When Worlds Collide

This was a test of just how far Jojo could take a friendship. With Kate in tow, the pair followed Jenny towards the dorm she shared with Josephine. As she opened the door to reveal the girl sitting at her desk doing homework, the two fifth years slipped inside and up behind the fourth year. Waving Jennifer off, Jojo locked the door behind the girl, then gave a grin that seemed to spread from ear to ear.

Josie, however, did not seem pleased at being locked in. "What are you doing?"

"We're going out," Jojo informed her, heading for the girl's closet. Pulling open the doors, the male rummaged through the various clothes stored within. Beside Josie, Kate dropped a large bag of cosmetics on the desk and over the girl's homework.

"So, you two have made up then?" Josie asked, noticing how Jojo and Kate were together. Jojo had broken several rules and broke into the girl's dorm after hours to tell Josie about how there were problems between Kate and himself.

"We've had an idea," Jojo purred, pulling out various clothes and testing them together, mentally figuring out an outfit. "That you need a social life. So we're taking you to a club." Clicking his fingers at Kate to announce to her to start on the younger girl's hair, he tossed several items of clothing onto the nearest bed.

Brown gaze wandered over the pair. Jojo looked like his typical self, but Kate seemed a little more dressed up than she was used to seeing her. She didn't get long to take note of what exactly kate was wearing, because she was spun in her seat, and the blonde girl set about fixing her hair.

"I...I'm not sure about this, Jojo," Josie admitted. "I'm not the kind of person that goes to clubs."

Behind her, Jojo laughed softly. "I've been doing some research on you, Joey. You're not the type that goes out because you don't have anyone to go with. I mean, you and I went to all those places when we went shopping, you deserve to have some good old teenage fun before you go and grow up and marry your prince charming."

Kate chuckled. "Jojo, there is nothing 'good old teenage' fun about what you do."

"I'm not all about sex. I know how to party," the Irish male added. He headed for Josie's desk where Kate was working on combing through Josie's hair with a brightly coloured purple gel, adding the bright colour to her dark hair. The male rummaged through drawers for a pair of scissors, then returned to the selection of clothes he had picked out.

Josie was almost in complete fear as she saw Jojo with those scissors. "Joseph, what are you doing?!"

"Enhancing your outfit," the male replied, accompanied by the sounds of scissors snipping through material.

Nearly two hours later, and Josie was standing in line for a club called 'Jaded'. Well, what she could tell the place was called jaded, since the queue went down underground. She had Jojo's large 'straight jacket' style jacket wrapped around her shoulders, and the mohawked male was stood at her side. Behind her was Kate and an older male with bright red dyed hair.

Jojo had gone through her wardrobe, taking clothes she already owned and pieced them together in such a way that Josie didn't even believe they would go. He had taken a simple black cocktail dress, attacked it with scissors to make it look ragged and worn. Over the top of that, Jojo had given her one of his own shirts. It was once a plain white dress shirt, but he had covered the back with splatters of paint. The buttons were ripped away, the piece held together by lengths of chains. Beneath the skirt of the black dress was a simple pair of black cycle short (Jojo had said that hot pants would have been better, but Josie didn't own any), a pair of knee-length black and white striped socks were on her legs. A pair of comfortable black sneakers were on her feet, but they were hidden beneath a 'present' from Jojo - a pair of black furry legwarmers. Looking down at the fluffy fabric, Josie felt like she was wearing a pair of bear's legs. But looking at herself in the mirror, she had to admit, Jojo had talent.

Kate had worked mostly on her hair. The purple wasn't permanent, it would wash out the next time Josie washed her hair. She had to admit, she liked the purple streaks, and the way her hair fell around her head and face. Jojo and Kate had both done the make-up. After looking at the male, she had assumed it would be pale face with dark details. Instead, she was a softer colour than her own skin tone, with gentle blue and purple tones around her eyes. No lipstick, but a coating of blue glitter lipgloss that tasted of fake blueberries every time her tongue swept over her lips.

Inside the club, Josie stuck close to Jojo. The eighteen year old male had his fingers linked with her own. He wore many rings on his fingers, and she was fascinated by the claw one, shaped like a dragon eating his middle finger. His coat had been checked into a cloakroom when they entered, and Kate had pulled Jamie off to the dance floor straight away.

