8.

 

Jonny and Will quickly made their way to Chris’ room.

 

“Is Guy and Dianna back?” Will asked Jonny as they sprinted.

 

“No. “

 

“Oh.” Will said with a knowing smile.

 

“You think…?” Jonny asked with wide eyes.

 

“Oh, yeah.” Will nodded.

 

“Huh.” Jonny smiled. “Good for them.”

 

They opened the door to Chris’ room and Jonny immediately stepped behind the sofa and grabbed Chris’ hand while Will crouched down in front of him.

 

“Will!” Chris panted.

 

“We’re here, Christopher.” Will stroked Chris’ sweaty curls out of his face.

 

“It hurts!” He gasped.

 

“What hurts?”

 

“My eyes.” He took a couple of deep breaths and Jonny squeezed his hand. “I feel like clawing them out.”

 

“Don’t be silly, Chris. It’s just a bit of aftershock from the mask.” Will said, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his stomach. “Jonny will stay here with you; I’m just going to see if I can find anything for the pain.”

 

Chris nodded. “Alright.”

 

“I…” Chris began as soon as Will had disappeared out the door. “I heard you before.”

 

“Oh.” Jonny blushed.

 

“Stop blushing.” Chris said.

 

“How did you know?” Jonny laughed despite feeling really worried about his love.

 

“Please, I can practically hear you blushing.”

 

Jonny smiled and gently caressed Chris’ forehead.

 

“Well, the fever’s going down.”

 

“Keep doing that.” Chris sighed and his erratic breathing soon calmed down.

 

“As I said…” Chris continued as he closed his eyes and enjoyed Jonny’s soft touch. “You don’t need to blush… I hung on to every syllable.”

 

Jonny smiled. “I meant everything I said, you know...”

 

“I know, and that’s why I love you.” Chris managed to smile through his pain. “Hey, Jon?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Kiss me.”

 

Jonny wasn’t hard to convince.

 

-*-

 

Will rummaged through a big cabinet in his office.

 

“Where the fuck is that medicine?” He swore to himself. “Ah!”

 

He pulled out a silver bottle of pills and went back to Chris’ room.

 

He stopped in the doorway and tiredly shook his head.

“If you two lovebirds could take a break, I have some pills for you, Chris.”

 

Chris and Jonny pulled apart, both flushed. Jonny smiled sheepishly and backed away.

 

Will put three red pills in Chris’ hand and put a glass of water in his other.

 

“There are the pills and there’s water.”

 

“Yes, thank you Will, I'm only blind. I wasn’t born yesterday.” Chris rolled his eyes with a smile and quickly downed the pills.

 

“How long before they start to work?” Jonny asked and studied Chris’ face.

 

“A few minutes.” He answered. “So I guess I’ll leave you to it.”

 

He didn’t get an answer from the boys. Not that he had expected to get one anyway, so he turned to make his way back to his office. He heard a smacking noise from Chris' room as he left. He almost laughed out loud. He had just sat down in his plush chair when he remembered the girl in the guest room.

 

He took a deep breath and walked over to the room. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but caught himself just in time.

 

“It’s my bloody theatre.” He mumbled. “I’ll go wherever I want.”

 

He opened the door and Thalia flew out of her seat.

 

“Hi.” She said and shuffled her feet.

 

“Hello.” Will answered. “Sit.” He said. “Please.” He added as an afterthought. He was, after all, a man of manners.

 

“Alright.” Thalia said and did as she was told.

 

Will sat down opposite her.

“Well, where were we?”

 

“I have told you everything.”

 

“Ah, yes.” He folded his hands and leaned back. “Which brings us to our problem. How we’re going to get you back.”

 

“Is that going to be a problem?” Thalia asked, feeling very alone.

 

“Oh, yes. I have no idea how to enter the human world. And I can assure you I would know if any of my staff did.”

 

“What?!” Thalia panicked. “There must have been some other people before me who went between… These two worlds or whatever it is!”

 

Will shrugged. “I admit that I know some of our guests have the ability to go between the realms. I would imagine that’s how you acquired those beautiful opera glasses.”

 

“But then I could go back with one of the guests?” She said, feeling hope course through her veins.

 

“And therein lays our immediate problem.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, we usually throw a show every other month.”

 

“Oh, sweet heavens.” Thalia said and leaned back into her chair.

 

“But that will probably not happen now as our lead have gotten himself into a bit of trouble.”

 

“What about that strange man who sold me my ticket?” Thalia asked, grasping at whatever hope there was.

 

“Usher?”

 

“Yes! He seemed like had some powers!”

 

“Please, that old man barely has enough magic to make people’s hair grow out again or whatever the ticket prices require.”

 

Thalia sighed.

“So I’m stuck here.”

 

“So it would seem.” Will said. He looked at the sad young girl and was suddenly filled with compassion.

 

“Look, I understand that this must be terribly strange to you. I’ve never been to the human realm, but I assume it’s very different from this one.”

 

Thalia nodded.

 

“Listen. I’ll find something for you to do around here. We have a lot to do even if we don’t have shows that often. You can stay in here for the time being.”

 

He pulled back a green curtain in the corner.

“There’s a bed in here and through that door there is the bathroom.” He put a reassuring, big hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll sort it out.”

 

Thalia smiled a watery smile. “Thank you.”

 

“I’ll lock you up for the night, alright? It’s for your own safety. We have some members of the crew who aren’t very fond of new things.”

 

Thalia nodded.

 

“Is there anything else you would like?” Will asked.

 

“No, thank you. You’ve done enough.”

 

“Have you eaten?”

 

“Yes, someone brought some fruit in.”

 

“Oh, that’s not food.” Will laughed. “I’ll see to it that someone brings you a proper meal and perhaps something to snack on for later."

 

“You’re too kind.”

 

“Nonsense. We never get guests.”

 

Thalia nodded again. “Well, still… Thank you.” She smiled a brilliant smile, suddenly not feeling alone in the world.

 

“Tomorrow I’ll send a woman named Dianna in here. She’s really lovely. She’ll find you something to wear, so you don’t stick out as much.” He nodded to her jeans.

 

Thalia smiled again and Will said his goodbyes and closed the door behind him.

 

Thalia peeked into the small sleeping alcove. She threw herself down on the soft bed and closed her eyes. The toll and excitement of the day got the best of her and she was asleep within seconds.

 

-*-

 

Dianna had fallen asleep on Guy’s chest. He gently caressed the nape of her neck and buried his nose in her hair. He inhaled and sighed wistfully. He lay still for a while and watched the candles burn. They cast long shadows across Dianna’s face and he smiled to himself.

 

“Dianna?” He quietly asked and she moved a little but didn’t acknowledge him in any other way.

 

“Alright. So I better say this to you now, because I’m way too scared to tell you this to your face.”

 

He felt her steady breaths against his chest and he closed his eyes in bliss.

 

“The first time I saw you… I was enthralled. You had this aura around you that outshone any other woman I had ever seen.” He gently touched her cheek. “I remember you walking up to Will like it was the most natural thing in the world and you demanded that he hired you.” He laughed a little at the memory. “He was so gobsmacked at your fieriness that he actually did. From that moment on, I knew that you were the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with.”

 

He smiled a sweet smile. “And now you’re here in my arms. I can’t believe it.” He lowered his voice. “I really can’t believe it. I love you, Dianna. I really do. More than I’ll ever love anyone. Ever.”

 

That was when Dianna began to stir. Guy released his hold on her.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said and yawned. “Did I fall asleep?”

 

“Yeah.” He laughed.

 

“Hey! It’s not a laughing matter!” She pouted. “We could have spent that time doing something else.”

 

“I didn’t mind.” He smiled. “I got to hold you.”

 

Dianna bit her lip and smiled a silly smile. “Aw, don’t say things like that.”

 

“And why is that?”

 

“It makes me love you even more.”

 

Now it was Guy’s turn to smile a silly smile.

“Then I’ll say things like that all the time.”

 

“Good.”

Dianna buried her hands in Guy’s dark hair and looked deep into his brown eyes.

 

“Very good.” She repeated and passionately kissed the man next to her. She laughed giddily as he slid his hands under her dress.

 

“I love you, Guy.” She sighed happily as he kissed his way up to her mouth from her belly. “I really love you.”

 

Guy couldn’t have been happier.

 

 

Mirrorball

Chapter 5

 

 

 

As Jonny headed out the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Will right behind him.

 

“Want to get a drink?”

 

“Uh…sure.”

 

“Thank you for making this easy on me. If you had said no, I would have had to use force,” he laughed.

 

Jonny laughed too, but Will could hear that it was strained. “I know you haven’t been yourself today. And whatever the reason for that, I thought you could use a break.”

 

“Thanks,” Jonny said, a genuine smile crossing his face. “It has been a weird day for me.”

 

“Well now you can forget about it for a little while. Come on.”

 

They went to the usual place. Will ordered them both drinks. Jonny protested, but Will insisted on paying, repeating that he “could use a break.” Jonny gave up on the argument. Will always won. And besides, he really could use a break.

 

But after a couple of drinks, Jonny was ready to leave. He had never been much of a drinker, and after only a small amount of alcohol he was already sick of it. Will didn’t protest this time. He thought Jonny looked marginally better than he had earlier, and that was enough for him, for the time being at least.

 

“G’bye Will. See you tomorrow.”

 

“See ya Jonny. Get some sleep, okay?”

 

“I’ll try.”

 

Normally he would walk home, since it was only a few blocks. But tonight he wanted to collapse on his couch as soon as he could, so he hailed a taxi. In five minute’s time he was unlocking his front door. He headed to the couch and grabbed for the remote, without even bothering to change his clothes first as he usually did. He blindly flipped through the channels until deciding on some old movie he had never heard of.

 

He tried to focus on it, but soon his thoughts turned to his day at work. Actually, they went straight to Chris, much to Jonny’s dismay. He searched in vain for some sort of explanation for this, and for his previous actions. It was sometime during this thought process that he fell asleep.

 

His sleep was deep, but unfulfilling. He dreamed in bits and pieces that he couldn’t put together, or even remember when he woke up. He woke up feeling like he had never slept at all. He groaned and squinted to read his watch by the still-flickering light of the tv. It was three thirty in the morning. Three thirty in the morning, and yet he was wide awake.

 

He lay there, trying to decide if he should bother trying to fall back asleep. He got up. It was hopeless. There was no way sleep was going to come again. Instead he decided to get himself some food. He turned on the kitchen lights and had a look around. He decided on cereal. It was quick and easy.

 

As he ate, he listened to the silence around him, if that was possible. He surprised himself by feeling lonely. He had always been quite content living alone. But now he wasn’t so sure. He wanted to see another face.

 

He decided he wanted to go back to the hospital, even though his shift didn’t begin for another five hours or so. Surely he had patients he should be checking on anyways; urgent cases that needed his immediate attention. At least, that’s what he told himself as he headed out the door.

 

He didn’t even realize that he was walking until he was halfway there. And by that point, he thought it was pointless to get into a cab. By the time he reached the hospital he was sweating. It had somehow gotten warmer overnight. He took some deep breathes once he was inside and felt the cool air conditioning on his skin as he walked to a destination that was undisclosed even to himself, until he arrived there.

 

Somehow he was standing in the hallway by Chris’s room. There were chairs in the hall, so he sat. The blinds were closed but for a small area, where a small break in them allowed Jonny to see into the room. All he could make out was a shadowy figure lying on the bed. Jonny assumed that Chris would be sleeping. He considered walking in, but was afraid of waking him, because that would mean coming up with an explanation for his actions.

 

Unfortunately he had to give that explanation anyways, because just then Will turned the corner and saw him sitting there. His eyes were full of questions. But he only asked one. “Jonny, what are you doing here?”

 

Jonny panicked. He had no idea how to explain himself. He truly did not even have an explanation to give. “Uh…well….why are you here?” he asked sharply.

 

Will narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t going to let this go. “I just finished giving emergency surgery. But I asked why you’re here.”

 

“I…um…well…I got a call to come in for an emergency examination, but the person…um…died…I guess.” He knew it was a weak reply, but it was all he had.

 

Will sighed in frustration. “That’s crap Jonny, and you know it. You don’t get called in for emergency anything.” He softened his tone. “Please, just tell me what is actually going on with you.”

 

“I don’t know Will!” was Jonny’s rueful reply. “I already told you everything I could. “Chris is just….really interesting. But it’s making me lose my concentration.” He put his head in his hands and sighed loudly. “I don’t know what the fuck is happening to me.”

 

The look Will gave him showed Jonny that even though he didn’t understand it himself, Will certainly seemed to. “Jonny, listen to me. You wait for him to wake up. Then you go in there, and you tell him how you feel.”

 

“But I don’t know how I feel!” Jonny replied indignantly.

 

“Yes you do. You told me you found him interesting. Tell him that.”

 

“And then what!?” he asked, frustrated.

 

“I don’t know, see what happens. See how it goes.” But Will’s tone said that he did know what would happen.

 

“What do you mean?” Jonny asked skeptically.

 

“You’ve got to figure this out for yourself, Jon.” Jonny was then left to wonder what Will could be talking about, and decide whether or not to punch him. But one thing he did decide on was that he would indeed go talk to Chris later that morning.

 

 

Far From Easy

 

 

 

“Where are you taking me?” Chris asked. Jonny was driving, Chris sitting in the passenger seat. Jonny briefly looked over to Chris before he returned his focus to the road.

 

“I'm taking you to the hospital,” he replied. He heaved a great sigh and continued, “I don't know what else to do.”

 

“Oh.” Chris rested his arm on the door of the car and stared out the window at the passing trees and the other cars around them. He tried his best not to do any thinking, since he was worried that none of this was real. He couldn't tell anymore, and so he thought it best not to really bother with anything at all. “Thank you, Jonny.”

 

“Of course. Will you tell me about what happened? What you think is wrong with you?”

 

“I don't know what's wrong with me... but I'll tell you what happened.” Chris let his arm fall as he shifted his eyes over to Jonny. “It's just that I keep... imagining things. Well, I don't even know if this is real.”

 

“This is real,” Jonny assured him. “It's definitely real.”

 

Chris frowned in a failed attempt to smile. “I really wish I could believe that, Jonny, but I've been through so much and every time I get close to... it changes.”

 

“Close to what? What changes?”

 

“Everything changes. I blink, and I end up in a completely different place than I was before.” Chris shuddered and stared down at his hands clasped in his lap. “It freaks me out, and now I can't tell the difference. It feels real, yeah. It all felt real.”

