Homecoming

 

Christopher

 

 

His messy hair was covered by his typical hat. His faint green eyes were bright with laughter. He wore a look of adoration and longing. He stepped forward as soon as I did and the next thing I knew I was inn his strong arms. I pecked him on the check. “Jonathon.”

 

 

 

Jonathon

 

 

I wake up to the sound of an acoustic cover of Here Comes the Sun. Walk down the stairs. Look in his direction, his curly head facing the window. I drift towards him slowly. Place a light kiss on his mop of hair. He stops singing and laughs. Looks up toward me and his piercing blue eyes melt my heart. “I missed you Christopher.” I whisper.

 

 

 

William

 

 

“William,” I look back when she calls my name, her hair is pulled back into a bun. She has the three children clinging onto her. I didn’t expect her to come, but I knew I could take the tour with a bright face now that I knew she was here. “Thank you Marianne.” Then the roadies shout and I’m on.

 

 

 

Rachel

 

 

This was my first ever fanfiction that I wrote down. It is also my first Buckin story. Written a long time ago, I didn't want to edit them. The reason Guy doesn't have a snippet... Well you'll learn that one day.

 

 

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Six

 

 

Jonny walked me back to my house. We were both silent, but I could hear Jonny's brain whirring beside me.

 

“Are we together now?” he suddenly asked. The question made me smile.

 

“Sure.”

 

“...Are we gonna tell anyone?”

 

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk; I stood in front of him. His bright green eyes were glistening in the light of the setting sun.

 

“Well, I mean, we could, or we don't have to.”

 

“It's just-” he started fiddling with his hands, “I'm not sure my parents will like it.”

 

“Oh, right.” I smiled and grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together. “We don't have to tell anyone.”

 

“All right.”

 

We started again, and for some reason we were moving slower than before. I don't think it was conscious for me, but maybe Jonny did it on purpose so we could spend more time together.

 

That was quite all right with me.

 

“This is where you'll be working,” Timothy said to me. He was showing off a room the size of a bed. There were no windows and barely any light from the overhead lamp.

 

“Looks kinda small.” What little I'd already seen of the house had been comprised of rather enormous rooms; in comparison, this was like a broom closet. Maybe it was.

 

“Well, you're only one person. You won't need that much space.”

 

“What'll I be doing?”

 

“Filing. Sorting. Filling things out. Not difficult work, really.” Timothy stared blankly into the room, but I thought I saw him starting to smile. “Come on, I'll show you two the rest of the house.”

 

Timothy instantly took off down the hallway, and Jonny and I followed him.

 

“My mum will be so pleased that you guys are here,” he yelled back to us. “The more we have, the more we can get done, and the more we can help others.” He stopped in front of another door and spun around. “It's not easy to keep this going, you know.”

 

He opened the door revealing a large room, blindingly white from the stark ivory décor and a huge window letting in the entire sun. It may have actually fit in that room.

 

“Whoa,” Jonny said. “Fancy.”

 

There was an oak desk lined up with the center of the window, smiling at us and inviting us in for a drink.

 

“This is my room,” Timothy excitedly explained. “One of them, at least.”

 

“How many rooms do you have?” Jonny asked.

 

Timothy thought for a moment, then laughed. “I can't even remember!”

 

“That must be nice,” I mumbled to Jonny. Then, to Timothy, I said, “Why do you have so many?”

 

“Different rooms for different things.” He proudly popped up the collar of his shirt, holding his chin up high. “I do a lot around here, y'know?”

 

“What's this room for?”

 

“Business-y type things. Stuff you'll be dealing with, but, of course, to a much lesser extent,” he pompously answered. “This is the room I frequent most often, so if you ever need anything, it's a safe bet to check here first.”

 

Timothy winked and left again after closing the door and removing the light that had spilled into the hallway.

 

After the tour was over, Timothy brought me back to the room I would work in, then told me to stay there and wait for him while he instructed Jonny on what he had to do. So I sat in the room and hummed to myself until he showed up again.

 

This time he was carrying a large stack of folders and a small laptop computer. He set them down on a desk that I hadn't actually noticed until just then and told me that all I needed to do was put the information into the computer. So easy.

 

Before I did any actual work, I snuck a peek at the stuff I had to enter into the computer. I couldn't understand any of it, though. It was all just a bunch of seemingly random numbers and letters.

 

So I began to type them up. After the first page was completed, I hit the enter bar, just as I'd been told. I glanced up at the screen and suddenly a bunch of words flashed across the screen. The tiny glimpse only left me with half a word: “-NEY.”

 

Well, it could have meant anything. I'm sure there are millions of ways to start that word, and even if I found them all it wouldn't have given the slightest clue as to what it actually was. Besides, maybe I was wrong, and it hadn't been those letters than appeared, but some other letters that my brain felt the need to replace.

 

So I just typed up the next page.

 

I tried to read the page that flashed after that, but it seemed to go by even quicker than the last, and the same for every page after that. Eventually I gave up and didn't bother to even look after the page was finished, except to make sure that I'd entered everything correctly.

 

I was very unsure of what to do once I'd finished. I looked around for a bit, mindlessly tapping my fingers on the desk. I missed Jonny.

 

Timothy was probably in his room. He never told me what to do when I was done, but I guessed that maybe I should see him and ask.

 

The only problem was that I couldn't remember exactly which door was his. I knew it wasn't too far from my room, but there were so many doors nearby that it just confused me. I walked what I thought was a distance near enough to the one we'd walked earlier, then picked one of the doors and reached out to knock.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

I spun around to see Timothy staring at me from across the hall. Apparently I'd chosen the wrong door. Figures.

 

“Uh... I typed all those things up, I was just coming to ask you what I should do next. But I couldn't remember which room was yours.”

 

“Don't go near that door again. That room is my mum's, and she doesn't appreciate visitors.” He was almost nasty about it. Geez, I didn't mean to pick the wrong door.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“It's fine, just stay away from it.” He nodded and gestured with his hands inviting me into the room. It was so bright that I was nearly squinting.

 

His door is on the left coming from my room, not the right. I had to remember that.

 

That is, of course, assuming that I hadn't forgotten which way my room was as well.

 

 

I am sort of new to the board and I have been reading these great stories. I like all of them but particularly the really slashy ones that have been posted as of late. This is my first try at writing anything like that and I am really nervous about it so please don't be too hard on me.

 

 

 

EFFYOU

 

The lights were down for the moment and there were little multicolored butterflies scattered all over the large stage. The crowd roaring and enthusiastic crowd simply could not get enough of the famous foursome from Camden England. Why they were England's best and most successful band since that other foursome from Liverpool that had become famous so very many years ago.

The boys were all backstage trying to recover from the rigors of the first section of the concert. This was the lost stop on a long, long two year tour of venues situated all around the world. Will was wiping his face and ducking his head in a bucket of ice water.

Guy was sucking down as entire bottle of water and alternately taking a few puffs on a cigarette as he checked his messages. He deleted all the ones from that stupid girl Miranda that he had slept with in New Zealand.What a fool she was if she thought he was going to call her again.

Chris was slipping into a clean shirt as the sweat was dripping off his face. He was all too aware that Jonny was watching him from where he stood

Jonny was leaned against a wall and Chris was right he was watching Chris. Well, actually he ws staring at Chris. His body was glistening with sweat and the hair on his chest was more curly that usual and Chris' pants were tighter than usual.

Jonny laughed as he knew why. Chris caught the look of lust on his face. He shook his head a bit making his curls shiver in a way that he knew would drive Jonny mad. It did drive him made as he sauntered over to where Chris stood.

Without even so much as one word Jonny slid his hands down to Chris leg. He quickly grabbed a hold of Chris' throbbing cock.

"That's some hard-on, he said.

Chris looked at him without changing his expression even the least little bit. But his blue eyes shining with a smile that didn't touch his lips. Also without a hint of a word he dropped to his knees and buried his face in Jonny's pants. Hemoved his head back and forth causing Jonny to gasp then a smug Chris stood up.

"Now you have one as well," he said.Chris started to walk away but Jonny caught his arm.

"Backstage, after we finish," he asked.Chris smiled and touched him on the chin.

"You better believe it." he said.

"I will give you the fuck of your life," he said.Jonny blushed.

"Better than the one before the show?' he asked. Chris giggled.

"Much better," he said, "I have a special treat for you."

Jonny began to breathe harder at the thought of Chris touching him.

"In the ass or straight up?" he asked. Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Both if you are good," he said.

 

 

 

 

The fans in the front of the stage wondered why the boys didn't even take time to stand and bow with their arms around each other. It was kind of a disappointment. But some of them seemed to think that the guys looked a bit tired.

In reality it had nothing to do with that. Will was back in the dressing room in less than a minute. He was on the phone to his wife and talking sweetly to her. And right after that he was making cooing sounds into the phone at his three children. He really missed them when he was on tour.

Guy was out the door without even bothering to change his clothes. A limo was waiting for him to take him back to the hotel and to his room. He knew that at least three or maybe four girls would be waiting for him. If it was a real lucky night he would get to screw them all and maybe at the same time. He slugged down a Red Bull as the driver raced down the streets. Guy had promised his a video of the event if he got him back to the hotel in record time.

Chris opened the door to the bathroom and grabbed Jonny slugging him up against the wall with a tremendous amount of force. Jonny blinked a little but then he smiled as he pulled his pants down. Chris grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around shoving his chin against the cold tile of the wall.

"Have you been a good boy Jonny?" he asked. Jonny nodded.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked, as he yanked his own pants down. Jonny nodded again saying, "Yes, I have." Chris vigourously pushed Jonny's legs apart as he shoved his cock inside Jonny. "Shit!! Chris..take it easy," Jonny said, "And do me a favor try not to shoot your wad so early this time."

 

 

-

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Seven

 

 

“Hey, dad, can I talk to you about something?”

 

His face was half-lit by the small lamp by his chair. He was reading some book, like he always did every evening.

 

“Sure, Chris. Have a seat.”

 

I walked over and sat down in the chair next to his. I was nervous, but my parents had always said that I could talk to them about anything if I ever needed to.

 

Parents always say that, but I don't think their kids actually talk to them. But I had a strong relationship with my parents, stronger than most.

 

“So, what is it that's bothering you?”

 

I figured it was best to just spit it out rather than stumble over some convoluted explanation.

 

“Well... I think I like one of my friends. You know, as more than a friend.”

 

“Oh, I've been there before. It's a very tricky situation. How close are you to this girl?”

 

I almost forgot that it wasn't exactly “usual” for me to like a guy. At least, most people would expect me to like a girl. I would have expected me to like a girl.

 

“He's not a girl. But we're pretty close.”

 

He leaned forward in his chair and thought for a bit. I was even more nervous now.

 

“I see. That makes it more difficult, eh? I assume this boy is straight as far as you know?”

 

“I think so, yeah. I mean, if he doesn't like me, that's OK. I just don't know how to act around him anymore.”

 

“Just be yourself. Don't worry about him finding out, because if he does and if he reacts badly, then he's not worth it. If he sticks around even though he doesn't like you, then you know you at least have a good friend.”

 

I smiled, though halfheartedly. I knew it would be nearly impossible to just be myself around Jonny, but I did appreciate my dad's understanding.

 

“You're not, like, upset or anything? That I like a boy, I mean.”

 

“Of course not,” he said. Then he laughed and added, “Listen, Chris, if we could choose who we're attracted to, I would not be married to your mother.”

 

Jonny never told me what work he did. I would always tell him about my day, and he just told me that he was too tired to talk himself, but he liked hearing me talk.

 

I thought that maybe Timothy had him working out in the yard, since I had seen Scratch doing yardwork as we went into the house the first day. Plus, Jonny was a very strong boy, and certainly would have been a great choice for manual labor and stuff like that.

 

It did make me a little sad to see him looking so tired. With the stuff I was doing, I didn't really use much energy, so it seemed like I was always awake for at least half the night. I would just watch Jonny sleep, not so peacefully, though. He always wore a worn expression, and sometimes in his sleep he would sigh. Whenever he did that I would scoot closer to him and wrap my arms around him.

 

Being away from home- at least, the house and people he'd known all his life- must have really taken a toll on him. I know it would have been hard for me, too, if I hadn't already lost my home beforehand. Well, I still had my brother and sister, but I hated her and I had never spent that much time with him.

 

The only person I had was Jonny. He was my home now.

 

But Jonny had people other than me, which I was fine with. He had his parents, who I guess he would have loved if they had accepted us. They were nice people, apart from that.

 

Even if he didn't like them, leaving a safe place like that to travel to somewhere you've never even heard of before is bound to be tough. At least, I was pretty sure that this was all the reason he was so sad.

 

One night I was watching Jonny sleep, and he started to whimper a bit. I reached out to pull him closer to me, but before I could he started twitching. A lot.

 

I panicked a little, but I decided it would be best to try to wake him. So I sat up and shook him a little, as gently as I could.

 

“Jonny... Jonny, wake up,” I whispered.

 

I don't know if what I did helped at all, but a few moments later his eyes flew open and he drew a sharp breath.

 

“Chris!”

 

He lunged forward- as best as a person laying down could lunge, anyway- and wrapped his arms around my abdomen, laying his head on my chest. I put one hand on his back and the other I used to smooth down his hair.

 

“It's OK, Jonny. It's OK, I'm here.”

 

“I love you.”

 

And there it was.

 

Jonny said it first. So now I had no reason not to, right? Other than the fact that I started to choke on my tears.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

It felt so nice to be able to say it freely without worrying about how he would react. When I told him that I had been afraid to say it because I wasn't sure that he'd feel the same, he reasoned that if he didn't, he wouldn't have run away with me. Jonny is such an intelligent boy.

 

And thus, for several weeks I went around thinking that that night, and what appeared to be his nightmare, were the cause of being so far from the life we had known before. It would still be difficult as we went on, but after a while this would be our new home, and everything would be fine.

 

Jonny returned to our spot around the same time that he usually did every other night. He looked tired, but not any more tired than I had seen him previously, or so I thought. I had a rather interesting story to tell him this night, involving a really strange conversation I'd had with Lily while we were on break- her lunch break, but just a regular break for me- and as he walked closer and the moonlight hit his face, I could see the circles under his eyes were darker than before.

 

I walked over to him and just stared for a while.

 

“Goodnight, Jonny.”

 

“You're not gonna talk to me?”

 

He sounded almost on the verge of tears, which broke my heart.

 

“I could, it's just that you look so tired.”

 

I reached my hand up to brush his cheek, but he flinched.

 

That's when I knew something else was wrong.

 

 

Will's Secret Plot

My plot exchange story!:)

 

Part 1

 

 

Chris drummed his long fingers nervously on the table. He tipped his chair back so the front legs were a couple inches off the ground. Will frowned at him from across the table.