Eyes roamed over the people. This was Jojo's world, not her own. When she felt his hand loosen in her own, Josie stared straight up to his face, only to see him smile down and wrap his arm over her shoulders and pull her close. "Don't grow up so fast, Joey," he called down to her, loud enough to be heard over the music. "And never let him force you into growing up, either," he added with a smile.

There were UV lights set up over the dance floor, but even at the bar, Josie could see the various trinkets that the male wore that were UV reactant. The ring in his lips, and the ones in his nose glowed faintly.

Just as he was about to lean down to ask if she would like a drink, a song started to play through the speakers that Jojo decided was better to dance to than simply listening. Taking hold of the girl's hand once more, the Irish teen lead Josie towards the dance floor, spotting Jamie and Kate dancing together.

"How long have they been dating?" Josie yelled up to Jojo, watching as Jamie ran his hands up and down Kate's back.

"Since about Wednesday," Jojo replied with a laugh, turning Josie around on the spot and leaning over her from behind. One hand curled around her waist, while the other drew fingers up her arm, lifting it up to curl it around his neck. Whispering a "Sway with me, just let go and forget who you even are."

The music was electronic, the techno beat filled with a deep voice, guitar and drums. It was fast, yet Jojo taught her how to dance to fast music in a much slower way. From behind, Josie felt he was the puppet master, controlling her string. Closing her eyes, she allowed Jojo to direct her actions while letting her body chose what it wanted to do in relation to the pounding music. Whenever she was pressed close to him, he breathed up her neck, singing along with the lyrics.

"Now you want to save us
And you want it all
And you want the transmit
Cause you want the call
And you were the one that made the worlds collide
But since that has happened you've grown twice in size"

Jojo had never sang in her presence before, and even with the music blasting through the speakers around him, it was obvious that he had a talented singing voice. His Irish accent added to his singing voice. It was deep, yet still soft, like a deep, husky bedroom voice with a powerful bass. In her opinion, it was better than the actual person who had performed the song.

Once it was over and the next song began, Jojo lead Josie back to the bar for a drink that he was sure she needed. Leaning against the wooden surface, he tilted his head and looked down at her, smiling brightly. It was the first dance of the night, yet it certainly wasn't the last. They managed to find a table for them to sit at, and sometimes it was just Kate and Jamie, or just one of them on their own. Even when Jojo slipped off to dance, no one left Josie alone. Someone remained behind with her, or took her to the dancefloor with them. By the end of the night she had danced with all three of them, but mainly with Jojo.

Closing time, and the four of them headed out. Once again, Jojo offered his coat with a smile, then curled his arm around her shoulders. Green eyes fell on the pair nearby. Kate had Jamie pinned to the wall and was happily kissing him. Lifting his free hand to cup his mouth, Jojo yelled taunts at the pair. "Sucking face like that will leave his bollocks dry!" After all the shouting, talking loud and singing he had done in the club, Jojo's voice sounded slightly cracked now. Josie laughed softly at how it sounded like he was croaking at his friends.

Kate and Jamie both gave Jojo the middle finger salute. Laughing and shaking his head, Jojo decided on taking Josie back to campus. It was highly unlikely Kate would be returning to the girl's dorms.

"So, what do you think of this social life?" Jojo asked as they walked home together. "I've noticed just how invisible you seem at school, I thought maybe you'd like a chance to be a teenager, although we won't do the underage sex thing," he flashed her a toothy grin. "I'm in enough trouble as it is with sex." He reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulling out a packet of cigarettes. Using his teeth to pull one out, the packet was returned to his pants pocket, replaced by a zippo lighter. Once it was lit and his hand was free again, the male took a long, deep drag. "I think tonight was kind of for me too, Joey," he added, looking down at her. "So much shit has gone on, it's been a while since I went out and enjoyed myself. Sorry if you feel like I just thrust it upon you."

Smiling up at him, Josie reached up with her hand and touched his cheek fondly.

Thank You

By the time David came over Alastar was nearly ready to leave. As the older man stood in the hallway, Al smiled sweetly at stole a kiss from his lips while pulling on his coat.

"He's asleep right now. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I will try not to be too long." Stealing another quick kiss, too much in a hurry to do much more, he made his way around David and pulled open the door. Pausing, he looked back. "Thank you so, so much for doing this for me." And with that, Al slipped out, closing the door behind him, leaving David alone in the hall.

