Title: Ending In Tragedy

Author: DisasterousLetdown

Genre: Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: (Standalone) Some things happen in life that you can't understand or stop for that matter and are forced to live with. When tragedy strikes you are unprepared and don't know how to cope, it is the hardest thing you will have to go through.

Ending In Tragedy

I pace back and forth in the hospital waiting room with him on my mind. Is he going to be alright? Why is this taking so long? Why hasn't anyone told us anything on his condition? Are his injuries really that serious? What am I talking about of course they are! Yet the other questions are still unanswered and it is driving me insane! I wish the doctor would just walk through the door, but we have been here for over six hours and have yet to see the doctor. I am so worried about my best friend... or I should say my boyfriend. They took him into surgery hours ago and the wait for any word on his condition is killing me.

Everyone we know is here, his parents are sitting across from Adam with sullen looks on their faces. His mom hasn't stopped crying since they arrived. Adam is crying as well. He tried to hold it in, but his emotions got too strong about an hour ago and now he just sits in the uncomfortable plastic chair rocking back and forth crying silently. Rob's face is emotionless, but it is not because he is heartless... I think he is just in shock. David keeps glancing at the door every few seconds obviously hoping for the doctor to walk through. Joel on the other hand is silent now, but he was hysterical before.

I just can't believe all this happened! I feel like crying, but am forcing myself not to. I know I will break down eventually though. Can you blame me though? My boyfriend is in the hospital and I have no idea if he is going to live! This all seems like one big nightmare that I can't wake up from. I wish I could just open my eyes to be lying comfortably in our bed with him sleeping peacefully in my arms. I love him so much, God please don't take him away from me.

"Hey buddy you should sit down." Rob says to me. "You need to calm yourself down."

"But I can't Rob." I say with a sigh. "I'm so damn worried about him."

"We all are, but there is no use in pacing the walls cause it's not going to make the doctor come out any sooner. We are just gonna have to wait however long it'll be so please sit down."

I let out a sigh as I sit down next to him. I know he is right, pacing like a crazy guy won't make the doctor come through that door. What is driving me crazy is the fact that I don't know what to think. Is it a good sign that the surgery is taking so long or a bad sign? It could go either way I guess.

"He'll be okay." Adam says trying to comfort me. "I just know it."

I nod my head slightly and pull him into my arms. I want to believe what he said, but I can't seem to. He is trying to make me believe that he believes what he just said, but his tears are deceiving him. He is crying on my shoulder and I am trying to comfort him, but that is hard to do when I need to be comforted myself.

I quickly look toward the door almost giving myself whiplash when I hear it open. I stand up when I see a doctor standing there and feel my heart beat quicken when he begins walking toward us.

"Is he... is he okay?" Joel asks softly.

"I'm am very sorry to tell you this, but we lost him."

"What?" I ask as my world crashes down around me.

"I truly am sorry, he held on as long as he could... he was a fighter." The doctor says with a sympathetic smile.

I fall to my knees and it is like in slow motion. I start crying and I don't even try to stop the tears.

"Why did you leave me Mike?" I cry out.

Rob pulls me into his arms, but I can barely feel him holding me. I cannot hear a thing either. It is like I have gone numb, I just can't believe this is all happening. How can this all be real? Oh my God Mike is dead! What am I going to do now? How can I live my life without him?

Six Months Earlier

I wake up with a yawn and look at my clock to see that it is particularly early. This is a weird occurrence since I usually don't wake up until alarm goes off and even then I go right back to sleep after hitting the snooze button. I find myself to be wide awake too so I drag my body off of my warm comfortable bed and walk to the bathroom. I have to pee really bad so I empty my bladder and then brush my teeth. I realize that I have time for a long warm shower so I grab some clean clothes from my room then walk back to the bathroom.

About forty five minutes later I walk out of the bathroom feeling quite good. Today is going to be a good day I can feel it. I walk downstairs and go straight to the kitchen. I have to go to school now so I have no time to make a good breakfast. I grab a cereal bar from the cupboard and put my wallet in my back pocket before leaving my house. I moved out of my parents house about a year ago and am loving living on my own. I get in my Ford pickup truck and start the engine. I listen to White Zombie on my way to school.

Before long I arrive at my dreaded destination and park my car in the student parking lot. I lock my doors before walking into the building. Almost immediately I hear someone scream my name and see David running my way. Before I can react he jumps on me causing me to lose my balance and I fall flat on my back with him on top of me. I groan as all air leaves my body, he knocked the wind out of me! I push him off of me and he looks down at me with a childish smile on his face. I feel someone lift me up and turn around to see Rob trying to keep from laughing. Joel is behind him laughing his ass off however. I flip them off and dust myself off.

"Have a nice run in with David?" Joel asks me.

"You could say that." I say laughing slightly at his stupid pun, he is really bad when it comes to jokes and puns therefore you can't help, but laugh at them.

"You're actually here on time for once." Rob says teasingly.

"I know surprisingly enough I got up early and on my own I must add."

"Wow that's unusual for the Bradman." David says pushing me lightly.

"Yeah I know, just a freak occurrence though I think."

"It better be cause we wouldn't know what to think if you showed up early tomorrow." Rob says laughing.

I punch him on his arm, but can't help laughing with him. "You're not funny."

"You're laughing so I must be."

"Oh shut up!" I say rolling my eyes, but with a smile on my face. I love these guys and don't know what I would do without them.

"Wow Brad you're actually here on time for once." I hear from behind me.

I turn around to see Adam walking toward us with a genuine look of surprise on his face. I smile and hug him once he reaches us.

"Yeah just don't get used to it." I say with a laugh.

"Okay." He says laughing as well. "Oh yeah I want you guys to meet someone."

"Who? You're imaginary friend?" I ask sarcastically seeing as how there is no one with him.

"Shut up!" He says glaring playfully. "He's a friend of mine that I've known... hell for as long as I can remember."

"Where is he?" Joel asks.

"Putting stuff in his locker, you guys stay here and I'll go get him."

We all nod our heads then Adam rushes off to get his friend. Hmm... I am kind of curious as to who this friend of Brad's could possibly be. I mean I know we haven't met him, but I wonder if Brad has ever talked about him? Well I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Adam returns moments later with a shy looking guy beside him. When I see him though my jaw almost drops, but I find the strength to keep it from doing so. Standing in front of me is the most adorable human being on the planet. He has naturally tanned skin that so contrasts with mine. He has beautiful chocolate brown eyes. He is pretty much the same height as me, but possibly a little bit taller. I am skinnier than him, but he is not fat. In fact everyone is heavier than me, I am a twig. I can defend myself if I need to though. I may be small, but I am definitely no wimp.

This adorable creature in front of me is wearing a pair of tan cargos with a forest green button up shirt. His black hair is spiked up and there is an earring in each of his ears. There is also a black wrist band on his left wrist. By looking at him you can tell that he is foreign, but I am not exactly sure what race he is. He is simply beautiful though.

"Guys this is Mike... Mike this is David, Rob, Brad and Joel." Adam says pointing at each of us.

"You can call me Joel though." He says with a warm smile.

Oh my God this is Mike! The Mike Adam talks about continuously? The Mike Adam has known since he was a kid? If he is who I am thinking of then damn... I never expected him to be so cute!

"Is this the Mike we hear so much about?"

Thank you so much Rob for reading my mind. I didn't have the guts to just come right out and ask it. At least one of my friends has some balls.

"Yep this would be the Mike Mack I have told you guys about."

"Nice to meet you Mike." David says.

"Nice to meet you too." Mike says with a smile.

Oh my God he has such a hot voice! He spoke softly, but I was able to hear him and have to admit that I like what I heard. Also he has such an adorable smile! I have never known anyone with a smile as big as his before. I found it sexy! Damn I honestly can't pick a feature of his that I like the most, I like all of him.

Just then the bell rings and we watch as students walk quickly to their classes. We all just stand here and watch them. It is easier than trying to fight your way through the crowd just so you can get to your dumb ass class that you will reach eventually.

