Love you Forever

A.N. I told myself I wasn't going to write this idea out until Cali told me she'd had a bad day.  I was going to write it that day, but I kind of passed out x)

After her parents had died Andra hadn't said a single word to anyone.  Because of this Brook had forced himself to grow up in order for him to protect her.  With no other family to take them in they were placed into care.  The other kids would pick at Andra for not talking, and Brook would come along with a fist to shut them up.  Andra clung to her brother because he was familiar - Brook clung to his sister because he now believed they no longer needed anyone else.  It would just be the two of them now.

And then Elliot Rhodes had met them.

Andra warmed up to him instantly, and while she still didn't talk it was obvious she enjoyed the man's company.  This irritated Brook, because he firmly believed they didn't need help from anyone.  For some doctor to come along and make her smile was infuriating - and he expressed this displeasure by either kicking out or completely avoiding him whenever he came to visit.

One day he told Andra that they were going to run away.  He'd look after her and they wouldn't have to deal with anyone making fun of the fact she didn't talk.  Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head.  She didn't want to go because she knew things he didn't.  If only he stayed around when Mr. Rhodes came to visit...  Brook was about to object when a man she didn't recognised walked up behind him with Mr. Rhodes standing next to him.

"This them?" he asked.

Brook turned around and looked up at the tall, lithe man with shoulder length waves of red.  He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and black slacks.  Beside the stranger stood the doctor - only he wasn't in his white coat.  He looked a lot more casual than his usual pressed shirt and tied suits.

Elliot nodded and smiled at Andra who smiled back.

"What do you want?" Brook demanded.

Before the red haired man could say anything, Elliot stepped between them, hands held up defensively.  "Brook, this is my partner, Raleigh.  I brought him to meet you both today."

Brook narrowed his eyes.  "What for?"

Elliot rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  "Well...I was kind of hoping that you'd both like to come and live with me."

"Both of us?"

"That's the deal," Raleigh said, glancing around the big room where other children were up to various activities.  "It can't be much fun here."  He looked back at them both.  "So what do you say?"

"No."

Andra reached up and grabbed her brother's hand, shaking her head furiously at him.

"I've been talking with Andra for a while now.  You're both not happy here and I asked her if she'd like it if you both came and lived with me," Elliot explained.

To demonstrate her agreement, Andra released her brother's hand and went and stood in front of Elliot, her eyes firm and expression set.  Mr. Rhodes was a kind man, and he told her so many stories of the man he loved.  She faintly remembered her Dad saying something along the lines of 'two men shouldn't be together', but Elliot was so nice that she really didn't care.  He talked about Raleigh so fondly that she found herself wanting to meet him.  Her parents were never coming back and although she wished they would come and rescue from this place maybe they had sent Mr. Rhodes in their place.

Eventually Brook had agreed, but he continued to display his displeasure.  Some days he'd yell and shout, and Elliot did his all not to argue with him, but he could see it in the man's eyes.  He had tried to provoke Raleigh, but he had simply grabbed the back of his collar without a word and dragged him to his bedroom.  Shutting the door after depostiting him inside, Brook heard him say "You can stay in there until you're feeling more civil.  Dinner's at six - if you want to eat I expect you to have calmed down," before he walked away.

After a while Raleigh started to intervene in the arguements between Brook and Elliot.  He never said anything, just dragged Brook to his room and informed him that if he wanted to eat he should think about his attitude and when he was ready he would have to apologize.  It made Brook angry that Raleigh didn't shout, didn't get angry and that his form of punishment was to simply remove him from the room.  Brook eventually did apologize once he could smell food and the sounds of a happy family coming through his door.

What made amtters worse was that they were the ones that helped Andra to talk again.

Andra loved sitting and drawing with Raleigh.  He was a talented artist and whenever he was working she'd come and sit with him and draw too.  When he noticed her sturggling, he'd push his work aside, slide his chair closer to her's and help her with whatever was giving her trouble.  One day though, before he noticed she was having difficultly she looked over at him and asked for his help.  It had been nearly two years since she had said anything - and after only six months of living with Elliot and Raleigh she said "Can you help me with this?"

Once she had found her voice again she enjoyed using it.  She'd talk about her day at school, she'd ask Elliot about his day at work and she told Brook to "Stop being a baby and grow up.  I like living with Raleigh and Elliot, I don't see why you have to keep being so mean to them.  You make Elliot think he's a bad parent and he's not.  He's not, Brook, but you're too stubborn to see that.  What do you think about when Raleigh sends you to your room?"

"That we were better off when it was just you and me."

"That's not true and you know it.  We're better here.  I have friends, I know that if I really miss Mom and Dad that someone will hold me and make it feel all better."

She was eight and he was tweleve and she sounded like the older of them both.

After that Brook started to give Elliot and Raleigh a chance.  He found out that Elliot was really good at soccer.  After spending time with him, Brook started to see just what Andra has seen back then at the care house.  Elliot really did care about them both and he had just been throwing all that affection away.  With tears in his eyes, Brook said he was sorry for everything he had put Elliot through.

There was no more arguments and Raleigh no longer dragged him to his room.

Raleigh worked from home which meant he was always around.  One day he was sat at the kitchen table sorting through paperwork and notes for his next project.  Apparently he drew 'romance stories', but he never showed the finished products to them.  Andra was sat to his left, drawing away in a brand new sketch pad Raleigh had bought her.  Without even looking up she asked "Since you're at home all the time, does this make you the mommy?"