It was school holidays, and Al's son Reuben was spending a few weeks with his father, only for the poor boy to come down with a fever. It had put a damper on David's plans of spending more time with them; he'd been planning various day trips out for them all. Today, David was planning on perhaps baking some cookies for the pair hoping that it would at least make little Reuben feel better even if cookies couldn't cure illness. Instead, Alastar had called, asking if David could come over and look after Reuben while he rushed out to carry out a few errands.

David was always happy to oblige and promptly came over.

Slipping out of his coat and hanging it in the closet where Al kept the coats, David made his way through the younger man's home. This was the first time he had ever been in Al's home without Al. Heading for the kitchen, since he couldn't bake cookies in his own home, he could just as easily make them in Al's kitchen. Provided he had the right ingredients of course.

Things seemed to be going well. Just as David slipped the baking tray into the oven, he could hear the sounds of someone sniffling. Standing up and brushing his hands over the apron, blue eyes fell to the form of the little five year old. He was dressed in a pair of pajamas that weren't overly fancy, and a pair of slippers were on his feet.

"Where's Daddy?" he whimpered, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, tears in his clear blue eyes.

Not only was this David's first time alone in Star's home, it was also his first time alone with Star's son. Taking off the dough splattered apron, the man knelt down before the sick little lad, offering him a big smile. "Daddy had to go out and buy medicine," he informed Reuben, tenderly running fingers through the mussed locks of brown growing from the five year old's head. "Why don't we go back to bed, hmmm?"

Roo shook his head. "Want Daddy," he announced.

Sighing softly, David smoothed his hand over Reuben's hair, noticing just how hot the little boy felt. "Well, I was going to and watch some T.V. while waiting for Daddy. Do you want to come too?" He had spent quite some time interacting with the little boy, even to the point where he'd given him the nickname of Roo. He was hoping that the boy would start looking to him for reassurance too, but he understood that when ill, most children tend to want their parents.

It seemed that Ben had to think about it, then gave a small nod, holding out his arms to the man. Smiling, David scooped him up and carried him to the lounge. In the strong, warm arms, Roo snuggled closer, content to have something warm to snuggle up to for now. When David went to lower him down onto the couch, Ben didn't let go, holding on even tighter.

"Roo?"

"No let go," the boy replied.

Nodding to show he understood and still smiling, David sat down, holding Ben close. Once he was seated, the little boy shifted to curling up on his lap, nuzzling against his chest. Using the remote control to switch on the television set, David settled into flicking through the channels, listening to Roo's breathing, the lad coughing and sneezing every now and again. After a few minutes, he looked down to see him with sleeping as peacefully as one suffering from a fever could. About to lay him down to go and check on the cookies, David heard the sounds of Al's door opening and closing. Glancing up at the door, David gave a boyish smirk as the younger man entered the room.

"Why does my house smell like cookies?"

"Do they smell like they're burning?"

Al arched a brow. "No..."

Another smirk. "That's good then. Oh, someone wanted his father."

Al smiled softly. "Shame he had to settle for you then, isn't it?" he teased, leaning over to capture the older man's lips in a sweet kiss. "He hasn't been bothering you too much has he?"

"Star, I would do anything for you, and I would do anything for him too. I love you both, but can you do something for me?"

"After that, anything David."

David grinned up at him. "Check on the cookies for me?"

Laughing softly, Al moved off to the kitchen. "You do know that you can carry him around, David," he called out from the kitchen. "Ben has always liked being carried while he's asleep. Has since he was a baby."

Listening to his love in the kitchen, David glanced down to the boy on his lap. Holding him carefully, he stood up. Another look to make sure Roo was still sleeping, he took careful steps as he walked into the kitchen, watching Star clean up the mess he'd been unable to. Roo kept his arms around David's neck, yet his hold was loose. head rested against the man's chest, legs wrapped around his waist. The moving from couch to kitchen had done nothing to wake him up.

"I used to carry him in one of those baby carriers that you wear," Al said. "Harmony refused to wear it, said it made her feel fat. But I could just hold him in my arms and Ben would sleep for hours. Back in my last school, before coming to Constance, I used to have Ben resting in my right arm while I worked on grading papers with my left."

David smiled at the image Al was describing, but a slither of jealousy ran through him. He had never had that kind of experience with Bailee.

Al noticed the slight change in facial expression. Moving closer to the man holding his son, he smiled, leaned up and kissed him. Lifting a hand, he drifted fingers over the smooth skin of his cheek. "So, did you enjoy today?"

He nodded softly. "Yeah. It felt strange at first, but now you're back it doesn't matter."

Tongue swept over Al's lips. "I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was, could you cope being here on your own?"