"So what class do you have first?" Adam asks Mike who pulls out his schedule from his back pocket.

"Um... homeroom." He answers.

"What teacher?"

"Mrs. Kirk."

"Chester has that class so you can just go with him. What class do you have after that?"

"Uh, English."

"What teacher?"

"Mr. Hurlacker." Mike says looking at the paper weirdly, no doubt he is thinking that is a weird last name.

"I have that class too so you can just follow me." I say finally speaking, usually I am not this quiet.

"Thanks man." He says smiling gratefully and I smile in return.

"Okay enough of this chit chat we need to get to class." Rob says and I realize that the hall is now completely empty.

"Okay well Mike follow me." I say walking away.

I can hear his hurried footsteps behind me so I slow down, I can be such an ass sometimes. We walk in silence to homeroom, but I have a smile on my face. We have a new person to add to our little group of friends, I wonder if he is gay?

Lunch Time

I walk along side Mike as we head to the cafeteria for lunch. We have been talking all morning and I have gotten to know him a little better. I have found out that he is half Japanese and half American. See I knew he was foreign! I also found out that he was born right here in Agoura, California. He had moved to Florida right before I moved here from Arizona. His dad had been promoted at his job, but that meant that they had to move. Mike did not want to leave cause then there was a chance that he would never see Adam again, but had no choice in the matter. He has known Adam ever since he was four years old, they met in preschool and had been best friends ever since. Even after he had to move they sent e-mails back and forth to each other almost everyday. Also I found something very interesting about Mike here... he is gay! Can you believe it? It is funny how well things are working in my favor... I knew today was going to be a good day!

We finally reach the cafeteria and see the guys sitting at a table at the far end of the room. I turn to Mike and ask him if he is hungry, but he shakes his head no. I am not very hungry either so we decide to head over to the guys. It doesn't take long until we are standing right beside the table, Rob moves down so I can sit and Adam moves down as well so Mike can take a seat. We end up sitting right across from each other and that works for me cause now I can sit here and admire him secretly while we talk to our friends. I notice how when he talks there are times when he shifts his eyes and looks deep in thought when he is trying to get his point across. I also like how when he laughs at one of their stupid jokes his eyes sparkle, you can tell he is truly happy. You know how in those cheesy romance movies when the main character is looking at the other one, the sound drowns out and the camera shows the other character laughing, but you can't hear them... it's like the main character's breath is taken away and all he/she can concentrate on is that person? Yeah well I am having one of those moments only I can hear Mike, but he is the only one. It is like I have drowned out everything else without realizing it. I can't help it though... I just keep realizing more and more how amazing Mike truly is.

"Hey Brad what's up with you?"

Rob's voice takes me out of my intent stare and I slowly turn my head to face him. "Huh?"

"You've been like staring at Mike pretty intently there man." Adam says with an amused smile gracing his features.

I quickly turn my gaze to Mike and he blushes. "Oh sorry guys I guess I must have spaced out, I didn't even know I was staring at him." I lie.

"It's okay we know how much of an airhead you are." Rob says teasingly.

I pick up some of his mashed potatoes and throw them in his face. He stares at me with a stunned look on his face as mashed potatoes slowly slide down his cheek. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen and I can't help, but bust up laughing. Rob glares at me as he picks up his peaches and dumps them on my head. My mouth drops open in shock and before I can do anything something hits me on the side of my face. I turn my head to see Adam laughing hysterically holding an empty bowl that was once filled with mashed potatoes.

"That is it the fight is on now!" I scream as I grab David's pears and throw them at Adam.

Adam however dodged the flying fruit and it wound up hitting the person behind him. After that the fight really got started as everyone in the cafeteria started throwing their food. Mike stood off to the side trying not to get hit with anything, but I snuck up to him and threw some juice all over his shirt. He gasped when he felt the cold liquid hit his shirt and turned to me with a look of shock clearly on his face. I grinned evilly as I showed him the vanilla pudding I was hiding behind my back. His eyes went wide and he slowly started to back away from me. I raised my arm to throw the pudding and he took off running. The floor was slippery however since there was so much food on the floor that he slipped and fell. I couldn't help, but laugh as I saw that he was now covered in food. He glared at me, but I could see the corners off his mouth twitching as he fought hard not to smile so I knew that he wasn't mad at me. I slowly walked over to him and held out my hand to help him up. He took hold of it, but instead of standing up he pushed me down and I fell onto the floor. He was laughing as he took food from the floor and smeared it onto my back. At that I threw myself onto him and we wrestled in the food getting ourselves even more covered in it.

Just then we heard the principle scream and knew that our fun was over. We slowly drug our tired bodies off of the floor and stood staring at a very pissed off principle. Needless to say we all got suspended cause he found out that we were the ones that started the food fight. Stupid authority! Ah well at least we don't have to go to school for a couple of days!

We all walk out of the principle's office and go to our lockers to collect our things. I don't know why they think suspending students is a punishment, most of us are more than happy not to go to school! I decide to go with Mike to his locker and then he can follow me to mine cause he said I could come over for a while to hang out. Once he has everything he is taking home we go to my locker, but all I need to grab is my back pack. On our way out I see some guy staring at us weirdly, hmm... freak!

"See you later Mike." Weird guy says with a smirk on his face.

Okay what the fuck was that about? It didn't even seem to faze Mike either. Well he is acting a little weird now, but he doesn't seem surprised by the weird guys actions.

"Who was that?" I ask curiously.

"Just some guy I met today."

"Oh he seems kind of odd, what's his name?"

"Mark... I can't remember his last name." He says with a shrug.

"Why was he acting so weird?"

"That guy is a freak."

"Yeah that much was obvious, what did he say to you?"

"He approached me in gym and said that he had been watching me all day." He says with a shudder. "He also said that he wanted to do unmentionable things to me so I told him to leave me the fuck alone cause he was really freaking me out."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Was there anything else he said?"

"Just that he would get to me when I least expected it and to watch my back because he would always be there."

"Well do you think this is something to worry about?" I ask thinking it is definitely something to worry about.

"No I think he is just all talk, he will more than likely forget about me so don't trouble yourself by worrying about what he could do."

I stare at him feeling quite unsure by this, but let it go none the less.

"You want to go to my house?" He asks me.

"Sure that would be cool." I say trying not to sound too excited.

He smiles at me and any coherent thoughts I had before suddenly escape me. He takes my wrist and leads me over to a yellow mustang. He unlocks the doors and we both get in. Once we are a little ways from school I realize that I left my truck there, but decide not to worry about it cause I can pick it up later or tomorrow since I don't live far from school. We drive in silence and then he pulls into the driveway of a white and blue house. He gets out of the car after shutting off the engine and I follow him up to the front door.

"Sorry the house is such a mess, but just keep in mind that we just recently moved in." He says as he opens the door.

I step into the house and take a look at my surroundings. Boxes are everywhere and there are nothing on the walls, but the furniture is all in place. It is actually a nice place and I am sure it will look even nicer once they get everything set up.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asks me, getting my attention away from his house.

"Yeah that sounds good."

"What would you like?"

"Sprite if ya got it."

"One Sprite coming up." He says with a smile before he walks into the kitchen.

I can't help, but laugh cause he did a horrible impression of a waiter with a French accent. He doesn't leave me waiting long and soon I have a cold can of Sprite in my hand. He asks me if I want to go up to his bedroom and I obviously say yes. I would be stupid to say no let's stay down here. Once we walk upstairs he leads me into the second room on the left. Much like downstairs there are boxes everywhere and it seems like they are all full.

"I have been too lazy to unpack." He says with a laugh. "I only unpacked some of my clothes, My CD player and CDs."

"Well that's understandable... only the necessities."

"Exactly." He says with that smile of his.

"So what you wanna do?"

"Um... not sure, but for starters let's put on some music." He says grabbing his CD case.

"What are we going to listen to?"

"Not sure, what do you like?"

"Rock mostly."

"Okay... um... Metallica, White Zombie, Nirvana, Slayer, Green Day..."

