally silent, making her feel even more alone.

Sometimes she thinks the world expects too much of her. On the outside, she's strong, smart, confident. While not exactly popular at school, a lot of people secretly wish they could be like her - unflappable even in the toughest of situations. She's skipped a few grades, solved a few mysteries, stood up to a few schoolyard bullies. She's a solid leader, and a loyal friend. She's handled every obstacle her life has thrown at her with ease, and yet she feels more broken now than ever.

She's only fifteen - really, still a child, as her mother would probably say.

Of course, Tory will never know what her mother will say about her, because she's already gone forever, and Tory left so many things unsaid that she wants to scream them out in the middle of the street, banishing the thoughts from her mind forever.

Tory doesn't know how to handle Chance. On one hand, she feels more guilty than she thinks she ever possibly could about lying to him, manipulating him, toying with his mind. On the other hand…Chance has kind of been a jerk to them. She doesn't think everyone is capable of being redeemed - she's not that naïve, but she wonders if it would be so bad giving Chance….well, a chance.

Then she thinks about what Ben's reaction would be. What he'd say to her, make her feel. Why does she care so much more about what Ben thinks of her than what Hi or Shelton think of her?

She knows why.

The kiss, her mind sneers. You've got a cruuuush!

She doesn't bother to try and silence the voice in her mind anymore. She's used to it by now.

No, she decides. I need a time out.

So she sits there, in the dark, with no clue where she is, and simply forgets who she is. Forgets about Chance, about Ben, about her mother, about her virus - and simply sits there, admiring the cracks in the pavement, waiting for someone to find her.

oOoOoOoOo

You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously.

J. Donald Walters

oOoOoOoOo

Don't worry, Tory will get some closure! So, which one of the Virals should I focus on next - Hi with Chance at the ER, Shelton looking for Tory, or Ben making his way home? I have a chapter planned for each of them, but I'm not sure who to do next. This fic will have five chapters, six if I suddenly have random inspiration. There should be an update coming within the week, so stay tuned.

Since the character tags only let me tag four people and this fic focuses on five, I'll just list all the characters who will make an appearance in this story: Tory, Ben, Hi, Shelton and Chance will all feature heavily, while Ella, Jason, Whitney and Kit will all probably make appearances at some point.

If you enjoyed the first chapter of this fic, then you'd probably also enjoy my other Virals fic He Who Fights Monsters, which has been edited for typos and mistakes! Reviews for both pieces are adored. Thank you for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed!