A/N: Hey guys! No excuses just straight chaos has stopped my posting from being consistent. Without further ado...

Don't own anything.

He couldn't hear anything except his shoes on the pavement. It had been raining apparently. He was just walking. Looking. Searching for … what was he searching for?

Something caught his eye and his brain instantly went back to his friend. Staring blindly at the kid who looked damn near like the one he cold cocked, he realized exactly what he was searching for.

Lucas walked up to him.

"Leave me alone."

"I can't. You're my best friend. What kind of friend would I be if I knew you were out here doing God knows what and to who?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." Zay said, very matter of fact.

"You weren't even there!" he said, almost shouting in his friend's face. He stopped. His anger was misplaced. "I'm...I'm sorry." and he turned and started making his way back toward the direction he'd been going.

"So…" he started out, "Where are we going then?"

He shrugged and didn't answer.

Taking a deep breath Lucas cleared his throat. "You're going after them, aren't you?"

"After who?"

"The guys who attacked Rocky."

Shaking his head, Zay took a step closer. "Come on man, you don't even know what shape they're in."

"They're about to be in worse shape." Farkle gritted through his teeth.

They walked around in silence for almost twenty minutes before the pace picked up. Lucas and Zay both noticed it, then looked up and saw the reason for it. The four older guys were sitting together, at a table outside of a diner.

"Farkle?" and he stopped, noticing that he wasn't going to quit. "Farkle wait, you don't want to do this."

But he didn't hear him. He didn't stop. All he could see was Rocky, laying in the hospital bed. All he could hear, was that first night she woke up with a nightmare, "Did I used to call you Farkie?"

"Farkle...come on, man." Zay tried.

But all they could do was watch him, head for whatever course he was going for. "Farkle?"

"Hey!" came a shout that neither one of them had ever heard from their friend. Both looking at each other as if to ask who in the world had inhabited their buddy. Then he continued. "Nah, don't you get up. We need to have a conversation about earlier."

Looking up and seeing the kid from earlier as well as the two guys behind him, one the blond they'd seen from earlier, the other a darker skinned kid that they hadn't, the one guy shook his head. "Look, can we not do this today?"

"Can we not do this today?" Farkle repeated sarcastically. "No. You know what we're not doing today? We're not doing the bad guy gets away with attempted murder. That's what we're not doing today."

"What do you mean?" the one kid said, getting up from the table.

"Oh no. Please...have a seat." he said, pushing the table toward the chair where the guy was getting up. "All of you, keep your seats. I want you to know what it feels like to have your ribs crushed. To know what it's like to not be able to breathe even though you want to desperately. I want you to know…"

"What's going on here?" a loud male voice boomed.

Turning, the brunette stared into the eyes of a police officer and his partner.

"I recognize you. Didn't I see you earlier in the subway? Your friend...how is she doing?"

Not really answering, he looked back at the four at the table. Not expecting it, the officer cleared his throat.

"Son, are these the guys that jumped you today?"

Not even aware he was doing it, his head bobbed up and down.

Suddenly guns were pulled, and before anyone realized it, all four guys were being arrested and put in the back of the cop cars as they had since called for back-up.

Still not even sure it was all over, he stared after the car that pulled away. Looking up at the officer before he left, he shook his hand. "You've got some good friends, son. I'm glad that you didn't do anything you would regret. Now get back to your friend. She needs you."

Realization hit, and everything clicked. His eyes met Lucas and Zay standing there, waiting for everything to calm down. They had called the police when he'd found them.

His phone buzzed. Grabbing it out of his pocket, he read the text from his mom. "She's asking for you. Where are you?"

Making his way into the hospital, his friends in tow, he made it to her room and didn't even knock. His mom was sitting beside her bed.

Her head turned to meet his gaze. "Where have you been, young man?"

Shaking his head, he stood beside her. "I had to take care of something." he said softly. His voice sounded odd, even to himself. "How is she?" he asked.

"They removed the respirator about half an hour ago. She just has the nasal cannula for help. She woke up for a few minutes, asked for you, then fell back asleep. That's when I text you."

Nodding, he grabbed the other chair in there, sitting down on the other side of the bed. Reaching out to take her hand, he noticed his hands shaking.

"Farkle, where were you, honey?"

Not taking his eyes off of his friend, he sat forward. "I found the guys that did this to her."

"No, Farkle, why?"

"They needed to be dealt with."

"What happened?"

He took a deep breath in. "Lucas and Zay called the cops and they were arrested. Don't worry, mom. I didn't do anything to them."

She studied her son. "Would you have?"

He didn't answer.

"I'm worried about you."

"I couldn't protect her. After everything she's been through, I should have protected her."

"Farkle...do you think this is your fault?"

His head shook back and forth, but she honestly didn't know if he was saying that he didn't think it was his fault, or if he just couldn't answer at the time.

Standing, she made her way over to the other side of the bed. Kissing the top of his head, she squeezed his shoulders. "Don't go anywhere, okay? You worried me." and she made her way out of the room.

Reaching up, he brushed the hair from the top of his friend's forehead. "Hey, Vee Vee. I'm here now. I'm sorry I wasn't before. I had something I needed to take care of."

Hearing her inhale, he looked back at her face and noticed her eyes starting to open. "Farkie."

Smiling, he stood up. "Hey. I'm here."

Settling down, she nodded. "What...happened?"

"We got jumped."

Trying to sit, she fought through the fog.

"Take it easy."

"My...my bag."

"What?"

"My bag. I...I need my bag."

She was getting upset. "Hang on. Let me try and get it for you."

Laying back, she watched him rummage through the cabinet with all of her personal effects. Seeing him grab it and walk it over to her, she was still anxious. She would be, until she could lay her hands on it.

"Okay here you go."

It took everything out of her to dig into it. Unable to find it she remembered she'd put it in the front pouch after the first time she'd been attacked. Farkle had watched her fervor to get to whatever she was looking for, but she was already weak. And after a few moments, she couldn't stop the frustration from running down her face.

Leaning forward once more, he took her hand gently. "I'll get it. You're alright. I've got you."

"No one's got me." she whispered.

Hurt panging in his chest, he smiled sincerely. "I do." and he leaned forward. "What are you looking for?"

Closing her eyes, she opened them, barely above a whisper. "It's in the front pocket. It...it's a ring." she said, resigning herself to the fact that he was going to find out. Laying back, she cleared her throat.

Digging, he pulled out something oddly familiar. Something he hadn't seen in ages and didn't think had even survived all this time.

It had a plastic stone and was something he'd given her, at one of the several times they'd gone to the movies, out of one of the machines. Seeing her take a deep breath that it was okay and safe, he leaned back in the chair. Staring at it in awe, he held it as if it would break in an instant. It was nothing more than...plastic. "I...can't believe you still have this thing."

Half shrugging, she laid back and closed her eyes. "You told me...it would protect me…"

She'd kept it this whole time? A stupid ring that had cost him the same amount as the movie itself and swallowed her hand at the time. Clearly worn and a bit worse for wear, but she'd kept it. And all because he told her that it would protect her. She'd put faith in him. Faith in something he'd said long ago. Looking at her now, he vowed he was never going to let her down again.

Looking at her slight figure, now asleep again, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I promise, Vee Vee. I will make sure that you are always protected, from here on out."