AN: This is a Loliver story about five times time Oliver's life where he just had to let it out. The first chapter actually started as a one-shot idea, and as I thought of more one-shots, I decided to put them together to make "Five Tears". I hope you enjoy this first chapter and R/R.

Oliver Oken sat on the swing on his porch one cool summer eve. He had a fun, yet very busy day with his best friend. The two had gone surfing and skateboarding, hung out at arcade, and had seen the latest film in the theaters. All those things were jammed packed into one afternoon. Right now, all Oliver wanted to do was sit out on his deck, drink some lemonade, and relax.

Of course, his best friend was never far from him. Lilly Truscott lived a few houses down from Oliver. They had been best friends since preschool. There wasn't a day when these two didn't see each other or communicate in some way. Summer was there favorite time to hang out together. Even though they lived in a place where the weather was on their side most days, summer time was the peak season for adventures.

The weather wasn't cooperating on this particular day. Although it had remained hot and sunny while they were out, Oliver saw the dark clouds starting to move. A typical late night Malibu thunderstorm was beginning to brew. Oliver didn't mind the rain nor the storms. He loved the way the air smelled after a nice rain.

As the drops started to trickle down on the canopy covering Oliver, he rocked back and forth on the swing. He closed his, almost as if he was going to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass breaking, followed by screams and loud thuds. Oliver wondered where the noises were coming from.

Lights began to flash in the house two lots across the street, and the rain was now a steady down pour. Oliver got up and walked over to the steps, hoping to get a better view. He sure didn't want to see what his eyes had laid upon next: Lilly running out of the house; blood-stained and screaming.

"Lilly!" Oliver dashed off of the porch to met her. Lilly came stumbling towards him, nearly collapsing in his arms.

"Lillian! Don't you dare run to that boy's house!" A gruff voice boomed. "If you call the cops on me I swear to God you will pay dearly!"

Lilly didn't speak. She just shook violently in Oliver's arms. Oliver looked down at her, then back at the man, shooting him dagger eyes. He wanted to shout something back or even punch him in the face, but he knew that would just make matters worse. Instead, Oliver bit his lip.

"Then stay there!" The man shouted. His speech had been sloppy. "I don't care if you ever come back, you worthless little brat!" Oliver watched as the man wobbled his way back in the house and slammed the door so hard that it shook everything.

"Lilly?" Oliver spoke softly in her ear, but no answer. "C'mon." He said, escorting her over to the swing and sitting next to her.

"What...what happened?" He asked, brushing the hair, which was a tangled mess, out of Lilly's face and eyes.

"M-My dad." She spat out between tears and shivers from the cold. "H-H-He's dr-dr-drunk."

"Lilly, you're bleeding pretty badly." He told her. There were cuts and gashes all over Lilly's body. Her arms and legs were tore up and bruised. The worse injury she had was a deep wound on her left cheek. It was exposed when Oliver pulled back her hair. "C'mon. I need to get you cleaned up."

He watched as Lilly tried to get up off the swing. She took a few steps that started to fall. Oliver, making sure he wasn't hurting Lilly, carefully lifted her in his arms to carry her in to his house. Once inside, Oliver carried her into the bathroom and gently let her down.

"Sit" He told her, pointing to the edge of the tub. "No, wait. You could fall backwards. Close the lid on the toilet and sit there."

Slowly, Lilly did as she was told. Oliver handed her a towel for her to dry off with, and began rummaging around in his medicine cabinet for some peroxide and cotton balls. He found the bottle, poured some into the lid, and dunked the cotton ball in the solution.

"If I hurt you, I'm sorry." Oliver said. He started to dab Lilly's wounded arms and legs with the peroxide covered cotton ball. Lilly tried her best not to move, but sometimes her natural reflexes caused her to jump a bit.

"Can you tilt you head a little to the left, Lills?" Oliver asked and Lilly acted. Oliver took a fresh, peroxide-soaked cotton ball and every so gentle pressed it on her enormous facial wound. Lilly immediately winced in pain and flinched back.

"I know it stings, Lilly, but I have to clean it out." Oliver reminded. "You don't want it to get infected."

It took all that she had in her for Lilly not to move a muscle while Oliver finished. Each time it seemed to hurt less, so the treatment must have been working.

"All done." Oliver pitched the last cotton ball into the garbage can beside Lilly. "Now, lets get you some hot chocolate and we'll talk about it, okay?"

Lilly had better balance when she stood up this time, but not good enough. She was still a bit wobble in her step.

"I got you." Oliver told her, holding on to her waist as she walked. "I won't let you fall."

Oliver sat Lilly down on a chair at his kitchen table. Lilly slouched over and just stared downward.

"I don't know why we even have this. I hardly dips below fifty here." Oliver said, getting out a hot chocolate mix with mini marshmallows. "But it sure is good, and just the thing you need."

While Oliver prepared Lilly a cup of the hot chocolate, she just sat there in silence. Her emotions were so unbalance and unstable right now. She ached all over, but didn't know how to convince Oliver that she was fine.

"Five marshmallows, just like you like it." Oliver said, placing the cup down in front of Lilly. She tired to smile, but the ability do to so wasn't in her.

Oliver looked out his kitchen window and saw that the rain had slowed down to how it was just before all the commotion. "Wanna swing?" He asked. There wasn't a verbal response from Lilly, but Oliver reached out his hand to see if she'd take it. She did and slowly got up. He somehow managed to lift Lilly to carry her and her hot chocolate out the door to the swing. It was miraculous that not a drop of the warm, soothing drink was spilled.

"So," He started after placing her down and handing her the mug. "Care to tell me what's going on?"

Lilly was still shaking a little as she sipped her drink. Oliver kept looking at her, waiting for her to speak.