David was unsure what Star was trying to say. "Huh?"

"After I left, I realised how it would have been easier if you were here, rather than calling you to come over. Now I know that Ben doesn't mind so much you being here."

"He was crying for you," David added quickly.

"But he came to you for help. It's only natural he'd want me, but he didn't refuse you," Running fingers through his hair, Al gave a weak smile, unsure how to word himself. Instead, he settled for just saying it outright. "Move in with me?"

You'll Be In My Heart

Another sweater was pulled from the wardrobe, subjected to scrutiny, then tossed over a slender shoulder to land on the steadily increasing heap behind the figure before the closet. Hands grabbed a shirt, held it up, tongue clicked in his mouth, and that garment too went flying over his shoulder to land somewhere behind.

Theodore, with a heavy sigh, pulled the shirt down from his head and tossed it towards the floor. Running fingers through long strands of ginger to make it seem fluffier, brown eyes watched his little brother come close to removing every article of clothing from his entire wardrobe in one session.

"Are you sure you don't want to borrow something of mine?" he asked his twin, swinging legs over the edge of the bed.

Nat shook his head. "No, I want to do this all by myself." He inspected another shirt only to reject it with a heavy sigh, bare shoulder slumping in defeat. "Why does Valentine's Day have to be so hard? I mean, you've had practice, but I'm stuck finding just a shirt!"

Shaking his head at his brother, Theo nudged his twin out of the way and took it upon himself to find something for his brother to wear. "You can hardly call it practice, Nath. I've bought two Valentine's gifts."

"Two more than me."

Theo held up his hand to silence his younger twin. "Ah, but, one was for Mum and the other was because Juliet was upset she didn't get one, so we bought her one together. So technically it's only one more than you."

"One and a half," Nathanael corrected, taking one of the hooded sweaters from his brother's hands and admiring it against himself in the mirror fitted to the inside of the wardrobe door. "I mean, what am I supposed to wear?"

For what felt the millionth time that day, Theo rolled his eyes. "Nath, it's got a dragon and a half naked chick on it. I doubt Evander would be impressed if you wore that." Taking the top from his twin, the ginger haired fifth year added it to the pile then began sorting through the discarded clothes scattered about. "Why don't you just wear what you always wear?"

"Because ragged old jeans, a size-too-big sweater and a t-shirt is hardly the type of thing people wear for a date on Valentine's."

"So why not that suit you bought?" Theo asked while placing Nat's top hat back on the top of the closet.

"Because we're not going somewhere fancy. We're just hanging out in his dorm," Nat explained, running his hands over his arms, eyes focused at the clothes, hoping that an outfit would jump out at him.

"His dorm? And here I thought you'd lock me out of mine. It wouldn't be the first time."

The younger twin glanced over his shoulder at his brother. "But you didn't come by," he said, brows furrowing as he tried to remember if anyone had tried coming in when Nat had locked the door. "No did."

"Dandy-boy crumbled when I asked him why he was smiling like he'd got hook caught in both sides of his mouth. Said he was really sorry for locking me out," With a grin, Theodore poked his brother in the rib. "I hope you to are practicing safe sex."

Bending down to rummage through the clothes lining the bottom, Nat glanced up at his brother briefly, then returned to searching the clothes. "We haven't had sex yet - if you really need to know. Evander isn't the type to need that kind of thing like a dog in heat."

"Is my little brother trying to hint that he is?"

Nat giggled, finally settling for red and black striped long sleeved top, and a large black t-shirt with a werewolf print on the front. "Theo, I am quite capable of keeping myself in check around my boyfriend. Even if it takes him years to reach the point where he's physically ready, I'll wait for him, because I want to be the one there when it happens."

Theodore laughed slightly. "Virgin sex," but then he gave a light clip to the back of his brother's head as he rose to his feet "Would have been virgin sex, if you weren't a naughty boy."

"This is a relationship this time. This time means something much more than satisfying physical desires, and I couldn't think of anyone other than Evander to do it with. I love him, Theo." Slowly, arms wrapped around his brother and he snuggled into his chest. "He lets me know it's okay when you're not around. When he's there, I almost feel like I'm flying." with a soft sigh, cheek rested upon his twin's shoulder, smile curling his lips as he felt his twin brother's arms wrapping around his own body, strong hand stroking up and down his chest. "It's been a while since you've given me a big hug. I hope you don't think I'm outgrowing you."