 

“Don’t do that Chris, you’ll fall.”

 

“I will no-.” Chris started to reply but decided against it, remembering his previous experiences with chair tipping. Instead he just sighed.

 

“What is it today Mr. Martin?” Will joked.

 

“Well….not to say these weekly sessions haven’t been helping me work my way through this Will….but I feel like it just isn’t enough to talk to you about my feelings anymore. I need a new way of expressing them.”

 

“Well how about a song? You’re good at that, you know.”

 

“Thanks for saying that. But it can’t be a song. It has to be a way to express them in public…..but in secret….if that makes any sense.”

 

“You certainly don’t make this easy on me Chris.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Chris replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. Will instantly regretted his words.

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay. This is nothing I can’t handle. An odd dilemma, sure. But hey, that’s what I’m here for, right?”

 

“Every Saturday from 9 to 5!” Chris chirped.

 

Will cleared his throat. “Um..yes. Now, back to that dilemma of yours. I think I may have an idea for you, if you are up to the challenge.”

 

“I’ll try anything,” Chris said desperately. He leaned in close as if he wouldn’t get the gist of Will’s idea unless he was inches away.

 

Will tried not to look annoyed. “Yeah….well, I was thinking you could sing part of a song in a foreign language, you know? Write what you want to say in English and then translate it? That way you could sing your heart out but no one would ever know.”

 

“That’s brilliant!” Chris screamed. He jumped up in his chair, causing it to fall backwards with a loud clang onto the floor. He slammed his hands down on the table, causing a glass of water to spill over.

 

Will sighed and began to clean up the water as Chris danced around the room. But soon the dancing footwork turned into pacing. “Oh no…..Will…..what language should I choose!?” he asked frantically. “It has to sound just right….”

 

“Well how about one of the romance languages?” Will suggested, cutting him off mid rant.

 

Chris gasped. “French! It’s perfect! Thank you SO much Will!”

 

Will allowed a small smile to cross his features. He had to admit that although the people he dealt with were often a tad bit crazy, the end of session solutions always made him feel good inside. “You’re welcome.” He folded his arms neatly on the table. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s almost noon and I do have other appointments…..”

 

"Oh of course,” Chris said, slapping himself in the face. “How silly of me. I’ll leave you be now. Thanks again!”

 

There was the sound of bouncing footsteps and then of a door shutting loudly. Will let out a breath he hadn’t known he was keeping in. But no sooner had the door closed than he heard it open once more. He didn’t hear any footsteps, which told him that his next appointment was now upon him. And a few seconds later, a thin dark haired man stood silently within view of Will.

 

“Hello” Will said.

 

“Hi,” the man quietly responded. He swiftly picked up the fallen chair and took a seat. He wondered why the chair was often turned over upon his arrival. But he didn’t dare ask.

 

“So what’s on your mind today, Guy?”

 

“Well….things just aren’t going so well, I guess.”

 

“Anything specific you’d like to share?”

 

“No…well…um…maybe.” Will gave him an encouraging smile. Guy almost smiled back, then continued. “It’s my look. I haven’t been feeling so great about myself lately. I look all wrong, I think. I don’t think the fans are interested in me anymore.” He stared at the ground ashamedly.

 

“I think they like you just fine. But if it would help your confidence level, you might want to consider making a change.”

 

“But what kind of change?” Guy questioned. “It’s not as if I can help how my face looks.”

 

“That may be true, but there are other physical things you could change about yourself. For example, have you ever considered dying your hair?”

 

“My…hair..?” Guy absentmindedly felt the top of his head. “I suppose I could do that.”

 

Will grinned. “Good. I think you might find that a little change is just what you need Guy.”

 

“Yeah. Okay, I’m done now. Goodbye.” And without another word he quietly stood and left. There was no slamming of the door this time. Will chuckled to himself at how different Chris and Guy were from each other.

 

-*-

 

“Ohhhh, you know I love you, you know I love you soooooooooo.” Chris sang out loudly. “Hmmm….now for the translation….” He flipped through the pages of his newly purchased English to French dictionary.

 

He searched for every word and wrote it down on a scrap sheet of paper. He cleared his throat and read from it. “Oh, tu sais que je t'aime, je t'aime bien.” He smiled. He thought it sounded pretty good. He tried it again, singing this time. “Ohhhh, tu sais que je t’aime, je t’aime biennnnn.”

 

He smiled with satisfaction. He thought it really did sound good, great even. He couldn’t wait to sing it to Jonny. It would be like a confession, without anyone ever having to know.

 

 

Part 2

 

 

 

Guy looked at himself in the mirror. To him his blonde hair was like bright headlights shining into sensitive eyes. He cringed a little. It had been a week, and nobody had made any positive comments about his new hair color. He didn’t feel any better about himself. If anything, he felt worse.

 

He thought he might feel better if there was some way he could know what his fans thought of his new look. He pondered how he might go about doing this. Suddenly a brilliant idea came to him.

 

“I know!” he exclaimed out loud. “I can check those forums….coldplay…ing or whatever it’s called, and see for myself what the fans think of this hair of mine!”

 

Hurriedly he dug his laptop out and opened up the internet. He quickly typed in the proper web address and in minutes was scrolling through the various threads. Finally he came to the one he was looking for and he clicked on it eagerly.

 

He read through a couple pages and felt as though his heart might break in two. They hated it….they all hated it. They didn’t even disguise it. He couldn’t believe he was reading these words.

 

He quickly shut off the computer. He felt as though someone had stuck a fork in his ego and yanked it out of him. He had now officially reached an all time low. Not knowing what else to do, he called up Jonny, who agreed to let him come over.

 

For a while they talked, until Guy whined about how his throat hurt from talking so much and Jonny agreed to run to the store to buy some tea for him. While he was away, Chris showed up at Jonny’s door prepared to sing his song to him.

He knocked, but there was no answer. So he just entered, knowing Jonny wouldn’t mind. “Hello?” he called out. But there was no answer.

 

He entered the living room and called out again. This time he heard mumbling. He looked around and noticed a lump on the couch covered from head to toe in blankets. “Oh there you are!”

 

“Mnnffmmmph,” said the lump. “I’m sorry I caught you at a bad time, but I have some new lyrics, if you….want to hear them…” he stuttered. There was another set of mumbles and Chris shrugged, figuring it was Jonny giving him permission to continue.

 

He cleared his throat. “Okay…here goes. But I must warn you, it’s a little…different than usual. And I wrote it especially for you. It kind of, well, it describes how I feel about you. Here goes…”

 

He took a deep breath and sung loudly and clearly. “Ohhhhhh, tu sais que je t'aime, je t'aime bieeeeeennnnnn.” Suddenly the lump shot up, causing the blankets to fall away and revealing a blonde haired Guy.

 

“What did you just say!? Did you just say you love….me!?” he screeched.

 

“Well…not exactly…”Chris stammered, completely shocked.

 

“You don’t fool me!” Guy shouted, pointing at him. “I took French in high school! You just said you loved me!” He threw off the blankets from him and jumped off the couch. “That is it! I am dyeing my hair back to black RIGHT NOW!” And he stormed out of the room.

 

Finally finding his voice, Chris called out after him. “NO! You’ve got it all wrong! I love JONNY!”

 

Guy didn’t hear him, but someone else did. Chris turned to the door and his eyes widened as he saw Jonny standing open mouthed in the doorway. He had no idea what to say. So he did what he did best. He apologized like crazy.

 

“I’m sorry Jonny, I’m sorry! Really, really sorry. I was way out of line." Jonny just stared. “This may just be the worst day of my life. Worse than that time I walked in on my parents- OH GOD!"

 

He cried out in horror of the memory and of what had just happened and tired to run past Jonny and out the door. But Jonny stopped him. “Wait Chris.”

 

“What is it Jonny? I think I have already been humiliated enough for one day.”

 

“You shouldn’t be humiliated for that. I should be the one humiliated. At least you had the guts to admit your feelings, in one way or another. I never could have done that. Until now.” He kissed Chris lightly on the cheek. “I love you too, you fool.”

 

-*-

 

Guy gave himself a once over. His hair was now black as the night once again. And so was his confidence. Somewhere along the way, he had gained it back. But certainly not with any help from Will.

 

Upon thinking of the man he frowned. He called up Chris. “Are you ready to go?”

The reply was so loud it could be heard by any other people had there been any standing in the room. “You bet I am!”

 

Twenty minutes later Chris and Guy pounded on Will’s door. “Will!” Guy called out.

 

“We’d like a word with you,” Chris added.

 

Will cautiously opened the door. “What seems to be the problem you two?” he questioned.

 

“We have a bone to pick with you!” Chris said, jabbing his finger into Will’s chest.

 

“Yeah!” Guy added.

 

“What’s the trouble?” Will inquired.

 

“The trouble is that because of you, I temporarily lost all of my regular fans and gained one I didn’t want….Chris. As soon as I dyed my hair he like, fell in love with me. He sang to me…in French. “

 

Chris opened his mouth to protest but figured it was a lost cause, since he had already attempted to explain the truth of the situation multiple times to Guy. “And because of you I got nervous and my love confession came out all wrong. I was so worried about the French pronunciation that I didn’t think and I blurted out my confession in English!”

 

Will sighed and rubbed his face. It was late. He wasn’t in the mood for this. “Listen, Chris, but aren’t you with Jonny now?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“And Guy, don’t you have your ego-I mean-confidence, back?”

 

“I certainly do.”

 

“Exactly. And what you guys don’t know is that this was my secret plot all along. I knew things would turn out this way.” He smiled smugly. “Now, do you have anything else you’d like to tell me?” He glared at them.

 

“Thank you,” they both mumbled, and then rushed out of there as quickly as they could.

 

Will closed the door and laughed. He hadn’t had the slightest clue things would turn out that way. But that would remain his little secret.

 

 

 

Here was my plot:P:

 

 

Plot-y Plot: Chris learns French (or some other foreign language ) in order to [secretly] profess his love to Jonny. Meanwhile, Guy is having troubles with the old self-esteem train. It's not running so well. So he dyes his hair to look pretty! but it makes him look uglier and he sneaks onto the forums to see what people are saying, and then is crushed when all the Berrygirls are dissing the look, so he dyes it back to gorgeous.

Characters: Mr. Martinnnn, Mr. Berrymannnn, and Mr. Bucklanddddd at the very least

Line: "This may just be the worst day of my life. Worse than that time I walked in on my parents- OH GOD!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Paper Planes

 

 

 

**Kansas Farm Lands 1920’s**

 

The little boy was sprawled out on the large rug in front of the family radio. He had a little coloring pad and some crayons next to him. As he listened to the morning radio tunes he would doodle little airplanes on the pad and hum along with the song. He was happy and content; life was just how it should be for a 5-year-old little boy.

 

“Will! Will you come in the kitchen please?”

 

Will stood up and shuffled into the kitchen. It was your typical 1920’s farmhouse kitchen, checkered floor tiles, white cabinets, and the new sea foam green appliances. The windows were covered in quaint sheer curtains that Will’s momma had sewn. The little boy was the spitting image of his mother, strawberry blonde hair that had a mind of its own and chestnut brown eyes.

 

Sweet aromas were dusting the air and making Will’s mouth salivate and his stomach growl.

 

“Have you feed the chickens this morning?”

 

Will shook his head to say no.

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

Will shook his head back and forth in a yes motion.

 

“Well I will bet that just like you those chickens are hungry too, so you best go feed them or you wont be getting breakfast your self!”

 

Will flashed his momma a sweet smile, he was missing his two front teeth and everyone who saw him smile couldn’t help, but smile right back at him. He was an adorable little boy! Will laughed and said with a little whistle “Okay Momma!”

 

He hugged her legs and then ran out the back screen door. As soon as he was out the door he had his arms out like wings and was zig zagging back and forth across the field like an airplane.

 

Will’s momma smiled and chuckled to herself as she watched her son run toward the barn where the chickens were. She was so blessed to have him as her son and thanked the Lord daily. She was so wrapped up in that moment that she was startled when she felt strong arms wrap there way around her and hot kissed on the back of her neck.

 

“Good Morning Mrs. Champion, I do believe you have raised one of the finest boys right there.”

 

“Why yes Mr. Champion, I believe WE have done well with him thus far. I just wish we could give him more. You know his birthday is comin’ up and I know that money is tight, but if you would be willing, Daniel to do with a few more patches on your shirts I can make him a little cape and some flyin’ goggles.”

 

“Sarah, my sweet Sarah. This is why I demanded that you marry me, you are always thinking of others. I would wear hundreds of patches on my shirts for that boy.”

 

Daniel and Sarah exchanged a tender kiss while watching their son feed the chickens. Daniel began to hum a song and pulled Sarah close to him and they danced. They danced shoeless, in the rain, in the barn, on the patio or often in the kitchen. It never mattered where they danced they just enjoyed dancing together.

 

“Dear, you make him those and I will carve him some pilot wings to pin on to his shirt.”

 

“You are such a sweet heart, that must be why I married you and am so in love with you.”

 

“Everything I do is for you and Will, you are both my moon and stars.”

 

**Will is now 10 turning 11**

 

“Momma! I have finished all of my chores for the day, can I go out and play with Chase and the fellows?”

 

Will’s mother was heavily pregnant with Will’s soon to be third baby brother or sister and was bustling around the kitchen.

 

“Can you make sure your siblings are taken care of before you head out? I need to finish this pie for your father and I want to make sure they are okay.”

 

“Yes Momma! I’ll see to it.”

 

“Thank you dear, your such a good son.”

Will blushed bright red and sheepishly smiled as his momma and then walked out of the kitchen to the living room to tend to his siblings.

 

“Hi Abigail, do you need anything? Momma wanted me to check on you and Tucker.”

 

Abigail was just turned six and was guaranteed to break many hearts when she grew up. She had the same Champion strawberry blonde hair that Will had except her hair hung in tiny little ringlets and she had golden freckles that were sprinkled across her checks.

 

Will’s friends often said how cute she was and that they would love to take her out when she was older. Will was extremely protective of Abigail so when ever one of his mates brought her up he was quick to give a discouraging look that would make all of them bite their tongues and wish they hadn’t said anything at all. He loved his baby sister dearly and wanted to make sure no one hurt her. But he knew in his heart that if she were going to fall in love and get married he would only let one of his friends be the man.

 

“Hi Will, no Tucker and I are swell, were having a tea party, do you want to join us?”

Abigail was quick to put on her puppy dog face and will was such as sucker for that face, that he just couldn’t bring himself to say no. And his poor little brother looked desperate to have someone one else to take the worst of the girly tea party.