"My dad, you...you know how he is..." Lilly began. She sounded different from her stuffy nose and hoarse throat. "He...got in another fight with my mom..."

"What about?" Oliver asked, slowly rocking the swing.

"About..." Lilly sniffed. "the divorce..."

Lilly parents had been at each other's throats since Lilly hit the seventh grade. Although it was oblivious to the average person, Oliver knew that Lilly's dad beat up and abused his wife. Oliver also knew there have been talks about them splitting up for about a year now, but he never knew how serious they were...and he never thought that Mr. Truscott would go after his daughter.

"So you're mom's going through with it?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lilly answered softly. "She brought the papers home today. My dad was off this weekend, so he pulled his usually tricks and drank...all day."

Oliver felt Lilly getting tense, so he put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She let her head rest on his shoulder. Her dad was a raging alcoholic, yet he had only picked up drinking like that a few years ago. Oliver remembered a time where he would call Lilly's dad his own father, seeing how he never had one.

"What did he do next?" Oliver questioned.

Lilly looked away from Oliver because she felt tears coming, and she had cried enough in front of him.

"He...he starting yelling at my mom, calling her names...such horrible things I've never heard anyone say before. Things you wouldn't ever say to someone you loved. Someone you vowed to love as long as you shall live..."

Oliver could tell Lilly was welling up. He positioned her so her back was to his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

"H-he started throwing things. Lilly continued. "The dining room chairs, d-dishes from the cabinet...he...he broke the glass picture frame that held their wedding picture.."

"The one you got them for their anniversary." Oliver said, quietly.

By now Lilly's head was down and she was starting to sob softly. Oliver tilted Lilly's chin up with his finger so he could see her better.

"T-Then h-he thr-threw it at m-me..and c-c-c-cut my f-f-f-fac-c-ce..."

Lilly let a tear fall from her left eye and felt it trickle down her cheek until it hit the gash she just explained. It burned worse than the peroxide Oliver had put on once the salty tear touched.

"Shh. It's ok, Lilly." Oliver said, wiping away all the tears so she wouldn't be in pain from the wound. "No more tears. It'll sting."

"It's not ok, Oliver." Lilly started to shake again. Oliver sat up and reached for the blanket laying over the back of the swing and wrapped it around Lilly. "My dad could have killed my mom and I."

"I'm here now." Oliver comforted her by gently squeezing her in his arms.

"He's going to come back...looking for me." Lilly paused, fighting back tears. "What...what if he tries to h-h-hurt m-m-m-"

"I'm here now." Oliver repeated. "He won't lay a finger on you. I promise."

Lilly was finally able to cease her crying. Her blue, broken eyes met Oliver's loving brown ones for the first time throughout this whole ordeal.

"I'll always protect you." Oliver whispered. He was surprised to see Lilly form a half smile for a response.

They two stayed on the swing for a while. Oliver leaned back and felt Lilly lay her head on his chest. He stroked her arm, which was nice and warm underneath the blanket. For a slight moment, Oliver felt like he was dreaming. Would a dream be this painful?

"Time for bed, sleepy." He said carefully sitting up. Lilly gave him a look of disapproval. "You can't stay out here all night. Lets go in."

He saw to it that Lilly got off the swing alright without hurting herself. "Want me to carry you?" Lilly nodded and Oliver took her inside and to his bed room.

"But Oliver?" Lilly spoke.

"You can't sleep in your wet and torn up clothes." He told her. He went to his dresser drawer and pulled out some sweat pants and a slightly over-sized t-shirt. "Put these on." He handed Lilly the clothes.

"But Oliver-" Lilly started.

"I'll cover my eyes." He said, doing so, but Lilly remained motionless.

"Fine, I'll turn around, too." Oliver said with a sigh. He hope this joking was making Lilly laugh a little, because laughter is truly the best medicine.

Lilly began to pull her shirt off through her sleeves. Oliver became a tad uneasy.

"On second though, I'll just wait outside the door." He said, leaving. He didn't think it would be such a good idea to stay in the room while that was taking place. Not now, Not after the horrific events.

"Clothed?" Oliver asked, knocking once on the door. Lilly opened the door to let him back in the room.

"Wow." Oliver said. "I wish I looked that good in that!" Lilly gave him an awkward look, but Oliver just laughed it off.

"Can you get in bed alright?" Oliver asked, hoping she'd say no, but Lilly nodded. "Which mean I'm going to lift you, anyway."

Oliver placed her down in bed on her back. He fluffed the pillow and tucked her in.

"There you go." He said softly. "Please try to get some sleep, Lills. I know you're in physical and emotional pain, but sleep will do you good."

Oliver reached over and shut the light off and Lilly closed her eyes. Oliver walked back, leaned over, and gently placed a small kiss on her cheek, just above her injury. "Goodnight, Lills." He whispered.

Oliver made his was towards the door, but he stopped when he heard Lilly's voice.

"Donut?" He heard her say and turned around. He saw her form a smile with her eyes still shut. "Thanks."

Oliver stood frozen; his eyes glued on Lilly. It hurt him so much to see her in pain like that. It was the worse thing he had ever gone through. There was a upside to the pain, though. He enjoyed taking care of his best friend and knowing that she was safe when he was there with her. A mixed bag of emotions began scrambling in Oliver's heart. He was a wreck, yet joyful at the same time.

Oliver did something he hadn't done in ten years: he shed a tear. One tear for the pain...and for his love of his best friend.

AN: If you liked what you read, I have more drafts of the second tear written, but I have a question: would you guys rather read the rest of this story in one chapter per tear...or would you want a few filler chapters (with lots of Loliver love, cause it's the best kind of love there is :) before the actual event? It's up to you guys. I have both formats complete. Regardless, I hope you like this idea for a story.

-drummer8907