Nearly choking on the coffee he was drinking, once he'd coughed and cleared his throat, Raleigh looked at her.  "Am I the mommy?"

She looked up and nodded.  "Mom used to stay home and look after us, and I lot of my friend's moms do too.  You're not a lady, but you're home all the time while Elliot goes out to work like the daddy does."

He chuckled, slipping off his glasses and chewing thoughtfully on the arm.  "Well, if you put it like that it does make me sound like a mom..."

She nodded.  "But Mommies and Daddies are married, and everyone has the same last name."

"Well, we didn't want to take your family name away from you.  It's yours and you should be proud of it."

"Is that while you and Elliot have different names too?"

Raleigh laughed nervously, shaking his head.  "I'm not sure if Eli would want my surname..." he said aloud.  "Plus, I don't even know if he'd marry me."

"But you love each other.  When two people love each other they get married.  You could have a big wedding and I can wear a pretty dress."

Smiling, Raleigh laughed softly at her.  "Well, if it's so you can wear a pretty dress..."

She shook her head furiously at him.  "Don't do it because of me!  You should do it because you really love each other and want to spend your lives together."

"We do want to spend our lives together..." he leaned back in his seat, folding his arms at his chest and looking down at the various notes he'd written in preparation for his next book.  "I guess neither of us has proposed..."

---

Laying in bed that night, Raleigh found that he couldn't sleep.  The conversation with Andra earlier was still floating around in his head.  He didn't know how to approach the subject with Elliot, and when he came home after pickng Brook up from soccer try-outs they were all celebrating the fact that Brook had made the team.  They went out for dinner to celebrate and under all the comotion the conversation had drifted to the back of his mind until his head hit the pillow.

"Eli - are you awake?"

Rolling over, Elliot swung his arm over Raleigh's chest and nuzzled into his side, kissing the bare skin of his chest.  "Mmmhmmm."

"Have you ever wanted to get married?"

Looking up at him, Elliot thought about his reply for a few moments before answering.  "Before I met Trace I thought I'd meet a nice girl, get married and start a family.  After Trace died and you helped me find love again I thought about it, but you never mentioned wanting to get married so I just put the thought to the back of my mind.  I think about it sometimes, but when you mention how your family has made a mockery of marriage I think that you just don't want to do something like that because you feel like its lost its meaning."

Smiling, he reached down and ruffled Elliot's hair.  "You've really thought about it a lot, huh?  Enough to be able to justify it like that."

"Why are you asking now, anyway?"

"Andra called me 'The Mommy' of our little family because I stay home while you go out to work and then she asked why our surnames are different," he explained.  "She then pointed out a very valid point."

"Which was?"

"That two people get married because they want to spend their lives together,"  curling one arm around Elliot he ran the fingers of the other through his hair.  "I mean, all the scandal and such in my family made me feel like marriage was just a thing that happened and didn't mean 'I love you forever' but 'I'm putting up with you for now'.  But I guess my parents did mean their vows, because they stayed married right up to my Dad's death - and there's Kate and Jamie."  He stroked his hand up and down Elliot's back.  "Heck, Lake and Dimitri's wedding is in a few months."

"So what are you saying?" Elliot asked.

Shifting on the bed, Raleigh tossed the blankets away and got out of bed, pulling Elliot with him.  Once they were both standing, he dropped down onto one knee and looked up at the younger male.  "Elliot Rhodes, will you marry me?"

Family Matters

A nervous Lake was something to be feared.

Such a thing rarely ever happened to the boisterous and energetic male who was more often than not caught doing something on he and his equally crazy friend Zak could comprehend.  He didn't go charging about everywhere, but he had a natural 'get-up-and-go' aura about him.  For him to be nervous was rare.  He could be unsure - he'd been unsure an awful lot when he'd first met Dimitri.  Unsure what the older male's intentions were, unsure where things would lead and unsure how the world would handle him being with another man.  There had been nerves involved, but nothing compared to this.

It did, however, include Dimitri.

It was spring break, and instead of remaining at the school, Lake was going back with his parents.  He didn't see the place they'd moved to in New York as 'home'.  Home for Lake would always be their little house by the beach with a sun that shone almost all year round.  Home was where Tiffany lived.  On the other hand 'home' was also his dorm room at Constance.  That school had become his second home.  The little family house in New York was just 'the place he lived now'. 

All attempts to explain his mega-theory to anyone (bar Zak, who understood him absolutely, whether or not he actually understood what Lake was talking about) had failed.  Dimitri had tried, but he just didn't understand the inner workings of Lake's mind.  Lake didn't mind though, it was more the fact he listened and accepted him for who he was than actually following the concept of Lake's home.

He did have enough insight to ask Lake just why he was explaining it to him randomly on the Friday before break. 

"I want you to go there," he'd said.  "To that place I live when I'm not at school."

Which essentially meant: 'Come and meet my family.  As your boyfriend, you get to meet them.'

And that was why Lake was nervous.

There was something to be said about a family with three sons named 'River', 'Lake' and 'Rain'.  From the start they were initally an 'interesting and quirky' family to anyone on the outside.  Lake worried that they wouldn't like Dimitri - he also worried Dimitri wouldn't like them.