 

“Oh alright Abigail, but just for a few minuets.”

The little girls face lit up like the fourth of July! She squealed with utter delight and set to pouring him some lemonade.

 

Will’s mother had stood in the kitchen doorframe watching the whole event unfold. She smiled and thought to herself how wonderful her children were. The kitchen door closed shut and in walked Daniel, he was sweating and was obviously very tired from working on the farm that morning, but he still had a big grin on his face.

 

“What are you standing about for woman? You’re nearly nine months pregnant! Here sit down this very instant!” Daniel pulled out a chair and escorted his wife to the chair and then leaned down and kissed her tummy and then made slow kisses all the way up to her lips where he lingered dangerously too long.

 

“And how are you this afternoon Mrs. Champion?”

 

“I am much better now that you are home to enjoy lunch with me, that I need to get started on.” Sarah leaned forward to lift herself from the chair but was pushed back down gently but forcefully by Daniel.

 

“Now you just sit there and I will make us some lunch. And as I do that I have some wonderful news to share with you!”

 

“My my Mr. Champion I do believe you are far too kind to me. I see where Will gets’s it. Now what is this news you have?”

 

“Well as I am sure your aware tomorrow is Will’s birthday and you and I know how in love he is with planes and the sky. So I was able to trade some of my best strawberries and convince Bill Johnson to take him up with him the next time he goes crop dusting in his plane.”

 

“Daniel you are one of a kind! Will will be so thrilled. I wish I had more time to do something real special for him, but with the new baby coming and having to look after his siblings I just haven’t had much time and we just don’t have a whole lot of spare change.”

 

“All you need to do is bake a cake, speaking of..what is the delish smell?”

 

“That would be your apple pie I was baking, I need to take it out of the oven right about now, so let me get that.” Sarah was once again trying to stand up to get the apple pie when Daniel once again prevented her.

 

“Now I told you to sit, so sit!”

 

“But Daniel!”

 

“No, buts, just do as your told you stubborn woman, I will take care of it.” He kissed her forehead and took the pie out and set it on the window seal to cool.

 

“Your still the same man I married 13 years ago, Stubborn, sweet and your wonderful qualities have been passed on to your kin.”

 

“Our children are just like their darling mother whom I adore dearly!”

 

**2 in the Morning**

 

Will had only been asleep for a few hours when he was being shaken awake.

 

“William, WILL! Wake up, quickly now!”

 

Will groggily opened his eyes and saw in the dim light that his father was standing over him casting eerie shadows on the wall.

 

“Will, you mom is having her baby right now, I need you to run to Doctor Erickson’s and bring him here. Can you do that?”

 

Will was now wide awake and aware of the situation, he nodded his head and was quick to throw on a shirt and lace up his shoes. Racing down the stairs he was out the kitchen door in the less than two minuets.

 

The only light available was the full moon and the stars, but Will knew the lay of the land like the back of his hand and was able to maneuver himself with great ease. His little feet crossed field after field as fast as he could run. Fatigue was making itself known unto Will but he would not falter, he was determined to reach Doctor Erickson as quickly as he could for his momma!

 

Just up ahead Will could see the vast white porch that wrapped around the entire house. Doctor Erickson was a fine physician with a degree from Harvard and could have easily set up his practice in a large city that would pay him triple the amount that the farmers in the area could, but he choose to live here in the dry plains of Kansas.

 

Will ran up the porch steps and ran to the door and started beating his little fist very loudly against that screen door. Soon a yellow porch light was lit and a haggard looking Doctor Erickson appeared.

 

“William Champion, it is 2:30 in the morning, you nearly gave the misses and me a heart attack! What is it my boy?”

 

Short of breath Will said with great labored breaths “it’s my momma, she’s havin’ here baby right now sir!”

 

“Great Scotts! She’s not supposed to be due for three more weeks! Quick William, run to my study and grab my black medical bag, it will have a white cross on the side and meet me back here. I need to go change then we will drive straight there.”

 

Nodding his head Will ran to the study and found the black bag right on top of the large oak desk, he then returned to the kitchen and out the door to the truck to wait for Doctor Erickson.

 

The doctor came running out to the truck and they both jumped in and lumbered their way down the road to Champions home. Doctor Erickson ran in and Will followed slowly. The little boy was worn and longed for his bed. But he would not get to his bed for a while. His younger brother was awake and Will knew that he needed to get him back to sleep.

 

Tucker ran over to Will and hugged his legs. Tears were rolling down his chubby little three-year-old face. He was scared and not sure what was happening. Will smiled and lifted his younger brother up and carried him into the living room and then had him sit on his lap. He whipped away the tears and cradled the little boy and rocked him back and forth while rubbing his back just as he had scene his momma do. Soon Tucker was fast asleep and Will laid him back down on the couch, covered him with a blanket and snuck into the kitchen without waking him.

 

The clock in the kitchen showed 4:30. Will sighed he knew that it was the time his father would get up and go milk the cows and do a lot of farm work. But his father was busy and so Will decided that he would do it. The little boy silently opened the door, and crept down the porch steps and was cautious to avoid the last step because it creaked whenever someone stepped on it. He trudged out to the barn and began his the task of milking the 25 cows and the rest of the chores that needed to be done. He did with a smile on his face even though he was exhausted, because it would be something his dad would do.

 

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

 

Will’s new baby sister was born the morning. Her name was Claire Rene and she shared the same birthday was Will.

 

While everyone cooed and awed over the new baby, Will was making dinner for him and his siblings, he almost forgot it was his birthday until his little sister tugged on his shirt for his attention.

 

“What can I do for you Abigil?” Will asked as he lifted her up and set her on top of the counter.

 

“I made this for you Willy!” She held out a card that had fingerprints of grape jelly all over.

 

“Oh you have huh?” And what is this?”

 

She smiled and giggled saying “you needs to reads it silly!”

 

“Alright, lets see.. It looks like you drew an airplane on the front and might I add in my favorite color! Pink!”

 

Abigail kicked her legs and clapped her hands and shouted “That’s my favorite color too!”

 

Will tickled her and laughed. “Now let’s see what’s inside!”

 

Scribbled in her handwriting was the simple message ‘ Happy Birfday to my favorihte broder in the hole world!’

 

Will closed the card and smiled a great big grin at his sister and hugged her dearly. Thank you Abigail, you don’t know what this means to me!”

 

It was at that moment that Will vowed that he would allow nothing to hurt his little sister, man, love, object, nothing!

 

Later on when everyone was asleep and the excitement had died down Will snuck into his parents room and looked into the little bassinet where his baby sister lay. Tiny blue eyes stared back at him. He smiled and lifted Claire out of the bassinet, cradled her tightly and began to rock back and forth. He whispered to her a tender message. “You area a very special little girl, you have been born to wonderful parents and a great family, but you and I have a special bond cause we share the same birthday. And I want you to know that I’m okay with that, we can share it. It’s an awesome day. I love you Claire.” He continued to cradle her for a little while and soon she was fast asleep in his arms.

 

What Will didn’t know was that his mum had been awake and had heard and watched the entire thing. Silent tears streamed down her checks and she said a silent prayer of gratitude to the Lord for the wonderful son was given.

 

 

**William is leaving home**

 

The last things to put on were his stark black shiny shoes. William laced them up and then stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. The navy blue uniform was pressed and hung well on him, he smiled and grabbed his sack and headed downstairs.

 

The entire family was waiting for him in the kitchen; they were going to be driving him to the greyhound station. He would meet Chase Nielson, his childhood best friend there and they would head out to do their country proud. Somewhere between 12 and 13 Will was dropped and William was instigated. He felt it made him appear more mature.

 

His mother was quick to rush up to him as soon as he entered the same kitchen he had grown up in.

 

“My little Will, I mean William is all grown up. You are going to be the best pilot the Air Force has ever scene.” She hugged William tight and finally let go, when she knew they needed to be going.

 

William threw has pack over his shoulder and led the way out to the truck. Tucker and Claire climbed in the bed of the truck along with William’s pack. The rest climbed in the cab. The ride was quiet, no one spoke, they just bounced down the dirt road into town.

 

There were a couple of families at the bus station all wishing their sons off to War. The threat of the U.S. joining in the World War was almost inevitable. Germany was becoming a missive threat to almost all of Europe and Japan was now joining in. The U.S. was being frowned upon from other countries and was scene as a chicken. All they were doing to help the war effort was send supplies, but that was soon to change.

 

The family gave William hugs and kisses and Chase came over to say goodbye to the family as well but mainly Abigail. Abigail had blossomed in to one of the most stunning girls. Her long hair blew gently in the soft breeze and her eyes twinkled in the afternoon sun. Her lips were cherry red and soft and inviting. She and Chase had become a thing over the summer and she was devastated to watch her love go off to war.

 

Chase held her tight and whispered a promise in her ear. ‘I will never stop fighting for your heart, I will send you letters always and when I get back I will marry you. That is my promise Abigail Sarah Champion.” He slid on to her ring finger and piece of string and looked her in the eyes and then held up his ring finger, which had the exact same string around it. “This is our promise, it won’t leave my finger ever!”

 

Abigail was on the verge of tears, but didn’t want to cry and let that be the last memory that Chase had of her, so she stood up on her toes and kissed him. It was a short kiss, but one full of desire, passion, and true love. “I know that you will be back Chase, I will wait everyday until that time.”

 

William watched as his sister and Chase exchanged their goodbyes, he remembered his promise to her when he was 11 and he swore to himself that he would keep that promise no matter what.

 

Chase waved to everyone and climbed on to the bus. William had said his goodbyes and turned to climb onto the bus as well when we felt the familiar tug on his shirt. He looked down and saw Abigail standing by him.

 

“I want you to have this, may God watch over you and my Chase.” She slipped a tiny piece of fabric into his hands and ran off to stand by Momma and wave to all the men on the bus.

 

William boarded the bus and sat down next Chase. He glanced down as the piece of fabric his sister had given him. She had crossed stitched a little pink airplane and had stitched a scripture on to it. Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” He carefully folded the fabric and tucked it deep into his suit, close to his heart.

 

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

 

Chase and William trained and become Pilots for the United States Air Force; they were then stationed at Pearl Harbor in April 1941. They enjoyed their peaceful time on the Island. Chase was diligent in writing Abigail and William often wrote to his family. They were there on the Island on December 7th 1941. They watched as the Japanese bombed and destroyed the base. Many of their friends were killed and wounded. They were able to take down 3 Japanese planes and were awarded many metals for their bravery.

 

Both men were asked to report to Washington D.C. Neither knew why they were flying there, but they were told to tell no one. Upon arrival they met Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle. They were asked to go on what was then called a suicidal mission. Both men agreed and they were then told they had to remain absolutely silent about the mission, it was top secret and of great importance to the American People.

 

William and Chase flew together and were able to train and be ready for the raid against the Japanese. They were flying large bombers on an aircraft carrier. There were 16 bombers in total; the plan called for them to hit military targets in Japan, and land in China. William and Chase were assigned to city of Nagoya.

 

Due to circumstance out of their control the bombers had to take off from the carrier far sooner then they had planned for. Many of the bombers crashed in China all but two. Those two went missing and included William and Chase. They had landed in enemy territory and were captured and named prisoners of war.

 

Then men were beaten and tortured on a daily basis. William often stood in front of Chase to take more of the blows, because he had promised his sister. On 28 August 1942, pilot Hallmark, pilot Champion and gunner Spatz were given a fake trial by the Japanese, although the airmen were never told the charges against them. On 14 October 1942, these three crewmen were advised that they were to be executed the next day the three were taken by truck to Public Cemetery Number 1 outside of Shanghai and executed by a firing squad. Before William was led off he gave Chase the little piece of fabric that his sister had made him and told him to keep it next to his heart. He told Chase to stay strong and live because his sister was waiting for him. The two men exchanged a hug and said a silent goodbye.

 

Of the remaining men one died of malnutrition, and the other four were tortured, starved and placed in solitary confinement until released in 1945.

 

Jacob and Abigail were married in the summer of 1946. Every October they would walk out to the middle of the cornfield and would light pink paper airplanes and throw them in remembrance of William.

 

**Just a side note, William was an actual pilot and he actually died like in the story as well as Chase being a prisoner of war.**

 

 

 

 

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Eight

 

 

“Chris!!!”

 

I tried to look innocently at her, but of course it was no use. She'd seen us, obviously. The disgusted look on her face made me want to punch her.

 

“Yes?” I simply replied.

 

“Well, I thought I'd told you to get new friends. And now you're...”

 

“Dating Jonny,” I finished for her. “I know. We've been doing this for a while.”

 

She sneered at me, then turned to Jonny. I made a promise to myself at that moment that if she said or did anything to him, I wouldn't hold back.

 

“How would your parents feel if they knew about this, hmm?” she asked him. I really, really hate her.

 

Jonny didn't say anything, he just stared at the ground because he knew it wouldn't matter either way. She was going to tell his parents, and they were going to have a total fit.

 

Just to piss her off, I kissed him again.

 

“Jonny, what are they doing to you?”

 

My own voice was cracking now as I struggled to fight back the tears. Jonny just stared back at me.

 

“Are they hurting you?”

 

Jonny looked down to the ground, absentmindedly rubbing his arm. He was probably bruised under the jacket he donned.

 

“Maybe,” he replied, then proceeded to cry.

 

I brought him into my arms, and at first he cringed badly, but then he relaxed and rested his chin on my shoulder, burying his nose in my neck. I could feel his tears drip down his cheek and onto my own skin. They burned and made me shiver at the same time.

 

“Chris, you don't know what these people are like. Everything I do is wrong, and sometimes...”

 

Jonny's voice trailed off, and my mind picked up where it left off, racing through all the possible courses of finishing that sentence. None of them were pleasant.

 

“Chris, if anything bad happens, would you make sure to get yourself away from here? As safely as possible.”

 

Fear crashed over me like a wave and I held on tighter to Jonny's fragile frame.

 

“What do you mean 'if anything bad happens?' Why would you say that?”

 

“Because... sometimes I... I think they're trying to kill me.”

 

Everything went silent as Jonny held his breath, and my heart beat too fast for a bit.

 

“I know I sound paranoid, but it just seems like it, you know? And I want to be sure that you could take care of yourself if you have to. I don't want you to be hurt, too.”

 

“Jonny, if anything happens to you, I won't live.” Jonny pulled back some to meet my eyes. “I can promise you that.”

 

“Something's going to happen, unless we can... get out of here. These people aren't as they seem to be, Chris.”

 

“Tomorrow,” I said, “tomorrow we'll... leave. We'll find some other place to stay. Jonny, I love you.”

 

“I love you.” Jonny tried to smile, though it was obviously painful for him to do so. I tried to help him down to the ground, as it seemed that this particular day had been extraordinarily rough for him.