Theo smiled, shaking his head. "Nath; you'll never outgrow me. You'll forever be in my heart."

I won't break your heart, I won't bring you down, but I will have to say...

"I'm sorry."

"Is that all you can say?" she spat down the phone. "Fuck you, Jojo."

Beep.

The phone disconnected, and the conversation was over. Glaring at the screen, fingers curled in around the device in his hand, and with a growl, the mobile at the wall with a crunch, falling in broken pieces to the ground. Leaving it where it fell, the teen stomped out of his room, pulling it shut with a loud bang.

It didn't take long for him to get to the girl's dorms. It was during the day on a Saturday, so it was highly unlikely anyone would notice a male wandering through the halls. It was also highly unlikely there would be anyone complaining that he was even there. He was known for often being places that he shouldn't.

Reaching the door, Jojo found himself pausing. Staring down at his feet, heavy sigh rolled over his lips, and fingers of both hands scrunched into fists. Allowing eyes to slip closed while he tried to calm himself, head lifted and he knocked on the door.

A blonde girl answered, but not the one he had been looking for.

"She doesn't want to talk to you," Lila announced, making a move to close the door, but Jojo was stronger and pushed down, almost causing Lila to fall over.

Green eyes stared down at her, and silently, he shook his head. Lips were pulled together, and he had a very focused look on his pale face. "I have to sort things out," he told the fourth year girl. "Fix things that I didn't realise I had even broken." He gave her a kicked puppy look. "Let me have some alone time with her for a few hours, and I'll get T-chan to coerce Morgan into putting on that play I know you really want."

"Bribing me will get you nowhere, Jojo," Lila replied with a scowl. "But you seem sincere about wanting to apologise, so I'll let you. But, you better not make her cry again, otherwise I will personally beat you to within an inch of your rotten little life."

With a small smile, Jojo moved aside to allow Lila to leave her dorm, saluting to her as she left, then slipped inside, closing the door behind himself, gaze instantly falling on the girl seated on her bed glaring up at him. Her eyes were red, and he could see the trails on her face left behind by her tears.

"What the fuck do you want?" she growled, purposely turning her attention to the dorm room window.

Without a word, the Irish male wandered over to the bed, slipped fingers under her chin and turned Kate's face back to his, where he pressed his own lips to hers.

The forceful way she pushed him away was expected. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

"Giving you what you want," he replied while pulling off the t-shirt, tossing it to the ground. "Giving up everything else for you. Without a broken heart."

"But Aubrey..."

Jojo didn't let her continue, kissing her once more and lowering her down onto her back on her own bed, where fingers began to wander over her body, slowly removing clothes to reveal flesh. The last time this had happened between them, neither could fully remember it ever happening, but this time Jojo was intent on letting her remember each and every passion filled moment. Because he knew what he was going to do afterwards would hurt even more.

And when it was over, Kate rolled over and wrapped her arms around him, placing a soft kiss to his bare shoulder. "Looks like you've lived up to all that bragging you do," she purred. "Did you bring any smokes?"

She was beautiful, no doubt about that. Pushing back the blankets, Jojo slipped out of bed and began pulling on his clothes. At the strange actions, Kate sat up, pulling the blanket up around herself.

"Jojo, what the Hell are you doing?"

"Fixing things like I said I would," he replied, pulling his shirt up over his head, and then turning to face her. "You got mad over the fact that Dimitri, Kay and I had pointless, drunken sex, because if I'm not with Aubrey, then the person I should be with is you. So I have."

"What the fuck are you trying to say, Jojo?"

"Get.The.Fuck.Over.Me."

She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. "So what was this then? Something to remember you by?"

"Exactly," he replied, now finished getting dressed. "You've had the best of me, now it's time to get up, go out there and find someone else to replace me with. You're special to me - much in the same way T-chan is special to me. I didn't hang out with you in the first place because I thought I would have sex with you one day, I became your friend because of your personality, because you were fucking interesting!" He ran his hands over his hair, feeling the shorter hair prickling against his fingertips. "I love you. I love you to fucking little pieces. I love you so much that it's hurting so deep inside that I don't want to do this to you. But I have to, Kate. I can't keep you, I can't be that man that you want - that man that you need."

"So this was just nothing then? Nothing, Joseph!?" Tears were falling, but she was too angry now to care. "And I suppose you're going to keep this secret from Aubrey? Well, what if I tell him?"