Lake was sat in the main hall on the floor with his legs crossed, knees poking through the rips in his faded grey jeans.  Elbows on his knees, chin on the back of his hands, teeth chewing on the zipper of the black armwarmer.  He'd recently bought a pair of the large HESH Skullcandy headphones in white and pink and they were on his head (crushing his expertly styled hair) blasting out music and drowning out the sounds of his house.  He'd been told that he wouldn't know if someone was at the door wearing them, but he had the best spot in the house to see when someone stood at the door by the way a shadow would form behind the frosted glass of the front door.

He'd given Dimitri his address, and reminded him just where to go and what to look for on the phone the previous night.  Dimitri would do his best to arrive around noon, depending on the traffic.

There was a tap on his head and Lake tilted his head back to look up at the form of his mother standing over him.  Lake had always thought his mother was a pretty woman, and Lake had always thought she looked a lot like Cate Blanchett.  He grinned up at her and pulled his headphones down to rest on his shoulders.  "Yessum?"

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable sitting in the lounge, Lake?" she asked him.

"Uhm...No?"

She rolled her eyes and turned to return to the kitchen.  "Can't say I didn't ask..." she sighed as she walked away.

He was about to pull his headphones back over his ears when he heard the distinctive roar of a motorcycle engine.  His heart instantly leapt into his throat and began beating at a thousand times a minute.  He scrambled up off the floor and charged for the door before that familiar silhoutte came into view.  Pulling the door open, he hung from the door handle and did nothing to hide the delight and nerves on his face.  "Dimmy!"

The older male was pulling his helmet off and walking towards the door.  The moment he saw Lake swinging on the door he couldn't help but smile.  "Excited to see me?"

"Trying to overpower nerves with excitement," he replied.

From somewhere in the house came a female voice, shouting "Lake, you better not be hanging off the door again!"

Dimitri's eyes wandered over Lake, noting how he was doing just that.  "You answer the door like that a lot?"

Lake let go of the handle and stumbled back against the frame, expertly managing to stay upright.  "Only when its people I'm happy to see."  He heard noises from the inside of the house and turned to see his mother standing in the hallway.

"Are you going to let him in, or is he spending his visit on the front porch?"

"It'd be safer."

She frowned, arms folding at her chest.  "Let him in, Lake, I'd like to meet this boy that you're hooked on."

Sliding his foot away from where it was propping the door half closed and hiding his home (and mother) from Dimitri, Lake allowed it to swing open to reveal his mother to his boyfriend - and his boyfriend to his mother.

"Dimmy, this is my mom.  Mom, this is Dimitri."

Her eyes fell to the helmet and leathers.  "You came here on a motorcycle?"

"I haven't ridden on it, Mom," Lake added before Dimitri could respond, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.  He was still slumped in the doorway.  "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried.  I trust you boys to make good judgements on your own," she said, nodding her approval of Dimitri.  "Its a pleasure to meet you, Dimitri."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Mrs Dale."

"Oh please, you can call me Annie."  She smiled - a smile that was warm and bright and motherly.  Somewhere in it though, there was a hint of the smile that she had passed down to her son.  "Dinner is far from ready yet, so you boys can go and hang out."  She looked at Lake.  "Your father's in the den, go introduce Dimitri to him before you run off upstairs," she told him before returning once more to the kitchen.

"Your mom seems nice," Dimitri said, entering the hall once Lake finally moved.  The younger male took his helmet and jacket and placed them in the closet under the stairs.  "Thanks for inviting me."

"You'd have met them all eventually, better to get it over and done with before they hunt you down," Lake replied, leading Dimitri through his house.  They entered the lounge first before heading to the den.  It was a homely little room, with pictures on the mantlepiece and a large family portrait hanging above the fireplace.  There was a large television with comfy sofas around it.  It was a cozy room, but it looked like it was actually rarely used.

The den, however, was obviously a family room.  The huge windows took up the far wall, with archways leading from the lounge on the opposite wall, and one leading to the kitchen on the left.  There was a smaller T.V. and various game console.  His father was sat on the couch, leaning over a laptop.  Sandy blond hair and clean shaven, with brown eyes and a strong jawline.  He glanced up from the screen when Lake entered, and brown eyes instantly fell onto Dimitri when he moved to stand in the room beside Lake.

"You're him then?"

"Dimitri Utkin, sir."

"Hmn."  He turned his focus onto his son.  "I don't understand it, but if he's what you like I suppose I can't say anything."

"Be supportive, dear!" called Annie from the kitchen.

He stood up, brushing the creases and invisible dirt from his black slacks.  He turned to look into the kitchen.  "I am supportive, I just don't get why he has to date men."

Beside Dimitri, Lake attempted to curl in on himself.  "This is why I didn't want you to meet them..." he mumbled to himself.

Dimitri smiled down at him and placed his hand on Lake's shoulder.  "He doesn't seem angry."

"I'd have preferred it if he was angry, instead of this..." Lake muttered in reply, curling both his arms around Dimitri's strong arm.  He glanced to his father who was walking into the kitchen, still in a conversation with his hidden mother.  "Come on, before she tries to get him to say 'understanding things' to us."

Lake linked his fingers with Dimitri's and went to pull him out of the room when his father's voice halted him.  "And just where do you think you're going?"

Lake froze, chewing nervously on his bottom lip.  "My room?" he all but squeaked out.

His father strode up to them both, still looking Dimitri up and down, taking note of Lake holding onto him.  Silently, he held out his hand towards Dimitri.  "Nicholas Dale," he said, shaking Dimitri's hand once the young man accepted it.  "None of this 'sir' business."  He gave a small smile once he released Dimitri hand.  "Am I supposed to threaten you with a shotgun or is that only used for girls?"