 

We slept as close as we could to each other, because while the days were hot, the nights were rather chilly still. At least with Jonny right next to me, I felt a little warmer. I didn't want to get too close to him, though, because I wasn't sure how hurt he was, and I didn't want to cause him any further pain.

 

The morning came too quickly, and as I noticed the pinkish-orange streak in the sky I knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before we were called to work.

 

“Jonny,” I quietly said, trying to wake him without having to touch him. He slowly opened his eyes and grunted in reply. “Jonny, maybe we should try to get out of here now, before they come for us.”

 

Jonny shook his head. “Chris, we don't have any of our stuff. They took it, remember?”

 

“Oh, yeah.”

 

I had completely forgotten that Timothy had offered to hold onto our bag for us, so that it wouldn't get ruined being outside. Thinking about it sent a chill down my spine, one that had absolutely nothing to do with the cool morning air. I was much less hopeful now, suspecting that preserving our things was not why Timothy had actually taken them.

 

How had I not realized what was going on around us? The more I thought about it, the more obvious the clues were. And as I saw Timothy walk towards our spot, holding his hand up to his mouth to call to us, I sighed and immediately stood up, leaving Jonny behind. I couldn't let Timothy know that I was aware of Jonny's injuries; I assumed that I wasn't supposed to know about the way he was being treated.

 

Just before I left, though, I whispered to him, “I'll find a way. Don't worry, Jonny, you won't have to put up with this much longer.”

 

For a few hours I worked as I usually did, mindlessly typing away a bunch of things I didn't understand. While doing so, I tried my hardest to come up with a plan. Bits of ideas formed in my head, but it wasn't until I had to leave to get more papers from Timothy that I knew what to do.

 

I knocked on his door, and he appeared within a few seconds. He let me into the office, and as he was turned around, busy filing through some cabinet in the corner, I decided to ask him:

 

“Timothy- uh, just out of curiosity- where exactly are you keeping our bags?”

 

Timothy stopped, and for a second I was afraid that he was going to react badly. But as he spun around I noticed he was smiling kindly, and I breathed a little sigh of relief.

 

“They're... in one of the other rooms. I can't remember which one right now, but I could have a look around for you if you like. Do you need anything right now?”

 

“No, it's fine. I was just wondering. But thanks, anyway.”

 

“Right.” He returned to the cabinet, but not for much longer. He handed me a new stack of papers to type, then announced that he had to be off to check whatever was going on outside. He left before I did, and so it was rather easy for me to do what suddenly came to my mind.

 

When he was what I figured to be a far enough distance away, I looked at the door in front of me and took a deep breath. Somehow I didn't really believe that his mother was in that room.

 

 

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Nine

 

 

“What's going on?”

 

“I can't talk for very long,” he said.

 

“What's going on?” I repeated. I could hear Jonny sigh through the phone.

 

“I'm not supposed to be on the phone right now. My parents are sending me to some... I don't even know. They think it'll 'set me straight' or whatever.”

 

His words didn't even matter, really, except for 'sending,' because I was stuck on that bit. My mind practically froze, and I thought the rest of my body had, too, until I heard Jonny's voice again.

 

“Chris... say something, please. I can hear you breathing, I know you're there... Chris... I don't have much time.”

 

I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't get any sound to come out. After a few seconds I coughed, and my voice seemed to work again, but it was cracked and all over the place. “I-I don't know what to say.”

 

“Well, that's a start.” Jonny tried to laugh, but it was wrought with sadness and actually ended sounding more like a sob than anything else. Then, quietly, he added, “I'm going to miss you, Chris.”

 

“I don't want you to leave.”

 

“I don't want to leave, either. I- shit.” Even though the sound was muffled greatly by the phone, I could hear some rustling in Jonny's background. “I have to go now. Goodbye.”

 

“Bye-”

 

I was a little hesitant to look inside the room once the door was open. A little part of me was afraid that there would be some crazy lady inside itching to claw out my eyes. Oddly enough, the crazy lady in my imagination looked a little like my sister, but much older.

 

It was worse than that. Way worse.

 

I looked down at my feet as I walked inside. Almost instantly this weird smell was upon me, acting like a magnet and trying to lure the contents of my stomach onto the floor. Luckily, I hadn't eaten in days.

 

As the door clicked shut behind me, I brought my eyes up to look around. Then I almost threw up again.

 

The room was enormous, the floor stretched out as far as the eye could see. Rows upon rows of tables lined the walls and the space in between.

 

There were bags on every single table. Body bags. As I walked through I couldn't exactly tell if they were being... used, but it certainly looked like it.

 

I stopped at one of the bags and noticed a paper attached to it. At first it looked just like a regular sheet of paper, but as I stepped closer I realized that it had the same random numbers and letters as the papers I'd been typing up. I even recognized some of the sequences.

 

The silence in the room was utterly frightening, even causing me to shiver a little. I'd never felt so alone or afraid. It may have been the time in my life when I missed Jonny the most. All I wanted was to see him, to hold him, and then to get the hell away from this place.

 

I couldn't stay in there any longer. I'd completely forgotten about the supposed existence of Timothy's apparently fictional mother. Actually, I'd forgotten about almost everything that had happened. The only thing I could focus on was the grotesque contents of the room.

 

The door seemed so far away. Eventually I ran towards it, but I didn't reach it any quicker.

 

And the worst possible thing happened: the door wouldn't open. I turned the knob a million times, but it wouldn't even move a little. I was trapped. Completely trapped. There were no windows in the room, no way out except the locked door.

 

I thought about banging on the door and hoping that someone might fine me, but then I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be there anyway. If Timothy found out, he'd probably... Well, it wouldn't be good. And Jonny's voice rang in my ears:

 

“These people aren't as they seem to be, Chris.”

 

But I never imagined anything like this.

 

I slid to the floor and closed my eyes as I leaned back against the door. The smell was really starting to get to me.

 

Did Jonny know about all this? Was it just an inkling he had that something horrible was happening, or had he also stumbled upon this information?

 

I wasn't even sure what 'this' was, but I knew it was bad. I mean, any time anyone finds a room full of what appears to be dead human bodies, it can't be anything other than bad.

 

With nothing else to preoccupy me, my mind ran through all the possibilities of explanations for the horrors around me. Nothing really made much sense, until one idea popped up- organs. Every human had them, some humans needed extras. Say there was a place where people went to, people who wouldn't necessarily be missed by society. Surely they could disappear and it would be all right.

 

If Jonny had known, he would have told me. I certainly would have told him, if I could have found a way out of that goddamn room. The oxygen was starting to rapidly dissolve, and I didn't know how much time I could survive being in there.

 

With my eyes still closed, I pictured Jonny and the way he looked when I had last seem him. Why hadn't I thought to leave last night, when we still had plenty of time? Now there didn't seem to be any possible chance of that happening. It didn't even seem likely that I would ever leave that room.

 

Then I thought of what Jonny was doing now. No doubt he was working far harder than he should have, though not nearly enough for their standards. I almost cursed my parents for not giving me the DNA to be stronger like he was. Maybe then I would be the one suffering, and not him.

 

Suddenly I was struck with an awful thought; Jonny said he believed they were trying to kill him.

 

I couldn't breathe anymore, but not because of the odor that suffocated the room, or the lack of usable air. I was just crying too hard.

 

 

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Ten

 

 

The ceiling was rather low, at least compared to the ceilings in the rest of the house. I don't think I'd ever experienced claustrophobia before I was in that room.

 

While I was lying on the floor, waiting until the room ran out of oxygen, I noticed that one of the ceiling tiles was a bit off. The others were a dark grey, but this one was a shade lighter.

 

I stood up and quickly looked around. There must have been some force on my side, because right next to the nearest table was a small stool.

 

The ceiling tile was loose, and it only took me a few seconds to life it off. I couldn't really see much of what was up there, but I felt around and one of the first tings my hand touched was a backpack strap. I figured it was a long shot, but I grabbed it and pulled whatever it was down.

 

It wasn't ours, which I had suspected, but that made me think that maybe ours was up there somewhere. I tried another time, and miraculously managed to pull down the familiar bag.

 

I threw the other bag back up and replaced the tile, then kicked the stool off to the side. I caught a whiff of the bag as I collapsed on the ground, and it smelled nearly as bad as the rest of the room. But I was glad to have it anyway.

 

With nothing else to do, I started to unzip the bag. The zipper was about halfway open when I started hearing voices.

 

“It'll be all right. You can just wait in here while I go deal with him,” Timothy said. At least, I thought it was him and I thought that was what he said; it was hard to hear through the walls. I figured whoever he was talking to would be led into his office, but then the doorknob beside me began to turn.

 

I quickly stood and stepped back. I nearly hit the stool but I tried to ignore it and hide in the shadowy corner as the door opened.

 

“Come on in,” Timothy said. It was definitely him. I was afraid that he'd seen me, but he sharply turned around and held the door open as another guy walked in– Jonny.

 

I don't remember thinking about doing it, I just did it. The stool was right there, so why not?

 

Then the next thing I knew I was standing over Timothy's unconscious body, holding the stool in my shaking hands.

 

Luckily I looked up, because the door was swinging shut.

 

“Jonny, the door!” He looked alertly at me, frozen with fear and confusion, so I shouted again. “Don't let it close!”

 

Jonny snapped out of his trance and slipped his hand into the narrow opening left between the door and the wall. He looked up at me and I sighed with relief. Everything seemed to slow down, but I suddenly realized we needed to get the hell out of there.

 

I dropped the stool and grabbed the bag, stepped over Timothy's body and opened the door, motioning for Jonny to leave first.

 

As we walked onto the front porch and I reveled in seeing the light of day, Jonny just sort of looked at me helplessly.

 

“Jonny, can you run?”

 

“I guess.”

 

“Then let's go.” I held my hand out to him. I think he didn't want me to see, but he kinda gripped the side of his leg. Then he grabbed my hand and we both started running like mad.

 

We must have been running for five minutes or so before we stopped on the road. I could still see the rock Felicia had been sitting on when we first arrived, but it was far in the distance.

 

Running away from the place you ran away to. How bizarre.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

It was never something I thought Jonny would say at a time like this. I looked at him, and his bright green eyes seemed to frown at me.

 

“Why?”

 

“It was my idea to run away in the first place,” he said.

 

“I don't see why you should be sorry for that,” I said, and gave his hand a squeeze.

 

“Well, I mean, it's my fault we were almost killed. Or, I was, at least.”

 

“It's not your fault, Jonny.” He looked at me with disbelief, and I set my eyes on the path ahead of us. “But you were right earlier.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“That room we were in... Jonny, it was filled with bodies. Like, twenty or thirty dead bodies.”

 

Neither of us spoke again until we had reached that town we stumbled upon what seemed like ages ago. On one of the street corners we stopped to rest.

 

“Jonny, maybe we should go somewhere and get some food,” I suggested. He leaned back against the building we stood in front of and nodded.

 

“Good idea... but we don't have any money, do we?”

 

“Well, didn't you bring some? I got our bag back...” I turned a little and pointed to the backpack which I was currently sporting. Jonny reached around and searched through it briefly.

 

Not a minute later he was back to leaning, arms folded across his chest. “Looks like we've been robbed.”

 

I should have realized why they would take the bag in the first place. Of course they'd want to nick our money... but then I remembered something else. I swung the backpack off, nearly hitting Jonny, and almost tore it open in my franticness.

 

It was almost completely empty, and my heart raced as I dug through it. All that was in there was our clothes. Apparently they hadn't found those suitable enough to take.

 

But nowhere in there was a tiny stuffed lobster.

 

I didn't even realize I was crying until a few tears dropped onto my hand. Then I just felt stupid for crying, but I couldn't help it. Jonny must have noticed, because he pulled the bag away from me and tilted my head up so our eyes met.

 

“It's OK,” he softly said. “It's OK.”

 

He didn't even have to say it, because his eyes were telling enough, but hearing the words certainly made me feel better. Like the emotional mess that I was, I just sort of fell forward and wrapped my arms around him. He did the same, carefully encircling my neck.

 

“I love you, Chris.”

 

I was going to say it back, but the tone of Jonny's voice stopped me. Plus, I could tell that he was sort of cringing a little.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked as I backed away.

 

“I don't want to hurt you.”

 

Ironically, he looked at me with aching eyes and quietly said, “You won't.”

 

My heart broke like it had the night before, and I hugged Jonny again. But I still felt bad.

 

“Jonny-”

 

“Chris, I'm fine,” he said in a cracked voice.

 

“You're not fine, I can tell by your voice. You're clearly in pain.”

 

“I'm in pain, but you're not hurting me.”

 

“Well, I'm certainly not helping.”

 

“Yes, you are.” His hold seemed to tighten a little. “Don't let go.”

 

I breathed against his neck for a little while, then said, “I love you, too.”

 

For some reason I thought it was a little strange that no one seemed to be around. I let my eyes wander about the brick wall behind Jonny, and that's when I noticed the paper that made my heart skip a beat.

 

“Jonny...”

 

I pulled away again, but this time Jonny didn't stop me, maybe because he noted the seriousness in my tone.

 

“What is it?” he asked.

 

I didn't say anything, I just pointed behind him. He spun around and gasped a little when he saw it- a paper with our faces on it, and the word MISSING written in large, dark letters.

 

“W-well,” he began, “I mean, it's not surprising, is it, that they'd put up signs? I would if I was in their position...”

 

It was almost like he knew what I was going to say, but he allowed me to say it anyway. “Yeah, but Jonny, someone's gonna recognize us.”

 

And right on cue, someone just down the sidewalk shouted, “CHRIS!!”

 

 

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Eleven

 

 

It had been so long since I last saw him, and so much had happened in between that I'd nearly forgotten what my brother looked like. Of course, as soon as I saw him, I remembered.

 

“Oh, shit.” I don't think he was expecting such a friendly greeting as that. He just stared at us, a little confused, and then my sister came into view.

 

She paused momentarily, then kept walking past my brother and towards Jonny and myself. I couldn't tell what her expression was supposed to be, exactly; it looked like a weird combination of relief and anger. But when she stopped in front of us she just kinda seemed shocked.

 

“Chris, you...” Then I watched as she returned to her previous anger, this time much more intensified, if the severe slap on my arm I received from her proved anything. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you have any fucking idea what I went through the past few weeks?! I thought you were probably dead somewhere on the side of the road, Jesus Christ!!”

 

I shared a semi-knowing glance with Jonny, then calmly replied, “Do you have any idea what I went through?”