 

Chris's voice trailed off and Jonny didn't say anything for a while. The road continued to pass them by as they made their way to the hospital. Chris wasn't sure exactly what they could do for him, probably send him to some sort of psychologist or something. That is, of course, if they made it to the hospital. For all he knew, he could blink and end up floating in space.

 

“Close to what?” Jonny quietly repeated. He obviously wanted an answer, otherwise he wouldn't have asked twice, but Chris wasn't sure he could give a satisfactory answer. This was the only thing that even remotely persuaded him into thinking this was indeed reality; in all of his other worlds, he seemed to be almost brimming with a sort of courage that he was far from having at the present moment. He looked down and even the thought of telling the carpet how he felt was frightening to him. There was no way he'd get the words out to Jonny.

 

“It's not really that important,” Chris lied.

 

“I think it is, if it's what keeps affecting you. I mean, if your... hallucinations or whatever keep changing when it happens, then I would say it's very relevant.” Jonny glanced over at Chris and Chris could see the deep care in his eyes. “But you don't have to tell me. I understand.”

 

As Chris took those two extra seconds before Jonny turned away to engrave the image of Jonny into his mind, his heart nearly broke. Jonny was his best friend for a variety of reasons, one of them being that he was always so kind and never judgmental, but he was never nosy, either. He was always respectful of other's privacy and Chris truly admired that. But he felt bad because of it, too, because Jonny's careful concern made him want to spill everything, but he wasn't brave enough to.

 

Jonny realized this, and even though he tried not to show it, he looked a bit sad as he turned back to the road. But it was too late by then, because the car that had swerved into their lane was too close to avoid, and so Jonny's caring eyes were soon sent through glass along with the rest of his body from his waist up. Technically, the glass smashed into him as the front of the car was crushed into the back of the car with an unbelievable force behind it. Chris felt the repercussions, too, but he was at least conscious enough afterward to look over and see Jonny's head resting on what was once the hood of the car, his arms stretched out before him and blood dripping down his face.

 

Of course, the driver's side was much more damaged than the passenger's. Chris was nearly pinned to his seat, but he knew that he hadn't suffered much more than a concussion. Water began to drip from his eyes and mixed with the blood that ran down his own face, because he knew then that he would make it out alive and well in the end, but Jonny wouldn't. It was impossible for him to, because he was already...

 

“No, Jonny!” Chris cried out. He gasped for air and reached as far as his limited range of movement would allow. He just barely grazed the sleeve of Jonny's jacket, and as he looked at the other car he hoped that whoever was in there had suffered just as much. Otherwise it was all even less fair than it already was. “I'm s-so sorry...” After all, it was his fault that Jonny had to take him to the hospital anyway, why shouldn't he blame himself? If he hadn't gone crazy... “Jonny, I'm...”

 

 

“J-Jonny. I'm Jonny.” Chris shook his head and focused as the man in front of him smiled. He released his grip on Chris's hand, which Chris was only barely aware he'd had. This man's smile seemed to have captivated his attention, along with his rather stunningly green eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Chris.”

 

“It was nice to meet you, too,” Chris absentmindedly mimed. He had met approximately forty other people on this day- orientation day at the college he'd be attending- and quite a large number of them had been cute and flirty girls, but this man affected him the most. It was almost as if he'd never met any of the others, they were just that unimportant compared to him.

 

“Well, see ya.” Jonny reinforced his smile and began to turn away. He took a few steps before Chris stopped him.

 

“Wait!” Chris yelled out, and he was pretty sure it was the best decision of his life. Jonny looked back and waited. “Uh, Jonny... Maybe... maybe you'd like to go out to dinner with me some time?”

 

Jonny's face lit up with a shocked, but excited expression, and Chris felt his heart warm and his spirits soar. “Yeah, that sounds great,” Jonny grinned.

 

Chris nearly skipped away, and his happiness carried on long after he'd returned home. He had to find some way to avoid answering his parents when they questioned the ridiculously goofy grin on his face. He gave some crazy answer like, “Oh, I'm just excited to start school!” then ran away. It worked.

 

So he laid on his bed in serene silence and stared at the ceiling, thinking about that man with the stunning eyes who made his heart flutter just a little when he accepted that dinner invitation. And while Chris couldn't actually predict his future, couldn't actually tell if he did have a future with this man, he was glad that he got it over with now, instead of waiting God knows how many years.

 

 

The strange day of March 17th

 

 

 

 

"Hearts, stars, and horseshoes, Clovers and blue moons Pots of gold and rainbows and me red balloons! Well that’s fucking brilliant! Why didn’t I write that?” Chris was sitting in the kitchen eating some Lucky Charms and the ad for the cereal came up on the TV. Pretty soon Chris was singing and dancing around the kitchen with his bowl of lucky charms.

 

Will walked in and just burst out laughing! “Chris what the fuck are you doing?” Chris stopped abruptly and spilled most of the milk out of his bowl onto the floor.

 

“I..err um.. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!” Chris being himself was overly happy, over extended his arm and ended up throwing the rest of his Lucky Charms into Will’s face! “Oh..crap!! Sorry Will!”

 

Will stood there with soggy hearts and clovers dripping of his face. In one smooth motion Will grabbed the box of Cereal and threw a handful at Chris! Chris dogged the cereal and started screaming. He threw his hands up in the air and ran from the kitchen, with Will chasing him.

 

“Get back here you cow dung!!” Will chased Chris all through out the beehive constantly throwing more cereal at Chris’ head! “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Don’t kill me and feed me to the leprechaun’s, all I want is to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!”

 

Chris was fast and soon Will grew tired and sat down painting. “Chris!.. Chris I’m not chasing you anymore, just stop screaming!”

 

“oh.. you’re not?” Chris said as he sat down next to Will.

 

“Nope, but we need to find this Pot of Gold!”

 

“Really? Cause I have always wanted to find it and well since it’s March 17th and all.. and I don’t like leprechauns, cause they’re just creepy and short and wear freaky hats and..”

 

“Shut it Chris! Listen we need to go soon, cause there is no way I am sharing the Gold with Guy and Jonny! And the pot is only at the end of a rainbow and we need to find a rainbow like now!” Will said with a little stamp of his foot.

 

“Oh Willy! I knew this would happen! You and me! We’re going on an Adventure!” Chris did a little jig and started clapping his hands.

 

“Muwahahahahaha!” Will laughed menacingly, as he rubbed his hands together. “Come Chris! We must prepare!” Will stood up and stretched out his hand toward Chris. He then grabbed some cereal from Chris’ hair and munched on it.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“ Jonny! I love this day! I can drink all I want and wear this stupid hat!”

 

“Great Guy, this just means you apartment gets to smell worse with all the vomit that you will be throwing up!” Jonny said as he rolled his eyes and patted Guy on the back.

 

“Haha yeah..wait what?”

 

“Oh Guy, don’t worry about it, lets go in and maybe get some work done in the Beehive, yeah?”

 

“Yeah, except it looks like someone has already done some work.. more like redecorating work.” Guy said as he walked into the Beehive and crunched a couple of oats and marshmallows.

 

“CHRIS!!” Jonny called out as he slammed the door. No response just silence. “Well, I guess he’s not here. What the heck happened here? Did a Spongebob marathon happen?”

 

“Mm I doon’t kkknnow, but these are really good!” Guy said with a mouthful of Lucky Charms. Jonny just shook his head and walked away.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Will I’m hungry!... Will my feet hurt!... Will are we there yet?”

 

“Chris I brought duct tape with me and I’m not afraid to make some good use of it, so unless you want me to tape your mouth shut, I suggest you do it yourself!”

 

“Oh Willy, you really need to become a flamboyant drummer!”

“STRIPPPP”

Will smirked at Chris’ surprised face! “Now I can think clearly without having to hear your dribble all the time! Right so look, there is a rainbow over there, lets go! I want that gold!”

 

Chris and Will took off running in the direction of the rainbow.

 

“They.. they really do exist!” Will exclaimed as he pointed to the little man dressed in green with the stupid green hat.

 

“Well top o’ the Mornin’ to yah!” The little man with the stupid hat said!

 

“mmemsdghosdgoin!”

 

“What Chris said was, ahem: Mother of Jesus!”

 

“Mary, Jesus’ mum was Mary, but what does that have to do with me?” the little man with the stupid hat asked.

 

“Ahh shut it, shorty! Give us the gold!” Will shouted as he tackled the little man to the ground!

 

Both men wrestled on the ground with finally Will using his duct tape to wrap up the little green man.

 

“Aww knickers! You seemed to have duct taped me! But how did you know that was my weakness?”

 

“Easy, this morning I was chasing Chris around after he spilt his Lucky Charms on me and it came to me like I was struck with lightning. The only way to shut Chris up is with Duct Tape. Chris has just as much energy as you leprechauns that it just made sense that Duct tape would be your Kryptonite! MWAHAHAHAHA!”

 

“Mmmwmwmahhahaahww”

 

“Shut it Chris! Only I can laugh evilly! Now tiny where’s the Gold?”

 

“Oh bother, it’s over there behind the tree.”

 

Will ran over to the tree and started doing the Macarena! “Gold! Gold! It’s better than Cake! HEY MACARENA!!” “Come on Chris, we’ve got the gold let’s jam!”

 

“Mmemmemm?”

 

“No you can’t go to the bathroom Chris!”

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So Chris and Will ran back to the Beehive with their pot of Gold and celebrated by not sharing any with Guy and Jonny!

 

Chris bought the rights to the Lucky Charms theme song with his gold and Will bought a lifetime supply of duct tape.

 

 

 

 

sorry, I probably shouldn't write stuff at 1 in the morning:thinking: but alas Happy Saint Patty's day!:laugh3::P

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mirrorball

Chapter 6

 

 

 

“Later” came sooner than he had expected because of two important factors, the fact that Jonny could not restrain his curiosity and the fact that Chris was a light sleeper. After only a few minutes of sitting, Jonny just had to go into the room. He didn’t know what he planned to do there. He figured he could, at the very least, view Chris up close instead of from the hallway.

 

But the door was louder than he thought it would be, and his own footsteps were hopelessly noisy. Within seconds Chris eyes fluttered open, and he looked straight at Jonny. Jonny froze like a criminal who had been caught red-handed. Chris shifted around, trying to sit up. Jonny moved to help him.

 

“Thank you,” Chris replied, still sleepy. “Why….why are you here?” He asked slowly. He blinked a few times, trying to become alert. Succeeding, he sat up further, widening his eyes to their usual size.

 

“I…um…was just checking up on you.” He tried to smile, but he could tell he was failing miserably. Chris seemed to buy it though.

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

Jonny instantly regretted his words. He thought of what Will had told him. “Listen, Chris, I didn’t come here to check up on you. I mean, it is necessary for me to do so, at some point anyways. But this time I just came here because I wanted to.”

 

“You…wanted to?” Chris asked in confusion.

 

“Um….yeah. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I didn’t feel tired at all so I didn’t try and go back to sleep. I was bored…and….lonely,” he admitted. “And the first person I thought of, strangely, was you.”

 

Chris didn’t look creeped out by this, as Jonny thought he would. Instead he looked distraught, like he just couldn’t fathom it. “Why me?” he asked in a whisper.

 

“Because you’re interesting.” Jonny thought for a moment and decided that he was glad he admitted it. It felt good.

 

Chris laughed, and it sounded almost rude in the quietness of the early morning. “You think I’m interesting? I’m sorry doctor, I don’t mean to laugh, but that is hilarious. I am one of the most boring people you will ever meet.”

 

“I told you to call me Jonny,” he replied almost angrily. “And you’re not. You’re not, Christopher. You are, in all honesty, the most interesting person I have ever met. I mean that.”

 

“And I told you to call me Chris,” he said with another laugh.

 

“See, it’s things like that which make you so interesting to me.”

Chris rubbed his eyes. He scratched his head. He stretched his good arm. And he stared. Then finally, he spoke.”What else did I do?”

 

“Huh?” Jonny asked stupidly.

 

“What else did I do that made me so interesting to you? Please. I’d really like to know. No one has ever said anything like that to me before.”

 

“Oh, well, it’s hard to explain. Maybe you’d have to be a doctor to truly understand, but you don’t act like other patients do. You aren’t dramatic and you don’t exaggerate your injuries. Actually, you understate them. You shrug them off, like they are no big deal. And you don’t put up a fuss. You are compliant and understanding. But the craziest thing about you is you actually blame yourself for everything that’s happened to you since you came here.”

 

“Oh so now I’m crazy?” he asked, his eyes smiling.

 

“And that. That thing you do, where you ignore any compliment given to you. Even now, when you basically just asked me to tell you some of them.”

 

“Oh. Well, I figure I’m not all that great. I mean, I live with myself every day, so I should know. Right?”

 

Jonny just smiled. “Well I find you interesting, Chris. Maybe you can’t understand why, but that’s just how it is.”

 

“You know you’re pretty interesting yourself. You want people to call you Jonny, even though you are a doctor.”

 

“Well, I’d rather be treated like an average person, not an authority figure,” Jonny responded quietly.

 

“I understand.”

 

Jonny looked straight at Chris for no real reason, and Chris smiled widely just for the heck of it. Jonny just had to smile back. The craziness was contagious, it seemed. Eventually though, Jonny decided that he had made the situation sufficiently awkward.

“I’ll leave you be now. You need your rest, I’m sure. I feel bad for waking you up in the first place.”

 

“No worries. I’m a light sleeper. A flea’s sneeze could wake me up.” Chris laughed as he realized the ridiculousness of his statement. Jonny laughed right along with him. This made Chris laugh even more. He was truly enjoying Jonny’s presence. Unfortunately, he forgot about his injuries again and as he laughed even harder, he suddenly cried out in pain.

 

Jonny was hovering over him instantly. He eyes were wide with fear. “Are you okay?”

Chris swallowed and gripped his sides. He held back the tears that were building up in his eyes. “Yes,” he gasped. “I’m…okay.” But his voice could not lie. He was clearly experiencing harsh pains due to the cracked ribs.

 

Jonny was filled with pity for him. He was so kind, and so innocent. He was, at that moment, the last person Jonny thought deserved to be in any kind of pain. He tried to reason things through in his mind, but he couldn’t keep himself from saying the unthinkable. “Hold on. I will tell one of the nurses to give you a stronger pain killer.”

 

Chris immediately showed relief. “Oh…thank you. Thank you so much.”

 

“Of course,” Jonny said with a stupid smile on his face. He wanted to kick himself. Instead he called over a nurse and had her replace the medicine. Jonny felt all of his ridiculous stupidity was worth it, however, when he saw Chris’s body become less tense almost instantly.