"How about Nirvana?" I interrupt him, I have a habit of doing that to everyone I talk to.

"Sounds good to me." He says pulling out the CD and putting it in the CD player.

Smells Like Teen Spirit comes through the speakers as Mike sits down on his bed and says that I can sit down. I smile as I sit down beside him and put my can of soda down on a nearby table. I sit there listening to the song and enjoying his company when I suddenly get the courage to kiss him. I put my hands on each side of his head and press our lips together. I can tell he is stunned when he doesn't respond. I pull away blushing furiously, I am so embarrassed and now he probably hates me.

"Sorry." I say softly.

He continues to stare at me and all I want to do is bolt from the room. I almost do that when I feel his lips suddenly on mine. Now I am the one who is stunned, but I don't want him to pull away so I quickly respond. I tilt my head to deepen the kiss and feel him pull my body closer to his. Feeling his body pressed up against mine feels too good to describe. Soon his tongue enters my mouth and I massage it with my own. I can't believe I am kissing him, is this actually happening or is this a daydream? Slowly I lay him down onto his back and crawl on top of him, he doesn't seem to mind so I stay where I am at. His hands are on my back caressing gently. I press my lips a little harder against his and slowly run my hand down his chest. I lift his shirt a little and put my hand underneath it. I run my hand along his soft skin until I reach his nipple and I rub it gently. He moans into my mouth and I slowly feel myself get hard. I would be embarrassed about this, but I am not since the situation we are currently in and since he is hard as well. I rub his nipple a little rougher, he arches his back and tears his mouth away from mine as he lets out a moan. I watch him with fascination and continue my movements on his nipple.

"Oh my God what the hell is going on in here!" I hear a shrill voice from behind me.

I quickly move off of Mike to see a lady with black hair standing there, I assume she is his mother.

"Michael would you like to explain this?" She asks with a stern look on her face.

"Look mom I know you are shocked, but you have to try and understand... I am gay." Mike says gently, I can tell he is nervous.

"YOU'RE WHAT!" She yells in disbelief.

"Yeah mom it's true."

"No this can't be, you're supposed to get married and give me grandchildren. How can you do that if you're with another guy?"

"I'm sorry mom, but I'm just not attracted to girls."

"Get out of this house." She says softly.

"What?" He asks with wide eyes. "You can't be serious!"

"I damn well am! I will not have a queer for a son! Get the fuck out of my house, you don't live here anymore."

"But mom I have nowhere to go." Mike says with tears in his eyes.

I can't help, but feel guilty because I know that this is my fault. If I hadn't kissed him he wouldn't have started making out with me and his mom never would have found out. Damn I am a home wrecker!

"That is not my fault!" She says not even looking at him.

Mike gives up on trying to reason with his mother and just packs up his things as quickly as possible. I help him take his things to his car and then we get in. As we drive down the street he is silent as he stares out the window. I can see the tears on his face reflecting off of the window. God how could I have let this happen? There is no way I can fix this either and now I feel guiltier than ever before.

"I'm really sorry Mike." I say softly.

"It's not your fault." He mumbles.

"She wouldn't have found out if I hadn't kissed you."

"I am gay and that will never change, she would have found out eventually."

I have nothing to say to that because what he said is true eventually she would have found out, but I still can't help feeling guilty cause she wouldn't have found out so early.

"I just can't believe she reacted that way... she said she would always be there for me, I guess always isn't as long as I thought it would be." He whispers.

"She probably just needs time to digest everything, she'll be back don't worry." I say comfortingly even though I am not sure what I said will actually happen.

"What am I gonna do now? I have no place to live!"

My eyes light up when a thought enters my head. "You can live with me!"

He turns his head to look at me hesitantly. "I don't want to impose, besides your parents might not want a stranger living with you guys."

"I have my own place so it works out great and believe me you wouldn't be imposing, I could use the company anyway."

"Are you sure about this?" He asks with hope shining in his big chocolate eyes.

"I'm positive about this." I say with a smile.

A big smile forms on his face. "Thank you so much Brad, you're a life saver."

I turn my head at that with a smile on my face and watch the road as I drive to my house. This is going to be awesome living with Mike.

A Week Later

Mike has been living with me for a week and everything couldn't be more perfect. He is truly an amazing person! Just a smile on his beautiful face can turn make me happy throughout the whole day. Every morning I wake up and walk into the kitchen only to be greeted with that dazzling smile of his, I don't know what I would do without that in the morning. I have got to know pretty much everything about him. In the morning I have noticed that he is a little grumpy, but after a cup of coffee he is the hyper and happy person I have come to love. Also he is picky with what he eats, he won't touch cereal unless it is Captain Crunch. He hates vegetables, but will eat a few. Not to mention that he will only eat eggs as long as they are scrambled. Also one good thing is he is not a messy person, but he is also not a clean freak who is constantly cleaning. It works out cause I am also this way.

Suddenly there is a knock on the door and I get up from the kitchen table to answer it. When I open the door I see his mom standing there however and have to wonder what she is doing here. I look at her and don't say a word, I am going to make her be the first one to speak.

"Um... is Mike here?" She asks after a moment.

I frown, but go and get Mike none the less. I know they will want to talk in private, but I stay around the corner cause I want to hear what they are talking about. Bad of me I know, but I can't help that I am a curious person. I hope she hasn't come here to take him away from me cause I don't know if I can live here without him anymore, not to mention that I just plain don't want to.

"Mom what are you doing here?" Mike asks softly.

"I thought we should talk... I shouldn't have reacted the way that I did."

"No you shouldn't have." He replies somewhat bitterly.

She lets out a sigh. "Mike I don't want to lose you, you're my son I love you. I'm sorry for reacting the way that I did."

"Can you accept me for who I am?"

"I've thought a lot about it over the past week and I have already accepted it. I love you no matter who you love, I said you could always count on me and I meant that."

"Thank you mom, I love you too." I hear Mike said with a sniffle. "What about dad?"

"He actually took the news extremely well, he said that he had known all along."

I hear Mike laugh softly. "Good ol' dad, too observant for his own good."

"We both love you very much Mike and want you to come back home."

I hold my breath as I wait for Mike to answer, but he remains silent. The suspense is killing me, I have to know if he will choose to leave or not!

"Mom... I love you and all, but I like living here. This is a good thing for me... I don't want to leave." He says softly.

"Well I can't force you, but keep in mind that you can visit any time you like."

"I'll remember that." Mike says and I can hear the smile in his voice.

"We can visit you too right?" She asks teasingly.

"Of course! You and dad are always welcome you should know that."

"Okay good, well honey I have to get back home to make dinner... I'll see you later though, right?"

"Of course."

"Alright bye honey."

"Bye mom."

"Tell Brad I said bye."

"Alright." I hear Mike say with a chuckle.

I hear the door close and quickly rush over to the kitchen table so he don't know that I was eaves dropping. He enters the kitchen a moment later and smiles at me. I smile at him in return and pull out a chair for him to sit down. He gladly sits down and then stares at me intently making me feel slightly uncomfortable. Why is he staring at me like that?

"Did you enjoy our conversation?" He asks me with a smirk on his face.

My eyes widen in shock. "What... I-I wasn't listening to your conversation."

"Don't lie to me Brad, I know you better than you think."

"Alright fine I was listening, but that is only because I wanted to make sure you weren't leaving me." I say sighing in defeat.

He raises one eyebrow and stares at me curiously.

"I don't want to live alone anymore... and... I like having you around." I say softly.

"Well you have nothing to worry about cause I am not going anywhere."

"Thank God for that!"

He smiles as he stands up and walks toward the fridge. "What you want for dinner?"

"Um... Mike can I ask you something first?"

He looks at me curiously. "Sure."

I take a deep breath and decide to just spit it out. "Mike I want to go out with you."

He stares at me with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." I say softly, hoping he doesn't reject me. "Would you be my boyfriend?"

"Of course! I've wanted to date you for a while now."

"Oh my God seriously?" I ask in shock.