 

“No, of course not, and hmm, I wonder why? Maybe it had to do with the fact that you just suddenly disappeared and I had no fucking clue where you were. One day, I woke up and went to your room to talk to you, but there wasn't an answer. I figured maybe you were asleep, so I opened the door, and you weren't there. Then I searched the rest of the house and you still weren't there. Then Jonny's parents called, and said he wasn't 'round either.”

 

“I'll bet you had a lovely chat with them,” I quietly and bitterly said.

 

“We've been looking for you everywhere,” she said, ignoring my snide remark and gesturing to my brother. “I'm so glad that you're OK.”

 

She stepped forward and pulled me into an embrace, which I wasn't too happy about. I just stood there with my arms at my side until she seemed to get the point.

 

“Chris, why do you hate me?”

 

“Are you serious??”

 

Her eyes darted quickly to Jonny and back, and she sighed with a look of exasperation. “The past few months have been really rough for everyone... I thought we could all stick together, get through this together. But then you became really distant, and I was worried. And you were always going out with him,” she pointed at Jonny, “and... I just wanted you to stay with us. We're supposed to be a family.”

 

“What you did goes past family,” I told her, trying but failing to not raise my voice. “It affects Jonny, too, but you don't care about that, do you? All you care about is yourself.”

 

Her face changed, like she honestly hadn't realized the full consequences of her actions. I almost thought that she felt bad. “You took him away from us,” she said to Jonny. “I thought it was only fair I do the same to you.”

 

Jonny looked like he was uncomfortable being put in the middle of our argument, which is why I was thoroughly surprised by his response. “You didn't take him away from me. You tried. And I didn't take him away from you. I would never force Chris to do anything he didn't want to.”

 

She looked a little taken aback, and speechlessly she turned to me.

 

“I'm not going back with you,” I said.

 

“Where are you gonna go? What are you going to do? You can't survive on your own out here. You don't have money, you don't have shelter-”

 

“That didn't stop us before.”

 

Then suddenly Jonny's hand was on my arm, his lips brought up to my ear. “Chris, there's no point fighting it,” he whispered. “Remember what you said? We run away, or we wait a year until we're adults. No matter what, they can't stop us.”

 

I stared into Jonny's eyes and tried to suppress the feeling that he was right. I had said that, but now it didn't seem so easy to accept. So I tried the last option I had to hold onto him.

 

“Can Jonny come back and stay with us for a while?” I asked her. She looked a little blankly at me, so I turned to Jonny and added, “At least until you're feeling better.”

 

“What happened to you?” she asked.

 

“It's a long story,” he said.

 

She sighed deeply, then surprisingly nodded. “If you promise not to leave again like that... then he can stay. But only for a few days, then I have to let your parents know, Jonny.”

 

“Right.”

 

“They're really worried about you,” she said.

 

“I'm sure they are.” His hand was still on my arm, and his thumb brushed over my skin. “It's a shame they won't understand any of this.”

 

Jonny was fine getting into the car, though a few times he groaned in pain before he sat comfortably. I sat in the back with him and held his hand. When we arrived home I helped him out of the car, because it was a much more difficult process for him.

 

“You don't have to keep waiting on me,” he softly laughed as I walked around my bed and gave him a cup of tea. He was leaning back on my pillows, and after I gave him the tea- the third cup I'd made for him that night- I laid down beside him.

 

“But I like waiting on you. I want to help you.” I brought the back of my hand up and gently stroked his cheek. He turned his head and smiled at me.

 

“You know how you could help me?” he asked in a deep voice.

 

“How?”

 

He raised his eyebrows in slight distress and said, “Convince my parents that you're the most amazing person in the world. Then maybe they'll let me be with you.”

 

 

The Last Place (You Were Looking)

 

Part Twelve

 

 

My sister asked again what had happened to Jonny. He was in my room, sleeping, and I wasn't sure if I should tell her without him being there. Plus, I didn't exactly know what they'd done to him. So I just told her the basics, and said that if she wanted to know more she could ask Jonny.

 

She looked horrified, which was not altogether surprising. Then she asked me to repeat what I'd said, and she grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled stuff down as I rolled my eyes and told her again.

 

“Excuse me,” she quickly said, swooping out of the room and presumably in search of the phone. She was on there for a good hour or so talking to the police, quietly asking me questions every now and then. I'm not completely sure what happened to those kids, but I can only hope that they'll never see the outside world again, left only to rot in some awful prison somewhere.

 

Her anxiety seemed to increase with every day that Jonny stayed with us. On the fourth day, he and I were talking harmlessly while sitting on my bed when she came in and ordered me to leave. I did, but I stood right outside and pressed my ear against the closed door.

 

“I'm going to call your parents today,” she said. “I'll tell them that I found you both, and you're safe.”

 

“OK,” Jonny said, defeated. I wanted to burst into the room and hold him, but I controlled myself.

 

There was a short pause, then my sister said, “Chris is very fond of you. I want him to be happy. I just... Everything's so overwhelming, you know? I was supposed to be able to go out and start living my life, and instead I'm stuck taking care of two young boys.”

 

“I imagine it would be difficult,” Jonny said. “But you don't have to worry so much about Chris, he's a good person. And he's almost an adult himself.”

 

“You won't hurt him...” It was hard to tell if this was a statement or a question. Either way, there was no vocal response from Jonny, just my sister continuing on, “I'm sorry, but I have to call them.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

I sensed that she was going to be leaving relatively soon, so I backed away from the door and went down to another room. I waited until she walked by, then went back to Jonny. But I made a quick stop first.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She turned around and blinked a few times, looking at me with confusion. “Um... you're welcome.”

 

“I love him. Did you know that?”

 

She sympathetically sighed. “Chris, it's out of my hands now. I can't- If his parents decide that they don't want him to see you...”

 

“I know.” After a few seconds I turned to leave, but just before I did I said, “Go call them.”

 

Jonny looked up as I entered the room, and I got the feeling that he had been staring off into space beforehand. He smiled at me and I sat down next to him.

 

“Looks like today's our last day together,” he said with a bittersweet tone. “I'm guessing that I probably won't see much of you anymore.”

 

“Well, you never know,” I shrugged, though I knew it was a white lie for us both, “maybe your parents will have had a change of heart.”

 

Jonny stared at me for a little while, and I stared back, then he inched closer. “Chris, I just want you to know that, despite what happened, these last few weeks were the best weeks of my life. Because I got to spend them with you.”

 

He laid his hand on top of mine, and in return I kissed him.

 

“I'm gonna miss this,” I muttered.

 

“Yeah, me too.”

 

For the rest of the day we just sat with each other and talked sometimes. But really, we never had to say anything. He placed his arms around me, I rested my head on his chest, and I could feel that warm sensation rush through me again. Our hearts beat as one, our pain and happiness and suffering and joy all mixed together and spread evenly throughout us both.

 

Around six o'clock Jonny's parents arrived to take him back. They stood in the living room while they waited, and when Jonny finally walked into the room his mother ran towards him and hugged him with as much effort as she could muster.

 

“Jonny, I can't believe it. I thought I'd never see you again!” Jonny hugged her back, but he wasn't nearly as glad as she was. “How could you put us through something like that?”

 

“It was pretty easy,” he said, coldly. “You didn't seem to care how I felt, so I just ignored every thought I had about how devastated you'd be.”

 

His mother looked up at me, and while her gaze I found entirely frightening, I stared back with what I thought was at least a tiny bit of courage.

 

“Your father and I have decided on something,” she said, eyes still pointed squarely in my direction. “And we won't send you away, but you have to promise us one thing.”

 

“What?”

 

She pulled back and looked motherly into Jonny's eyes. “You have to promise not to ever keep another secret from us again. At least as long as you're living under our roof. Understand? I don't care what it is you're doing, there will be absolutely no lying and no sneaking around.”

 

“Uh...” Jonny leaned forward a little and quietly said to her, “I have something I need to tell you when we get home.”

 

“Why can't you tell me now?” she asked in the same low voice.

 

“Because I'm nervous and-or afraid and I need time to prepare,” he quickly said. But when his mother said nothing in return he sighed and looked back at me. “I guess maybe you would want to know, too.”

 

My heart beat a tad faster as I tried to think of what he was talking about. I had been under the impression that he never hid anything from me, though I guess that was wrong.

 

“Know what?” I asked.

 

Jonny walked over to me and said, “You know you're very special to me, right?” I nodded and Jonny turned to the rest of the room, namely his mother and father. “If you have a problem with Chris and I being together because he's a boy, then you're not going to like anyone else I would be with.”

 

I felt Jonny's hand grip my own tightly and I was suddenly very scared for him. But I was also proud.

 

“Are you telling us that you're gay?” his mother bluntly asked.

 

“Yeah. I mean, I guess it's not such a big surprise, but... yeah.”

 

There was a silence, awkward and a little painful, as it seemed nearly impossible to tell how Jonny's parents were reacting to this. Then someone finally cleared their throat and spoke.

 

“Chris, are you...?” my sister asked. I was a bit grateful that she only sounded curious and not disgusted.

 

I shrugged. “I don't know. And I honestly don't care.”

 

Jonny's mother walked over and placed her hand on his back. “Come on, I think it's time for us to leave now. We'll discuss this further when we've returned home.”

 

Jonny smiled at me as he let go of my hand. “Bye, Chris. I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

It seemed like his parents tried to pretend they didn't hear us say that, but I didn't mind. Jonny gave me a cute little wave goodbye then headed out the door, followed closely by his parents. His mother stopped before shutting the door and waved at me, too, though not as friendly as she could have.

 

And even though I didn't know it for sure, I felt like everything was going to be OK. For the first time in months, everything was going to be OK.

 

 

The Meeting Chapter 6

 

 

[

 

To the everyday Fan, it's a full day from the start. Is what I am gonna wear be cool, sexy, too hot, not enough warmth from the elements? Should I make a sign? Will I run fast enough to get the stage? Will I need to go to the bathroom once I'm there? Will Chris notice me?

 

The Rockstars wake up, eat a prepared breakfast, work-out alittle, snooze, do some stretching, some drink to losen up, get driven to the show by police escorts, do a backstage interview, take some pics with lucky fans, and smile a whole lot.

 

Chris is alone in a room looking over the set-list and wants to add Moses right after The Hardest Part Piano solo, but they really haven't rehearsed it but a few times, and altho it sounded great he was still unsure, he will decide on stage.

 

Jackie comes round looking for the boy's it's showtime, Jonny is in the bathroom throwing up, first gig ever with a band as big as Coldplay and he got some jitters. Chris pokes his head in and yells, "J" you in here, he hears the ungodly sound of a man throwing up, Chris walks in and over to the stall, knocks gently..... "J" you okay?" Jonny flushes and opens the door and claims, " I dunno Chris, I'm awfully nervous." Chris puts his hand on Jon's shoulder and say's, "JonnyBoy, you are the greatest rock guitarist in the world, and your gonna mesmorize them." Jonny smiles a bit and Chris say's "Come on it's showtime, wash your face off and let's go."

 

They do their huddle and the lights go down and they walk to the stage, Jackie and Kelly guiding them thru the darkness with flashlights, the crowd is on their feet knowing they are coming. Will proceeds onward first, then Guy, and Chris stops at the top of the stairs and looks back at Jon who is at the bottom, "Come Jon" Chris reaching out for his hand, "In 2 hours you are gonna be a Superstar."

 

The concert is going on like a tornado, Jon has adapted to the stage and crowd just like Chris told him, he is loving it, and feels so confident. They are at the end of the stage doing a couple of tid-bits of songs. When it's done, the crowd is on their feet and screaming, J, Guy and Will walk back to the stage. Chris seats himself at the piano and say's " Man you guy's are sounding great tonight, thanks for coming, we know you have a lot of things going on in your lives and the economy is in the shitter, and we appreciate you spending time with us."

"This song is is about girls..... He shrugs his shoulders and grins alittle "Or Boys if that's your fancy, it's all good." Piano starts up and the crowd sings along with him, when it's over, he stays sat and claps to the audience which drives them wild, he bends down swigs some water, spit's it up in the air like a volcano, and wipes his face with a towel.

 

"Now, we have a new song" Chris kinda looks back at the stage for approval and told the crowd, "Well, I think I am going to try to attempt this song by myself, the boy's have worked hard tonight, so they can go take a quick smoke, text the Prime Minister, or... ya know whatever." Chris can't see the boy's, but Guy who is standing to the side of the stage with Will and Jon, asks "What the hell", "Why doesn't he ever tell us these things." shaking his head with a smirk. Will say's "Well we better take the stage just in case he flubs up." Jon starts to walk back to his place and thinks to himself, "That Man could never flub anything up."

 

Chris play's and say's, "This is dedicated to....." he say's an initial but nobody really caught it." He starts.."Come on now, don't you want to see, this thing that's happening to me, like Moses, had power over seas, so you've got a power over me..... all of a sudden he gets teary eyed and kinda chokes the next line, and bangs his hands down on the piano and with a smile.. "Ok, I attempted it, it sounds like shit, and I got Fuck all left", he laughs, and the crowd is yelling more, more, more, "No, No, I'm not ready, I mean it's not ready and laughs."

 

Just then, A shadowy figure comes walking down the runway and Chris see's it's Jon, carrying Chris's guitar and his own, the crowd is going wild and Jon tells Chris "Come on, we wanna hear this song done properly. They both jog back to the stage, and Chris straps on his guitar and looks back for Will to time them in, Chris speaks into the microphone and say's, "Well I guess we are ready, lets attempt this again." The song went off without a hitch, and between the glances Chris and Jonny were giving each other and the crowds reaction to the new song, something magical was happening.

 

The boy's took their bows, and ran off stage, Will, Guy were handed beers, and Chris a water, and Jon was lagging behind, Chris looks back and say's to Will and Guy, "He is gonna be sore tomorrow." they laughed and remember how it was early on for them, they were like old men, knees hurting, arms sore, legs like jello, but they quickly became in shape.

Chris wrapped his arm around Jonny's shoulder and said with a giggle, "Come on old man, here's a beer."

 

Later at the hotel, everyone said their goodnights and retreated to their rooms. Chris took yet another shower and plopped down on the bed in his calvins and swiged a beer and looking with the remote at what was on TV, about 2 hours passed and he was passed out on the bed, snoring away, when there was a knock at the door, kept getting louder, and Chris rolled over and thought he was dreaming. Finally the knock turned into a pound and Chris heard his name.... Bleary-eyed he stumbled to the door and cracked it open to see Jon leaning against the door frame, and Jon quickly asked "Moses... Who did you dedicate it to?"

Chris said "What?" squinting his eyes, "Who did you dedicate Moses on stage to, did you say J or G?????? Chris took a deep breath, and said "J", Jon shook his head and nodded ok and said, "I thought so, goodnight Chris."....................]