 

“I feel so much better, thank you Jonny.” He smiled wider than Jonny had ever seen before. Jonny regretted nothing. He could lose his job because of this, but he didn’t even care. And he gave no thought whatsoever before answering a semi-random and ridiculous question of Chris’s.

 

“The sun is coming up. I usually like to watch the sunrise. But I can’t see it very well from here,” he said sadly. “Do you think….maybe….you could take me outside? Just for a little while?”

 

Jonny knew he should say no. He told himself to say no. He tried to force himself to say no. But he couldn’t help it. “Yes” he replied.

 

 

 

CRACKED

 

---------------------------------------

 

A collab by the lovely

 

Brooke

 

&

 

Dianna

 

&

 

Katie

 

---------------------------------------

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

She looked so serene. In the moonlight, her face was pale, but it gave her an almost angelic quality. She was wearing a yellow sun dress, which had been a bit dirtied by the ground. And, of course, the blood spilling from her chest wound. Parts of it had seeped through the dress and left a dark red stain, and the rest was still shining against her skin. A breeze rolled past and pushed her bangs to the side, revealing a black line drawn across her forehead.

 

There were a pair of boots standing upright beside her feet, black leather with dark black laces. Inside the boots were a pair of legs, clothed in dark denim jeans that were belted with black leather. A black, satin shirt was tucked in at the bottom, but left almost completely open at the top to expose a patch of dark chest hair. One of the hands that jutted out of the end of the sleeves raised itself to the neck that connected seamlessly to the chest, and scratched some dark stubble. In the black sunglasses that rested on the bridge of a nose attached to a face supported by the neck shown the reflection of the girl. Some dark eyelashes batted against the lens, but never with any emotion.

 

“Come on, man, it's done. Let's go now.”

 

Some eyes looked through the sunglasses over to a man standing by the girl's head. The man looked panicked and nearly sick, like he always did when things like this happened. But he knew that it was necessary, and so he never argued. Now he was getting anxious, but he had reason. The deed was done, and there was hardly any point in staying longer. The legs stepped over the girl and began to walk towards a dark car not too far away. The man took one last glance at the girl, then followed the other man.

 

The engine started and the car pulled away. The girl lay there, motionless. Another figure emerged from the shadows and knelt down beside her. Guy reached out to touch her face, but found he couldn't do it. She looked too pretty, and it hurt just to look at her. His tears had no problem splashing her cheeks, though, and leaving little streams running down her face.

 

Eventually, Guy stopped watching her, and tried his best to stand up. He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket, and grabbed his cellphone. The numbers were blurred from his wet eyes, so he had to guess and hope that he was pressing the right buttons. The resulting ring seemed endless, and Guy felt as though he was doomed to stand there forever, totally alone in the dark.

 

“Hello?” a voice spoke after the other line finally picked up. It was too cheerful, Guy thought, for the present situation, but the voice didn't know that.

 

“Chris, come pick me up,” Guy said, stifling a sob. The voice changed its tone.

 

“What?” Chris responded. “Guy, I thought you were going out tonight. It's only nine.” Guy listened to the background. It sounded like Chris had people over.

 

“Yeah, well, there was a problem with that. Can you please come pick me up? I don't have a ride home.”

 

“What happened to your car?”

 

“Does it matter?” Guy cried. “I'm a few miles down the road from that soap factory, by the farm. Can you pick me up or not?”

 

“Yeah, I can pick you up,” Chris said. “Guy, will you please just tell me what's wrong?”

 

Guy looked over at the girl, covered in blood. She was so young, only turned 26 a few days ago. He never thought that she could have ever done anything wrong in her life. She never even had enough time to do anything wrong. She was too young.

 

He let more tears slide down the paths of the previous ones. Chris was expecting an answer, so Guy gathered as much strength as he could and croaked, “Carmen's dead.”

 

 

Page 2? I think not! :P

Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

Chris was driving with one hand on the steering wheel and the other was resting on his lap. The windows we’re down and a cool breeze was blowing through. Chris glanced over at Katie. She had her feet up on the dashboard, eyes were closed, and her hand was draped out the window as if she was trying to catch the wind. Her hair was swirling all around her head forming a sort of halo. Chris took a mental picture and turned up the radio and began to sing.

 

Katie smiled when she heard Chris singing, while he didn’t think he had a good voice she knew that he did, and was positive that one day it would be his voice that got him far in life. She and Jonny agreed on that, and would try and convince him to form a band when they got back from their trip.

 

It was a familiar tune that Chris was singing, reason being it was the first song that Chris sung to her when her first boyfriend cheated on her.

 

*** Flashback***

 

‘Tink…tink’

 

Katie looked up from her tear stained pillow toward the window. She could see the outline of man. Looking back at her alarm clock, the time showed 2:27am. She quickly stood up and crossed the room and threw open the window. Sitting out on the limb of the old willow was the familiar figure of Chris. He held a few pebbles in his hand and was about to threw another at the window.

 

“Hi. I err.. well I wanted to see you, I hope your not mad at me for how late it is.” Chris said dropping the remaining pebbles and scratching the back of his neck.

 

Katie sighed, “Chris, it’s never too late for you.”

 

“Oh good! So I think you should join me out here, it’s so warm and lovely and the stars are so bright and umm yellow!” Chris patted the spot next to him on the branch and motioned for Katie to step out of the window.

 

Katie looked back into her room to make sure that all was quiet in the house before climbing out of the window. Gracefully she slid out of the window and down onto the branch of the tree, and sat down next to Chris.

 

“Katie, the truth is.. I was.. well I was asleep when I had this crazy dream that you had been hurt and well I just had to make sure that you were okay.” Chris turned toward Katie and took her face into his hands and looked into her eyes. “Are you okay love? Has anybody hurt you?”

 

Katie was so taken back by how Chris knew something was wrong that she couldn’t speak. All she was able to do was nod her head and let the tears fall.

 

Chris pulled Katie into his lap, wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back forth for awhile, letting her cry and ruin his shirt with her tears. When Katie could cry no more she buried her head into Chris shoulders. She could hear Chris heart beating; it was so steady, never faltering. Katie knew that Chris would always be there for her, through everything.

 

“He cheated on me Chris. I caught him tonight with her under the football bleachers.”

 

“He was never worthy of you, he took for granted your smile, your caring heart, and your love. I’ll never hurt you Katie, I promise.”

 

Chris didn’t know why he felt the need to sing to Katie, but he did, he started out humming and then gradually began to sing.

 

“For you I’m gonna sit and patiently wait, It’s great if you’re early but if it’s fine if you’re late, For you I feel love and I just want to show it, You’re a beautiful girl and want you to know it, You’re a beautiful girl and want you to know it, You’re a beautiful girl and want you to know it”

 

Katie felt at peace in Chris arms and to her disbelief fell asleep in his arms. Chris noticed her steady breathing in his neck, he looked down and saw that Katie was asleep, so he kissed her forehead, lifted her up and carried her through the window and set her in her bed. He pulled the covers up around her, whispered to her. “Good night Katherine” and climbed right back out through the window.

 

****

 

Katie opened her eyes and caught Chris staring at her.

 

“What?” She asked as she stuck her tongue out at him.

 

“Haha! I was just thinking about how beautiful you looked right now. And how much I would love to kiss you!”

 

“Well, Mr. Martin I would love that kiss, but you are driving and I would prefer to have that kiss alive!”

 

“Yes that’s true.. hmm.” Chris looked quickly in his rear view mirror, pulled on the steering wheel and abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

 

“Sorry Katherine, I just can’t wait any longer.” Chris reached over, cupped his hands around the sides of Katie’s face and pulled her close to him and brushed his lips with hers. Katie gasped and Chris took the advantage and tantalizingly bit her lower lip. Katie returned the favor and began to passionately kiss Chris, and run her hands through his soft curls.

 

It was nearly ten minutes before the little car returned to its intended path. But it was ten more minutes of proof that Chris was hopelessly in love with his Katherine.

 

 

 

CRACKED

 

---------------------------------------

 

A collab by the lovely

 

Brooke

 

&

 

Dianna

 

&

 

Katie

 

---------------------------------------

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Chris let the phone drop from his hand. It hit the well-polished floor with a noise that seemed to echo throughout the spacious room. He couldn't remember if he had actually hung up the phone or not. But he figured it was probably broken now so it didn't really make much of a difference.

 

"What was that?" someone called from the other room. They were probably referring to the dropped phone. Chris gave the object a blank stare. It was indeed broken. He felt this was a fitting punishment. Nothing should be allowed to deliver such horrible news without some sort of consequence. It simply wasn't fair.

 

"Chris?" the same voice said. "What's going on in there? Who was that on the phone?" At that moment Chris just wanted to tell the voice to stop asking so many damn questions. Instead he slowly stepped over the broken phone and through the doorway into the next room.

 

This room was even larger than the previous one and was far more elegant. Its foremost features were the high ceiling which gave it an almost church-like feel and the large stone fireplace that stood kitty-corner on the far side of the room. Currently it was not in use. People tend to have less of a need for heat in the middle of August.

 

The entire room was filled with the kind of heat that humans seem to give off. It had that musty smell that said "there are too many people squished together into this one room". In reality, there were only three other people in the room. The problem lay in the faulty air-conditioning. All of this combined with the news from Guy made Chris feel like he was being slowly squeezed to death. He practically collapsed onto the floor. Instead of doing so he leaned heavily back against the door frame.

 

One man, the one who had spoken, walked from his previous spot by the other two and to the thin man, who now looked frail and breakable. "Chris answer me. What is going on? Who was that on the phone?" Chris struggled to form a coherent sentence but finally managed to do so after accepting a drink from the man.

 

"It was Guy. He told me to come and pick him up."

 

"Pick him up? Why, it's-"

 

"Jonny, Carmen is dead."

 

"Dead?" he repeated, shocked.

 

"Yes, dead! Stop repeating everything I say!" Chris's voice cracked at the end and Jonny felt certain that Chris would cry. But surprisingly he didn't. He simply eased himself away from the door frame, grabbed his keys, and headed for the front door, all in a zombie-like fashion.

 

"I think I should go with you."

 

"No. You stay here and see our guests out," Chris replied firmly, gesturing with one long arm towards the other two people who were staring with questioning eyes at them both.

 

"Alright. But please, be careful," he responded with concern.

 

Chris nodded and stumbled out the door, almost tripping down the stairs. He was distracted, of course, by the terrible news. He fumbled around in the dark but finally made his way to the car and managed to unlock it without much difficulty. It was amazing to him how such small accomplishments became huge achievements in times like this.

 

He started up the car and immediately the radio began blasting. He quickly switched it off. Silence was his best friend at the moment. He drove down the long, winding driveway and turned onto the road.

 

He had been driving for a good ten minutes before he realized that he had no idea where he was supposed to be driving to. Guy hadn't mentioned his actual whereabouts on the phone. He had said a few miles past the soap factory, but that could be a number of places. Under any other circumstances, Chris would have been slightly peeved about this. Instead he just sighed and pulled over for a moment to think.

 

He tried to think of a place that Guy might be. The phone connection had been kind of fuzzy so he figured it must be somewhere in the outskirts of town. Suddenly he remembered such a place. A place where, two summers ago, Guy had taken Chris to. A place that Guy had told Chris that he loves and gets inspired by. A place where Guy, after taking a long drag on his cigarette, had told Chris that he takes all of his girlfriends.

 

Chris figured Carmen was no exception, especially considering the length of time they had been dating. Ten months was a long time, and for Guy it was an almost unheard of length of time.

 

Now at least he had a destination. A destination was good. A very good start indeed, when you are intending to go somewhere. The "where" was most certainly the key. The "why" was irrelevant. At least, that's what Chris kept telling himself all the way there. Because that way he wouldn't have to think about the horrific event that was the very reason for his nighttime drive.

 

 

 

Mirrorball

Chapter 7

 

 

 

“Thank you so much for doing this. I really do appreciate it.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

“But I don’t understand why I have to sit in this stupid wheelchair,” Chris grumbled.

 

“Standard hospital policy,” Jonny replied simply. “That, and the fact that I want to make myself feel like what I am doing is not quite so wrong.”

 

“What’s wrong about it? You are helping me. Doctors are supposed to help their patients, right?”

 

“Well yeah, but you are really not in any sort of condition to be going outside, even for a little while.”

 

“Oh,” Chris said quietly. He looked up at Jonny with big, worried eyes. Jonny assumed he was going to ask what potential risks there were to his health by going outdoors. But Jonny realized that he should know Chris better than that by now. So he wasn’t quite so surprised to hear Chris ask in a small voice, “Jonny, are you going to get into trouble for doing this?” He sounded like a small child. It made Jonny even more willing to do anything for him, and much less willing to admit the risks he was taking himself by taking Chris outside.

 

“No, it’s fine Chris,” he lied. “Doctors do this all of the time. I just wanted you to know that there are dangers in doing this. I sure don’t want a lawsuit on my hands after all,” he laughed. “Not that I think you are the type of person who would file one of those.”

 

“Okay good. I don’t want to put your position at risk or anything.”

 

Jonny rolled his eyes. Once again, Chris had skillfully dodged a compliment. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Chris. By that time they had reached the doors that would lead them to a little garden in the middle of the hospital grounds. Small though it was, it was perfect for viewing a sunrise, because none of the buildings blocked the eastern horizon from being visible.

 

Once outside, Jonny noticed that there were benches too. He pushed Chris over next to one of them and sat down. He realized that he had never been out here before. And he regretted it. The view was gorgeous. The sun had not even become visible yet, but it still gave off enough light so that the sky lit up in stunning pinks, oranges, and reds. This limited light also produced a certain hue on the ground, giving all of the plants an interesting color.

 

“Jonny, isn’t it just lovely how the sunrise makes the clouds look like cotton candy?”

 

Jonny looked back up at the sky. It was true; they did resemble the sugary treat. Jonny was ashamed for never noticing before. He realized that all his life he had never really focused on details. He only saw the big picture. And now he regret that. “Yes, it is quite lovely indeed.”

 

Now Jonny found himself searching for more details. He started by looking at the sky, but after only a few moments he found his eyes wandering to Chris sitting beside him. His facial expression clearly expressed his awe for the sights before him. His eyes were wider than should be possible for a human being, and bluer than they should be capable of being. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed before.

 

Jonny knew in the back of his mind that he should be keeping track of the time. It would not bode well for him if someone found Chris missing from his room. But he slowly began to realize that he truly did not care. For the first time in a long time, he was doing something interesting with someone interesting. Details in themselves were quite interesting, he began to find. If he had been looking at the big picture, he never would have realized how little he actually cared about his job.