He nods his head slowly with that smile I love on his face and I rush over to him. We engage in an amazing kiss that seems to last forever. When we pull away we are both breathing heavily. I smile happily as I hold onto him, never wanting to let go and he smiles back.

"Why don't we go out to eat." I suggest.

He smiles once again. "That sounds nice."

I grab my keys as he puts on his shoes and then we both walk out to the truck. Once inside I start the engine and drive to The Hometown Buffet where I consider to be our first date cause after that we take a long walk in the park. We don't get home until after midnight where Mike stays with me in my room and the next day we move all of his things into "our" room.

Four Months Later

I walk into the kitchen and go straight to the fridge. I pull out three eggs and set them down on the counter. After I close the fridge door I pull out a pan from the cabinet and then look around for a spatula. I don't usually spend much time in the kitchen cause Mike is the one who cooks so I have no clue where to find this. I just open random drawers hoping to find the right one. I open a drawer to see plastic wrap and am about to close it when a stack of envelopes at the back catch my attention. I curiously pull them out to see that each of them have Mike's name on them and nothing else. I usually don't read other people's mail cause that is invasion of privacy, but something deep within me is telling me not to just turn away. I slowly open one and pull out a single piece of paper. My eyes widen when I read what is written on it.

I am watching you... M

That is all it says. I open another one to see a similar piece of paper only there is something different written on this one.

I am still watching, I always am. Watch yourself Mike. M

I open every single one of them, but don't like anything they say. The last one however sends chills down my spine.

Don't think you're safe, your precious boyfriend won't always be there to protect you. I will come for you Mike you can count on that and that time is drawing near. See ya soon! Mark

I tighten my fists and quickly rush out of the kitchen. Mike is sitting on the couch watching TV oblivious to the fact that I am very pissed off at him right now. He turns his head when he senses another presence and smiles that smile I love, but that won't even save him right now. A frown forms on his face when he realizes that I am pissed and he is looking at me in confusion. I don't say a word though cause I might blow up at him since I am so angry right now. His eyes move down my body and rests on the letters clutched in my hand. He looks at me with worry in his eyes and quickly stands up.

"Look Brad I can explain." He says frantically.

"Then why don't you do that cause I am dying to hear your excuse for hiding these from me!" I say calmly at first, but end up screaming the last of my sentence.

"I knew you would freak out so I decided not to tell you about them. They are harmless okay."

"Harmless? How can you say that, have you read them?" I ask in disbelief.

"Of course I have read them... look Mark is just stubborn, he'll give up eventually."

"This has been going on for four months Mike, FOUR MONTHS... does it look like he is going to give up to you?" I scream.

"Please Brad just stop yelling... see this is why I didn't want to tell you!" He says sighing in frustration.

"I can't help it." I say with a sigh of my own. "My boyfriend is being stalked by some psycho, what would you do if you were in my place?"

"I'm sorry for not telling you about them Brad I really am." He says softly as he looks at me with apologetic eyes.

"Those letters really worried me Mike, he sounds serious."

"I know." He says softly and I can see worry in his eyes that he is trying to hide from me.

"You can't tell me that this will just go away either cause it hasn't so far it has only gotten worse. What are we gonna do if he attacks you and we didn't do anything about it when we had the chance? We will be kicking ourselves in the ass then, but won't be able a damn thing about it. What if he gets violent, huh? We need to do something and fast!" I say frantically... I know I am panicking, but can you blame me?

"Alright Brad I hear you, I understand okay." He says taking me into his arms and running his hand along my back soothingly. "Tomorrow we'll go to the police and get a restraining order, okay?"

"Only a restraining order?" I ask with a pout.

"You know that is all we can do, they can't arrest him cause he hasn't even come near me. All they will give us is a restraining order and we are just going to have to deal with it." He says with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah I know you're right, but this is all just so frustrating." I say running my hand down his face wondering what I would do without him. "Promise me you will never keep things from me anymore Mike and never lie to me, you have to promise me this."

"I promise Brad." He says without any hesitation. "I'm sorry for not being straight forward about the letters, believe me it won't happen again."

"I believe you and don't worry I can forgive you for this. I am just worried about you and want to keep you safe so I was a little upset when I found out you were hiding them from me."

"More than a little upset." He says with a playful smile gracing his features.

"Okay fine I was more pissed off then ever before, but that is beside the point." I say rolling my eyes, but with a smile on my face.

"That is beside the point huh?" He asks raising one eyebrow. "And what is the point exactly?"

"That if you hide something like this from me again I am going to hurt you." I say seductively.

"Oh we wouldn't want that." He says with a sight sparkle in his eyes.

"No we wouldn't."

"Guess I'll just have to be a good boy from now on then."

"You had better."

He slaps me on the arm and I look at him with an evil smile on my face. His eyes widen and he lets out a squeal as he runs from the room with me right behind him. He runs up the stairs and straight into our room. I grab his wrist and pull him in for a passionate kiss as I shut the door with my foot.

An Hour Later

I roll over off of Mike and lay my head on my pillow. I am breathing heavily and out of sync with Mike's heavy breathing. He rolls over onto his side and lays his head on my chest while I wrap my arms protectively around him. I place a kiss on the top of his head before laying my head back down on my pillow and try to get my breathing to regulate. Once he is breathing normal again he looks up at me with the most adorable smile on his face. I laugh slightly and squeeze him tenderly. He is just too cute! Some of the things he does are just so random. Like what he just did... he looked up at me with the biggest smile on his face, but didn't have a reason for it other than just wanting to smile at me. Definitely keeps things interesting cause I never know what he is going to do next.

"I love you Brad." He whispers suddenly.

I look at him with a smile on my face and lean in to kiss him sweetly on the lips. "I love you too Mike." I whisper once I pull away.

"You know I've been thinking a lot about the future..." He trails off.

"Really? What have you been thinking?" I ask curiously and with a smile on my face.

See I told you he can be very random. We just get done from the best love making session and he starts talking about the future. That is why I love him though, I wouldn't have him any other way.

"Well I've been thinking a lot about my life and what I want to do with it. We are only on this earth for a short time and I don't want to waste one second of it. I don't want to have any regrets that I can look back on when I am older and can't do anything about." He says seriously.

"Good way of thinking."

"I want to go to college and get a degree in art. I also want to do more with music. I mean sure I do a lot as it is, but I want to take it somewhere. Maybe have a band in the near future after I get done with college. I want to have a good job that I can be proud of, who knows maybe I'll be famous... I would really like that. Then I could repay my parents for everything they have done for me by buying them a house and a car or something. I want them to be proud of me." He says softly.

"They will be no matter what anyway." I whisper.

"Yeah, but these are all things I really want for my life and I don't want to not do anything about it."

"You will achieve these things Mike, if anyone can it is you. Who knows maybe I could be in that band with you." I whisper back staring at him adoringly.

"I want you in my future too Brad, I want you to be there every step of the way. You are my life and hold my heart and soul in your hands." He softly says looking into my eyes with so much love.

"I want that too... and don't you worry I am not going anywhere." I say overwhelmed by extreme love for the person staring back at me.

"I got something for you." He says moving out of our embrace to open the drawer on his night stand.

He pulls out a small bag and takes out a small box that could only fit a ring. I stare at his hands with wide eyes for a moment before moving my gaze to his face. He smiles softly as he opens the box and pulls out a ring. He looks into my eyes as he speaks.

"I wanted to give you something that showed how much you mean to me and could only think of one thing. I want you to wear this and always be reminded of how much I love you. I wanted to show the whole world that I got the sweetest most caring person out of everyone and that I am not going to ever let you go. This promise ring is a clarification of my love for you and a promise that you are the only one who will ever have my heart."

I am in tears by the time he is finished talking, everything he said was very touching and I feel the same way about him. I am nothing like how he described me to be, but hearing those things come out of his mouth brings me so much happiness. I have never in my life been in love with someone as much as I am with him. He is truly amazing and I thank God for him everyday. He was his angel sent down to earth to fill my life with more love and happiness than I can fathom.