 

Homecoming

 

Guy

 

 

I sit slowing stroking the bass, alone as the band met up with their families. Lukas opens the door and I see my daughter walk in followed by her mother, Marie. “Guy, I’m back.”

 

My eyes fill up with tears. Our family was complete again. After a long and cold separation from her, she came back. I don’t think of Lukas and how he was standing in the room watching. I forget about the dates I had gone on with him since Marie left. I pull my wife into my arms and kiss her full on the lips. I hear the door creak a bit and Lukas cough. “Guy you are about to go on.”

 

 

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

The end of the gig saw us with a runner. We dropped the equipment and ran. The band split, Will and I in the first van and Chris and Jon in the other. Of course they would share a van, giving them their extra alone time, even though we were already heading back to the hotel. When we pulled up to the hotel, Will suggests we go to the bar. I was about to agree when I saw Marie standing by the lift.

 

“I, uhh, not tonight Will.” I start, trying not to bring attention to Marie.

 

“Is that Marie?!” Chris asks loudly when he catches up to us. She blushes at the mention of her name and I know I have never anyone or anything more beautiful than her. I nod to the band, and they give me sympathetic faces.

 

“Is she back for good?” Jonny asks. I shrug and ask them if I can break off for the night.

 

“Of course, you can.” Chris eagerly says, “We- I wasn’t going to go to the bar anyways.” He winks at Jon, “How about you?”

 

Ignoring the casual flirting between my two best friends I bid Will goodnight and follow Marie. Chris starts to wave goodbye frantically hoping to be seen, I try not to cover my face up in embarrassment.

 

As I walked though, all I could hear was Lukas’s voice. “She left you Guy. You were broken, she doesn’t deserve you.” I shrug off the voice of my roadie and continue walking.

 

 

 

 

 

-Prologue-

 

 

 

Jonny looked over the faces of the people sitting before him. There had to be at least a hundred people, all there to witness this great day. The happiest day of his life.

 

He was nervous, definitely; it was already a really hot day, and on top of that he was wearing a full tuxedo and his palms refused to be dry, regardless of how often he wiped them on his pants.

 

The girls across from him were standing patiently, the flowers they held not withstanding the heat much better than Jonny was. They were both engaged in conversation, quietly whispering to each other about God knows what.

 

Jonny scanned the crowd again. He wasn't looking for anyone- everyone he wanted to be there was there, he knew- he was just looking for something to do. Time was going by so slowly.

 

After he was done staring, he turned to the man beside him. He gave Jonny a reassuring smile and pat on the back. It didn't help Jonny's nerves at all.

 

Then the music began to play.

 

 

 

 

-Chapter One-

 

 

“Excuse me... Jonny, right?”

 

Jonny turned around to see the man with the curly cinnamon-brown hair who had been sitting in the first pew on the left side. The man's eyes were extraordinarily blue, but the first thing Jonny noticed was that he had an abnormally large nose.

 

“Yeah,” Jonny answered, unenthusiastically.

 

“I'm Chris.” The man held out his hand, which Jonny tentatively shook. He really just wanted to go home. That's what everyone else was doing; all around people were standing from their seats and leaving through the one exit way, all thoroughly disappointed.

 

As they both took their hands back, a woman passed in between them. She glared nastily at Chris as she walked by, and he merely looked back as though he couldn't understand why she seemed to hate him. Jonny thought nothing of it.

 

“So, you're one of her family, then?”

 

“I'm her brother,” Chris said. Another man walking by sneered at him. “And I honestly can't say I'm surprised, but... I'm sorry.”

 

“Did you know she wouldn't show up?” Jonny narrowed his eyes at Chris. He felt like being angry at someone, and Chris seemed to present himself to be such a person. A lot of the others leaving from around them thought so, too.

 

“No, I thought she'd actually changed.” Chris looked to the floor and smiled with a bit of sarcasm. “I guess that's like people thought I would change, too.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Chris raised his eyes to Jonny. He waited a few moments, then let out a heavy sigh. “You know I wasn't actually invited? But I came anyway, hoping that she'd appreciate my presence. It was supposed to be a big day, as I'm sure you know.”

 

Jonny didn't know what the hell Chris was talking about, and he was beginning to see why these people didn't like him. Of course, he was mistaken.

 

“Yeah, I do know,” Jonny bitterly replied, biting his tongue to refrain from further retorts.

 

“Sorry.”

 

As the last few people shot their looks of hatred at Chris, Jonny's feelings did an odd one-eighty and he suddenly felt sympathetic. He shouldn't be angry at Chris, for none of this was his fault. He was just a harmless being that Jonny wanted so badly to take his frustration out on.

 

Naturally, the only thing to do was ask Chris if he wanted to get a drink.

 

“Well, I think you could use a drink more than I could,” he said. “But I'll go with you. I'll be your designated driver, how about that?”

 

That sounded wonderful to Jonny, so the two men left along with everyone else. Having been brought to the church by a limousine that was still waiting outside, Jonny decided it would be appropriate for the two to drive around in it.

 

“See,” Jonny said as they slid into the back of the limo, “now you can have a drink with me.”

 

“I'm fine, thanks. I'm actually not that big on alcohol.” Jonny scoffed, and Chris laughed incredulously. “What? I'm not!”

 

“Everyone's big on alcohol. Or maybe you're just too big on it, is that what?” Jonny grabbed the bottle of wine that was resting beside him. He didn't want to say it and risk coming off too rash and abrasive, but he thought that perhaps this was the lack of change that Chris had been referring to before. He could have been a recovering alcoholic, and a failed one at that, though if he was adamantly refusing a drink then perhaps he was doing rather well with it.

 

“I'm not too big on it,” Chris replied, a bit of his laughter still lingering around. “If it'll make you feel better, I'll have one glass. One glass, that's it.”

 

“That's what I'm talking about,” Jonny cheerfully hooted, quickly pouring Chris a glass of the red liquid. Chris chuckled at Jonny's enthusiasm. When they'd both had their glasses filled, Jonny proposed a toast to the awfulness of women, and Chris clinked his glass against Jonny's with more conviction than Jonny realized.

 

“I'd hate to trash talk your sister, but-” Jonny tipsily began.

 

“No, no, by all means, go ahead,” Chris said with clarity. He knew how to hold his liquor. He also knew how not to drink it. “It's not like she's ever done much for me, anyway. Honestly, I think she's a bitch.”

 

“She is a bitch,” Jonny agreed in a strangely calm voice. He tilted his head, trying to look at Chris from a different angle both literally and metaphorically. “Why did you come to the wedding, then, if you hate her?”

 

“Well, I don't want to hate her. She's my sister. I was hoping we could get past whatever stupid shit is holding us back.” Chris swirled the wine around in his glass. “But anyway, trash talk her.”

 

“Oh.” Jonny looked down at his own glass and frowned. “I think 'bitch' pretty much covers it.”

 

Chris stared at Jonny admiringly and smiled a little. “You really are something else, aren't you?” Jonny's eyes, unfocused, met Chris's, and his head lolled around a little. “I can see why she'd want to marry you. But I can't see why she'd leave you.”

 

“Maybe I'm a bitch, too,” Jonny suggested. “Or.. a... I don't know. Something else like that.”

 

“You seem like a very nice man,” Chris told him. “A little drunk,” he added with a laugh, “but nice.”

 

Jonny hiccuped and tried to focus. He observed Chris, letting his eyes roll over Chris's many interesting facial features. “You have a really big nose.”

 

Jonny was under the impression that his last statement was merely a thought; he didn't realize that he'd actually vocalized it until Chris reacted. Thankfully, Chris took his ascertainment rather well, merely grinning even wider.

 

“Thanks,” he facetiously replied. “You know, Jonny, I think we could be great friends.”

 

 

Homecoming

 

Chapter Two

 

 

 

 

“Jonny-boy, I missed you…” Chris cooed as we got into the van.

 

“Christopher! You just spent the past two days with me! I haven’t left your side to even go to the toilets!”

 

“I can still miss you, though…” He scooted closer to me and began rubbing his hand down my arm.

 

“We’re almost at the hotel. We can wait.” I try not to give into the temptation as Chris continues his teasing. He moves from my arm and goes towards my torso. His hand slips up the sleeve of my shirt and he tries to touch my chest. I want to push him away before we get caught but, the van stops and so does he. It was pleasurable, everything with Chris was, but I didn’t want to be walked in on by anybody.

 

I have my thoughts running through my mind again, pondering if we should tell our friends that we are in love. I would have no problem telling them if I knew they would react kindly.

 

We step out of the van and enter the lobby. Guy and Will are talking to each other as they head to the bar. Will invites us to join and I see Chris’s face fall. I wanted to go back to the room. Is what his face tells me. I go to reply to Will but, we all notice Guy’s attention move to a young lady against a wall.

 

The lady was petite, with her large cold blue eyes reflecting Guy’s face in them. Her light blonde hair curled and pulled back behind her neck. Marie, her name was, wearing a low shirt and jeans, not dressed like the mother she was. To me I swore she only wanted Guy in bed once again then to have him back as her husband.

 

Seeing her back in the hotel waiting for Guy made me sick. I had no mood to sit around drinking. Like Chris I would rather be back in our hotel room.

 

 

 

Taking On Dreams

 

Chapter 1

 

 

“Class, today I would like you to draw something to represent your deepest desires. It can be anything you like. There are no limits here, and no rules. The only thing you are forbidden from doing is nothing at all!”

 

As the teacher spoke, she paced swiftly back and forth at the front of the room. Her long black hair bounced behind her following every step she took. Her colorful skirt twirled as she moved. Her mahogany eyes shone with exuberance.

 

Chris looked around. All the other students were busily working at their easels. Their faces were deep in concentration. Chris leaned back in his chair and heaved a great sigh. He had no idea why he had ever signed up for this class. He had no artistic abilities whatsoever.

 

He stared at his still blank easel. Maybe it was more of a lack of creativity than it was a lack of talent. Professor Gartner had often praised him for his excellent work on still life. But whenever it was time the class to use their imaginations, Chris could sense that he fell short from the rest of them.

 

The sweet smell of flowery perfume reached his nose. He looked up to see the art professor standing beside him. He braced himself for some sort of lecture.

 

“Chris, what’s wrong?” she inquired instead. “You are usually eager to begin your work. What’s changed?”

 

“The subject,” Chris muttered. But the teacher heard him, and smiled.

 

“This may not be your thing, Chris. But I know you can do it.”

 

“But how?” he asked with eager eyes.

 

“Here is a little tip to get you started. Look around this room. Note the things you see that stand out to you. The things that you enjoy the most, or that are special to you personally.”

 

“Okay…I’ll try,” he mumbled.

 

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” she replied cheerfully, her smile growing wider. She gave him a little pat on the back then continued her stroll about the room.

 

Chris sat and thought about what she had said. He supposed it couldn’t hurt to look around and see what there was to see. He realized that he had always been so engrossed in his work that he had never really noticed anything in the room.

 

He started with the floor, because, well, why not? It was tiled and very clean. But there was nothing special about it. He moved his eyes around and found the sun to be a shocking presence throughout the room.

 

It poured in through the large glass windows on the westward side. The reds and yellows and oranges and especially the golds of the sunset splashed upon the floor and walls and the objects and the people in the room.

 

Chris was especially taken in by the golds. They were bold, but not too bold. They

were just right. They didn’t hurt the eyes, like the other colors tended to. They were warm and friendly and inviting.

 

Chris thought that the gentle color would be a lovely addition to any of his deepest desires, whatever those might be. He kept it in mind as he continued his studies.

 

Professor Gartner was back at the front of the room now. She was at her desk, buried in some sort of novel. Chris squinted to see the its title. He couldn’t make it out, but the glint of something else caught his eye. A necklace hanging loosely from the teacher’s throat. It was adorned with beads, most of them tiny.

 

However, one stood out among the others. A large stone the color of an emerald. It made up most of the weight that weighed the necklace down. Anyone who laid eyes upon it would be impressed. But to Chris it was more than that.

 

He was stunned, stupefied. It was the most gorgeous gem he had ever seen. He had a sudden, strong urge to rip it off the unworthy little silver chain and find it a better home, perhaps in a museum. But instead of doing that he added it to his mental list.

 

Next his eyes strayed towards a corner of the room, where one of the students kept their guitar during class. Chris could never forget that kid, whenever he saw him around campus he was always lugging around the guitar on his back no matter where he went. He had even wanted to wear it during the class, but Professor Gartner would not allow it.

 

So there the instrument sat every day, for the two hour long stretch of time that the class used up. Looking at its deep brown wood and its curves, Chris thought it showed a quiet defiance. He could only imagine what level of boldness it would express when actually played.

 

Chris had always found an interest in musicians, specifically guitarists. In fact, it was a secret childhood dream of his to become a famous musician. But unfortunately, he never did manage to gain the skill necessary. So instead he chose to admire from afar those who could play.

 

He had a passing thought that it would be lovely to view close-up the way a guitarist operated; the way his mind worked and the way he turned his thoughts and feelings into chords of music. Guitar playing, he decided was definitely something that should be included somehow in his art piece.

 

The final idea that became the foundation for Chris’s inspiration was a framed photo sitting on the teacher’s desk. It was a candid photo of two lovers. Chris assumed that one of them was his teacher.

 

The couple looked genuinely happy. They were all smiles and their eyes expressed a deep caring and love for the other person.

 

He felt a bit intrusive for staring at it, but at the same time he found it hard to look away. His heart ached a little. This was always something he had wanted. Someone to love. And more importantly, somebody to love him.

 

Or at least someone he could talk to with eyes as caring as those in the photo. Man or woman, it didn’t really make a difference, but he wanted someone.

 

 

 

-Chapter Two-

 

 

 

Chris checked his phone for the third time in five minutes. It was working perfectly fine, and he knew it was, but he still kept looking at it to make sure he hadn't missed the call.

 

It had been three days since the wedding, three days since he'd climbed out of the back of the limousine and handed Jonny a slip of paper with his number. Jonny was supposed to call him and together they'd arrange a time to hang out. But he hadn't heard from Jonny at all.

 

There were several reasons Chris could think of for this: Jonny forgot about calling, maybe because he was drunk when Chris bid him farewell and suggested they meet up again; Jonny lost the number, which seemed plausible at least; or Jonny just didn't want to see him. But the last one seemed ridiculous, because Chris was under the impression that they both had a good time chatting in the back of the limo.

 

He checked his phone a fourth time, lying to himself by claiming that it was only to look at the time. It was three o'clock. Chris recognized how pathetic he was.

 

As soon as he closed his phone, though, it rang. Not bothering to look at the number, he quickly answered it and chirped, “Hello!” into the speaker.