 

It was the little details that were the telltale signs of the general contempt he had for his position. He never laughed, he rarely smiled, and he was constantly aching to get home so he could watch some mind numbing television show he didn’t even like. At least that’s how it had been until Chris. He felt he could separate his life into eras. B.C., for Before Chris, and A.C. for After Chris.

 

But there was no A.C., at least, not yet. But Jonny was determined that there would be. He suddenly had an urge to change. But what he should change, he did not yet know. He decided he had time to figure that out, though, and went back to taking in the scenery.

 

Not long after that, he heard Chris sigh happily. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. His eyes widened as he saw Chris trying to ease himself out of the wheelchair. He jumped off the bench. “Chris, what are you doing? You shouldn’t stand up yet, you’re in no condition-“

 

“I just want to get a better view,” Chris insisted. He managed to stand firmly on his two feet. Jonny sighed with relief. He began to make a joke, but the words got caught in his throat when he saw Chris’s eyes suddenly widen in pain. He clutched his chest and Jonny could only stare in shock. There was a dull thud. And then Chris was lying in an odd position on the ground, unconscious.

 

Jonny continued to stare foolishly at him for a few seconds. Then he felt his legs go week, and he collapsed to the ground in front of Chris. He tried feeling for a pulse, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn’t manage it. He forgot everything. He forgot about the consequences of his actions, he forgot that he was outside, and he forgot that he was a doctor. Instead he just screamed for someone, anyone to help.

 

 

SO S.A.D.

 

 

 

First days are always scary. For everyone. It's just normal. A normal part of life.

For me, though, second days are just as scary. And third days. And fourth. And fifth.

The scariest one of all, fifty-eighth.

 

 

“What you're being handed out now is a sheet that lists the requirements of your projects. The due date is next Friday, so you've got a week to complete them.”

 

Little by little, the desks of the students gained a nice blue sheet of paper set right in the middle. The students bent their heads down and read, groaning at the thought of having to take time from their precious lives to work on a tiny, insignificant school project. But when I got the paper, that's not what bothered me.

Written at the very bottom of the page was a line informing me that I had to present my project to the class. The presentation had to be ten minutes long. As if I wasn't freaking out enough already, the teacher decided to add fuel to the fire.

 

“You'll be working with a partner of your choice-”

 

I didn't know anyone in that class. Well, I knew who they were, but I had never spoken to any of them. I'm not sure any of them even knew who I was. If they did, it would certainly be a shock.

 

“-but I'd like you all to pick a person you've never worked with before. It's easy to become comfortable with your friends and adamantly only ever pick them, but one of the skills you need to learn for the real world is interaction with those you may not think of interacting with at first. So, if you could please find a partner now, that would be greatly appreciated.”

 

Oh, the fact that everyone had to choose someone they didn't know did not help one bit. Quickly, the room split off into pairs, and it seemed like I was the only one left. I didn't know what I was going to do, and I didn't really want to go up to the teacher and tell him that I had no one. Talking to him was just as bad as talking to my classmates.

 

“Excuse me! I don't have a partner!”

 

Obviously, this would be the voice of my partner, since I was the only other person left alone. I couldn't recognize it, though, and I didn't feel like looking up from the paper to find out who he was.

 

A ten minute presentation with someone I didn't know. Oh man.

 

“Um... Right, Jonathan seems to be partner-less at the moment, so you'll be paired with him.”

 

“Oh, ok!” A minute passed before I heard his voice again. I was still stuck on that freaking presentation thing. “Hey, man, sorry about not seeing you or anything. If I had seen you, I would have asked to be partners... but I didn't see you. Sorry!”

 

This kid already talked too much, but I had a feeling it might come in handy. After all, if he did all the talking, then maybe the presentation wouldn't be so bad. Although, having to work with him...

 

“So, you're name's Jonathan,” he stated, “I'm Chris...topher. Um, but everyone calls me Chris, and that's kinda the way I prefer it, if that's all right.”

 

I had no other choice, really, but to look up and acknowledge him. So I did, if not tentatively.

 

“I'm Jonathan, yeah. If it's easier, you can call me Jonny.”

 

“Jonny,” he said with a creepy sort of smile. But that wasn't nearly as bad as the rapping. “I like that. Jonnyboy. Jay. Jayman. J-J-J-J-Jon, Jon-neh, Jon-izzle, Jon-baree, working with me, uhn, on our project for history! Yeah! All right.”

 

As ridiculous as this kid was, I couldn't help laughing. It was mostly nervous laughter, but a tiny part of me actually found him funny. A really tiny part.

 

The rest of me was just amazed. Here was this kid, dressed like Napoleon Dynamite pretty much to a tee, save for the glasses, but he didn't seem to care at all. He just stood there with his goofy grin, massive mop of hair, oversized t-shirt and baggy jeans loosely hanging from his lanky frame, and much more reason to be embarrassed in public than I have. But not only did he stand there, he basically emphasized his oddness by opening his mouth and letting out sounds, probably without thinking about them beforehand... or afterward.

None of it bothered him. He never stopped. His endless cycle of confidence was astounding, especially to a person like me, who has trouble just saying one word to a person. He could spew out a thousand words and never think twice about any of them.

 

So, that fifty-eighth day was almost a first day for me, in a way. It was the day that I decided to proactively change my life for the better. No longer would I be timid little Jonny Buckland. No longer would I be afraid to say what I think, paranoid that one small thing could turn the whole world against me. No longer would I care that I'm not always one hundred percent correct one hundred percent of the time.

 

It was from that day on that I aspired to be brave, even if I wasn't sure it would work. And actually, as insane as it makes me, it was from that day on that I aspired to be Chris.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

 

 

“Katie.. Kaatie.” Chris was gently rubbing Katie’s shoulder and whispering her name to wake her up. Katie cracked one eye open and looked around. The first thing she noticed was that it was no longer sunny and that the car had stopped moving.

 

“Chris, what time is it?”

 

“Love, it’s 2 in the morning, we just arrived at your parents house. You’ve been asleep for awhile, and I think I need to get you inside in your nice warm bed.”

 

“Mmm, that sounds lovely, I hope that bed includes you.”

 

“Haha, well that depends on where your mum has me staying.”

 

“Oh, damn. My mum is so proper. That probably means you’re in the guest room.”

 

“Don’t worry dear, I might make an appearance.” Chris said with his sideways grin.

 

“Oh that would be nice.. I’m so tired Chris, I don’t think I will be able to make it to the door without falling asleep.”

 

Chris was already out of the car and opening Katie’s door as she slipped back into unconsciousness. Sliding his hands around her he gradually picked her up out of the car. He walked up to the door, which was opened by Katie’s mum. Chris whispered his hellos, and then proceeded to walk up the stairs and tuck Katie into her bed.

 

Like he does every night, he kissed her forehead, blew her a kiss at the door, and wished his Katherine, sweet dreams.

 

Walking back down the stairs Chris went and grabbed the luggage from the car boot. Katie’s mum directed Chris to his bedroom and then bid him goodnight.

 

Closing the door behind him, Chris looked around the guest room. He had been in almost every room in the house, except this room and Katie’s parent’s room.

 

The room had a big wooden bed with a fluffy white duvet and an arrangement of pillows of different sizes and shapes. Most of the walls were painted the simple eggshell white, except for one, which was the accent wall. It was painted in tiffany box blue and covered with hundreds of different picture frames. But the frames we’re not just placed on the wall in disarray but in a fashionable manner.

 

It wasn’t the wall color or the many frames that intrigued Chris, but the pictures that were in the frames. The wall was full of pictures of the family, Katie, her sister, her mum and dad, and surprisingly Chris. Chris just laughed and shook his head at the pictures of him and Katie.

 

“Geez, I was such a dork in high school! I have no idea why Katie even hung out with me in public, I had braces and stupid hair, and wore ridiculous clothes.”

 

Chris eyes we’re glancing over more photos when one caught his eye. It was a picture from about 4 years ago, when he and Katie first moved into their flat together. They were laughing at each other with tears rolling down their faces, due to the fact that the box Chris had been carrying. The bottom broke and all of Katie’s bras and underwear fell out. Chris was so embarrassed, but then Katie just started laughing. The thing about Katie is once she starts laughing its contagious, and you just can’t help but laugh too. Chris was just such an example of her contagious laughter and he too burst out laughing.

 

***Flashback***

 

~Flash~ “Haha you kids are going to have such a great time living together.” Mrs. O’Connell said as she wound the camera after taking the picture of Chris and Katie.

 

“Best of luck this term, ter’ the both of yah! I’ve got to catch me train home dears. Oh Katherine darlin’ don’t forget what I told ya! And to you Mr. Martin!” Katie’s mum grabbed Chris’ checks and said. “ You best, not let anything happen to my Katherine, yah hear?”

 

“Mrs. O’Connell I promise to take care of your daughter till’ the day I die!” Chris said as he quickly shot a smile in Katie’s direction.

 

“That a boy!” Mrs. O’Connell patted Chris checks and then gave her daughter a farewell hug and got into the taxi that was waiting to take her to the train station.

 

Katie and Chris waved goodbye at her taxi until it rounded the corner. Then Chris picked Katie up and tossed her over his shoulder and carried her into their flat.

 

“CHRIS!! Put me down you big ape.. Oh! Um Hi!” Chris spun around to see whom Katie was saying hi too.

 

“Oh Hey man! My name is Christopher, but you can call me Chris and this.. hehe this is Katherine!”

 

“Shut up Chris! I can introduce myself, if you would put me down!” Katie said as she began to hit Chris’ back with her hands.

 

“Alright, alright already women!” Chris said as he flipped Katie over his shoulder and put her down on the ground.

 

“Right, like he said I’m Katherine, but you can call me Katie!” she said as she stretched forth her hand to shake the strangers hand.

 

“Hi, Katie, Chris! My name is Jonathon, but it seems we all have names we prefer here hehe, well so do I! You can call me Jonny.” Jonny flashed them a smile and a wink of his stunning earth green eyes.

 

“Hi, Jonny! So are you our other flat mate?” Chris asked.

 

“I believe so! I would help you guys bring the rest of your stuff inside, but I’m off to meet my friend Will. But we will hang out later and get to know each other better!” Jonny smiled at Chris and then smiled at Katie. He did a quick head to toe eye glance of her, smiled larger and then headed out the door and down the road.

 

“Well, he seems nice!” Katie exclaimed!

 

“Hmm, I think he wants’ you.. he gave you the look.. I don’t like him! Plus he was too nice!”

 

“Grow up Chris! Just because he gave me the ‘I want you in my bed’ look doesn’t mean anything” Katie chuckled. “Seriously? Your not getting in my bed either, so don’t you go giving me the look.”

 

“Aww!” Chris said with his puppy dog eyes and pouty lip. “Well it was worth a shot.”

 

“Hahaha, whatever Christopher Anthony John Martin!” Katie said as she rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.

 

“Hmm.. and for using my full name I will now punish you by tickling you to death!” Chris said as he lunged toward Katie!

 

***End of flashback***

 

Chris smiled one more time at that photo then crawled into bed and turned off the lights. He was a lucky man to have Katherine. To see her smile was like seeing a shooting star, only a few people see it, and get to make a wish, well only a few see Katie smile and he wanted to be one of the few that made her truly smile.

 

He knew that one day he would have Katherine to hold and cherish for forever and he couldn’t wait, but he had an obstacle in his way. Her dad.

 

 

Between Sheets

 

 

 

I wake up as the first ray of sunshine lights up our blue tent. I blink a little in the faint light. I shiver a little at the cold morning air. I get a flash of understanding why Guy and Will decided to stay at a bed and breakfast. But I don’t worry for long. Soon it’ll be hot as an oven in here.

 

I snuggle down into my sleeping bag. I look over at you. You have your sleeping bag wrapped around your middle. Apparently the cold doesn’t bother you; something which I’m very grateful for. I smile at the sight of you. Your face is smushed into your pillow and your broad back rises with every breath you take. You’re still wearing your cap, albeit it is a bit askew. I reach up from my sleeping bag and touch the curly hair at the nape of your neck. You sigh in your sleep. I can’t stop smiling.

 

I gently move my hand down your back and little goose bumps appear where I touch you. Your skin is rosy. I guess your English complexion can’t handle the sun. I should have been more adamant about rubbing sun lotion on you, but it’s easy to be distracted by the sight of you in shorts.

 

I’ll make sure to remember to protect you from harmful rays today. I remain unscathed as I mostly sat in the shadow, reading. Well, pretending to be reading. It’s wonderful what you can get away with while wearing sunglasses. Guy and Will didn’t notice a thing. I watched you all afternoon. It’s not that they don’t know about us. I just think it’s rude to throw our love in their faces, as Guy is still single.

 

I’m getting off topic. Where was I? Oh, yes. Your back. I shift my sleeping bag closer to yours. How did we get so far away from each other during the night anyway?

 

I softly place a kiss on your shoulder. I startle as you turn your face towards me and your drowsy green eyes sparkle at me.

 

“Good morning.” You smile and I smile and it feels like where trapped in our own little dream world.

 

I take a deep breath and desperately press my mouth against yours. I’m assuming, for various reasons, that the throaty moan isn’t a moan of protest from your part. Mostly because your hands immediately tangle in my hair and you pull me closer.

 

I was right; soon it’ll be hot as an oven in here.

 

 

THUNDER

 

 

 

 

The rain mercilessly beat against the roof in a desperate attempt to pierce through the hard surface. The sound echoed through the small room, and despite its brute intentions, the rain calmed the young man laying in his bed. Jonny always loved the rain, loved the little patter of raindrops that always stood out to him even if the room was filled with all sorts of other noise.

 

This very morning it helped him relax as he slowly allowed himself to wake up. Jonny usually took ten or fifteen minutes to just lay in bed before he actually got up. He knew even without having to open his eyes that the other side of the bed was empty; he could just feel the lack of body heat radiating from that area. He was used to that though, and it was fine as long as he didn't have to go to bed alone. That is, there was always someone with him as he fell asleep, but rarely when he woke up.

 

By this time Chris would have already been up for several hours, and have spent most of that time running around the neighborhood. Jonny thought he was crazy for going out so early, but he certainly wasn't complaining about the fit shape it put Chris in. His lean limbs shimmering with sweat as he walked inside the tiny house, his chest rising and falling dramatically and angelically with every heavy breath he took, and then those curls laying sleek and wet against Chris's smooth skin after he showered. Sometimes Jonny thought about sneaking in while Chris was still in the shower, but he was much too shy to do that, though it wasn't like he'd be seeing anything he hadn't seen before.