"Only girls I think," Dimitri replied.  "And I think it only applies during prom."

Nicholas 'hmm'ed his response, nodded his approval and returned to his seat.  "I'll keep that in mind," he said before returning to whatever it was he was doing on the laptop.

Given the 'all clear' from his father, Lake pulled on Dimitri's hand, tugging him back through the lounge and towards the stairs.  Releasing his hand to climb the stairs, Lake paused on the landing and turned around to face his boyfriend.  "Sorry about my Dad."

"Does he not approve of you being gay?"

Lake nibbled on his bottom lip nervously.  "Not 'disapprove' as such.  More 'doesn't really get it'," he replied.  "He's not homophobic, he just doesn't really understand how I can like guys - but then again he doesn't really understand Rain's love of creepy crawlies."

"Rain is your..."

"Younger brother," Lake replied to Dimitri's question, moving to lean against the opposite wall to the top of the stairs.  "His room is the one at the end of the hall."  He lifted his arm and pointed towards the door at the far end of the hallway with various posters on the door - complete with "KEEP OUT" sign.

"And which room is yours?"

At that, Lake grinned and pushed away, once more grabbing Dimitri's hand.  The door directly to the left of the stairs had a single door poster on it of "Do you like Mudkips?" and a giant Mudkip.  Lake chuckled nervously at the sight of his door and pushed it open, revealing to Dimitri the world he'd been unable to take with him to his dorm room at Constance.

It was tidy - a lot tidier than his dorm.  The bed was made, with blue blankets covered with stars and moons.  A single faded white and scruffy teddy bear sat on the pillow, a brand new blue ribbon around it's neck, tied neatly into a bow.  It looked like there had been an attempt to clear away the clutter on his desk, but the amount of pens stuffed into pots, various anime figures and other things had made the task difficult.  He had a big bay window, with a few more stuffed animals sitting neatly at one end and pillows propped up at the other.  Two of the walls were white, and the other a soft pale blue.  The whole room was blue and white, and felt large and airy and relaxing.  There was a ceiling high bookcase filled with manga, CDs, videos and DVDs.  Anime, video game and other posters were pinned neatly on the walls.  Lake's Organization XIII coat hung from a hanger on the back of his bedroom door.

Once inside and the door shut behind Dimitri, Lake plopped himself down on his bed, crossed his legs and pulled the white bear to his chest.  "What do you think?"

"It's nice," Dimitri replied, looking around the room.  He smiled and sat down beside Lake, looking to the stuffed animal he was clutching.  "What's it's name?"

"Bear."

Dimitri chuckled, shaking his head.  "That's not what I'd expect from you."

Lake held the bear out in front of him and scrutinized it, his brown eyes looking into the little black beads.  "I never gave him a name, really.  I always just called it 'bear' growing up, and I don't think he should be called anything but Bear now.  My Dad bought him for me - because I was the baby they wanted."  He looked up at Dimitri, pulling Bear back to his chest.  "They wanted a girl too, but I guess I like guys like girls do, so I'm kinda halfway there," he said with a grin.  Now that it was just Dimitri and him it meant he could relax a little more.  His family members were still in his house, but while they were in his bedroom they were safe.

At least that was what Lake believed.

Because that's not what he got.

The closed door was thrown open suddenly, causing Lake to jump and fall backwards onto his bed with an "EEP!"  Standing in the doorway was a blond male a few years older than Lake.  He looked over at the fallen form of Lake, and then at Dimitri.  "Oi, Nutmeg, you could have told me you had invited him over."

"I told Mom..." he muttered into the fur of his bear.  "I didn't need to tell you..."

Dimitri looked at whom was obviously Lake's older brother.  Lake had mentioned that when growing up he had idolized his big brother, but River started to act differently towards him when Lake 'came out'.  River also had a problem with one of Lake's closest friends; Raleigh.  "I'm here because Lakeski asked me to come and meet his parents," Dimitri informed the big brother, riding from the bed and standing to his full height.

"Dimmy..." Lake whimpered from the bed, looking from his boyfriend to his brother.  "Don't hurt him..." he told the bear, although Dimitri could probably have heard him.

River looked the other male up and down.  Dimitri was younger than him, but bigger built.  "I can't believe my little brother is one of them.  He was always a bit guilable growing up, but I never pegged him for a fag."

Dimitri ground his teeth.  Lake knew he was doing his all not to punch River in the face.  Before violence could ensure, however, Lake had the perfect defence mechanism.

"MOOOOOOM!!  RIVER SAID THE 'F WORD!"

River stared wide eyed at where Lake sat the moment he yelled out.  "You so did not just pull the Mom Card."

Lake grinned up at him, and could already hear the sound of his mother walking up the stairs.  "I so did."

"River!" came Annie's voice from behind the male.  He spun on the spot to face the woman, looking like he'd already been scolded.  "What have I told you about saying things like that?"

"That I should support Lake's life choices and not insult him with derrogatory comments and insults..." he muttered, looking down at his shoes and reciting the words as if they'd been drilled into his head.

She placed her hands on her hips, eyes firm on him.  "Now what do you say?"

"Sorry..."

Annie motioned to her middle son.  "Say it to Lake."

River looked over his shoulder at Lake (who was still clutching Bear).  "Sorry Lake."