 

“Hi, uh, it's Jonny. Sorry I didn't call you earlier. I've been a bit...distracted.”

 

“It's OK!” Chris replied, beaming. For the next few minutes they talked about how their lives had played out over the previous days, then Jonny proposed they meet up in the center of town.

 

“There's that Italian place at the corner of Main and Park. I can make it there in about fifteen minutes,” Jonny said.

 

“All right, I'll see you then.” Chris threw his phone onto his bed, nearly forgetting to end the call, and immediately ran to his closet. He pulled the door back and shoved all of the hanging shirts to the left side. One by one he went through the shirts, and one by one he deemed them unworthy.

 

With only three shirts left to leaf through, Chris glanced behind him and peered at the clock by his bedside. It had been five minutes since Jonny called. Time was wasting away.

 

Chris finally decided upon the penultimate shirt, a royal purple v-neck that fit snugly, but was not too tight. Chris smoothed down the wrinkles in the fabric around his chest as stared into his full body mirror. His jeans were a bit tattered and old, but he actually thought they looked a bit stylish, so he kept them on. He only owned one pair of shoes, so that didn't matter, but with only five minutes left he frantically tried to fix his hair. The curls were growing a little too long, but fortunately that meant he was able to tuck them behind his ears, which he'd once been told looked cute.

 

He ran out the door and down the stairs onto the street. The restaurant Jonny had mentioned was right across the street from Chris's apartment, and the road was clear of nearly all cars. Chris kept on running across the pavement, stopping once he reached the other side. It was another three minutes before he could see Jonny making his way down the sidewalk in the distance.

 

“Are you hungry? I'm not really hungry,” Jonny said after they greeted each other, his eyes shot sideways at the building next to them. “I guess I haven't eaten much the past few days.”

 

“I'm fine. I ate a few hours ago.”

 

“It was just the first place I thought of to meet,” Jonny explained, gesturing to the restaurant, and Chris nodded his head in understanding.

 

“We can go somewhere else,” Chris replied.

 

Jonny stared at the ground, thinking; there wasn't much around to do in this town, really, apart from walking. Jonny didn't really feel like just walking.

 

“Maybe we could see a movie or something,” Jonny suggested. “Is there anything funny playing? I could use a good laugh.”

 

“Well, I guess we'll find out.” Chris smiled and together they headed in the direction of a nearby theater. It just so happened that there was a 3:30 show of some comedy that had been released only a week before, and Chris happily offered to buy Jonny's ticket as well as his own.

 

“If you really feel that bad, you can pay me back later. But don't worry about it now,” Chris told him, Jonny's hand frozen around the wallet in his pocket.

 

“Fine,” he sighed. The guilty look on his face faded, though the feeling was still there inside him. He followed Chris into the viewing room, holding the door open behind him for the other people walking in.

 

“Where should we sit?” Chris asked. He figured it would be best to let Jonny decide, because it didn't matter much to him.

 

“Here's fine,” Jonny said, pointing behind Chris. Chris spun around and saw with great surprise that Jonny was pointing to the last row in the theater. Begrudgingly, Chris took a seat in the middle of the row, his mind blanking a little as he came in contact with the rough fabric of the chair.

 

Jonny sat beside him, as was expected. The previews wouldn't be on for another five minutes or so, and thus there was plenty of time left for Jonny to start talking to Chris about how much he hated waiting for movies to start.

 

“I don't see why they can't play this shit in the lobby and just keep the place quiet until the movie comes on,” Jonny complained. “I don't really care what actor had to learn German for his role in a World War II movie.”

 

“It does get annoying after a while,” Chris said. Luckily for them, it was only a few seconds later that the lights dimmed and the previews began.

 

Chris heard Jonny mutter, “Finally,” under his breath, then Jonny leaned over a little and set his arm down on the armrest between his and Chris's seats. Chris stole a glance and swallowed with a bit of difficulty.

 

Chris kept his hands clasped in his lap. Years of experience had taught him not to count his cards; Jonny had been, after all, set to marry his sister. Chris looked forward and watched as some title appeared on the large screen, a man's voice booming throughout the room.

 

The Meeting Chapter 7

 

 

[

 

ChrisPOV

The night went rather quickly and Chris thought, Right we have a day to ourselves and tonight I am going to at least attempt to convey my feelings, get them out in the open and see how it goes. Jon's last words made Chris wonder if Jon liked the dedication or was not into it.

He decides to go shopping for the big night, he grabs his hoodie, and heads downstairs to the lobby. He arrives at the front desk and asks them to arrange a car for him. Minutes pass and the bellhop guides him to the front door and lets him know his car is here. As he climbs into the front drivers seat and hands the valet guy a 20, another car pulls up, and a man gets out, Chris not seeing that the man is HIM.

 

Chris arrives to a mens shop and goes in, as he is browsing thru the racks of pants, he finds the perfect pair, now he needs a nice shirt, not a T shirt, but a proper button down. The saleslady helps him find his size and when he is done she takes him to the register where Chris see's men colognes, he picks up one called Obsession for Men and squirts in on, "Wow that's nice" he takes it and puts it in his pile of stuff.

 

Jons POV

Jon looks around the room as he hasn't quite gotten out of bed yet, and asks himself why he didn't say anything else to Chris last night other than "goodnight". Was it because David scares him so much? Was it because there is NO WAY anyone but David could find him interesting? Jon thinks back over the year and how David started out as the most loving man, and Jon felt really happy. Then a month into the relationship, when Jon was head over heals with the man, David started being distant and really rude to Jon. Never had a nice compliment at the start or end of their days and the in between was just as awful.

 

Jon started to feel worthless, always trying to please him, then getting shot down, that the house was not clean, the food was horrible, that Jon was a fat lump who stayed home all day, and there was a couple of times when David actually smacked him.

Jon would work for a nightclub on certain days of the week with a band, while David left for Business, this was his escape, and his talent that nobody could take away from him.

 

One night a man name Guy came in for a drink and listened to the band, he was taken aback by Jons expertise playing, and when he came off stage, Guy introduced himself to Jon, and Jon new exactly who he was. The bass player for one of his favorite Bands. He told Jon he would like him to meet up with him and Will for a little jam session in a few day's, and that they were in need of a guitar player. Jon happily accepted.

 

Things happened over the next few day's very quickly for Jon and he decided to leave Davids clutches and head out to persue this golden opportunity.

As Jon starts to drag himself out of bed, he can't believe that a few day's ago when David found him, he didn't just tell him to bugger off. When they left for Denmark for the start of the tour, David told him he would meet up with him there. Just as he is about to get into the shower, that dreaded knock at the door made Jon's stomache turn, knowing it was HIM.]

 

 

Will Chris confront David? Will Vickie help him see the light? stay tuned.

The Meeting Chapter 8

 

[

 

The door opens, David holding his bag, walks in, "Oh I've had a horrid day, get me a drink Jon." David insits to Jon. Under Jon's breath he mumbles, "I'll need the whole bottle."

 

David plops down on the sofa and looks around the room, "Geez Jon, couldn't they have given you a suite or something, I mean your a big shot now." Jon pours a stiff drink, gulps it down and pours another for David, "This is a suite, Dave." Jon handing him the drink.

 

"The flight was dreadful as well, the stewardess was new and she spilled wine on me, just look at the stain." David pointing to a small drip of wine on his already dark shirt. "It's too tiny to see, nobody noticed it I'm sure." Jon replied.

 

"So Jon, how was your first gig with that candy band of yours?" Jon sat down on the chair next to the sofa and told David it was the best night of his life, there were 68,000 people in the stadium and it went like clockwork, as Jon proceeded to induldge David some more about his experience David cut him off and said "Jon, my drink is gone, be a Luv and get me another."

 

ChrisPOV

 

Chris showered and shaved, fixed his hair a million times, the curls are long and flowing, and he is trying to tame them. He walks to the bed where he had carefully laid out his clothes. As he slips on his Black jeans and buttons up his long sleeve white shirt and tucks it in, he loops his belt thru the pants. he walks to the full length mirror and looks himself up and down.

"Christopher Anthony, you look awesome." He figits with his collar and runs his fingers thru his mop, "Jon's gonna take one look at you and faint." Chris beaming with confidence, hears the knock at the door.

 

He opens the door to find V. "Hello Chris, I have those papers ready for you... MY GOD, Martin, you got a date?" Chris smiles and say's "Well, sorta... I dunna yet." The door closed and V say's "Chris, you look absolutly sexy." Chris blushes and replies " Oh go on V, you've seen me dressed up before." V shot back, "I have known you all these years and I must say this is the first time I felt tingley around you, Is G in town for tomorrows gig?" "No, she's in NY for some magazine shoot, and we are not really together right now."

 

"Well who is she then?" Chris walks over to the dresser and squirts on some cologne. "Well?"

V insists, Chris walks over to V and puts his hands on her shoulders and say's "I'd rather not say yet, cause I am not sure how tonight is gonna go." V, hugs Chris and responds with, "I know you will make a great impression on him, don't worry."

 

"Chris breaks off the hug with, "What did you say?" V looks Chris straight in the eye and say's, "Christopher Anthony, I have known you 10 years, If there is a look of Love in your eye for someone, and let me tell you over the 10 years thats not been many, I know the look your giving Jon everytime your around him."

 

7pm, Chris picks his phone up and calls Jon.......... "Hello?" "J is that you?" "Oh Hi Chris." "Where are you right now?" "I'm down at the bar having drinks before dinner." Chris tells Jon, not to leave he will be right down.... before Jon could say anything the phone went click.

 

Chris is standing at the elevator mashing the down button, then he mashes it again, "Fuck" "why is this taking so long." He decided to take the stairs 5 flights down, he bolted without a care in the world, as he approached the open door into the Lobby he caught a glimpse of himself in the window, fixed his hair, looked at himself and new he was ready....

 

Chris tried to slow his pace not wanting to bring attention to himself as he was nearing the bar. He stopped and looked around, very nervous was he, and thought he might be sweating, then he see's Jon with a drink walking away from the bar, he followed Jon to the booth and as he arrived just as Jon sat down, he noticed he wasn't alone. Jon looks up and say's "Chris, Hello." Jon looks Chris up and down and almost faints at the sight of him, he figures if he had been standing they would be scraping him off the floor. "Oh Hi Jon, I didn't know you were here." Chris winced at himself knowing he just spoke to Jon and he told him he was there. "Idiot" he thought.

 

Jon said, "Chris, this is David, David this is Chris." David stuck out his free hand and nodded, because the other one was holding a phone, and he was speaking to someone.

 

Jon stood up and asked Chris if he had some kind of date, and Chris said he did, but the person had other plans so he was just gonna go back to the room and chill out the rest of the evening. David finished on the phone and said, "Jon my drink is half empty, didn't you just go to the bar?" "Yes, but I didn't think you were ready." Jon curtly spoke. "Well obviously I am, and tell the bartender if he wants a tip, he needs to be alittle more heavy handed."

 

Jon looks at Chris embarrassed and said, "Please don't go, sit with us for a bit." Chris nodded yes not wanting to deny Jon anything, he wanted to give Jon the world just like he deserves, so he sat down opposite David, and David asks Chris, "What am I gonna do with him.?" rolling his eyes. Chris just sat there not knowing what to say to make conversation, so he asked David what kind of buisness is he in, David tells him it's got to do with the Stock Exchange, and he owns a couple of companys.

 

Jon returns with the drink and got Chris a water, even tho he didn't ask for anything, but knew Chris would like one. "Thanks J" with a smile sorta stands up while J, starts to sit back down. Jon thought that was thoughtful...

David tastes his drink and starts complaining it is too weak, Jon told him the bartender poured him a double, "Not good enough", go get me another.", Jon breathed in and rose from the booth, "I'm gonna go have a smoke first then I will get you your drink." Chris is thinking, "God, don't leave me here with him."

 

David looks at Chris and say's What's wrong, you look kinda weird, is it cause your date stood you up?" Long pause.... "Your a complete douche bag." Chris leans in to tell David. "You are the one that doesn't deserve Jon." "and, and, I think you need to go to weight watchers" Chris moves back in his seat and glares at David.

"Oh is that so?" David said, "Well I heard your Hollywood actress girlfriend dumped you cause you couldn't get it up with her." "Wow, is that all you've got." Chris asked, "Your quite a pathetic little man David."

 

David picks up his drink and tosses it onto Chris's clean white shirt, and Chris lerches across the table, and tackles David out of the booth onto the floor. Chris is landing a few punches, and David pulls Chris's hair and yanks it back, Chris fell off David and David now is on top of Chris, slapping him, Chris brings his knee up and crushes Davids balls, David falls off Chris and Chris jumps on him again, blood dripping out of his nose, grabs David by the neck and say's "It's over David, pack your bags and leave, don't ever try to contact Jon again, he's done with you." David say's "Your can't tell me it's over, your not Jon, what makes you think he would ever leave me?" Chris leans down and whispers into Davids ear, " Because he'll be sleeping with me tonight."]

 

 

Last chapter coming later this afternoon.

 

-Chapter Three-

 

 

 

Everyday for the next week Chris and Jonny spent time together. They would go out to eat, or walk around town, and slowly their friendship grew stronger. Of course, there was still a lot they didn't know about each other.

 

The fork was angled more toward the spoon than the knife. Chris moved it so it was parallel to both. At least there was one thing he could control.

 

Chris had become very enamored of Jonny, but he tried his best to hide it. It wasn't that difficult a task, though, as Jonny seemed rather oblivious in that area.

 

Chris stared at the ketchup bottle, the salt and pepper shakers, the tiny sugar packets. He impatiently tapped his foot on the floor.

 

Against his better judgment, Chris had invited Jonny to dinner with the intention of letting him know how he felt. But he figured everyone's only given one shot to live, so why not at least try? Maybe because he was trying for the man who nearly married his sister.

 

He arrived long before Jonny did, though purposely. He needed as much time to prepare as he could get. Hoping that Jonny would show up soon, because he was starting to drive himself crazy, Chris went over the speech he'd practiced one last time.

 

His hand shook and he took a deep breath.

 

“So... I have something to tell you,” he quietly said to the imaginary Jonny in front of him. “And maybe I should have told you before. It's just... Well, see, the reason why my sister and I- well, all of my family, really, the reason why they all hate me is...”

 

Chris looked down at his hands. He tried to remember the exact words he had come up with before, but they seemed to slip past him. He took another deep breath, looked up at the empty space across the table, and started over.

 

“Jonny, I should have told you this before, but... the reason I wasn't invited to the wedding, and why my family hates me, as I'm sure you noticed, and actually, the reason why I asked you here tonight is because,” he quickly took in as much air as possible, “I'm gay. And, well, I like you. I'm sure you don't like me, though, but that's OK. I mean, it would be nice if you did, but I'm not expecting you to. I just thought I'd let you know...”