 

Jonny rolled over and stretched his arms across the sheets. He laid like that, just staring up at the ceiling, for about a minute or so before he stood up and dressed himself. He thought about what to have for breakfast- and what to make for Chris, because he loved to make breakfast for Chris- a train of thought that was shortly interrupted by the realization that he hadn't grabbed his own clothes. At least, he seemed to be wearing pink boxers that he never remembered purchasing or owning. But he shrugged it off and just continued on like it was nothing. Chris had probably worn Jonny's clothes enough times, too.

 

The fridge was on its way to being raided, the door nearly halfway open, when Jonny heard the awful noise. It was a low, long rumbling that he knew wasn't coming from his stomach, even though he was seriously hungry. He also guessed that it only sounded low because it was muffled by the building; usually the thunder storms that occurred were thought to be distant by he and Chris, until, of course, their power shut off.

 

Jonny slammed the refrigerator door shut and almost ran to put on his shoes. He completely skipped over grabbing a jacket, and nearly forgot to take his keys with him. He walked around to their small garage and noticed that he'd accidentally taken the keys to his motorcycle rather than to their car, but he quickly decided that it didn't matter. He hastily threw on his helmet and kicked the bike into gear.

 

The roads were wet, of course, and he soon regretted not going back for the car keys. The rain pelted him, and even though he wasn't going very fast it still felt like bullets shattering into his skin. He navigated the small streets with relative ease, apart from the slick pavement and streams of rain running down the wind guard on his helmet, but he couldn't seem to find Chris anywhere. Steadily, the thunder grumbled into a roar, and Jonny pulled back the throttle and accelerated to the highest level he was comfortable with. He thought he saw several flashes of lightning dance across the sky, which only worried him more.

 

After five solid minutes of searching, about a ten minute running distance from their house, Jonny finally found Chris slowly making his way down the sidewalk. Through the rain it was difficult for him to see much, but he quickly recognized Jonny speeding down the road towards him. He ran into the road and waited for Jonny to pull up beside him.

 

“What are you doing?” Chris asked through deep breaths.

 

“I came out here to take you back home,” Jonny answered. “I didn't want you running around when it's storming like this, I mean, something could happen to you-”

 

“So, you took the bike out to find me?” Chris sweetly laughed. He flicked a few stray strands of hair out of his eyes and wiped the water off his face, even though it was only to be replaced by more raindrops.

 

“I grabbed the wrong keys.” Jonny sheepishly bowed his head down and Chris smiled at him. Then Jonny felt the bike move as Chris sat behind him, and his arms soon wrapped around Jonny's waist, his chin resting on Jonny's shoulder as his hot breath flew towards Jonny's exposed neck. As much as Jonny loved that feeling, he groaned in disgust and threw his hands up in the air. “And I left your helmet in the garage!”

 

“You're so sweet, Jonny. I love you,” Chris said quietly into Jonny's ear. Chris tightened his hold a little, and Jonny felt a sense of relief large enough to allow himself to place his hands back on the motorcycle.

 

“I love you, too, Chris.” With that, the two men set off down the road and headed for their small house, the rain beating them down all the way back. But Chris had a brilliant idea when they finally did return home, and to warm both of them up and repay Jonny for his kindness he pulled Jonny into the steaming shower with him. Neither of them minded, of course, but the water started to get cold before any real showering had been done.

 

Find a Penny

 

 

 

This morning on the sidewalk as I stepped out of my truck, I found there laying on the ground a token of good luck. I picked the thing up from its place and examined it with great care. Then suddenly a quite tall man came right out of nowhere. He ran into me with so much force that I was knocked down to my feet, but he helped me up so kindly and offered me a deal that was way sweet.

 

“If you promise not to be mad,” he said, “at me for causing your fall, then I can help you out, I think, if you'd like to have the best job of all.” I thought for a minute or so, not sure what to make of this. While I pondered, he held out his hand and said, “By the way, I'm Chris.”

 

“What is it you can do for me, Chris?” I asked with great curiosity.

 

He smiled at me and in return explained the nature of his generosity.

 

“You look like a man who could use a break, a star soon to be shone. You see, what I need right now is a man to place on the throne. That is to say, you'll be a king in a not-so-conventional way. Well, what I really mean is that we're lacking in a manager during the day. You seem like you'd be a great man to choose to supervise the workers in the store. They're very hard workers, mind, but our last man walked through the door. He said that it wasn't enough for him and no more hours would he commit, but I think you'd be right for the spot. So, what do you say, are you up for it?”

 

Imagine that, oh, what a strange thing to have happen in such a fashion! But I was in no shape to turn down this opportunity, and so I replied with compassion, “Oh yes, indeed, I am, good sir! And if it's not too much to ask, when will I be starting, then? Only, I've to finish another task, but once I'm finished with this job here, I'd be glad to work for you. And is it a little assumptive to say that my minimum wage days are through?”

 

“Of course they're done, my man, we only give our employees the best! Now, please just give your name and address, and I think I can handle the rest.”

 

“My name is Jonathan Buckland, and I live quite far from town, but if you give me a paper, then I'll write the address down.”

 

He handed me a clean, new sheet and a pen with which to write. I scribbled it down and gave it back and I felt my future would be bright.

 

So strange that encounter was that I couldn't believe it was real! I mean, the position of manager in any store is a big deal. To give it away to a man you met just for a minute or so is actually rather silly, as you should give it to someone you know. Someone who could be trustworthy, someone you know is not a slob. But hey, I can't really complain since now I have a job.

 

The things some luck can do for you are astounding in my mind. I'd like to think what would've happened if that penny I didn't find.

 

Would I have met the man called Chris? Would I have ever fell?

Sometimes you just have to wonder but no one can ever tell.

 

The Devil Inside Me.

 

 

 

You are staring at me from across the room. There is passion in your blue eyes. I know the look you are giving me. You have a desire that you want me to fulfill. You have had that look in your eyes since the day we met but, lately you had been set on fire.

 

Your thin housecoat is draped over your shoulders. You are dressed in even thinner pajamas and yet all I can think of is how much I want to rip them off your thin body. How much I want to hold you in my arms. How much I want to succumb to my thoughts and wants. Not my wants, my needs.

 

I need you. As I watch you give me that seductive expression, I feel myself weaken. You should not be allowed to live with yourself. Your endless flirting should make you the perfect victim for Hell. No man should have that type of power over a being.

 

The power you have over me is inhuman, immoral, and wrong. How I want to just cross this distance we call a floor and pounce on you. To attach my hands in your blonde curls. I want to kiss those cherry lips and taste the sweetness of the fruit I may not have.

 

I want to have all of you; I want to be with you. I want it all. I need all of you. I cannot live without you near me. I need your mouth to hover above me and to whisper my name. I need to hear the lovely voice sing me to sleep each night.

 

You know my thoughts across the room; you smirk and raise your eyebrows slowly. You treat yourself like bait. If you want me come and get me, you send toward me. The animal inside me takes over and suddenly the floor which was once a short distance feels like it takes forever to cross.

 

I am upon you and we are kissing fiercely. I do not know who started, who ended and who was in which part of the other. All I knew was this was the closest I could come to living inside you. How I wanted to be inside you and feel everything you do.

 

All the burning passion trapped me into my body. I could not express my feeling accurately without my body getting in the way.

 

Suddenly you part from my mouth and move to my ear “Jonathon…” You moan. Your hands are running over my bed clothes and you pull off my shirt. I slowly pull yours off and kiss your chest after it is removed.

 

“We will burn in Hell for our sins Christopher.” I say whilst I slip a hand beneath the waist of your trousers for the slightest of moments.

 

“God does not want us to be. We are a scandal. I have never heard of two men doing this. I have never met some.” You do the same to me but, stay beneath the fabric much longer than I dared.

 

“We are criminals.” I say, bitterly.

 

“Ah, but my dear, we are criminals of love.” You assure me. I do not know what to believe.

 

“It is the nineteenth century, Chris. If things like this haven’t become normal, when will they be?”

 

“I do not care if it is legal, Jon. I will do what I please to you.” You begin to move down once again.

 

“Burn. We will burn. We will burn in Hell for our sins. We will burn for eternity but, I do not mind. I will burn in Hell with you, that is all I need to know.”

 

“If we burn in Hell together, than it makes no difference what happens now and then. They are so similar we could be dead now.” You are mine, Christopher, I am yours. We are forbidden by society but, we do not mind. For the Devil lives inside us.

 

 

18.

A fanfic I wrote for the Chrissygirls.

 

CHAPTER 1

 

 

 

 

DEAR CHRIS,

 

YOU ARE INVITID TO MY 9TH BIRTDAY PARTY ON SATURDAY. EVERBODYS COMING AT 5 BUT

 

MUM SAYS YOU CAN COME WHEN YOU WANA. YOU CAN SLEEP OVER TOO. WE WILL HAVE

 

LOTZ OF CAKE. YOU CAN COME EVEN THOU YOU ARE A BOY.

 

LOVE YOUR BEST FRIEND CATHRYN.

 

 

Maria,

 

Just writing to let you know that Chris would love to attend Cathryn’s birthday party on

 

Saturday. Since I have to drop his younger brother Adam off at football practice, I hope it’s

 

okay if I drop Chris off at 3. He’s very excited.

 

All the best,

 

Angela Martin.

 

 

CATHRYN: I cant believe all that cake fell on mum at my party!

 

CHRIS: Ms. Levinson’s gonna cee us passing notes again!

 

CATHRYN: Oh shush. Since when do you care what Miss Big Nose Levinson says?

 

CHRIS: My mum will kill me if I get in trouble again she and dad are fighting again and she says she cant handle all my crap.

 

CATHRYN: Mum says that every day to me.

 

CHRIS: Your mums hilarious. Specially when she kurses and has cake all over her outfit.

 

CATHRYN: Thanks for the song you wrote for me. It was funny.

 

CHRIS: Guitar lessons are hard. You should no that since you failed music class!!

 

CATHRYN: How many times do I have to tell you Chris Martin? It’s KNOW not NO. Will you ever learn?

 

CHRIS: Nahh.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

 

 

 

CHRIS: I can’t believe they’re making us take exams already. Don’t they no we’re only 15?!?!

 

CATHRYN: I KNOW whatcha mean. I’m so failing this test anyways. What’s the capital of Spain, by the way? Madrid?

 

CHRIS: I think so. So what are we going to do for my birthday, Cathryn Briar? I’ll be the big 1-6 in a week you know.

 

CATHRYN: Believe me, I have something planned.

 

CHRIS: Really? Like a Stratocaster 1700 12 string hollow electric?!

 

CATHRYN: Those things are like a billion dollars. Just make sure you’re free Saturday.

 

CHRIS: I’m not free on Saturday.

 

CATHRYN: What?! What could you possibly be doing that’s more important than me?

 

CHRIS: I have a date.

 

CATHRYN: With who?! Your piano? Because that joke is getting really old.

 

CHRIS: Why do you always have to know my business?

 

CATHRYN: I’m your best friend! Now spit it out, Martin! Who is she?!

 

CHRIS: Camille.

 

CATHRYN: Camille Lively? The really rich girl that always calls me Katie?

 

CHRIS: Yeah.

 

CATHRYN: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

 

CHRIS: Don’t laugh! She’s really nice! We’re going to see Pocahontas.

 

CATHRYN: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

 

CHRIS: I hate you.

 

CATHRYN: Fine. Grow up with your rich girlfriend instead of me and have lots of rich babies and live in a big rich house. What do I care?

 

CHRIS: Our babies will be made of fifteen carrot gold.

 

CATHRYN: Ugh, men.

 

CHRIS has logged on.

 

You have an instant message from CHRIS.

 

CHRIS: Is this working? Ah, it is! Thanks so much for the computer, mum!

 

ANGELA: You’re welcome, luv. Do you need something? Your date with Camille is in a few minutes.

 

CHRIS: Yeah, I just wanted to tell you I hate women. I might be gay.

 

ANGELA: Why’s that, son? Camille didn’t dump you, did she?

 

CHRIS: She says there’s this kid on the football team that she thinks is hot.

 

ANGELA: Oh honey, I’m so sorry. You two have only been going out for a week and a half! She doesn’t know what she’s missing.

 

CHRIS: Thanks, mum.

 

ANGELA: Why don’t you talk to Cathryn about it? I’m sure she’ll be able to cheer you up.

 

You have an instant message from CATHRYN.

 

CATHRYN: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

CHRIS: Shut up. At least I didn’t go to the school dance with Mr. Big Nose Brian Daley!

 

CATHRYN: I guess we’re even?

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 3

 

CATHRYN has logged on.

You have an instant message from CATHRYN.

CATHRYN: Natalie, I just don’t know what to do. This is horrible.

 

NATALIE: Lay it on me, string bean.

 

CATHRYN: So you know how my eighteenth birthday was yesterday?

 

NATALIE: Still pissed at you for not inviting me.

 

CATHRYN: WHY do I keep having to tell you? I DIDN’T have a party. Now stop interrupting.

 

NATALIE: I… fine.

 

CATHRYN: So for the past few weeks Chris has been bragging about how he had a wonderful evening out all planned for me. Just the two of us, some beers and some music. Sounds absolutely perfect, right?

 

Well, he comes and picks me up around five and we go to our bench on Parliament Hill. I told you about that bench, right? We must’ve started meeting there when we were five. It’s on the very top of the hill with the most gorgeous view of London. It’s so peaceful. We always sit there for hours. So yesterday, we went there and had dinner. Fish and chips, and he even had fried chocolate candy bars from Edinburgh! I’ve been craving them for the past month, too! Oh, it was a wonderful, super chocolaty and fatty dinner.

 

Then, almost three hours later, after stuffing our faces, he wanted to give me my birthday present.

 

NATALIE: And… what was it?

 

NATALIE: Cath? Cath are you there?

 

NATALIE: BLOODY HELL WHAT WAS IT?!?

 

CATHRYN: A song.

 

NATALIE: Go on!!

 

CATHRYN: A love song.

 

NATALIE: Oh. Oh dear.

 

CATHRYN: A beautiful love song about my green eyes. N, he told me he has feelings for

me.

 

NATALIE: And?! What did you do?!

 

CATHRYN: I kissed him.

 

NATALIE: Well it’s about bloody time!

 

CATHRYN: What the hell are you talking about?

 

NATALIE: Come on, you two have known each other since you were five! You grew up together! You’re best friends! It’s about bloody time you got together.

 

CATHRYN: That’s the thing, Natalie. I don’t know if we’re together.

 

NATALIE: What? What happened after you kissed him?

 

CATHRYN: Phil and Jonny came along and wanted to take me on the London Eye.

 

NATALIE: Oh, that’s so posh. Did they see you two?

 

CATHRYN: No, but I’m sure they’re talking about it right now.