He shook his head. "Not nothing, and as for Abbie, I'm going to tell him. He can decide whether or not he should leave me. I'm not some saint, I'm not a good little boy. I've made mistakes, and I can't say I won't ever make them again. Today is not one of those mistakes, but it's something all three of us will have to deal with."

"So what am I supposed to do? Not be your friend anymore?"

Jojo moved back to the bed, sitting down beside her, hands clasping together on his lap. "I still want to be your friend, you do mean so much to me. I just want you to not want me anymore like you do. Bookworm from the library said you've been flirting with the red haired eye-candy," he said, tilting his head to look at the blonde. "Don't just throw yourself at him; you know, mindless sex to make the heart feel stronger. It doesn't have to be him, but just try. There's loads of single people in the school. Find someone you like and run with it." Jojo offered up a small smile. "But don't forget about your pal Jojo."

Leaning over, he placed a tender kiss to her temple then stood up from the bed. Carefully making his way to the door, he paused with his hand on the handle, looking back at the girl on her bed. "Let me know how it goes, okay? But don't ring my phone. I kind of broke it."

Saluting to her, the male pulled open the door and stepped outside, when a thought hit him, and he leaned back into the room, that sly grin slipped back onto his features. "Oh, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow. You better be up for paint balling the decorations. You know it's our tradition. I'll even let you take a few pot shots at me...Just not in the bollocks." and with that, he waved and headed out, closing the door behind himself.

Remember Me

An email message sat opened up on the laptop screen, the words lovingly typed out, the text decorated with various pictures, smilies and other such things one could use to detail and decorate an electronic message with. The sender talked about things that had happened, things that were happening and things that may happen. There were parts about how the sender missed the one receiving the message, and how they were looking forward to seeing them again. Life moved on elsewhere, even if he couldn't see it. It made Lake miss the sender even more.

With a warm sigh, Lake flopped backwards onto his bed, staring up at his dorm room ceiling. Ever since moving to the private school, he received at least one email per week from his best friend back home. Lately, however, she'd been away visiting a family member who didn't have Internet access, meaning there was little contact from her for a while. Judging by the large email, the girl was back at her own home now, and simply had to tell Lake all about it, as well as reminiscing about the past along the way.

Letting eyes slip closed, small smile settling on his lips, Lake remembered some of the events that had been brought up in the letter.

"Where are we going, Tiffy?" the little boy with the blond hair asked, bare feet leaving foot prints in the sand dunes they were running across. "I promised Momma I would help with dinner."

The six year old giggled, flopping down to sit on the very top of the highest sand dune. "No no worry, Nutmeg," she giggled, looking up at her friend through her big sunglasses. "Tiffy wanted to show you the sand king." Her small hand reached out, pointing towards the ocean.

Following her hand, the seven year old Lake tried to see whatever it was that Tiffany was implying, lifting a hand up over his eyes to block out the glare of the sun. "I don't see anythin',"

"No no, you has to sit down!" she told him, tugging on his giant t-shirt, the white fabric with Garfield printed on the front almost engulfing the boy's small torso, making it seem more like a dress on him. "You can't see him unless you sit down," and she looked back out towards the blue sea, tapping her pink sandals together. She was a cute, dark haired girl wearing sunglasses that were perhaps a little too big for her face, a cheerful white sun hat with a daisy on the front, and a white summer dress with pink hearts printed on the skirt.

Doing as he was told, Lake flopped down into the grassy sand beside her, looking out over the horizon, still unable to see the sand king, which caused a small pout to form on his face, brows furrowing together. "He's not there, Tiffy," he announced sadly. "I can't see the sand king. Does he not like me?"

She looked over at her friend and smiled brightly at him, reaching over and giving him a big hug. "He likes you, Nutmeg. Tiffy promises that he likes you, he's probably just nervous that you might be the sand prince come to steal his kingdom."

"I wouldn't steal his kingdom,"

"Tiffy knows, but the sand king may be not so sure." Tiffany gave a shrug, then stood up, brushing the sand from her dress. "Do you wants to go play in the ocean?"

Lake sighed, shrugging once more. "I don't know, Tiffy. I should go help Momma with dinner."

Standing before him, the girl held out her hand. "Only for a little while. Annie will come gets you if she wants you."

"But I have to look after Rain..." he trailed off, obviously not wanting to go home to his little brother. River was visiting some friends, which meant it was up to Lake to entertain the youngest family member while their mother cooked. Lake didn't get along well with his little brother, even though Rain was still very young and didn't understand.