 

Chris let his voice trail off before he dropped his head into his hands and groaned in frustration. If he couldn't even get it right when he was talking to himself, how was he going to come across as anything other than a complete idiot while talking to Jonny?

 

“Chris?”

 

His head shot up at the familiarity of the voice, his pulse racing and his stomach churning. Sure enough, Jonny stood before him, tall and smiling, and Chris stood up to greet him.

 

“Hey, man,” Chris said. He and Jonny shared a brief hug, during which time Chris noticed the presence of a third person.

 

“Uh, I hope you don't mind, but I brought someone with me, someone I'd like for you to meet,” Jonny said. He reached his arm back and pulled close a petite woman, brown-haired and wide-eyed. Even Chris thought she looked pretty. “This is Carla, my new girlfriend.”

 

Chris locked up; his brain felt like it was going to explode, his heart like it was being stabbed over and over again.

 

“It's nice to meet you,” he absentmindedly replied, then quickly sit down for fear that his legs would no longer support him.

 

Jonny, only marginally noticing that something was wrong, said to Carla, “Carla, this is Chris,” and then the two sat down in the opposite side of the booth.

 

“Jonny's told me a bit about you,” Carla said. Although she had a nice face, her voice, which Chris felt was a little whiny, a little high-pitched, was not so nice. “I'm guessing he hasn't said anything about me before, though?”

 

“No, he hasn't,” Chris replied, his mind still struggling to focus. If he had been paying attention, he would have seen Carla's mouth twitch with disappointment.

 

Carla gave Chris a brief run-through of her life, none of which he heard. He tried to inconspicuously stare at Jonny for as long as he could. He had expected Jonny to reject him, but he would never have guessed that anything like this would happen. Maybe one day it would have, but now it just seemed like the worst timing ever.

 

The timing seemed to be a concern to Jonny as well, because when Carla excused herself under the pretense of needing to use the ladies' room, he leaned forward and quietly spoke to Chris, “I know it seems quick, only a week and a half after the wedding. It's a rebound, I know. We probably won't be together for more than a month.” Chris tried not to cringe as he thought of just how long that month would be. “But... you know, I need to get over this. I need to get over Jen.”

 

“I'm sure it's not easy,” Chris feebly replied.

 

“I think she understands, too,” Jonny added, staring in the direction of the restrooms, as if Carla's knowledge of the situation absolved him of any personal responsibility. “I mean, I've known her for a while. She knew about the wedding...”

 

Chris repressed the surge of sadness that threatened to consume him. He tried not to think of how handsome Jonny looked at the moment, and how Jonny probably dolled himself up just for Carla, even though he needn't have done so. Jonny looked back at Chris.

 

“She was there for me. She is there for me. That's what I need,” Jonny said, and he gave a small shrug as if to say that's that. But Chris was more intuitive than Jonny gave him credit for, and he realized that if Jonny had actually believed everything he was saying, there would be no need for him to say it, no need to explain his new relationship to Chris.

 

The Final Chapter for The Meeting

 

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Jonny came walking in from having a smoke and went to the bar to get that drink for David, he told the bartender to make it stiff, 4 shots and a splash of coke. As he waited for the drink he noticed something was going on close to his booth, bartender slid the drink to Jon, and Jon acknowledged him with a wink.

 

Jon got closer to the booth and noticed people huddled around in a circle right at his booth, as he approached he saw Chris sitting on the ground leaning up against the booth and holding a white blood soaked linen to his nose, and David lying in a fetal position next to him.

 

He bolted to Chris and said, "Chris, what happened, your bleeding." He knelt down at Davids side and put his hand on his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. Chris mouthed the words "I'm sorry." David just moaned at Jon, and people were checking him over, so Jon stepped back and knelt down to Chris, "Chris, I don't understand." Chris looked up at Jon and said with puppy dog eyes, "Look I've got blood all over my new shirt." Jon cracked a smile and said "Never mind I'll get you a new one." Chris removed the linen and told Jon that it was over between him and David and he wasn't going to take anything less from Jon.

Chris said he was going to take care of him from now on, and Jon replied, "I would appreciate you taking care of me, but right now I need to take care of you."

 

Jon helped Chris up and told the near by manager to put any damage charges on room # 5824, and the manager nodded, "Okay". As Jon stepped over David, he told Chris, "Wait a minute I have one last thing to do." Jon stepped back over David and leaned over to the table, picked up that 4 shot drink, and stood over David and said, "Oh and David, here's your fucking drink." He proceeded to dump it right into Davids face........

 

 

As Chris is lying on the bed, Jonny holds him in his arms and Chris tells Jon he thinks his nose is broken, Jon touches it lightly and Chris yells, "Owww, Jon not so hard." Jon assures him it's not broken, just a bit sore. He gently plants a kiss on the tip of Chris's nose, and Chris looks lovingly at him and say's "Thanks for taking care of me." Jon just smiled and Kissed Chris long and passionatly and whispered in his ear, "No Chris, thank-you for LETTING me take care of you."]

 

Taking On Dreams

 

Chapter 2

 

 

Thinking about those things he had taken special notice of, inspiration suddenly struck him. He began furiously drawing on the easel. In what felt like no time at all his object began to take shape. It was a human form….a head to be precise.

 

Chris didn’t know how it happened, but slowly he created the body of a person, a man who looked to be about his own age. It was no one he knew, but somehow the image had been locked inside of him somewhere.

 

When the drawing was complete, he moved back a bit to view his work. Chris had drawn the man sitting on a porch of some sort, with a guitar beside him. It was strange how detailed it was. But he liked the way it looked.

 

The face gave him a good feeling inside. There was, however, something missing, he noted. He decided it needed some color, to distinguish this man from any other.

 

He eagerly grabbed some colored pencils and once again began to work. When he was finally finished the easel held up a drawing of a man with golden blonde hair and caring green eyes.

 

Chris thought that it was strange that his mind had combined all of the things on his list together in such a way. But at the same time he was quite pleased with the result.

 

Smiling, he removed the large canvas from the easel and stood up. It was only then he noticed that the room was empty but for the teacher, who still sat at her desk, reading. When she heard him get up, though, she put down the novel and smiled.

 

“Glad to see you resurface,” she joked.

 

Chris blushed. He had no idea that he had been working on the drawing for so long. “I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Why didn’t you make me leave?”

 

“I didn’t want to interrupt you when you were finally having a creative flow. I knew you could do it.”

 

Chris rubbed his head shyly. “Yeah, well….I took your advice and it worked I guess.”

 

She just smiled again. “May I see it?”

 

“Sure,” Chris replied, holding up the canvas. Professor Gartner’s eyes widened when she saw it.

 

“Chris…that is stunning. I am very proud of you!”

 

“Thanks,” he replied with a shy smile.

 

“Go on and take that home with you, dear! Hang it up somewhere, be proud of it!”

 

Chris’s smile got a little wider. “I’ll do that Professor.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Chris stood in his room, arms crossed and a frown on his face. The portrait of the unknown man was leaned against the wall. He didn’t have a way to hang it yet. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to. He felt weird about hanging a random person on his wall.

 

He looked at it closely, and he shivered. It gave him an odd feeling. It felt like the man’s eyes were staring into his soul. He quickly looked away. It was almost as if the man was real.

 

Once in bed, he squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried not to think about the staring eyes on his canvas. He drifted off into sleep, but it was a light sleep and he often dreamed that someone else was in the room with him. One of these dreams woke him up, he was sure he heard the creak of the hardwood floors where a person had stepped.

 

He sat up abruptly and fumbled around until he found the light switch. He pulled it and light flooded the room. He gave it a quick inspection. He didn’t see anyone. And there were no signs that anyone had been there. He reached for the light switch again and his heart stopped for a second. He had sworn that the portrait looked different.

 

Slowly he turned his eyes and looked at it again. He began to shiver uncontrollably. One of the man’s hands seemed to be stretching out towards him. He rubbed his eyes, but the image remained the same. He never knew why he did it, but slowly he got out of bed and crept over to the canvas.

 

Those green eyes really did feel like they were staring straight through him. Again he shivered. But he wasn’t afraid this time. He was stunned. The man’s eyes seemed to glow with life. And they seemed to be trying to tell him something. The hand reached out to him, calling him, craving the touch of another’s hand.

 

Hesitantly, Chris reached out. He placed one hand flat against the rough canvas, on top of the hand of the man. Nothing happened. Chris flushed with embarrassment. Of course nothing was going to happen. He started to move away when a sudden, strong pull stopped him.

 

He looked at the portrait and his eyes widened with shock. His hand was being held tightly by the hand of the man he had drawn. Chris swallowed nervously. Surely this couldn’t be real. It felt real, though. It felt like an actual human being’s hand was gripping his. He could feel the warm flesh of another person wrapped around his own.

 

But he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. What happened next? What was this strange and maybe not so imaginary man trying to tell him? The caring eyes of the man called out to him. Chris thought they might be telling him to come and join this strange world which he seemed to have stumbled upon. But he wasn’t sure, so he hesitated. He decided to ask a question.

 

“Do…y…you want me to go…in there?” He whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible. He felt silly talking to a drawing. He raised one shaky finger and pointed towards the canvas as he spoke. The man’s head seemed to nod.

 

Chris wasn’t quite sure what to do. He inched closer and closer to the rectangular board. The tips of his sock feet grazed the canvas. Ever so carefully, he kept walking.

 

Instead of being met with resistance, his foot went right into the board. His heart skipped a beat. The green eyes of the man seemed to cheer him on. Chris stepped all the way into the canvas, and into a world he never knew existed.

 

 

 

-Chapter Four-

 

 

 

“I never knew Jen had a brother.” Chris kept his eyes down most of the time to avoid seeing Jonny's arm wrapped around Carla's shoulder. For this particular response it seemed to add to the drama.

 

“As far as she's concerned, she doesn't,” he told Carla.

 

“Why is that?” Jonny sincerely asked, and Chris accidentally looked up. He played it cool, though; he sighed and went back to staring at the table.

 

“I'd rather not get into right now.” It worked, and Chris was relieved. He wouldn't have minded saying if the circumstances had been different.

 

Carla turned her head so that her mouth was mere inches from Jonny's neck, softly saying, “Jonny, I think I'm getting a bit tired.”

 

Chris scoffed to himself; it was only eight o'clock, eight-thirty at the latest. But he couldn't say that he wouldn't be glad to go home and sulk on his own. Maybe he would curl up on his couch and have a Spongebob marathon that stretched into the wee morning hours. He would never admit it to anyone, but whenever he was feeling down he would turn to Spongebob, and that would generally do the trick.

 

“Right. Why don't you go wait in the car and I'll be out in a few minutes,” Jonny said. He haphazardly kissed her cheek, and she slid out of the seat and began to walk away. Chris felt it finally safe to look up for an extended period of time.

 

“I'm glad you're happy,” he said. Jonny looked bewildered for some reason, like it was completely out of character for Chris to say such a thing. He shook his head and smiled at Chris.

 

“Thanks, man.” Jonny picked up the check, stared at it for a while, then went for his wallet. He refused to let Chris pay for his half, claiming that this would be how Jonny would repay him for the movie. Chris had nearly forgotten about that, and it really wouldn't have mattered to him if Jonny had ever paid him back. But Jonny was being very stubborn about this, so Chris agreed to let him pay for the meal.

 

“I'll call you tomorrow, yeah?” Jonny said as they parted ways, Jonny to head for his car and Chris to walk off alone into the cool summer night. Chris smiled at him, hands in his pockets and heart in pieces, and he nodded in agreement. Then he watched as Jonny walked away, and continued to watch until the man's figure disappeared into the darkness.

 

It seemed that Spongebob helped him forget his pain for a little while, but it ultimately didn't help; by the time the sun rose the next morning he had remembered, and the sadness rushed over him as though he had just met Carla seconds before.

 

He didn't know why he was having such a hard time dealing with it. It wasn't even the first time he'd been in this sort of situation. With the other cases he'd managed to get over it relatively quickly, sometimes even within a few minutes. But maybe he never liked someone as much as he liked Jonny.

 

The thought scared Chris a little. Jonny was definitely a great man, definitely someone Chris really wanted in his life, but there was such a small chance of them ending up together. As he lie on the sofa in his living room he closed his eyes, sighing and hoping that he wasn't just maybe falling for Jonny.

 

He decided to leave the apartment and go for a walk even before Jonny called him. He brought his cell with him just in case, though. As he made his way down Main Street, nearing the halfway mark (a rather old and beaten looking streetlight), his phone vibrated.

 

I see you. the text message read. It creeped him out just a little, even after he saw that it was from Jonny. He sighed as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, and he went to turn around, but was stopped by the sudden presence of hands on his shoulders.

 

“Did I scare you?” Jonny said in a low voice, directing his words right into Chris's ear. Chris held his breath for a minute until his sudden nausea passed.

 

“No,” he plainly said, and two seconds later Jonny had let go of him and was laughing rather jollily. Chris weakly joined in, and Jonny noticed that his heart wasn't in it.

 

“Why so down today, Mister Christopher?” Jonny asked, the concern in his tone and invention of a new nickname threatening to suffocate Chris.

 

“Well, Jonny,” Chris began, pointlessly fixing the collar of his shirt, “I would guess that maybe it's just one of those days. You know?”

 

“Ah, yeah, I hate that.” Jonny nodded shortly, smirked a little, then gently tapped Chris's arm. “Hey, why don't we go do something, then, to cheer you up?”

 

Chris's first thought was to respond with, “Yeah, I know just what we could do,” but luckily his second thought of Don't be an idiot came quickly enough to save him from himself.

 

“What do you have in mind?” He figured giving Jonny the option of what to do was much better than racking his brain for an activity that wouldn't lose him his new friendship with Jonny.

 

Jonny looked up to the sky, and Chris took in the way the light hit Jonny's beautifully green eyes and made them shine. A moment later he looked back at Chris and beamed. “You know that hardware store that shut down a few months ago?”

 

“Uh.. yeah.”

 

“Well,” Jonny's smile grew impossibly larger, “some bloke came along and renovated it. Now it's an arcade.” Jonny tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. Chris involuntarily grinned.

 

“I'm not-”

 

“You're not big on arcades?” Jonny interrupted with the same skepticism he'd had in the limousine. “Well, I'm not big on people who are... sad. So, you're just gonna have to deal with it.”

 

Before Chris could protest again, he was being dragged down the street, his arm tightly gripped by Jonny's hand. Half of him wanted to pull away and tell Jonny to just leave him along, but luckily he didn't listen to that half; instead, he just went along with it, laughing and letting himself feel maybe a little too comfortable.