"Is okay," and Lake smiled up at him like all was right with the world.

"And I think you should also apologize to Dimitri," Annie added.

His mouth hung open and he stared at her, aghast.  "What for?"

"Because even if you directed it towards Lake, Dimitri could also feel that the comment was unwelcomed - plus, you insulted his boyfriend, and I'm pretty darn sure he'd want an apology no matter what you said."

River turned around to face Dimitri once more, only this time he wasn't threatening - instead he looked honestly apologetic.  "I'm sorry, Dimitri.  What I said was wrong, and I do think you're good for my brother, I'm just worried about him, that's all."

"Good boy," Annie said, patting River on the arm since he stood a head taller than her.  "And don't bother your brother anymore."  Smiling, she turned away and returned to whatever it was she'd been doing before Lake had yelled.

The moment she was out of sight Lake dove off his bed, River launching from his spot by the door to the bed, landing on his stomach, arms reaching out for his brother who gave a yelp.  "I cannot believe you pulled that one," he called out, crawling off the bed and pinning Lake beneath him.

Dimitri stood watching, stunned at the two brothers.  Just as he was about to go and pull River off Lake, the younger Dale gave another yelp and started laughing like mad, wriggling beneath the tickling torture his brother was giving him.

"No...Ha!!! Nononono!!!  Stop, stop!  Rivs!!"

"Did Mom kill him!?" called a different voice from the doorway.

This time it was the youngest Dale.  Spikey blond hair, big eyes and a black rock band t-shirt.  Both hands gripped either side of the doorframe he hung from.  "I heard Lake's disstress call."

"This little thing called Mom on me," River replied, looking over his shoulder at his brother, and grinned when he saw Rain staring with his mouth hanging open at Dimitri.

"Is....Is that..."  Closing his mouth, the thirteen year old swallowed hard.  "You're Lake's boyfriend?"

Dimitri nodded.  "I'm Dimitri."

"Oh shit, you really are Russian too!"

"Rain, don't swear!" called Lake - the voice of reason in the Dale trio.  "If Mom hears you..."

"Mom won't hear me."  He dropped his hands and walked up to Dimitri, tilting his head back to look up at him.  "Wow.  So are you like, Russian Mafia or something?  Could you kill a person with your bare hands?"

"He'd kill you if I asked him to," Lake said with a grin, now free from his brother and back on his bed.  River gave him a few moments reprieve before grabbing him around the neck and giving him a noogie.  "Not the hair, Rivs!"

River laughed as he freed his brother and walked over to his youngest sibling, giving him a playful punch on the way past.  "I don't like it, but I suppose Lake could do worse," he said as he left the room, dragging Rain with him before he could ask Dimitri anymore "Grand Theft Auto" video game related questions.

Combing his hair with his fingers, Lake looked up to Dimitri and gave him a small, sheepish smile.  "And that...Is my family."

Thinking of you, where ever you are

A.N. Raleigh shouldn't be allowed near a phone when Elliot is concerned...

When he'd been at school he had always believed school trips were the most exciting things that could ever happen while doing something specifically designed for school.  Granted, these trips could be the most boring and tedious of events, but at least they took place somewhere other than in the classroom.  Often they provided extra credit and there was usually an assignment attached and if you failed to make the class trip then you ended up looking like an idiot struggling to complete work you had no clue about.

Which was why he encouraged Elliot to go on the class trip, regardless of the fact the boy would be gone for two whole weeks.

"I'll miss you, but I think I can cope for two weeks without you, Eli," he'd told him the day before.  It had sucked that they couldn't spend the night before Elliot went away together but they managed by spending the day in bed instead.  Sooner or later someone was going to notice that Elliot wasn't sleeping over in the dorm room's of his friends but somewhere completely off campus.

He was going to Italy with his langauge class to 'practise their skills on the Italian people', or something to that effect.  The whole class were going to see sights from Venice to Rome and many other famous cities and landmarks in Italy.  Most of the students of Constance had more than likely been on holidays in Italy before - but this was an educational trip and was therefore different.

The first day Elliot was gone Raleigh coped by getting some of his amounting workload done.  Day two was spent playing video games with Lake (he didn't take Italian, and the trip was for third years anyway).  Day three was more work, a phonecall from his grandmother and then hanging out with his niece.  He and Kate ranted about various things (mainly the parts of the family that had practically disowned them without actually 'disowning' them.) and then chatted about whatever came to mind.  Raleigh decided that he needed to meet this 'Jamie' person that Kate was so hooked on.

Day four and the loneliness finally had chance to sink in.  Laying on his back on his sofa, Raleigh stared up at his ceiling and wondered what time it was in Italy.  Elliot had sent him a few texts and an email outlining things he'd been up to.  Most of his time seemed to consist of traveling on a coach - but at least the scenery was nice.  With no clue about the time difference he had no idea when Elliot would call - if he ever had chance to call at all.

It was around three in the afternoon and the phone rang.  At this hour of the day anyone could be ringing.  What Raleigh wasn't expected to hear from the moment he said "Hello?" was;

"I really miss you," whsipered down the line.

Smiling, Raleigh walked back from where he'd picked up the phone to the sofa and lay back down, tucking his free arm behind his head.  "I was just thinking about you," he replied.  "What time is it?"

"About ten.  It's supposed to be lights out but the guy I'm sharing a room with has just snuck out to one of the girl's rooms so I'm alone."