"Do it for Tiffy?" she asked meekly, still holding out her hand.

Looking to the little hand before him, a bright smile spread across his face, and Lake leaped up from his spot on the ground and began racing towards the water, laughing along the way. Laughing herself, tiffany turned and chased after him, pausing to take off her sandals so that she could catch up with the older boy.

Opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling once more. He had never been able to see the so-called 'sand king' Tiffany had spoke of, but the pair often went looking for him on a daily basis. Pushing himself up into a seated position, fingers brushed through the now much darker strands of blond. When he was young, Lake had almost bleached blond hair, but growing up had darkened it considerably. About to settle into replying to his friend, there was the sound of the door opening, and the fourth year's head flew up towards it, expecting it to be his room mate returning.

"Lake, you're late for dinner," came the thick Russian accent spilling over the older male's lips. "You said you'd meet me in the cafeteria an hour ago. I was looking forward to it. I even dressed up."

"It wasn't a date, Dimitri," Lake giggled, fingers tapping away on the keyboard, no longer looking at the other male. "I got an email from my friend back home." He could feel the bed shift beneath him as extra weight was added, Dimitri moving to sit behind him. "She was warning me about a dark prince who will come and steal my innocence away."

"Mmmm...Were they now?" he purred, trailing kisses down Lake's neck, grinning as the teen tilted his head in the opposite direction to reveal more soft flesh. "I'll have to keep on the lookout from any princes that may come your way."

Fingers had ceased working, and eyes had slipped closed. A soft, quiet moan rolled over parted lips as Lake lapped up the attention. "I think I found him," he purred.

Pieces of memories fall to the ground

There was a car sitting in Alastar Hughes' drive that had never been there before. A very executive looking car, the black paint gleaming in the midday sun that shone down upon it. In the driver's seat sat what could only be a chauffeur, the man sitting calmly and waiting for his employer to inform him of where to drive next. David wandered past the car, blue eyes curious as to why it was here. Pausing by the driver's window, a friendly tap was given to the glass, and he smiled at the man seated inside.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Quite fine, sir," the chauffeur replied, tipping his hat to David. "Merely waiting for Ms. Rose and Master Hughes."

Standing upright, gaze fell onto the front door to Al's home. Harmony wasn't due to bring Reuben for another week, and Al hadn't mentioned anything about his son staying over. "Do you know why she's here today?"

"She was ranting something about her ex-husband 'stooping lower than low' to get back her, apparently."

David hummed softly in his throat. "Any idea what she meant?"

The man shook his head. "I do not pry into the personal affairs of my employers unless they share the information freely, sir," the driver replied.

David nodding, waving the man and giving him a cheeky grin. "Well, thanks for the info, Jeeves," he said, moving away from the car and up to Al's home. David had been seeing Alastar for some time now, and had even been graced with his own key to the bungalow. Whenever he was home, Al didn't lock his door, and a gentle push to the door handle proved that the man was indeed home. With it now open, David could hear voices, one of which was raised.

"I cannot believe you, Alastar!" called out the female. "My boy comes home and tells me how his father's 'new friend' kisses him. You're subjecting your own son to such perverse scenes!"

Quietly closing the door behind himself, blue gaze wandered around the hallway. David knew only of Harmony through what he had been told by Alastar. She was never spoken of in a degrading way, but neither was she given praised, Al treating her in a very indifferent way. It seemed that now was his chance to finally meet and make up his own mind up about the ex-wife of his lover. Making his way to the lounge where the voices were dominant, he remained in the doorway, watching the scene before him.

Alastar was standing in the middle of the room, confronted with a blue eyed blonde woman. She was young, her hair set into tight ringlets that was held up on her head, curls hanging down. She was indeed a very attractive woman, to the point where her appearance was one that had effort, but not too much to look overdone and still remained natural.

"You knew about me when you married me, Harmony," he said, Alastar doing his all not to raise his voice infront of his son, who was seated on the leather couch, clutching a bright blue stuffed elephant to his chest, hiding his face into it, his clear blue eyes peering over the top. "I never denied liking guys, you knew about my past relationships. I'm not going to hide it from Reuben just because you've changed your mind about me."

The pair didn't seem to notice David standing in the doorway, but little Ben had. He looked to his parents, then slipped carefully down from the couch, wandering over to the man, still clutching the elephant to his chest. As the five year old approached, David knelt down to his level, offering him a bright smile. "Hey there, Roo," he whispered softly, noticing that the other adults still hadn't noticed him. "Do you want to come with me into the kitchen?"