　

　

CHRIS: So then you two came along and we just stopped. We didn’t say a word.

 

PHIL: So that’s why you two were acting so awkward the rest of the night!

 

CHRIS: Phil, I think she may be the one.

 

PHIL: Really? Why?

 

CHRIS: We had the awkward silence.

 

PHIL: Isn’t that bad?

 

CHRIS: No! Not at all! The awkward silence is what tells you this relationship is right. This

awkward silence is what tells you this relationship is real.

 

PHIL: She looked really pale when we went to that parade.

 

CHRIS: She’s so beautiful.

 

PHIL: You wouldn’t drink a thing at the bar.

 

CHRIS: And warm. And so funny.

 

PHIL: CHRIS!

 

CHRIS: Hm?

 

PHIL: This is a weird question, but I have to ask.

 

CHRIS: Shoot.

 

PHIL: After Jon and I left, did you two-- you know--

 

CHRIS: No! She left a few seconds after you. Barely said a word. Haven’t spoken to her

since.

　

　

　

NATALIE: A whole 24 hours of not speaking to each other! That must be a new record for you two!

 

CATHRYN: Oh shut up. Uuuuugh, Natalie, I feel sick.

 

NATALIE: Okay, okay, calm down.

 

　

　

PHIL: Just take a deep breath. Answer this question for me.

Are you one hundred percent sure you’re attracted to her?

　

　

CATHRYN: Natalie, I’m falling for him.

　

CHRIS: Of course. Why would I write her that song? I’ve felt this way for about a year now. I’m certain.

 

PHIL: Alright then. I think you should e-mail her, or write her a letter or…something along those lines.

　

　

Hey Cath,

Sorry to leave this under your door but, I tried to call and there was no answer. I know you’re off being an amazing painter and all, but I just had to say this. If that was weird the other week, I’m really really sorry. I didn’t want it to be, and I honestly had no idea those idiots would even show up. I just, I don’t really know what else to say.

I still feel the way I did when I wrote you that song. I hope you still feel the way you did when you kissed me.

Any way, call me, e-mail me, come over, whatever. I miss talking to you.

Loving you always,.

Chris.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 4

 

 

 

 

FROM: CATHRYN BRIAR

TO: CHRIS MARTIN

SUBJECT: GREAT news!

 

 

Chris! You're never going to believe the news I have! I would've come over to tell you in person, but with all the snow outside, I couldn't get the damn car out of the driveway. Okay, you ready for the news? Here it goes... oh, you're going to flip!

 

 

I've been accepted to The New York Academy of Art!

 

 

You're the very first person to know! The letter came in just minutes ago! I snatched it from the mailman, scanned the letter, saw “congratulations” and came to my laptop to tell you. I plan on letting my parents know as soon as I finish typing this. Oh, how thrilled they'll be! They'll probably book a flight all the way back from their silly meeting in Tokyo!

 

 

Joking. We both know that the only thing keeping them from abandoning their poor painter daughter is the fear of... well... jail.

 

 

Oh well, I don't give a shit what they thing. I care what you think. I know this means I'm moving away but come on, I'll just be a plane ride away! It won't be that bad. I promise.

 

 

Contact me SOMEHOW. It's lonely in this big house all by myself. New. York. City, Chris. The big apple!

Love and miss you,

Cathryn.

 

 

FROM: Chris Martin

TO: Cathryn Briar

SUBJECT: Letter?

 

 

Did you get my letter? I placed it under your door last night. It was pretty important.

 

 

FROM: Cathryn Briar

TO: Chris Martin

SUBJECT: Can you read?

 

 

No, no letter. Is everything alright? Did I do something wrong?

 

 

FROM: Chris Martin

TO: Cathryn Briar

SUBJECT: Re: Can you read?

 

 

Cathryn, listen to me carefully. You need to tell me the names of every single person who's been in your house in the last 24 hours.

 

 

FROM: Cathryn Briar

TO: Chris Martin

SUBJECT: You okay?

 

 

Everything alright with you? Girl trouble? Not dating Camille Lively for the 10,000th time, are you? I thank the Lord every day knowing she's finally moving to France, where she belongs.

Anyway, the only person to come into my house over the past day was Jonny. We went to lunch to talk about... well, to talk about what happened between you and I. I'm sure by now we both agree that was all the alcohol talking, right?

Is that why you're acting odd? Did you even get my e-mail about college?

 

 

 

 

You have an instant message from CHRIS.

 

 

CHRIS: Why the fuck did you take my letter?!?!

 

 

JONNY: Because I knew you were making a huge mistake.

 

 

CHRIS: Huge mistake!? I'm in love with her, Phil! I need to know how she feels about me.

 

 

JONNY: She feels that her birthday was just the alcohol you two had been drinking.

 

 

CHRIS: Did you tell her that when you had your little talk?!

 

 

JONNY: Yes, I did.

 

 

CHRIS: And did you tell her I felt the same way?

 

 

JONNY: Yes.

 

 

CHRIS: One more question, Jon. Why the fuck are you out to ruin my life?

 

 

JONNY: Oh come on, Chris. Don't be such a drama queen.

You never thought about your feelings for her logically. Reality isn't like the soap operas you see on TV. You can't just run away together and have lots of babies and live happily ever after. You've been accepted to University College London. You knew before that all the schools she applied to are hundreds of miles away, and the one she just got accepted to is over an ocean. You'll visit her over the holidays, right? Yeah, I'm sure you will for some. She'll be incredibly busy balancing school, her art and her own business, while all at once trying to become a successful artist. You'll be over here balancing school and trying to form a successful band. Not to mention other men for her, and other women for you. She's a beautiful, great girl and American men are incredibly aggressive. (You're my best friend, and I hate being this honest. But it's true...) I bet you my next paycheck that she starts dating the second she gets off that plane. She's moving, Chris. Time for you both to move on with your lives.

 

 

And what about after college? Does she abandon her dreams to travel around the world with you when you're a successful rock star? Do you move to New York? Does she move to London? Honestly Chris, I did you a favor by throwing out that letter.

 

 

JONNY: You there?

 

 

CHRIS: Do me a favor, Jon. Don't talk to me for a while.

 

 

CHRIS has logged off.

 

 

FROM: Chris Martin

TO: Cathryn Briar

SUBJECT: My (horrible) behaviour.

 

 

Cathryn,

I apologize for acting so odd with you lately. I never meant to make you believe I didn't care. You got accepted to one of the best art schools in the country! That's unbelievable! You deserve all the happiness you have and more.

 

 

I guess the fact that you're moving over 4000 miles away kind've freaked me out. You're the best friend a guy could ever ask for, and you're one of the few people in my life who ever supported my dream of becoming a musician, and without you here, I no I'll just crumble into a thousand pieces, on stage, hundreds of people watching. But I also no if I keep you from your dreams I won't be your best friend, I'll be your worst enemy.

 

So go on, young pattowa. Follow your dreams. Conquer your fears. Become the next Picasso. When you come home, you'll no where to find me.

 

 

Love,

Chris.

 

 

NATALIE: Aw, how sweet! Why did you call you “pattowa”?

 

 

CATHRYN: Natalie, you have to STOP reading my e-mails!

 

 

NATALIE: How can I resist? Your lives are like some corny soap opera.

 

 

CATHRYN: He never told me what was in that letter.

 

 

NATALIE: Naked pictures of himself.

 

 

CATHRYN: Oh Jesus Christ. I can't believe I'm rooming with you for the next four years... maybe more.

 

 

NATALIE: Can you believe we're going to school in the same city?

 

 

CATHRYN: Chris is still pretty bummed about it all. I can't even believe our flight leaves tomorrow already. It's all happening so fast.

 

 

NATALIE: Aren't you bummed about it too? I mean, you two are never away from each other.

 

 

CATHRYN: More than I can even describe to you, N. I'm going to miss him like crazy.

 

 

NATALIE: That's because you luuuuv each other.

 

 

CATHRYN: Oh stop with that! It was over four months ago and it was all so silly.

 

 

NATALIE: Riiight.

 

 

CATHRYN: I get the window seat for this.

 

 

NATALIE: Oh, so not fair!!

 

 

 

 

FROM: Cathryn Briar

TO: Chris Martin.

SUBJECT: None.

 

 

So tomorrow's the big day, and I have such mixed feelings about it all. I know everything will work out. I mean, this is just temporary, right?

 

But still.

 

 

I need you to promise me, Christopher Anthony Johnathan Martin, promise me that I won't be forgotten about behind all the new, wonderful things in your life. WHEN you become a HUGE rock star with billions of dollars, hundreds of fans, and dozens of women throwing themselves on you (I think they'll get lost in your long hair) you won't forget about your best friend Cathryn.

 

 

Promise you'll visit whenever you can? Of course, I'll do the same thing. I'll drain my entire bank account if I can just come home for a day and hang out with you. Whenever I feel down, you always cheer me right up, more than anyone else can. You gotta cheer me up, Martin. It's your duty in life!

 

 

I'll see you soon, luv.

 

 

Cathryn.

 

 

 

R42: Keep it a Secret

 

 

 

 

a short fic inspired by this video:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taUiyfgOxw8]YouTube- Interview to Chris and Johny from their Latin American Tour by R42[/ame]

 

or, skip to the story:

 

 

“I think Jonny has really got a lot to say about it.”

 

Jonny cocked his head up and stuttered, “A-about what?”

 

He stared deep into Chris's eyes and started to panic. It wasn't his fault he couldn't keep his concentration when he was sitting next to the most beautiful man on the planet. And the flash of Chris's tongue as he wet his lips did nothing help.

 

“You know what- what- you know, about that thing,” Chris vaguely replied. Jonny's nerves settled a little and he smiled to himself. Then Chris turned back to Miller. “What was the question, man?”

 

“Erm...” Miller thought for a moment, ponderously pushing his glasses up. “Eh, forget it, I'll think of a new question. Let's see... oh, well, were you nervous? Did you get nervous before the first gig?”

 

Jonny figured that he should be the one to answer, and so he took a few seconds to prepare what he would say. “Yeah... but, uh, not at all once we started playing.”

 

“Once we started playing we were like... we were like, high or something. It felt fantastic, if I'm honest. ” Chris gave a little laugh, and turned to Jonny, who was also chuckling. “Although, Guy might have been, 'cause I thought I saw him hanging with one of the roadies and that dressing room smelled kinda funky when I went in there.”

 

“Yeah, it did, didn't it?” Jonny laughed. “But I don't think that's fair to say that when Guy's not even here.”

 

“Fine,” Chris rolled his eyes, which Jonny always thought looked lovely despite the sarcasm behind it, “I'll say something about Will later on to balance it out.”

 

“What are you going to say about him?”

 

Chris chewed his lip and looked up at the ceiling. He shot his head over in Miller's direction and said, “You're Roadie 42? Do people know just how lovely you are? Do they know how important you are?”

 

“Oh, well, that's...” Miller began, obviously flattered by Chris's questions. In the background, Jonny silently messed with his beard, laughing at what was being said, but focusing on wishing that Chris would say something like that about him instead. “I'm just a small cog in a big machine.”

 

Chris shrugged and replied, “Same here, we all are. We're all just working for Will Champion. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it always will be.” The room burst with laughter, and Chris winked at Jonny, whose heart fluttered hopelessly.

 

“So, without Will, there would be no Coldplay?”

 

“Well, in that sense, yeah, but there would be no Coldplay without any of us. It just wouldn't... work, you know? And especially... especially not without Jonny.” Jonny almost broke into a million pieces at the feel of Chris's hand resting on his thigh. Jonny slowly looked up at Chris. Chris had sounded so sincere, with a tone that was completely different from anything he'd ever heard Chris say before. And the look in his eyes was one Jonny and never seen before, either. It was almost as if his dreams were finally coming true.

 

“Oi, get a room already!” one of the passing crew shouted.

 

A few people laughed, and another crew member continued, “Yeah, and while you're at it, why don't you two just get married, eh?”

 

“In a heartbeat,” Jonny thought he heard Chris quietly say. But he wasn't sure that Chris had actually said it, and he didn't want to do anything stupid and risk the chance that he'd heard wrong. “You know what? I'm tired of this,” he said in a much clearer voice as he spun around to face Miller. “Is your camera still on?”

 

“Yeah,” Miller lamely replied.

 

“Good.” Chris turned again, but this time he repositioned his entire body so it was facing Jonny. “Jonny, everyone's always joking about this, even me sometimes, but it's really not something I find all that funny. For a very long time- since we met, probably- I've been... keeping it a secret. From you, from everyone... even from myself at first.”

 

The room was silent now, the people all listening intently to what Chris had to say. Of course, they all knew what he was going to say, but the sheer anticipation of it was enthralling. If Chris had been paying attention to them, he might have become rather nervous, but his focus was solely on Jonny.

 

“Jonny... Jonathan Mark Buckland... I wholeheartedly believe that you and I were meant to be together. You can think otherwise, that's fine. I mean, I'll be crushed, but I just wanted you to know that that's how I feel.”

 

Jonny glanced around the room; everyone was waiting for him to respond. He thought about using words, but thought of a better use for his mouth. He gracefully placed a soft kiss on Chris's lips, and it seemed almost unreal to the witnesses that it was actually happening. Finally, after all the years of painfully obvious flirting between the two, finally it led somewhere.

 

When they pulled apart, they smiled at each other and were accompanied by a chorus of “aww!”

 

“Now you've got to go and make some BuMabies,” Miller said. Chris turned to him with a look of confusion.

 

“Bu-what?” he asked.

 

“BuMabies... I shouldn't spend so much time looking at the fan forums.”

 

“What the fuck are BuMabies?”

 

“Buckland-Martin babies,” Miller innocently replied.

 

“I don't think we can actually make those by ourselves,” Jonny chimed in.

 

“You could try,” Miller said, “though I'm sure it'd be very hard.”

 

“Hey, that's the first step!” Chris cleverly retorted. It took Miller a few seconds to realize what Chris meant, but when he did he burst into a fit of laughter. Then he pointed to the camera and said, “Yeah, don't put that in. I already talk about porn enough, people are gonna think I'm some sort of sex fiend or something.”

 

 

Meaning Sometimes Nothing

 

 

 

_____

Jonny has entered the conversation.

 

_____

Will has entered the conversation.

 

Chris says:

Hey guys!

Guy says:

Helloooooo, people.

Will says:

Hey.

Jonny says:

Hi!

How are you all?

Will says:

I'm good.

Guy says:

I'm doing fine.

Chris says:

Fantastic!

How are you, Jonny?

Jonny says:

I'm very well.

By the way, Will, thank you for sending me those records.

They were great.