"You having to share a room?"

"Yeah.  Its why I haven't had chance to ring.  I want to be completely alone when I can talk to you."

"Ashamed of me?" Raleigh chuckled jokingly.

"Don't want to share you - and besides, I don't want someone listening in to our conversations.  They're private."

Raleigh arched a brow.  "Are you suggest what I think you're suggesting?" he asked in a slightly seductive manner.

"Mabye..."

"You're a tease."

"I haven't seen you for nearly a week."

"You're a horny devil."

"Hey, if my temporary roommate can slink off and have actual sex I think I'm allowed to talk dirty to my boyfriend on the phone."

"You're going to hate your phonebill."

"Don't care.  Miss you more."

Rolling his shoulders into the cushions to get comfy, Raleigh had to admit that he missed Elliot too.  He didn't see him every day, but at least he knew he was in the same city as him.  The distance of an entire ocean made his heart ache.  "I miss you too," he replied, tucking the phone handset between his ear and his shoulder and running his own free hand through his hair.  "I'd of thought you would have been having too much fun to miss me."

"I'd rather see these places with you."

"Maybe during your summer break we can go there together?"  They'd never talked about a holiday together before.  Raleigh didn't travel much and his work kept him pretty grounded (apart from when he attended various conventions).  Zak had mentioned wanting to go skiing to Lake who relayed the information to the two of them in a coffee shop which brought about Raleigh mentioning his family owning a lodge near a skiing location and that they could all go sometime, but never had it been a get-away that consisted of just the two of them.

Even though he couldn't see it, he could hear Elliot smiling on the other end of the phone.  "I'd really like that.  Some of these places look like they could be really romantic - if it wasn't ruinined by the fact that I'm here with school and not you."

"You been to Venice yet?  I hear that place is really romantic."

"Yeah, we were there the other day.  We're in Florence at the moment before we head to Rome."  There was the sound of shuffling blankets and Raleigh closed his eyes as he listened to the sounds coming over the phoneline, trying to imagine how Elliot looked right now.  It was dark so he didn't need to picture much of the room; just the bed with Elliot hiding underneath the blankets, curled up on his side and holding the phone to his ear.  "It was nice, but kind of ruined by the fact I was put into this group with two giggling girls and a guy that seemed to want to learn about every macabre fact available."

"Sounds like an absolute partyfest.  I do hope you didn't enjoy yourself too much."

Elliot chuckled dryly.  "It was pretty boring - and somewhat disturbing."

"Well, when we go I'll take you on one of those boat rides."

"Its called a gondola."

"Yeah, that's what I said; boat ride."  His smile brightened when he head Elliot's little giggle.  Why did he have to be so cute even when he was so far away?  "Then we'd eat pizza and pasta to build our energy up before making use of the hotel's 'do not disturb' sign.  I've never had sex in a foreign country."

"Me neither."

"You can have phone sex though."

"Raleigh!"

"What?  You said you were alone.  I'm alone - you're alone.  It may be about three in the afternoon but I'm pretty sure I could to the mental images of you stroking yourself when you should be sleeping like a good little student."

There was a nervous chuckle from Elliot.  "I...I shouldn't."

"No, but you can.  Go on.  Just reach down and think of me."

Raleigh expected to hear a rejection as Elliot's reply.  Instead he got "Okay," and the rustling of sheets once more.  There was silence and he began to worry until Elliot's breathing gained a slight increase, getting heavier and faster. "You have to do it too," he breathed.  "And tell me what you're thinking."  There was a slight echo that he could only just pick up.

"You in the bathroom?"

"That's not what I wanted to hear - but yeah.  I don't want to make a mess."

Raleigh grinned and reached down with his hand, eyes still closed but his image of Elliot now changed.  Elliot wasn't in a bathroom, but naked on his bed, arching up into his own hand.  His body reacted at the image and pressed hard against the inside of his jeans.

"You're not talking."

"I'm building an image."

"Tell it to me."

"You're naked on your back, hands wrapped around your cock and your eyes are closed.  I know you're thinking of me because I can see my name on your lips, but you've not said it out loud yet."

"Nmmm...And you?  What are you doing?"

"I'm watching you, and the sight is just too much.  I want you so much but I can't touch you so I wrap my fingers around my own erection," he described while doing just that after pulling down his zipper.  Raleigh had never been one for masturbating because the feelings it gave him never felt completely right.  At the moment, however, things felt different.  This was the only way he could be intimate with the one he loved when he was so far away.  His cock throbbed in his own hand and he moaned out Elliot's name.

"If you were with me now, what would you do to me?" Elliot practically moaned down the phone.

Raleigh rocked into his hand and swallowed hard, building the image in his head.  "Kiss you; touch you; push myself so deep inside your body until I was a complete part of you."

"Ah...ah...and then...Ooohh...God I miss you."

"I'd tell you how much I...mmm...loved you.  I'd slowly speed up, getting harder and...nnn...faster...until I...oh...Eli..."  Gulping down air, his ears filled with the sound of his own blood pulsing in his ears and the sound of Elliot's rapid breathing and attempts at keeping his moans quiet.  It was all too much and he came with Elliot's name, pushing hard into his hand.

He'd made a mess but right now he didn't care.  Slumping down into the cushions a lazy smile spread across his features while he listened to Elliot's breathing come back down.

"Raleigh...?"

"Mmmm?"

"I love you too."