When he puts the ring on my ring finger I find myself crying harder because the emotion I am feeling is too strong to control. The joy I am feeling is too strong to contain, but I don't want to anyway. I look at the beautiful silver band on my ring ringer and find that the most heartwarming saying is engraved on it... "Brad & Mike 2gether 4 ever" along with the date that we became a couple.

I stare up at him and quickly pull him down so I can capture his lips in a loving kiss. I feel him smile into the kiss and I press my lips a little harder against his. This kiss is filled with so much emotion that I feel I am being consumed. It is like we are pouring our hearts and souls into this kiss and filling each other completely. This moment couldn't be more perfect and I have found out that there are two things in this world that are the most precious to me... this promise ring and most of all Mike. In his arms is where I want to spend the rest of my life. Everything in our lives could turn to shit in the future and we may not achieve our dreams, but I will be quite content as long as he is by my side. Nothing in this world matters as long as I have his love.

All of a sudden there is a loud noise from downstairs interrupting the most intimate time in my life. Mike looks at me with worried eyes and turns his head to look at the door. I can tell he is scared and so am I, but I am always pissed at whatever it was that interrupted our moment.

Slowly I stand up intent on finding out the reason for the noise, but find Mike's hand on my forearm. I look back at him and tell him that I am going to find out what the noise was, but he shakes his head in protest. I tell him to stay there and that I will be right back, but he is stubborn and insists on coming along. I simply nod my head cause I know that once he has made up his mind there is no persuading him. Ever so slowly we exit the bedroom after putting on our boxers and check the upstairs, but find nothing out of the ordinary. We slowly descend the stairs and look around cautiously. Mike leads me into the kitchen after looking into the living room while staying as close to my body as possible. My eyes widen when I see red spray paint on our wall and the back door is wide open. I turn my gaze back to the bold red letters that say...

See you're never gonna be safe... very soon Mikey...

"Okay first thing in the morning we are going to that police station and getting that damned restraining order." I say through gritted teeth as I glare at the offensive writing.

Mike simply nods his head staring at the wall in horror as he comprehends just how serious this situation actually is.

The Next Day

We got up early this morning just like we said we were going to and went to the police station. We told them about Mark breaking into our house, but all they could do was give us a restraining order. Of course this pissed me off more than anything, what good are cops if they allow a guy like that to roam the streets freely? This is bullshit and they know it. I wanted to reach over the counter so bad and just strangle the cop, but Mike could sense this and gave me a look in warning. I pouted the whole way home cause this trip was rather disappointing. However now the cops are here at our house taking pictures off the wall. I don't see how it is going to do us much good, but at this point I am willing to let them do as they please just as long as they are at least doing something to help us even if it seems quite pointless.

"Alright thank you for cooperating, we'll put a photo in your case file and see what we can do. Please don't get your hopes up though cause we aren't 100 positive that this will give us enough to put him in jail. There's a chance that it is, but I must warn you he could only be behind bars for a few days seeing as he hasn't really tried anything and we don't have enough evidence to put him away for good."

"No thank you officer for doing everything you can we really appreciate everything you guys have done for us." Mike says sounding relieved.

"If he breaks the restraining order you call us right away and we'll come and get him." The officer says firmly.

I can tell he wants to help us, but there is only so much he can do. He seems like a pretty decent guy and I truly am grateful for everything he has done. I am just glad we got someone understanding to help us with our situation rather than someone who doesn't give a shit and is only there to do their job.

"We will don't worry." I say with a grateful smile on my face.

He nods his head and then all of the cops leave the house. Mike turns to me and let's out a sigh. I take him into my arms and hold onto him protectively. I am actually scared to death, I don't want to lose him. Mark won't get anywhere near him if I have anything to do about it, I'll protect Mike with my life. Mike and I are supposed to live the rest of our lives together, but Mark is trying to ruin in and that pisses me off so damn much. Why is this happening to us?

"The guys are coming over in an hour, remember?" Mike asks me softly.

"Oh damn I forgot completely." I say hitting myself on the forehead.

Mike laughs softly and moves out of our embrace. "I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed."

"Ooh can I join?" I ask with a suggestive smile on my face.

This in turn makes Mike laugh and slap me on the arm. "You have a one track mind I swear!"

"I can't help it, you do it to me."

"Oh I am so sure." He says rolling his eyes. "And no you can't join me cause we don't have enough time."

I pout, but he stays firm so I let out a sigh and tell him to go take his shower. He then turns and walks upstairs. I follow him and walk into the bedroom where he is pulling clean clothes out of the closet. I walk up behind him and put my arms around him. He leans back into the embrace and I place a light kiss at the nape of his neck. He turns around in my arms and places his lips against my own. I kiss him happily and run my tongue along his bottom lip. Soon after his mouth opens and I slip my tongue inside to explore. He pulls away with a smile on his face and softly says that he has to go take a shower. I let go of him even though I would love to hold onto him forever and he takes his clothes into the bathroom where he shuts the door behind him. I myself don't really need a shower so I just change into some nicer looking clothes and walk back downstairs. I clean up the living room and then sit down on the couch. I just sit there getting border and border. Just when I am about to go crazy Mike appears at the bottom of the stairs and I jump up in relief. I rush up to him and connect our lips. He is a little surprised by my actions, but quickly recovers.

I pull away slightly, but only to say, "I love you so much Mike."

"I love you too." He whispers.

After that is said I capture his lips once again and we engage in a passionate kiss. To our displeasure though there is a knock on the door and we are forced to pull apart. With a sigh I turn around and open the door.

"Are you guys ready to watch a movie?" David asks in excitement as he pushes his way past me.

"This is going to be an interesting night since David is hyper... again!" Rob says shaking his head as he walks into the house.

"That's nice to hear." I say with a laugh. "Come in guys."

Adam and Joel silently walk into the house and Adam goes straight to the kitchen like he usually does. Joel walks into the living room with us following close behind and we all find places to sit. Adam enters moments later with a coke in his hand looking at us like he seen a ghost.

"What's wrong Adam?" Mike asks.

"What the hell was that on your wall?" Adam asks with slight worry in his voice.

"Oh shit that..." I say trailing off.

"Yeah what is going on here?" Adam asks demanding an answer.

"This guy Mark has been sort of... stalking me." Mike answers whispering the last part.

I watch as Adam's eyes widen. "Why the fuck didn't you tell us?" He asks upset.

"Cause I didn't want to worry any of you, I'm sorry for not telling you I should have..."

"You're damn right you should have told us! He could of like attacked you or something and we wouldn't have been there to help you cause we had no idea that something like this was happening." He interrupts Mike, I can tell he is truly upset about this.

"I really am sorry Adam, if it makes you feel any better I kept it from Brad also. He found some letters yesterday and I had to tell him. It was stupid of me to keep this a secret and I promise you it won't happen again." Mike says sincerely.

"It's okay Mike, it's just that really worried me." Adam says pulling Mike in for a hug. "I forgive you for not telling me, but just know you have my like support 100... I will help you get through this."

"Thanks Adam I couldn't ask for a better best friend."

"Okay someone care to explain this to the clueless people in the room?" Rob asks with confusion on his features.

"Oh sorry." I say with a laugh, but then get serious. "Mark has been stalking Mike for months now, like sending him letters and such, well last night he broke into our house and left him a little note on our wall."

"Damn what is this dude crazy or something?" Joel asks with wide eyes.

"Pretty much."

"What are you guys going to do?" Rob asks.

"We got a restraining order today."

"A restraining order! Why didn't you just get him arrested?" He asks in disbelief.

"Cause all they can do is give a restraining order. If we could get him arrested we would, but there is not much the police can do since they can't prove it was him that was in our house... he only left an M not his whole name."

"Damn laws I swear, what good are they?"

I can tell he is angry and so am I, but there is nothing we can do. At least they know now and they will help us as much as they can. That feels very good!

"Why don't we watch a movie to take our minds off of this?" Mike suggests.