Will says:

You're welcome.

I knew you'd like them.

Jonny says:

Yeah.

So, what are you going to send me next? :P

Will says:

Oh.....do you have a place to keep a Longhorn steer? It is arriving on Tuesday.

Jonny says:

I think I have room in my closet.

Will says:

Good.

Guy says:

Are you sure? I don't know if it will fit... I mean, Chris is skinny, but he still takes up quite a bit of room.

Chris says:

HEY!!

Shut up, you don't even know what you're talking about!

Guy says:

Oh really? Because before Jonny and Will got here, you were telling me about that thing... hmm...

Chris says:

I told you that in confidence, Guy!

Please.

Jonny says:

Guy, leave him alone.

Chris says:

Thank you, Jonny.

Guy says:

I was going to... but just for that...

Chris says:

GUY!!!!

____

Chris has left the conversation.

Jonny says:

Guy, look what you did!

Guy says:

I didn't even say anything yet. Chill out.

Jonny says:

Get Chris back in here.

Guy says:

Why don't you do it?

I think he'll be more persuaded by you.

Jonny says:

Oh please.

Will says:

Actually, Guy has a point.

He'd probably listen to you more than the rest of us.

Jonny says:

…

OK.

 

 

 

Jonny says:

Hey...

Chris says:

:uhoh:

Jonny says:

Will you come back to the chat, please?

Chris says:

Um... maybe.

Jonny says:

Guy didn't say anything, if you're worried.

No, actually, forget that. I know you're worried.

But he didn't say anything.

Chris says:

He didn't?

Jonny says:

No.

Chris says:

Oh.

Well...

I guess I'll go back.

Jonny says:

Good.

 

 

 

 

_____

Chris has entered the conversation.

 

Will says:

Ehhhh, there he is!

Guy says:

Ah, Chris, we missed you, man.

Chris says:

Sure you did.

Guy says:

Sorry about before. I won't spill your secret.

Chris says:

You better not, or I'm gonna have to beat you.

Will says:

Haha.

Chris says:

What is funny about that??

I could beat Guy!

Will says:

Yeah, maybe in a singing competition.

MAYBE.

Chris says:

Why are you guys so mean to me??? :bigcry:

Guy says:

Because you act like a teenage girl.

Chris says:

I do not!!

Guy says:

Oh, Guy, I need your hellllppp! I need to get Jonny to notice meeeeeee, because I LOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEE HIMMMMM. Ooooh!

Will says:

:surprised:

Jonny says:

Oh...

Guy, you shouldn't have done that.

Guy says:

Why?

Jonny says:

Because it's something Chris told you in private!

If he wanted everyone else to know, he would have told everyone else.

Will says:

Yeah, as much as I like drama, Jonny's right.

That was a pretty lame thing to do, Guy.

Guy says:

Oh, so now it's gang up on Guy time?

Will says:

Yes it is

Guy says:

I don't need this.

Will says:

because you deserve it.

Jonny says:

You don't need this?

Guy says:

Right, I don't need this.

_____

Guy has left the conversation.

 

Jonny says:

I can't believe him!

Will says:

I can.

Unfortunately.

Jonny says:

… What happened to Chris?

Will says:

I don't know...

He's still in the room...

Chris, you didn't, like, pass out or anything, did you? :uhoh:

Chris says:

No... I didn't...

Um... Jonny... I...

Oh god

gkldnscawwm;fklna;FECALNEwc4;rlasanfckja

Jonny says:

Uh... I don't think that's a good sign...

Will says:

Shit!

Do you think we should call him or go check on him or something??

Jonny says:

Yeah, that might be a good idea.

Actually, maybe I shouldn't go.

You know, since... yeah.

Will says:

You're right.

Guy's logged off, hasn't he?

Jonny says:

I think so.

Will says:

Of course.

What a prick.

OK, I'm gonna go check on Chris. I'll talk to you later... hopefully everything will be all right.

Jonny says:

Yeah, you do that.

Will says:

Will you be here when I get back?

Jonny says:

Probably... I think I'm going to be here for a while.

It seems like I have quite a few things to think about.

Will says:

Oh, right.

Well, good luck.

Jonny says:

Thanks, I think I'm gonna need it.

And, good luck to you, too!

Will says:

Yeah.

OK, talk to you later.

Jonny says:

Bye.

_____

Will has left the conversation.

Chris says:

fklcneawocksn;vnno4q25rh3qiafcnndlga'rglaLvndckzsls;al'FLnnn;NFK

Jonny says:

Oh my.

 

my inspiration: The Beatles and Guy Berryman

 

Here Comes the Sun

 

 

Here comes the sun

In the light of your eyes

In the gaze of which

No one dares to deny

 

Here comes the sun

With the gleam of your smile

That lights up the world

For miles upon miles

 

Here comes the sun

In the warmth of your voice

Somewhere inside myself

Your tone fills a void

 

Constant, warm, and bright

You can be the sun

Brilliant, kind, and wise

Shining light of love

 

 

The Scientist

 

A collab by Katie and Brooke, for the lovely Dianna:kiss:

 

 

 

Part Uno!

 

 

The weather was fearsome to behold. Black clouds as thick as smog were galloping in like wild horses in flight. Sudden and powerful gusts of wind whipped around in all directions, making tree branches rattle and blades of grass shiver. The air was heavy and to be outside was to feel weighed down and powerless against the forces of nature.

 

But somewhere on that endless stretch of prairie one person held power and control over her element. In a shack-like house with the decades old paint job peeling off in the humidity to reveal the old and rotting wood that lay beneath it, one person directed everything that occurred. Maybe she would never have control over the weather, but she did have control over hundreds and hundreds of chemicals.

 

In just the proper amounts, these chemicals could be combined to create all sorts of wondrous things. All that was needed was pinch of luck and a skilled scientist acting as the puppet master. The weather could not be tamed, but those stubborn chemicals would bend to the will of any scientist on command. And on this muggy afternoon in the middle of nowhere, one scientist expertly demonstrated that.

 

On her well-polished lab table, a solution was beginning to bubble. When it had first been mixed to form its light pink color and low density makeup, there was barely a fizz to be seen at its surface. But now, a few short minutes later, it was bubbling properly. Dianna tried not to watch as the reaction progressed, but it was difficult. Patience was a virtue in the world of science but it was not one she had ever learned to cultivate.

 

The bubbling intensified and soon the liquid started to splash out of the container. “Oh shit!” Dianna cried. She ran frantically around her cluttered workspace, desperately seeking a cover for the beaker that was now spilling its contents. She sighed with relief when she finally managed to dig out a lid of the correct size. She scrambled back over to the beaker and covered it.

 

She took a deep breath to calm down. It’s okay, no harm done.

 

Her eyes widened in anticipation as the foaming liquid began to darken in color.

 

Almost ready! she enthused. She tried to contain her excitement but she couldn’t help but let out a little squeal at the prospect of obtaining the finished product. This discovery was going to blow away everyone in the scientific community.

 

But even more importantly, this was a personal victory. For many years she had been trying to achieve this reaction. Sure, this new solution was going to benefit mankind as a whole, but there were two people in particular that she had in mind that were going to profit as a result of this accomplishment. They were fellow scientists, but they were also two of her best friends.

 

The liquid was bubbling at a ferocious pace now. The pinkish color was now turning red. It was almost time.

 

Dianna glanced at her watch and frowned. Surely it is time now! she whined impatiently.

 

And then, as if on cue, the bubbling stopped completely. The surface of the liquid was calm. The deep red contents of the beaker looked vaguely like blood, but much thinner.

 

Eagerly she removed the cover and poured the beaker’s contents into two different cups, with equal parts in each one. In her haste, her long blonde hair dipped into the beaker, and the tip of it was stained red. She glanced at it and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t known for being cautious, either. This was further emphasized when she heard a knock at the door and almost knocked both cups over in her rush to answer it. Yes, even in this endless grassland one would receive a visitor every now and again.

 

But these visitors were expected. Her five dearest friends and fellow scientists were here to see the fruits of her many months of labor. She had invited them over that morning, for the night before she had dreamed that she would succeed this day and she had believed it. She looked at the two cups and smiled. She did a quick little dance, for good luck, or something like that.

 

Please let this work! she plead.

 

Then she opened the door to welcome her guests.

 

 

 

Sorry, nothing really happens in this first part. But the boys will appear in the next part:awesome:.

 

 

 

 

The Scientist

A collab by Katie and Brooke, for the lovely Dianna :heart:

 

 

 

Part Twooooooooooooo!

 

 

“It's... uh, it's beautiful,” Phil unconvincingly told her as he stared at the cups on the table. “You're dying your hair with blood, then?”

 

Dianna narrowed her eyes at Phil and replied, “It's not blood. And... I was just a little careless. Some of my hair fell into it.”

 

“Oh my, Dianna, are you OK?” There was soon a hand on her shoulder, and her vision was blocked by the appearance of two caring, blue eyes. Chris was bent over a little, since he was so tall, and Dianna was... well, not so tall.

 

“I'm fine, Chris, thank you. It was only my hair, and it didn't burn or anything. It's all good.”

 

Chris removed his hand and retreated to his spot next to Jonny. Jonny watched him with a look in his eyes that he thought no one would see, but Dianna noticed it. She'd always noticed it.

 

Dianna smiled and turned to the other three in the room. “This is awesome, trust me,” she said of the red concoction behind her.

 

“What is it made of?” Guy politely asked. He was always really focused on his work, which made him a brilliant scientist and a great boss, but his endless curiosity sometimes did more harm then good. In this case, it was fine, but Guy really had no filter on when to stop asking questions.

 

Dianna took a few minutes to remember and retell what it was made of, slowly counting off the ingredients on her fingers. When she was finished, she looked up at the five men and clapped her hands together.

 

“Well, that's great,” Will sarcastically replied. “What does it do?”

 

“Well-” Dianna began, before being cut off by a loud beeping noise. Chris jumped and checked his pager.

 

“Ah, shit, I have to run,” he said, fixing his shirt and lab coat. “Seems like there's some trouble with that thing I was working on, it keeps turning green.”

 

“Isn't it supposed to do that?” Guy asked.

 

“Yeah, interns are a little dense. You can tell them a million times what something does and what it's supposed to look like when it's done, and they'll still page you whenever any tiny little thing goes wrong. Or when they think it goes wrong.” Chris turned to Dianna. “Anyway, I'm sorry, but I have to run before this girl has a panic attack.”

 

“It's all right, I understand,” Dianna nodded.

 

“I should probably go, too,” Jonny interjected, trying to use the Chris-and-I-work-in-the-same-lab-so-it's-my-problem-too excuse, thinking that it would fool everyone. It didn't, but no one said anything to stop either of them.

 

“We'll do this later, yeah?” Chris called as he walked out the door.

 

Dianna rushed over and peeked out of the doorway, waiting until the moment where Chris and Jonny were far enough away from the room that there was no way she could be overheard by either of them. When that moment finally came, she spun around and excitedly hopped over to the three remaining men.

 

“This is perfect, because I have something to tell you guys!” she squealed with delight.

 

“Which is?” Guy held out his hand, urging her to continue.

 

“This potion,” she pointed behind her, “has amazing powers. Whoever drinks it will instantly say how they truthfully feel about any person they see.”

 

“What if they look at two people at once?” Phil snobbishly asked.

 

Guy, ignoring Phil completely, said to Dianna, “That sounds great. Have you tested it, though? Do you know that it works?”

 

“I haven't yet,” Dianna replied, “but... I was thinking that we have two perfect test subjects working here...”

 

“Neither of them are me, right?” Will asked in a frightened tone. “No offense to you, but I would not want to be a test subject.”

 

“No, I was thinking Chris and Jonny.”

 

“Chris and Jonny?” Phil snorted. “Why them?”

 

“Oh, please,” Dianna rolled her eyes, “like you guys haven't noticed the way those two are around each other?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean they obviously like each other!”

 

“Impossible. They're both straight, Dianna.”

 

“Even if they're straight, that doesn't mean they can't like other men. Just that they probably won't.” Dianna turned to Will and Guy. “You guys believe me, don't you?”

 

“I suppose,” Guy answered, and Will nodded in agreement. Dianna smiled widely, filled with hopeful excitement and wanting to scream with joy for the moment that two of her best friends finally admitted their feelings. And to think that she was behind it all, that it was because of her that they could be happy, made her feel totally invincible.

 

 

Mirrorball

Chapter 8

 

 

 

Out of pure good fortune a nurse happened to glance one of the windows that faced the little courtyard and notice the scene. She sprinted out immediately to where Chris lay and where Jonny was staring blankly at him. She tried in vain to get any sort of information from Jonny. He was in a state of shock.

 

However, although the nurse didn't know it, Jonny was aware of her presence. But he simply could not find a way to make his mouth move, or any part of him move for that matter. He was frozen in time. All he could think was that Chris was hurt. Chris was injured, there was something wrong with him. And he had a sinking suspicion that it was all his fault.

 

Jonny just watched, still as a statue, while the nurse felt for a pulse. Apparently she didn't find one because her movents became more frenzied. She took out her beeper and paged someone. Soon there was a team of three doctors rushing outside with a defibrillator. Then they were kneeling over Chris. One of them charged the paddles, and another gave the okay.

 

Again Jonny could do nothing but watch as the paddles made contact with Chris's chest, forcing it up with the powerful electricity being emitted. The third doctor held Chris down to prevent further injury as a result from the jolting. This process was repeated several times as Jonny looked on with cold, dead eyes and no expression whatsoever.

 

After a seemingly endless period of time, one of the jolts finally had the desired effect. Chris opened his eyes with a start and gasped. The relief in the air was almost palpable. The three doctors gave each other small smiles, which were basically like high-fives in this field of work.

 

Jonny melted then. His muscles returned to proper working order. Or at least fair working order. Tears slid down his face and he slowly managed to stand. Seeing Chris's eyes open and his chest moving without the help of any machine, although slowly, was like winning the lottery to Jonny. Dozens of thank yous pushed past his lips.

 

The thank yous were not just as a result of the saving of Chris's life. Jonny thought they were also in order because the revival of Chris had made him realize what his true feelings had been all this time. Chris was indeed the most interesting person he had known, though only briefly. But he recognized now that his feelings stretched further than that.

 

This single patient was now Jonny's lifeblood. Chris had quickly become the main supplier of blood and oxygen to Jonny's heart. Without Chris, Jonny might as well have an actual heart attack. He needed this man now. He did not understand how this was possible to achieve in such a small length of time, but here was no use denying that it was true.