The little boy nodded, releasing one arm from around his elephant to hold David's hand, allowing the older man to lead him into Alastar's kitchen. Once in there, David released his hand to find him a glass for himself, and a plastic cup for Reuben. "What would you like to drink?"

Ben mumbled something into his stuffed animal.

"You'll have to speak up. Loud and clear," David told him softly, ruffling the boy's hair while filling his own glass with water.

"Apple juice," he finally said.

The argument in the lounge managed to filter in to the kitchen, mainly Harmony's voice. David fetched Reuben his juice, and passed him the cup. Taking a seat at the table, he helped Roo into his own seat. "How long has Mommy and Daddy been talking?"

"Mommy asked if I had fun at Daddy's last time, and I told her about you," he said honestly. "I said that you were Daddy's new friend, and that you kissed goodbye when you went home." The little boy had no idea what sort of impact it would have on his mother. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to tell Mommy."

David smiled at him. "We never said that you had to keep it secret, Roo. Your Daddy never said that your Mommy would be upset about it."

"Where's Ben!?" called out a female voice from the lounge. "Ben? Benny?"

"In here, Mommy!" the boy called out, looking over at the door where both his parents appeared, giving them both a toothy grin.

Harmony's blue eyes narrowed at the man sitting at the table with her son. "And who are you?" she demanded.

"That's David," Alastar replied simply, moving passed his wife and making his own way to the table, hand brushing over the older man's shoulder. "He's thirty six, teaches photography at Constance,"

"Oh, well, if he's a teacher..." she started.

"He's also the man I'm dating," Al cut in before she could say anything else. "Ben likes him, I like him. I'm not going to stop seeing him, just because you think it's wrong, Harmony. Reuben has the right to know about his father, and any parents I choose to have, be they male or female."

"He's fun, mommy," Reuben added, looking up at his mother with innocent eyes. "He's got a boy of his own named Bailee. Davie reads stories to me, and likes playing games that Daddy doesn't." He didn't understand why his mother seemed to show a dislike from the older man. His Daddy liked David, why didn't his Mommy? "Why can't he kiss Daddy? You said that it's okay to kiss people you love. He loves Daddy."

She looked to Alastar, then David, and back again. "Is this true?"

Her ex-husband nodded. "You're just going to have to live with it, Harmony. You can kiss your boyfriend infront of Ben, I don't see why I can't."

Slowly, David pushed himself up from his seat, walking over to the blonde woman. "Ms. Rose. I know that not everyone is ready to accept same sex relationships, and I'm not saying you have to change your views on it, but, please, I love your ex-husband, and I think your son is a wonderful little man - he clearly has your eyes - I don't think you should punish your son because of the relationship his father was in. Put yourself in his shoes, how do you think you would feel if Al wouldn't let you see your son just because you're in a relationship with another woman?"

"But I'm not," she said, glaring up at the taller man. "This is my son, I'm not having him subjected to this freak show."

"I don't want to stop seeing Daddy!" Reuben called out, standing on his chair. "I don't want to stop seeing Davie!" Eyes of blue so clear glared at his mother. "I hate you and I'm not going home! I'm staying here!"

"Baby...?" Shocked by her son's outburst, she pulled her hands to her chest. "Benny, you don't mean that?"

"I don't like you taking me away from Daddy," he told his mother, climbing down from his chair and walking over to her, his little arms wrapping around her waist. "I miss him, Mommy. You always leave me with Nanny. Daddy doesn't. Daddy is always here.

Soft hands brushed through the messy brown strands. "Mommy still loves you. You're Mommy's little baby boy."

He smiled sweetly up at her. "I know. But I'm Daddy's too."

"Let him stay the night," David suggested. "It's not right to keep a son from either parent. We'll bring him over tomorrow."

Harmony eyed David curiously. "Well, I suppose you seem all right," she said, finally caving. "And I can see why Alastar likes you so much." Crouching down, she placed a tender kiss to her little boy's forehead. "Mommy and Daddy will never be together, baby, but we don't like seeing you cry. I'll see if you can come here more often. no more hating Mommy?"

Reuben shook his head. "No more hating Mommy."

A hug and kiss goodbye, and Harmony stood, waving goodbye to her son and leaving Al's home.

Once she was gone, David broke out his boyish grin. "Well, now i know what your ex-wife is like!"