Disclaimer: This is my first attempt at a Scream Fanfic. I've always thought Billy Loomis was an awesome baddie and never got the ending he deserved, nor the understanding or love. Yeah, I'm sick that way. But anyway...this story is told from the persepect of a girl who was there in Woodsboro when everything went down. Some of the timeframe of the film is stretched out for the stories sake. It gets pretty dark. In fact, I think this is probably the darkest fanfic I've ever written, and that's saying a lot. Let me know what you, the viewers at home think. I've tried very hard to keep everyone in character and I own no one but Gretchen and any other original characters that pop up.

I was there in Woodsboro when the murders happened. Of course a lot of people say that because they want to be the center of attention wherever they are. But I don't say it often. It's a secret I keep to myself along with all the others that I've held onto for so long.

I'm a quiet person. People don't seem to like that, at least they didn't back in High School. So it was no surprise that when my family moved to Woodsboro a year before the murders happened it was the same type of hell I'd gone through before. I didn't talk to that many people but I quickly bonded with Randy Meeks and got a job at the same video store he worked at. Movies were my passion, horror films in particular. Movies and books and kicking Randy's ass at Sega once the store was closed down.

I'd heard about Sydney Prescott's mother and how she'd died. Everyone in that town had. As I walked along the crowded hallways from class to class and saw her hanging out with her friends I always felt very out of place and detached from her. It was like she'd held onto that tragedy as though no one else had ever lost anything in their life. I wondered if she thought that gave her a pass for whatever she did. I'd lost my grandfather to a crippling cancer that had made him suffer for weeks before he lost the fight, I doubted that Mrs. Presscott had to deal with pain for that long.

Dark thoughts like that haunted me a lot. Girls like her and her friend set my teeth on edge. Which was probably why I found such a release in my horror movies. I could imagine the people who'd treated me like dirt, who'd spit on me and knocked me to the ground that day being sliced open by Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger, and it made me smile, helping that darkness slip away without me having to be arrested.

So imagine my surprise the day I first saw Billy Loomis and Sydney next to her locker talking and touching, holding hands. Billy was thin and gorgeous, a Johnny Depp look-a-like with a hunger about him that I could see even from where I stood beside the water fountain. His hair hung in front of his dark eyes, eyes that never missed a movement Sydney made, or anyone else around them for that matter. How I'd never seen him before was beyond me.

I wondered while I watched them, if anyone else had noticed the brief glares he gave to some of the other students as they walked by or how his long fingered hands would sometimes ball into fists when a particularly annoying fellow student would pass him.

It was during my pseudo spying that Tatum Riley walked up to Sydney, cutting off Billy in mid-sentence. Riley was one of the most superficial girls I'd ever seen. The fashion plate of the school, she happened to be Sydney's best friend from what Randy had told me during closing one night. Billy didn't look very thrilled at her appearance and slumped up against the locker to wait for her to leave. It was then, while his eyes roamed along the hall that he saw me.

I froze when those eyes locked onto mine, never wavering except to run up and down me appraisingly. They stopped for a moment on my Nightmare on Elm Street t-shirt and I thought I saw a corner of his mouth turn up. Then Tatum was waving her hand in his face to get his attention and the moment was broken. I saw his mask fall back into place and I felt myself released from the hold his gaze had on me. It nearly made me stagger and I quickly headed off to the study hall I had that next period, rattled and curious.

Things were rather uneventful after that, at least for the next few weeks. It was spring break, and Sydney had left with her father to go on a trip to visit her grandparents up the coast. She'd taken the harpy Tatum with her, which left Tatum's boyfriend Stu alone in town to torment Randy and I at the video store.

I liked Stu for some reason. Maybe it was the manic gleam in his eye or the way he gave Randy shit which made me laugh since Randy was always ragging on me. I don't know…maybe it would be what I'd discover later. But he didn't annoy me the way his girlfriend did.

I was "tossing vid" as I liked to call it on a strangely slow Friday night when I heard the beep of the door announcing someone was coming inside. Tossing meant stocking the shelves back with returned tapes. I had Randy beat on quickest time which vexed him to no end. He vowed to win back the title but I don't think it ever happened.

I was in the horror section, which I had actually whittled down to sub-sections. Slasher, Vampire, Monster, were some of the groups I'd put together. The customers seemed to appreciate it which meant it made the manager happy. I was in the vampire section tearing through Dracula's from 1931 to 1979 when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Could it be that someone out geek'd Randy?"

I stilled, my hand stopping in mid air holding a copy of Dracula: Prince of Darkness. Turning, I found myself staring up into the face of Billy Loomis. "I wouldn't say that too loudly, you'll hurt his feelings." I said by way of reply.

Loomis smiled at my answer. "I've seen you around the school." He said in a honey rich voice, his head tilted to one side.

I turned back to the shelf and put the movie in its right spot. "I've seen you there too. Who knew we'd have so much in common." My reply had been sarcastic and a little harsh. I didn't know him very well, but I was always defensive…it was a self preservation thing.

He'd laughed then, hooking his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. "Yeah, who knew? So…you like scary movies."