He chuckled, listening to the obvious sounds of Elliot removing evidence of what they'd just been up to and then climbing back into bed.  "I wish you didn't have to hang up."

There was a sleepy yawn.  "Raleigh?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you talk to me while I fall asleep?"

"Your phonebill is going to be huge!"

"Your cock's bigger."

Raleigh couldn't help but laugh.  Sometimes Elliot surprised him in the most extraordinary ways.  "Well, since you complimented me on my size I'll definitely talk you to sleep."

And he did.  He talked about everything and anything.  He talked about his work, about the phonecall with his grandmother.  He talked about how he was cleaning up the mess of their little 'session'.  He talked until the breathing on the other end of the line became deeper and despite saying his name several times, Elliot didn't answer.  He didn't want to hang up and wished that he too could curl up in bed and just lay there listening to the sound of Elliot sleeping thousands of miles away.

Never going to leave your side

A.N. I love these "past lives/ABSOLUTE!AU" JosiexJojo drabbles x)


He frowned at her across the table.  When that didn't get her to laugh he started pulling faces at her.  Eventually she had to stifle her giggles behind her hand.

"So tell me about this 'Jojo' the woman in the glasses asked.
 
"Well, he's got green eyes, pale skin and a mohawk," she responded to the woman while trying her best not to laugh as he pulled more amusing faces.  He focused his attention now and again on the smartly dressed woman but she didn't even seem fazed by his antics.


The woman nodded, joting little things into the file open before her on the table.  "Any reason for the mohawk?  You don't seem like the type of girl to be into that whole 'punk culture'."

"Its what makes him original," she replied.  "He's known mostly as Jojo but I like to call him Joseph.  He says he doesn't mind because so few people use his full name that it feels like its my special name for him."

"Mmhmmm...And what does he call you?"


"Joey," she smiled over at him when he shot her a face-splitting grin.  "He's always looked after me, especially...you know...when my Dad..." she trailed off, looking down at the table.  Silently, he reached across the table and placed his hand over her's.  He wore intricate and gothic rings on his fingers and they felt cool on her skin.  He shot her another smile, this one more sympathetic than silly.


The woman wrote down more notes and then closed the folder.  After pushing her glasses further up her sharp nose she folded her hands atop the file and looked directly at her.  "That'll be all for now, Josie.  You can go back to your room now."


She nodded her goodbye and stood up.  Carefully she made her way back to her room.  He trotted up to her side and she had to look up at him to see his face.  "I don't understand why she just doesn't talk to you," she told him.


He grinned once more and rubbed the back of his neck.  "Maybe she just doesn't like the whole 'punk culture' thing," he replied.  His voice was distinctly Irish.  All the years she had known him he never lost the vibrant accent.  "Anyway, she's here to help you, not me," he added, bumping his arm against her's.  She nearly tripped but his strong arms caught her and righted her back on her feet.


She didn't like her room.  It was too bare.  Too white.  It was practically clinical.  He often commented on how someone could perform surgery in her room.  The bed was uncomfortable and the sheets were thin, but she sat down on it anyway and looked at the high window.  "I don't need helping," she said and looked over at him when he sat next to her.  "I have you."


He would be with her forever.  He'd promised her that.  He had been unable to protect her from her father's actions, but after each time he would find her in her room and wrap his strong arms around her and hold her until the pain went away.  He said he'd never leave her.  She trusted him completely.  She knew she would do anything he asked of her.  When he told her that the only way she'd be truly safe and with him forever was if she killed her father, she did.


No one was going to take him away from her.  She loved him and he loved her.  No amount of 'group therapy' or medication was ever going to tear him away from her.  They could say he wasn't real all they wanted - she knew different.  She could feel his arms when they slipped around her shoulder and pulled her close to the warmth of his body.


There was a scream down the hallway and she flinched.  Sensing her fear, both his arms curled around her and she curled up against him.  She hated it here but it was even worse when it got dark.  Someone was always screaming or crying in their room.  When he wrapped his arms around her though, she was safe.  Safe from everyone.


Safe from the screams.  Safe from the blood on her hands.  Safe from the bleeding body of her father on the kitchen floor.  Safe from the flashing police lights.


He was real.  He loved her.  She could feel him behind her when she tried to get comfy on the hard mattress, his arm would curl around her and stroke her shivering skin.  "You're never going to leave me, are you?" she asked again.  She always asked.  She liked to hear his answer.


"Never."


It didn't matter that people said he was nothing more than a 'defense mechanism her mind had created'.  Every time he said that single word she felt as if nothing could hurt her ever again.

'Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground

A.N. Another JojoxJosie ABSOLUTELY!AU





Making friends at a new school was always hard, especially for a student that came in mid-way through the school year.  They didn't have the chance to mix with the fresh faces, all finding solace with one another in the unfamiliar.  Instead, she had to brave the strange new world alone.

But there was one person in the entire school that could make her smile - and she didn't even know their name.

Or what they even looked like.

This 'person' was nothing more than a note in a book.  She'd gone to the library because it was the only place where she felt completely at ease.  There were no accusing glares, no unfriendly faces.  Most often it was just her and the books.  Anyone else that sought solace within the shelves left her in peace as they too wished to be left alone.  The book wasn't one that many people seemed interested in.  It had barely even been booked out of the library and it certainly looked like it had been living on the shelf for a while.  Feeling sympathy for the poor forgotten tome she had taken it down to flip through it's pages.

