A/N: Things are coming to a close on this story! *Wipes away non-existent tears* This was such fun to write and I thank everyone for their tremendous support! You guys all mean the world to me! Especially IridescentInTheDark because your constant reviews and helpful advice made this story better! Enjoy!

Sakura hummed the song Find A Way by Safetysuit as it played on the radio and even danced a little as she moved around the bar. She had been so happy lately and everything had fallen into a sort of unreal pattern of good things. Her head was healing and her bruises were fading, helping make things calmer as well as the fact that she had gone to a couple AA meetings with Gaara. She had spent the last week with Gaara, helping him out and sticking by his side during the days, waitressing during the evenings, and sleeping in Gaara's bed with Gaara at nights. At first she had refused the arrangement saying she was the one intruding and should be sleeping on the floor but Gaara had come up with the perfect rebuttal. "If Sasuke comes storming in don't you want me to be between you two?"

Sakura had easily fallen into the band's, mainly Gaara's, living style and felt quite at home with them. Most days with Gaara they would wander town or go do something random such as their bowling attempt the day before. They both learned you were supposed to roll the ball, not chuck it. The two were easily confused. They had also made several more trips to the local pool but Gaara refused to leave her side whenever they went claiming he'd have to go to jail for murdering anyone who knocked her in and then they couldn't be together.

As she picked up the empty bottles from the current table she was working on before stacking them onto her tray she heard the front door open. "Hold on a minute!" she called. She dropped her tray off at the bar save for the full bottle she was taking to her next table and turned to see her worst nightmare standing in front of her with a grim line for a mouth.

"You think you can fucking get away from me?" The bottle slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud crash that turned the whole bar silent and still. Even the completely hammered had registered the crash and turned to stare silently at the scene unfolding. She immediately fell into the role of threatened and obedient Sakura as she knelt to the floor and began sweeping up the glass shards with her bare fingers. She turned her head up to look at him as she cleaned up. He looked back with a cast on his arm and brace on his knee over his jeans proving Gaara had done a number on him. If she hadn't been so terrified and her thundering heartbeat hadn't been the only thing she could hear she would have grinned and laughed at how ridiculous the dark haired boy looked.

"I'm sorry, I should have talked to yo-" A hand came across her cheek with a deafening smack. She was sent backwards, sprawled out in the glass with a red hand print on her cheek. The sound of the front door opening brought voices floating in and Sakura's stomach dropped knowing who it was.

"Alright, sorry we're late folks! We had to grab extra guitar strings cause the idiot broke hi-" Temari stopped speaking upon seeing the scene before her. Gaara and Kankuro walked in behind her, their expressions darkening at the sight. Gaara immediately came to life, storming towards Sasuke at a top speed with his fist raised and eyes blazing with a fury Sakura had only seen when Sasuke came up or around.

"You bastard! How dare you touch her!" Sasuke turned to Gaara just in time to see his oncoming punch so he could dodge it. Temari whipped out her cell phone, quickly dialing 911.

"Hello? Yes, I have a dangerous bar fight going on down at Sam's Bar House..." She continued to ramble off information as Kankuro started instructing people to get out of the bar.

Sakura remained sprawled on the floor, watching as Sasuke and Gaara exchanged blows. Things were heating up and both men were getting sloppy in their fury, leaving openings for their opponents. Things slowed to a crawl for her when Gaara backed Sasuke up into the bar where Sasuke desperately looked around for an escape. He spotted her tray of empty beer bottles and Sakura immediately knew what was going to happen next. She shoved herself to her feet, ignoring that doing so embedded glass into her palms. Sasuke grabbed a bottle and pulled back his arm to swing and just as he threw his arm forward Sakura got between the two. The bottle smashed into her left temple and everything turned dark.

~.The~.Next~.Day~.Current~.Time~.

I open my eyes to see white and lots of it. I squint, seeing a flash of red in the sea of sterile. I jerk my head to the left to see Gaara seated in the hospital chair staring at me with half closed eyes. While the fast movement brings me pain that clouds my vision, I can still see Gaara's eyes snap open before he leaps from the chair and moves to me. He falls to his knees by my side, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"He's gone. The police showed up and got witness testimonies. Some were even regulars and accounted for multiple times where Sasuke treated you abusively. And thank Kami for security cameras. I didn't even think of it, but Sam's got a security camera on the parking lot. It showed him hitting you on the window. Dr. Tsunade also came through for us with the x-rays and with her magic skills or something she proved they were all old and untreated abuse injuries. They're going to lock him away for so long."

I smile, tears gathering in my eyes quickly as I realize I've become free. "I'm so happy."

Gaara pulls his head back so I can see his face, holding mine in his hands before placing a long and passionate kiss on my lips. He pulled away, breathing hard before announcing, "But you can't ever again do that to me. You scared me so much when you took that bottle to the head for me." He then wraps his arms around me and pulls me to his chest in a warm embrace. "All you have to do is testify at his court appearance next month and it's all over."

"It's...all over."

I don't know where I'll go from here. I don't know what I'll do. I hope Gaara will want me to continue living with him because I figured out what the pull to him I feel is. It's love and I won't trade this feeling for anything else in the world. I won't fear this gift, I will accept it.

~.One~.Year~.Later~.

"My name is Sakura Haruno and I am an alcoholic."

"Hello Sakura." Everyone choruses and I take a deep breath because I have big news for everyone.

"I struggled with alcohol abuse for three years. One year before he would even look at me, one year where he tore me away from my life, and one year where he beat me." Gaara reaches out from the chair beside me. "But my fiancé, Gaara, has helped me put down the drink and face my inner and outer demons. And I've also gained a new reason that not only I shouldn't drink for, I can't drink for it." Gaara moves his hand from wrapped around mine onto my already slightly swollen belly. I stare at him and I know that everything wasn't worthless. I have hope and I have Gaara.