It was a statement, not a question. I turned back to him, the load of videos finished. I leaned back against the shelf, mirroring his easy stance while inside I was a nervous wreck. The boy was far too good looking. He belonged in one of the films that surrounded us, not standing in front of a basket case like me. "You could say that." I said.

He was studying me again, those brown eyes intense. I felt suddenly like I was being judged. It was unnerving and yet I felt a delicious shiver run up my spine at the thought. "What's your favorite?" He asked his voice dropping to a near whisper.

"It depends" I said, "on what type and what mood I'm in."

"Slasher flick…which is your favorite?"

I thought a moment before I answered. "Halloween is a classic and Michael Myers was amazing, it's too bad about all the shit that came after part 2."

I saw his eyes widen at my answer, just moments before a floating porno tape appeared next to his head and started talking. "Billy…take me home…you know you want me." Buxom Bearded Beauties 2 said loudly.

I tried hard not to laugh, but failed as Billy turned around grabbed the tape from Stu's hand and hit him with it none too gently. "Knock it off shit head." He growled.

Stu appeared from the other side of the shelf rubbing his temple. "Hey man, take it easy on the goods. This is a classic piece of…art." He smiled, his eyes glinting wickedly in the stores overhead lights. He turned and seemed to just realize I was there. "Oh…I see. While the Syd's away the mouse will play." He nudged Billy in the side with his elbow winking exaggeratedly at both of us.

Billy didn't seem to appreciate it and elbowed him back hard. "I said knock it off." It was clear this was something he had to put up with often and I'd seen this happen most of the time I'd seen them together.

Loomis turned back to me while Stu tried to breathe, clutching his now possibly damaged kidney. "Sorry…cough…I didn't realize it was that time of the month." The wide eyed joker headed back towards the adult section, his other hand holding onto his tape of choice.

At his leaving, things felt a little more uncomfortable. Billy cleared his throat and shifted his gaze to the carpet then back to me. "Sorry about that…"

I shrugged, not really sure what to make of it. I had no idea why Billy was talking to me in the first place. "It's alright…"

After another moment of awkwardness I asked him, "You like scary movies too?"

"Yeah…I do." He replied and I saw a shadow pass through his eyes. I felt a change happen then, something charged the air. I knew I was seeing something within him that he didn't show many people, if anyone at all. It called out to something inside me, that little touch of darkness inside my soul. Maybe he didn't even realize that the mask had slipped, but I could tell he felt it too.

I swallowed, my mouth going dry. "I…they help me get through a lot." It sounded strange even to me, and lame. He would most likely think I was a freak of nature. And truthfully that was probably correct. I had no idea why I said it aloud, but he didn't laugh, just kept looking at me with those dark eyes. So I kept talking. "They give me an out. It probably sounds crazy but they're like friends to me. Always there to help me through a crappy day."

He still didn't laugh and I saw an expression cross his face that I couldn't put a name to. "Everyone's a little crazy Gretchen." He said in voice that made my knees weaken. It was the first time I'd heard him say my name. I wondered for a moment how he knew it, then realized I had a glaringly obvious nametag hanging from my shirt. "People who say they are sane just aren't smart enough to realize it."

I gave him a hesitant smile. "So what's your favorite Billy?" I asked, my voice dropping to a soft whisper without my realizing it.

His eyebrows raised slightly and he gave me a half smile in return, taking a step closer to me. But before he could reply Randy was yelling across the store. "Billy would you please get this nut job out of here before he wrecks the place!"

We both turned towards the front counter where Stu seemed to be doing some sort of African dance that involved hip grinding and pelvic thrusting on the candy rack. Randy looked near tears and the mother with her eight year old daughter who was laughing and pointing looked like she was going to faint.

Needless to say the moment had been broken and Billy sent a withering glare across the aisles towards his friend.

I laughed and Billy sighed. "I swear I need a leash for him."

"I think Mrs. Lewis may never come back in here after this. Please thank Stu for me. If I hear her complain about how we shouldn't carry anything over a PG rating again I'll gag."

Billy glanced back over at me and he laughed. "I better save Randy from him. I'll see you later."

I watched him as he herded Stu out the door, Randy yelling after them. He looked back towards me once, his eyes holding mine for a heartbeat and then the swinging door closed behind him.

That night while we were getting the place closed down, Randy asked me what Billy had been wanting. "I'm not sure, he just was talking to me about movies."

"Hmm, really?" Randy looked surprised, and started counting down his till. "I'm surprised he knows how to work a VCR since Stu doesn't even know how to spell it."

"Ouch Randy, that's pretty harsh." I sprayed another dousing of Windex on the door.

"Eh," He shrugged while flipping through the cash, "Maybe."

I pondered Randy's reaction. I'd seen how he looked at Sydney. I had no doubt he was jealous of Billy and probably Stu as well. But he and Sydney had been friends for a long time. It was a typical Duckie/Andi relationship, and I wanted to hit Randy upside his skull because he'd be pining for her forever. I shook my head, keeping my thoughts to myself and resumed cleaning.

It was a month or so later that Casey Becker was found dangling from a tree