 

He dried his eyes as he followed the three doctors and the nurse back inside the building as they pushed Chris on a gurney that the nurse had retrieved. Soon Chris was safely back in an intensive care room. A heart monitor was quickly hooked up to him, and with every little beep of the machine Jonny's joy increased.

 

Chris looked around slowly, quite disoriented. But it wasn't long before he noticed Jonny standing before him. Their eyes met, and Jonny couldn't retain his smile.

 

"Chris, you don't know how glad I am that you are okay. You should have seen the state I was in. I couldn't even remember any of my medical training."

 

Chris's eyes filled with tears that quickly spilled over. "Oh doctor, I am so sorry!" he cried in despair. "That was such a stupid, irresponsible-"

 

"What's with all this doctor stuff?" Jonny interrupted. "I thought we agreed that you'd call me by my name."

 

"Well, I assume that my actions have caused me to lose my friendship with you. I was so selfish, doctor. I could have cost you your job!" His crying intensified and he began to sob.

 

Jonny glared at him so fiercely that Chris immediately quieted down and the tears stopped flowing altogether. "Fuck my job," he said quietly. "There is nothing of interest for me in this job."

 

Chris gaped at Jonny. "You...you don't mean that do you!?"

 

"Of course I mean it," Jonny replied simply.

 

Chris continued to gape at him and Jonny just shrugged. Chris wanted to say more, but at that moment a doctor breezed into the room. He sat in a chair with his clipboard covering all of his face but his eyes. His eyes just barely peered over the top, and they gave Jonny disapproving looks. Jonny ignored them.

 

"Let's see here...Mr. Martin. The results of your tests are in and it seems that you had a heart attack, as we suspected. It was caused by a combination of an overly strong pain medication and an already present heart problem." When he mentioned the pain medicine he glared at Jonny and Jonny suddenly felt the weight of guilt upon him.

 

"So...what does this mean?" Chris asked in a small voice.

 

"Well, the underlying heart problem seems to be a defect you have had since birth. It was somehow never noticed until now. But it is a fairly serious defect, and open heart surgery will be necessary to resolve the problem."

 

"Okay." Chris seemed to be shrinking by the second.

 

"I will get you a form to sign, and the surgery should begin in about four hours." With that he exited the room. Chris shriveled up among the sheets.

 

"Jonny?" he whispered.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I told you I was unlucky."

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

Some hours later, Chris was wheeled out of surgery and into the recovery room. Jonny jumped up from the seat he had been sitting on in the waiting room. He hurried down the hall, but not to Chris. Instead, he caught Will just as he was exiting the surgery room.

 

"Thank you for doing this last minute Will."

 

"That's what I'm here for. It is my job, you know."

 

"I know. But still, thanks. Okay...honestly I came here to thank you for something else."

 

Will smiled knowingly. "I figured that."

 

Jonny blushed. "Well...just...thanks for the advice. It really helped me figure some things out."

 

"That's what friends are for Jon."

 

Jonny smiled and hurried back the other way, to meet Chris in the recovery room. He sat beside him until Chris finally opened his eyes.

 

"Jonny....you're here?" he asked sleepily.

 

"Of course I am." He shifted his eyes around the room. "The doctors say that you shouldn't be left to care for yourself for a while. Is there anyone you can stay with?"

 

"I'm sure I can find someone." But his worried eyes gave him away.

 

"Stay with me, then."

 

"What? No way! I couldn't intrude like that. I've caused you enough trouble as it is, what with your job and all."

 

"Oh shut up Chris. You should know by now that I would be willing to do anything for your sake."

 

Chris smiled. "I do."

 

"Well then, it's settled. You will move in with me as soon as you are discharged."

 

Chris was silent for a while. "What about your job?"

 

"I told you already. Fuck this job. They are going to fire me anyways for this incident. But I don't care, mind you. I welcome it. I don't need that shit anymore. I have you."

 

Chris grinned from ear to ear. "I was wrong. I am not unlucky at all. I am very lucky indeed."

 

Jonny smiled in return. He didn't say it out loud, but deep down he knew that he was the lucky one.

 

 

The Scientist

 

A collab by Katie and Brooke, for the lovely Dianna:kiss:

 

 

 

Part Three!

 

 

The submission of the other two men resulted in an odd expression by Phil. He actually looked a bit disgusted. Dianna chose to ignore the look, however, in favor of basking in the thrill of her potential achievement.

 

“Well, we shouldn’t just stand here,” said Phil. “Chris and Jonny may not be back for some time. And you can’t test the solution without them, can you Dianna?”

 

Dianna frowned at the snide way that he spoke. “No….I suppose I can’t,” she replied suspiciously. But again, she chose to shrug off weird vibes Phil seemed to be giving off. Today was just too momentous to waste time on trivial matters. “I know,” she chirped, “how about I make you men some tea? I am sure you could use it, that wind goes right through this place.”

 

Will and Guy nodded and went to sit down in the main room. But Phil had other ideas. He glanced around Dianna.

 

“Oh Dianna,” he chastised, “this place is a mess! Just look at it! Dirty beakers, equipment all over, and chemicals out in the open! No wonder you are feeling ill.”

 

“I don’t feel sick…” she responded, giving him an odd look.

 

“Well, you’re something. You said that it is cold in here? Why, it’s so warm!”

 

“Warm?”

 

“Yes, yes! That’s what the humidity does. Sure, there’s that awful wind, but the humidity is what gives the air that hot and sticky feel to it. I’m stunned you haven’t noticed. Guy and Will were nearly sweating. I think they only agreed to enjoy a cup of tea out of sympathy for you. But not me. No, I take note of your ailed state and want to help you, not simply pity you. A real man has the guts to tell a lady something straight out!”

 

“So let me guess, you consider yourself a ‘real man’?” Her tone was heavier with sarcasm than the air was as a result of the humidity.

 

“Well, I am man enough to help a damsel in distress. You go start the kettle and then take a rest. I will take care of this mess here, and then I will take care of the tea for you.”

 

“I am perfectly capable of-“

 

“No no, I insist!” He then proceeded to give her a little shove in the direction of the other room. She whipped her head around and glared at him. Nobody touched her without permission, not ever.

 

Wait, not today. Not today. Today is going to be a happy day, a memorable day. No fighting today. This she repeated over and over in her head.

 

Then she took a deep breath and turned her head back around again. “Fine,” she mumbled, and reluctantly left Phil alone in the room she called a laboratory.

 

As soon as she was out of sight Phil grinned widely. He rubbed his hands together. “Yes!” he whispered. “Finally, alone. Now I can sabotage this little plan of hers.” He chuckled and began to riffle through various cupboards and drawers. Soon he found what he was looking for.

 

Hurriedly, he carried the chemicals and beakers over to the lab table. He began to mix them together. He stared at the beaker. He tapped his foot. He checked his watch.

 

“Surely it must be almost ready!” he hissed with agitation.

 

In another few minutes, he finally saw a color change begin to take place. And in a few minutes more, the solution was ready.

 

Phil uttered a short burst of hushed evil laughter. He rubbed his devilish hands together again. Then he collected a small amount of the dark blue liquid in a vile and carefully concealed it in his back pocket. He did a last minute straightening up of the room to make his story seem more believable. Then, as if on cue, the high pitched shriek of the kettle began to sound from the kitchen. Quickly he made his way to the kitchen.

 

Dianna entered from the main room just as he entered from the laboratory. They glared at each other. Dianna stubbornly marched over to the kettle and stopped its incessant wailing.

 

Phil was right behind her, and he grabbed her hand. “Let me do this,” he said with a smile.

 

“But I’m not sick!” she exclaimed indignantly.

 

Phil reached out and laid a hand on her forehead. He shook his head. “You’re

burning up. Now go lay down and I will bring you your tea.”

 

She slapped his hand away angrily stormed out of the room. Phil sighed with relief. Finally, nothing stood between him and his plans.

 

He made a cup of tea and then slipped the contents of the vile into it. After a thorough stirring, no signs of the foreign liquid could be found. He smiled deviously.

 

“Now for the grand finale!” he whispered to himself.

 

He took the mug of tea into the other room. “Drink” he commanded, and brusquely put the cup in her hands. Guy and Will exchanged looks.

 

“Hey, what about our tea?” Guy whined.

 

“Get up off your lazy ass and get it yourself."

 

“Hey I-“

 

“No, Guy. Don’t bother. Let’s just go make it ourselves. Obviously it’s that time of the month for Phil."

 

The two men snickered and left the room. Phil glared at them but they pretended not to see.

 

“Come on now, drink the tea. You’ll feel better,” he cooed.

 

“Why are you so convinced that I’m sick?”

 

“Any observant person would notice. Clearly you’re not yourself today. Now here, this will make you feel better. He brought the cup up to her lips. She gave him a nasty look.

 

“I can do it myself. I’m not a child!” She huffed angrily and forced his hands away.

 

Phil willingly sat back and crossed his arms as she took a few sips. There was nothing left to do now but wait. It didn’t take long. She rested the cup on the table for a moment.

 

“I feel dizzy,” she said. Her tone was full of suspicion.

 

Phil just shrugged. “I told you that you’re sick.”

 

She glowered at him. And then she passed out. Phil let an evil grin spread across his face. Dianna was the only one who knew the correct way to administer the solution she had invented. With her out of the picture, Chris and Jonny would never admit their feelings.

 

 

The Beehive

 

 

 

The door burst open with a massive force as Will pushed his way into the room. "Where's Chris?"

 

Guy quickly looked up from his laptop and shrugged. "Deep in the Hundred-Acre Wood?"

 

"What?"

 

"I don't know where he is."

 

"Fine, then where's Jonny?"

 

Guy went back to typing, but continued the conversation with Will. "Why, do you think that maybe they're off making out or something? Everyone else does."

 

"No, I don't..." Will narrowed his eyes. "Do you?"

 

"It wouldn't surprise me." Guy closed his laptop and stood up. He walked over to Will and placed his hands on his hips. "Maybe you should check outside."

 

"Right, because I haven't just come from out there," Will sarcastically snapped.

 

"I meant out back. You know that ever since we bought this place, Chris has been fascinated with that giant tree."

 

"Oh, good point," Will dejectedly replied. "I suppose I'll go look, then."

 

"You do that, I'm going out to get a new mop," Guy said, heading for the door.

 

"Why are you getting a mop?"

 

Guy turned around and stated, "Whenever Chris is missing, you can bet there's a mess involved somewhere. And our last mop was destroyed in that tar fiasco."

 

Will's eyes widened and he cringed a little as he recalled the aforementioned situation. He continued to shudder long after Guy had finally left. When he regained his normal state, he decided to take a peek outside.

 

Sure enough, he found Jonny standing in the middle of the small yard. For some reason, he was dressed all in black and was holding a small, blue balloon.

 

"Hey, Jon," Will said, walking towards Jonny. "What are you doing out here?"

 

Jonny didn't say anything, he merely pointed upwards. Will's eyes followed until he caught sight of something high in the tree branches. It was a mass of black and yellow stripes, with a giant bush of curly hair emerging from the top. The longer Will looked, the more he observed that the stripes were the result of Chris wearing black clothes similar to Jonny's and sticking bright yellow reflective tape around his body.

 

"Chris?" Will called out. Chris looked down and waved as he recognized his friend.

 

"Hi, Will!" he shouted, swinging his legs in the air.

 

"What the hell are you doing??" Chris yelled his reply, but Will could just barely make out what he was saying. "WHAT?"

 

"I'M A BEE, I'M A BEE, I'M A- I'M A- I'M A BEE!" Chris answered. "AND JONNY'S A RAINCLOUD!"

 

Will lowered his eyes and looked at Jonny, who seemed less than pleased to be doing whatever it was exactly that he was doing. Jonny sighed, his arm still raised as he held onto the balloon.

 

"I'm supposed to be pretending to be a raincloud to sneak past him, or something," Jonny said.

 

"Does he realize this isn't going to work?"

 

"I tried to tell him, but... you know how he is when he doesn't get his way."

 

"Oh, right," Will said, nodding his head. "Well... good luck with this. I think I'm gonna go back inside and work on that one song..."

 

"Lucky you," Jonny enviously replied. "I'll probably be out here until the sun goes down."

 

"Sorry." Will awkwardly stuck around for a minute or so, just staring at the ground and feeling sorry for Jonny. But suddenly a thought was upon him. "Hey, how did Chris even get up there in the first place?"

 

"Uh... you don't really want to know," Jonny tentatively said. As he spoke, though, Will's sight wandered upon a heap of clothes at the bottom of the tree. At a quick glance, most of them appeared to be his.

 

"Are those my shirts?" he asked. Jonny slowly but surely nodded his head. Will walked over and picked up the clothes, and as he did so he realized that they were all tied together to make one long rope sort of thing.

 

Will took a deep breath and counted to ten, just like his therapist taught him. He let the clothes rope drop to the ground, and he slowly stepped away and towards Jonny.

 

"How is he going to get down?"

 

"To be honest," Jonny began, cautiously, "I'm kinda hoping he just falls out. Then maybe if he hits his head, it'll knock some sense into him."

 

Will dropped his jaw in an exaggerated way. "Why, Jonny, I didn't know you could be so cruel! And to think that everyone says you and Chris are in love with each other."

 

Jonny ducked his head and blushed. "Oh, well... I think that's another discussion entirely. But anyway, it's just that sometimes he's too crazy, you know?" Will nodded, and Jonny continued as he switched the balloon to the other hand and shook out his arm, "But he's my best friend, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep him entertained."

 

"You're a true hero, Jonny," Will said, placing a hand on Jonny's shoulder. "It's a shame to see you fall victim so often, but I'm just glad it's not me!" Will spoke quickly towards the end of the sentence, and once he was finished he bolted inside.

 

"JONNY, IS HE GONE?" Chris shouted.

 

"Yeah!"

 

"GOOD, NOW GET UP HERE!"

 

Jonny sighed and closed his eyes, floating up to where Chris was sitting. He let go of the balloon and he gently landed next to Chris.

 

"Hi, Jonny," Chris giggled, "I liked the thing you said about being out here until the sun goes down."

 

"Well," Jonny said in a deep, seductive voice, "I figured it'd give us plenty of time."

 

"Ooh, I hope so," Chris replied, his eyes lighting up. "Now, come on, little raincloud," he softly said into Jonny's ear, "do your job and get me wet."

 

 

 

 

 

oh my

 

:wink3::embarrassed:

 

I have no opinion of this one..

Though just to let you know, this is a gift for Daisy/ToCatchFire's birthday :nice:

HAPPEH BURTDEY! :cheesy:

 

Daisy's not so excellent adventure with Coldplay (and a hat)

 

 

 

God,you guys act like children*

 

 

 

:tongue: get it?