We all nod our heads in agreement and David puts Jackass The Movie in the DVD player. Mike makes himself more comfortable beside me on the couch and I take a hold of his hand. He smiles at me sweetly before turning his attention back to the Movie that is just beginning.

About halfway through the movie we hear the sound of the door bell and I look at Mike in confusion. We aren't expecting any more company so who on earth could be here? His parents maybe? It is a long shot, but still a possibility. I watch as Mike disappears around the corner to answer the door and doesn't return. I start to get worried so I stand up and am about to go see what is up when he appears once again, but looking pale.

"I got another letter." He says softly.

My eyes widen as I rush over to him and take the letter out of his trembling hands. They guys are looking at us with a mixture of curiosity and fear so I decide to read the letter aloud.

"You got a RESTRAING ORDER placed against me! That was very stupid Mike! I would watch my back if I were you cause you have royally pissed me off!"

He didn't even leave his name or initial this time, but he does sound pissed off. I look up to see four worried faces and feel my heart rate gradually speeding up as his words sink in. This is not good, this is extremely bad! I look over at Mike, but he is silent and looks like he could faint at any minute. I pull him into my arms and can feel him trembling against me. I soothingly rub his back and feel his tears soaking my shirt. I pull him away slightly and make him look into my eyes.

"Nothing is going to happen to you okay Mike, I won't let it. He won't get within fifty feet of you." I say firmly hoping he believes me.

"Yeah you have all of us, he will like have to go through us to get to you and we won't allow that to happen." Adam says softly.

"Why is he doing this?" Mike asks brokenly. "Why won't he leave me alone?"

"I don't know, but you don't have to worry about a thing I will be by your side the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I love you Brad."

"I love you too."

Once again I pull him against me and try to calm him down. Inside though my nerves are a wreck and I couldn't be more terrified. Mark is proving to be a real threat and there is no way to predict his next move. I am determined though not to let anything happen to my Mikey, my soul mate. Like I said before I will protect him with my life and I meant it.

Present Day- Ten Hours Earlier

It has been two months since we have heard anything from Mark and honestly couldn't be happier. Maybe he has finally given up, realizing how serious this is and he could go to jail. We of course have been living in hell and these past two months have been utterly miserable. We don't leave our house anymore and when I have to go to work someone stays at the house with Mike cause none of us like to leave him alone. He of course hates this more than anything and it is beginning to frustrate him, but he hasn't complained so far. The guys have been really nice and help us out as much as they can. This whole situation is killing Mike and I though, we basically don't have a life anymore outside of our home and we couldn't be more miserable.

We haven't been receiving any more letters though so maybe we won't be hearing anymore from him. That is what we are all hoping anyway, Mike and I would like to move on with our lives. I am sure the guys are tired of having to put their lives on hold to watch over Mike. Don't get me wrong they don't mind it cause they want to keep him safe just as much as I do, but it is taking a lot of time out of them.

As of right now I am getting dressed for work and then I am going to call Joel to come stay with Mike. I am very thankful for how helpful he has been cause he has been the one to stay with Mike the most. The other guys have some grueling schedules that they have to balance with their school time just like I do, but Joel doesn't work so everything works out. David doesn't work either, but his mom is a bitch and doesn't like him to be gone all of the time. We wouldn't want to get him in trouble with the bitch so we don't ask him that often.

Once I am finished dressing I exit the bedroom and make my way downstairs. I walk into the living room where Mike is watching The Lion King and let a smile form on my face. He is such a big kid sometimes! When he sees me a big smile graces his features and he motions for me to sit down next to him. I do as he requests and he leans into me. I wrap my arms around him and place my head on top of his. I really shouldn't be sitting here with him cause I need to get to work, but he is just so tempting.

"I love this movie." He says with a small laugh. "I am such a big dork."

"Yeah, but you're my dork and I wouldn't have you any other way." I say placing a kiss on the top of his head.

"Well that's good to hear cause I am not about to change."

A small laugh escapes me. "Well I need to call Joel so I can go to work." I say standing up and picking up the phone.

"Joel doesn't need to come." He says softly. "Nothing's happened for two months so I think it is okay for me to stay home."

"Mike I don't think that is a good idea." I say with a sigh.

"Come on nothing is going to happen, we need to start getting our life back and Joel could sure use the day for himself. Come on please... at least for today?" He asks with an adorable pout on his face.

"Alright, but just for today." I say putting down the phone. "I am going to be calling in periodically to check on you though."

He smiles happily as he stands up and pulls me in for a hug. "Thank you so much!"

"Yeah yeah yeah you're welcome." I say with a small smile on my face as I see exactly how happy this has made him. "I know you're right anyway, maybe gradually we can get our life back if everything stays as uneventful as it has these past two months."

"That sounds so good, I miss going out without having to worry about being watched."

"Me too." I say honestly. "I have to go now, but you call Joel and tell him that I said he doesn't have to come over today. If he doesn't believe you tell him to call my cell and I'll tell him myself."

"Alright, you have a good day at work."

"Not like that would ever happen, but I'll try." I say leaning in to capture his lips.

He wraps his arms around me as he kisses me and I run my hand through his hair. I feel his tongue on my lower lip and almost instantly open my mouth. His tongue soon enters and we fight for space in my mouth. Regretfully I pull away and smile at him. He smiles in return and pulls out of our embrace.

"I'll see you when you get home." He says softly.

I nod my head in response and then slowly walk to the front door with Mike following closely behind me. I open the door then turn to face him and place a peck on his lips. He smiles once again and I can't help, but smile also.

"I love you Brad." He says with so much emotion in his voice.

I Love when he tells me this cause not only can I hear how much he loves me in his voice, but I can also see it in his eyes. They say your eyes are the windows to your souls and I definitely believe that just by looking into his eyes. Eyes can never lie and Mike's are very open with me.

"I love you too Mike." I say softly.

I kiss him passionately one last time then turn and walk toward my truck. I knew that if I didn't end the kiss I wouldn't leave for work. This is the part I hate cause I don't like leaving Mike. It is not because I am worried something will happen to him either, it is because I don't want to leave him in general. If I could spend my every waking hour with him I wouldn't even hesitate. I do have to work none the less however if I want to be able to pay the rent and bills so I knew that I could stay no longer.

I look around me when I reach my truck feeling someone's eyes on me. Mike is in the house so I know it is not him and there is no one in my sight so I guess I must be paranoid. This is the first time I have left Mike alone since we received the last letter so I guess I am bound to be a little nervous. I keep telling myself that there is nothing to worry about though.

I jump slightly when my cell rings and I check the caller ID to see that it is Joel. A small laugh escapes me as I answer his call, guess he didn't believe Mike.

"Yo what up Joel?" I ask with a slight smirk on my face.

"Did you tell Mike that he could stay at home alone?"

"Yes I did."

There is silence on his end for a moment. "Oh... wow okay I thought he was lying just so I wouldn't show up."

"I figured you would think that." I say with a laugh, Joel is so predictable I swear! "We figured he could stay home alone today and see how things go. We both figured you might enjoy a day to yourself, but keep your cell with you just in case something should happen and he calls you."

"No problem man and I see what you mean by letting him stay alone... you guys really need to start living again."

"Yeah I was thinking the same thing." I say nodding my head even though he can't see me. "Look Joel I will be at work any moment so I will talk to you later."

"Alright dude."

"Call me if anything happens."

"Calm yourself down and try to relax... I am sure nothing will happen, but I promise to call if anything should."

"You're a great friend Joel, talk to you later."

"Later." And with that said he hangs up.

Moments later I arrive at the mall and park my truck in the parking lot. It is quite a ways away from the mall I must add. After shutting off the engine I step out of the truck and begin the long walk to the mall. While I am walking I light up a cigarette cause I know from experience that I will have enough time to smoke it. I don't usually smoke that often, but I do like to have one once and a while. It will help to calm my nerves a little too and that is a very good thing. I look at the promise ring that Mike gave me and smile when the memory of that night floods my mind. That night couldn't have been more perfect even though right after we found the nice little message Mark left on our kitchen wall. We even had to repaint the wall, but now there is not even a trace of it ever being there.