By around page five the note had fallen out, fluttering to the ground.  Picking it up, she read the cheerful words written almost illegiably on the paper.

"I dare you to find more forms of innuendo than I did.  My total is one hundred and seventy three.  Ready?  Set?  Go.  Jojo xxx"

Stifling a giggle, she signed the book out of the library and took it back to her room, intent on beating this "Jojo's" score.  No one else seemed interested in the book so no one would make fun of her.  Plus, she wasn't as innocent as everyone thought her to be.

Unfortunately she couldn't beat "Jojo's" score.  She wasn't even able to find one hundred, let alone one hundred and seventy three!


When she went to return the book the young librarian gave her an inquisitive glance as he signed the book back in.  "Did you enjoy it?" he asked.


"It was...interesting."


"You should read the next volume.  I've heard that it's worth the read."


Taking the man's advice, she went to find the next book.  As she flicked through the pages she found another note.


"I bet you didn't beat my score did you?  Well, that's okay, I never expected you too.  I made it all up anyway.  I haven't even read this book.  You know, I rarely actually even read books unless I have too.  I took French once.  That one was a right laugh!  You should check it out sometime.  Jojo xxx"


Tucking the note into her pocket, she slipped the book back onto the shelf and headed for the langauge section of the library, casting a glance to the librarian.  Was he 'Jojo'?  She was pretty sure he was called Jamie, but maybe Jojo was nothing more than an alias?  She couldn't bring herself to ask though.


It took her a while and a return visit to the library, but she searched through the entire curriculum reading list and found another of the notes.  She didn't know why she was intent on looking for this invisible person.  Maybe it was the way their laid back attitude slipped into their writing.


Weeks went by and she followed the little messages and crypting clues through books, classrooms (one was even taped to the underside of the sinks in the girl's bathroom).  She found herself looking around to see if she could spot who "Jojo" was.  She didn't even know their gender!

She assumed it had been a girl (based on the fact one of the notes was in the girl's bathroom) but one day she found a note that disproved her.

In the drama professor's prop cupboard there was a 'Phantom of the Opera' mask with the note taped inside it.


"My friend T-chan says I have 'crotch rot', which is stupid because my balls aren't itching.  Is it sunny today?  If it is, I want you to go outside and have a personal picnic on the front lawns.  I always said I'd have a picnic there but I've never really gotten around to it.  I'm a busy boy!  Everyone wants a piece of the Jojonator!  I've got a doc's appointment later today.  I've left you a note in the kitchen cupboard.  Hope you're having fun with this silly little 'treasure hunt.  If not, well, I'm just leaving notes for ghosts to read.  Jojo xxx"


She smiled.  No, someone was reading his notes.


It was raining, but once the sun did come out a few days later and the ground was dry she went out and ate her lunch on the lawns, all the while looking around, wondering if Jojo would spot her sitting there and stride up and reveal herself to him.


It was three months since discovering the first note and she still had no idea who Jojo was, nor the friend's he spoke of, but she was pretty certain that she had fallen for him.  Plucking up the courage she went to see the one person who seemed to know about the secret letters.


The librarian.


When she asked him about "Jojo" though, his face fell.  "You want to meet him?" he asked.


"I'd just like to know who's leaving the notes."


He ran his hand over his hair, ruffling the dyed red strands into an even messier style than what it had previously been styled in.  His eyes fell to the desk before him and he swallowed hard.  "Ask Tetsu Nomura.  They were best friends.  He'll be able to arrange a meeting between you two."


"What can you tell me about him?  I only know what he's like from his letters."


That made him smile.  "He's exactly like he sounds!  Cheeky, downright rude and a little perverted, but there will never be anyone who could rival him.  He kidnapped the vending machine once.  How he managed to get it outside I'll never know, but he sat on top of it dressed like a pirate and announced that the entire student body were now his 'wenches'.  Always full of life."


"He sounds like fun."


He nodded.  "Yeah...Anyway, like I said, go talk to Tetsu Nomura.  Show him the notes, too."


Doing as she was told, she quickly sought out the fifth year.  The Asian male frowned at her in disapproval when she asked about Jojo, and even told her to "Shove off, he's none of your business," until she showed him a few of the letters Jojo had written.


An expression much like the one Jamie the librarian had worn sweapt over his feature's.  Grabbing her hand he swiftly wrote an address on the back of her hand before storming away down the corridor.


Frowning at the adress, she decided to visit after school.  The rest of the day was spent in anticipation.  What did Jojo look like?  Was he really as fun as he sounded in his letter?  If he was such a popular character, why was he not stirring up trouble now?  Maybe he'd graduated - or left the school?  So many thoughts fluttered through her.


What she didn't expect was to find that the address Tetsu Nomura had given her lead to a cemetary.  Thinking it was some kind of set-up she checked the address again.  Scrawled underneath in hasty letters as if Tetsu hadn't even wanted to write it was a name.


Joseph Naoise.


Flickers of conversation hit her within seconds.  A student diagnosed with leukemia had died before she'd come to the school.  She hadn't even learned his name.


Walking amongst the gravestones she eventually came across the one with his name carved into the dark black stone.


Joseph Aidan Naoise.
"Jojo"
A true and loyal friend to the very end.
























A.N.
Jojo would like to note that whoever is ressponsible for his headstone is an idiot and he would like "A true and loyal friend" to be changed to "I'm not really buried here."