Once I reach the mall I put out my cigarette that is pretty much gone and enter the building. It only takes me a few minutes and soon am entering Spencer's. I am greeted with a smile and wave from Rob and I return the gesture. I walk behind the counter with Rob and lean against it as Faith walks up to us. She greets me with a soft hello and I just nod my head. She is a very shy girl, but very nice once you get to know her. It takes you a while to get her to open up though, I have been working here for over a year and after I was here about one and a half months she finally opened up to me. Looking at her you wouldn't think she was the shy type cause she wears pants with chains hanging off of them, shirts that always have evil looking designs and stuff on them, she wears the darkest makeup she can find, she has tattoos on various places on her body, piercings in both of her ears that go all the way up and she has long black hair that she always keeps down. You would think she was some badass who always started fights and would kick a guys ass for just looking at her funny, but in reality she is a sweetheart. I don't hang out with her much, but like her all the same.

"I'm gonna call Mike and check up on him." I say picking up the phone.

"Why? Joel is there I am sure he is safe." Rob says with a raised eyebrow.

"That's just it he isn't." I say softly as the phone rings in my ear after I dial my number.

"What! Are you..."

Before Rob can finish that sentence I hear Mike's beautiful voice in my ear and shush Rob who looks slightly annoyed.

"Hey Mikey, I was just calling to make sure everything was okay." I say with a soft smile playing on my lips.

"Everything is fine here Brad, nothing is going to happen so you can stop worrying."

"Not gonna happen, but I'm glad to hear you're doing good."

"How is work so far?"

"No customers to have to deal with so I guess everything is so far so good." I reply.

"That's good to hear."

"Well I just wanted to check up on you, I'll call you again on my break to see how you are doing and don't even try to say that I don't have to cause we both know that I am going to anyway." I say with a small laugh.

"Oh yes I know, have I ever told you that you worry too much about me?"

"Once or twice." I say with a chuckle and a smile on my features.

"More like a thousand times, but I don't mind cause it shows you care."

"Well I gotta go, but I'll call you later."

"Alright then you get back to working hard."

A small laugh escapes me. "I will don't worry... I love you."

"I love you too Brad."

"Talk to you later."

"Laterz."

With that said the line goes dead and I hang up the phone. I turn toward Rob so see him looking at me impatiently.

"What?" I ask innocently.

"What were you thinking leaving Mike at home alone like that?" He asks me in disbelief.

"He really wants to stay there without pretty much being babysitted." I say with a sigh. "We are trying to move on Rob can't you see that?"

"Yeah, but with Mark still running free you never know what could happen."

"Nothing has happened for two months."

"Two months is not as long as it may seem Brad!" He says looking into my eyes as if trying to knock some sense into me. "Besides do you really think Mark is going to give up especially since Mike placed a restraining order against him and the law is watching his every move waiting for him to slip up?"

"I don't think the police are watching him Rob, they aren't allowed to when all we have is a restraining order."

"He is probably just waiting it out until everything blows over and you guys think you are safe again to make his attack. Do you think he would really give up now after all that he has done and especially since he is extremely pissed off?"

I just turn away when a customer walks up and asks for help. I don't want to think about what he said, but I can't seem to stop. He is right and I can't just ignore it. Mark is not the type of person to just give up and he probably wants revenge since Mike made it very clear that he doesn't want him anywhere near. I hope everything Rob said is wrong cause now I am starting to think I made a mistake by letting Mike stay at home. Rob seemed upset about it, but I am just glad it wasn't Adam I had that conversation with cause he would have been jumping down my throat for doing something so stupid and it really is the stupidest thing I have ever done.

Break Time

I walk outside with Rob to take our break and sit down at a table. I have been distracted by thoughts of Mike all day to the point that I can't seem to focus. Customers have been really pissed off with me cause I continuously space out. Quickly I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and call Mike. I can't wait any longer I need to know that he is okay, all these discouraging thoughts have worried me greatly. It continues to ring and I frown when I get the answering machine. I hang up and dial again, but get the answering machine again. Trying not jump to conclusions up I figure he could be in the bathroom so I wait ten minutes before trying again. I start to worry however when once again I get the answering machine. I look at Rob and right away he can tell that something is wrong.

"You didn't get an answer?" He asks with a worried expression similar to mine.

I shake my head in response and feel the fear just start to build and build in the pit of my stomach. Rob grabs me by the wrist and tells me that we are heading over there to check on him. We don't even tell anyone that we are leaving we just get in his car and drive away. I feel bad for doing this to Faith cause now she will have to do everything on her own, but Mike is more important.

The ride to my house seems to take forever, but finally we reach my house. I practically jump out of the car before it even stops and run up to the front door. Rob is close behind me as I unlock the door and rush inside. I start screaming Mike's name and dash into the living room when I hear a groan come from that direction. What I see breaks my heart... Mike is laying on the floor with blood all over him that is coming from cuts that are all over him and there are various bruises on his exposed skin. I quickly walk toward him and he mumbles something, but I can't exactly make out what it was. Suddenly I feel something hit my feet and fall gracelessly to the floor. I look behind me just in time to see Mark hit Rob's head against the wall with force knocking him out instantly.

I rush to my feet only to be punched in the stomach. I groan in pain and hunch over. The next thing I know I see the ground getting closer and closer by the second and realize that Mark has pushed me. I manage to stop myself from hitting my head on the floor. I trip Mark and he falls backward. I take the opportunity to lunge myself at him and throw punches at any exposed area on his body. I seem to be holding my own pretty well until he kicks me back with his feet and I hit the back of my head on the coffee table. This causes me to be quite dizzy and unprepared for his next attack. He jumps on me before I have time to respond and begins punching me in the face over and over again. Just as I am about to black out I hear a loud scream and feel Mark's body leave mine.

I open my eyes just in time to see Mark throw Mike to the ground and pull out a long pocket knife from none other than his pocket. I find the strength within me to lunge at Mark and knock him to the floor.

we continue fighting on the floor and I feel the energy slowly start to leave me. Still I continue to fight though cause I know something terrible with happen if I black out. Out of the corner of my eye I see Mike pick up the phone and dial 911. Unfortunately Mark sees this too and lunges at a very scared Mike who quickly screams help into the receiver before being knocked to the floor. Mark turns off the phone and throws the phone across the room. I know help will arrive shortly though cause they will trace the call and send the police.

I watch in horror as Mark grabs a hold of his pocket knife and slams it down into Mike's stomach who in turn releases a scream of pain. I lunge at Mark, but he throws me off of his back. I hear Mike scream out in pain and snap my head to the side to see that Mark has stabbed him in the stomach again. I watch as he does it once again and then stabs him in his chest quickly before rage takes over me and I roughly throw Mark to the floor once I reach him. I begin to beat the living shit out of him and at the same time take all my anger out on him. When he gets enough strength he pushes me off of him and once again my body is acquainted with the floor.

I stand back up, but by that time Mark is already running out the door. I turn my attention to see Mike motionless and there is blood everywhere. In fact he is laying in a pool of his own blood. I rush over to him and place his head gently in my lap. He slowly opens his eyes and focus' his gaze on me. Tears slide down his face as he tells me that he is in extreme pain. That bastard stabbed him three times in the stomach and even in his chest. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. I can't even explain how terrified I am right now.

"God it hurts so much." He says crying harder. "Brad it hurts to breath!"

"You'll be alright Mike, help is on it's way." I say soothingly feeling as if I am going to cry at any moment, but force myself to stay strong for his sake.

I take his hand in mine and he squeezes it softly. I smile sadly at him and he weakly smiles back. I can tell he is weak by the grip he has on my hand. I look down at him and can tell he is having a hard time breathing, but it could be just from the pain. I lovingly stroke his cheek and then run my hand through his hair as I try to sooth him as best I can. He looks to be in so much pain, it is clear to see on his features. He is in extreme pain and there is nothing I can do, but hold him and try to comfort him. God I want to cry so bad, but that is the last thing that he needs.

"I love you Mike." I whisper.

"I love you too Brad." He whispers back weakly before looking at me with terrified eyes. "Brad I don't want to die."

"You won't you'll be fine, we're gonna spend the rest of our lives with together."

I quickly dial for an ambulance when I realize that the cops are probably the only ones who are coming. I am told that an ambulance is on it's way before hanging up the phone.

"I love you."

"I love you too." I say softly with a sad smile.

Suddenly his eyes fall closed and his head rolls to the side. This of course scares me considerably and I try to wake him up, but my attempt fails. Panic rushes through me like a waterfall as I check his pulse and am relieved when I feel it. A groan from behind me catches my attention and I look behind me to see Rob slowly open his eyes. When he sees me with Mike he rushes over and stares in disbelief. I just look at him sadly and tell him that he is still alive.

"What happened?" He asks softly not taking his eyes off of Mike.

"Mark stabbed him four times." I say brokenly. "I couldn't stop him."

"I'm sure you did everything you could don't beat yourself up over it. Right now you need to focus on getting Mike to the hospital."

"I called for an ambulance and it should be here at any time."

Just then I hear sirens and look up immediately. EMTs rush into the house and quickly begin hooking Mike up on an IV. After that is done they put him on a stretcher and wheel him out to the ambulance. I follow along beside it while holding Mike's hand the whole time. They try to stop me from getting in the ambulance, but I firmly say that I am coming along and they simply nod their heads.

"Call the guys and Mike's parents, tell them to go to the hospital... tell them everything."

Rob nods his head and then I get into the ambulance. I take Mike's hand in mine as the ambulance takes off down the road. I stare down at the helpless form of my boyfriend and pray to God that he will be alright.

Present Time

I don't know how long I have been on the floor with Rob holding me, but slowly I feel myself feeling pulled to my feet. I turn to look at Rob and he smiles sadly at me. I just turn my head away with tears streaming down my face and Rob walks me to the exit of the hospital. Once outside I pull out of his arms and sit down on the bench that is next to me. Rob sits down beside me as I light up a cigarette and take a long hit. I notice someone sit down next to me when I feel someone's shoulder brush mine and look over to see Adam sitting there still crying softly. I wrap an arm around him and he leans into my embrace. He puts his head on my shoulder and his broken cries break my already shattered heart.

"Why did this happen? Why would God take Mike away from us?" Adam asks his voice filled with pain.

"I wish I knew." I say softly.

"Um... I talked to the police, they told me that Mark was arrested and that he will be put away for life." Rob informs me while placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Good he deserves to rot in hell!" I say bitterly with a look of hate gracing my features.

"We should get you home, I think it would be best if we all stay with you unless you want to stay with one of us." Rob says softly.

"No I should stay at my house, but I would like for you guys to stay with me."

"Okay that would be best in my opinion."

I simply not my head and stand up then begin walking toward Rob's car. The drive to my house is silent and I am thankful for that cause I don't exactly feel like talking. I just want to sleep the next few months away, pretend this never happened and wake up beside Mike would be perfect... sadly enough I know that won't happen though.

We arrive at my house moments later and I hand my keys to Rob so he can unlock the door. After he gets the door open we all silently walk in and I make the mistake of looking in the living room. It is a disaster. Mike's blood is still on the carpet and fresh tears fill my eyes instantly. I turn away from the gruesome sight and look sadly at Rob who takes me in his arms comfortingly. I cry on his shoulder while he rubs my back soothingly. I can't help, but cry. My everything is gone! All our dreams and plans are destroyed. Everything is hitting me all at once and I am left with the sickening fact that Mike is never coming home. I will never hold him in my arms or kiss him passionately. I am being forced to live the rest of my life without him and it is so damn unfair!

I pull away from Rob and smile gratefully, but my smile is weak. He can see this and gives me a small smile. I feel like my life is crashing down around me and I am slowly falling with it. How can I go on without Mike? I know he would want me to move on and live my life, but how can I do that when I just feel like giving up? To me right now it seems like an impossible task. Right now I just want to go to bed and sleep away my sorrow.

"Don't let this drag you down Chester." Rob says with a sigh, he can see I am giving up.

I just smile weakly and begin walking away.

"Chester don't give up on your life, you need to try to move on. If not for yourself then do it for Mike."

I stop in my tracks and let Rob's words sink in before slowly walking up the stairs. Before I can walk in my room though I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see Adam's blood shot eyes. I smile sympathetically and pull him into my arms. He hugs me tightly, I know he needs as much comfort as he can get cause he is suffering about as much as I am only in different ways.

He pulls away and wipes his sore eyes. "Mike's parents wanted me to tell you that the funeral is in three days and want you to do make a speech, but only if you can." He says softly.

I nod my head slowly, I have to do this. "Alright tell them that I will."

He nods his head and hugs me one last time before walking back downstairs. Slowly I enter the room and quietly shut the door behind me. I walk over to Mike's side of the bed and lay down. Tears fill my eyes when I realize that his pillow still smells like him. I reach over and pick up a picture off of the nightstand. It is a picture of Mike and I at some art contest that David made us come support him in. In the picture We are voting for David of course and he for some reason decided to take a picture of us. Myself I am not even looking at the camera, but Mike is with a big adorable smile gracing his beautiful features. He looks so happy, I would give anything to go back to the time when this picture was taken.

I trace his face with my finger as tears fall from my eyes. God I miss him so much! This isn't fair, he wasn't supposed to leave me! I was supposed to protect him with my life, but I failed. This fact has been eating away at me ever since I found out that he died. I feel like a failure, like I failed him cause I couldn't keep him safe.

I clutch the picture to my chest and cry silently for all I have lost. Soon enough though I cry myself to sleep and dream about Mike like he is still in my life.

Three Days Later

Slowly I turn around to face Rob and ask him if I look alright. I am wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath, but decided not to wear a tie. I spiked up my hair so it wouldn't look terrible. He tells me I look nice and I let out a nervous sigh. In a few minutes I will be getting in the car and going to the church nearby where Mike's funeral is being held. I have to make a speech today and I just hope that I don't end up crying causing me not to be able to get out the words. Also this is the day that I am supposed to say goodbye, but am I ready for that? Am I ready to let Mike go?

"Are you ready?" Rob asks me softly.

"Not really, but I never will be so let's just go." I say before taking a deep breath to calm myself down.

Once we get downstairs Rob opens the door and locks it behind us. Ever so slowly I walk to his car and get in the passenger side. Rob gets behind the wheel and starts the engine. Before I know it we are driving down the street in silence. I glance at Rob to see him staring intently at the road in front of us. I am honestly grateful for him cause he has been staying with me since the attack. He says this is a time when I shouldn't be alone and he is right, I don't want to be alone anyway. Everything in the house reminds me of Mike and if I were there alone I would go crazy. It's nice to have him there to comfort me and help me get through this tough time. I still cry myself to sleep at night, but I hope that will stop in time.

We arrive at the church too soon to my liking, but I get out of the car none the less. Rob walks with me toward the church and opens the door for me. Hesitantly I enter it and look around me. Mike's parents are up by the casket that I must add is open and the guys are standing a few feet away from me with tears on their faces. Silently I walk up to them with Rob behind me and they all take turns hugging me.

"You gonna go up to the casket?" Rob asks me softly.

"No... I-I can't... I just c-can't..." I stutter as tears fill my eyes.

"It's okay you don't have to." He says pulling me into his arms.

"I can't look at him knowing he is no longer there." I say brokenly.

"Don't worry no one is going to make you."

I pull out of the embrace when I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. When I see that it is Mike's mom I tell her how sorry I am for her loss as a few tears slide down my face.

She smiles sadly at me. "We are both going through a great loss."

"Yeah." I whisper.

"I am so glad you came." She says pulling me in for an embrace. "It really means a lot to me that you agreed to make a speech. I know it will be hard, but I thought since you were his boyfriend and knew him inside out that you should speak about him."

"It is an honor." I reply with a sniffle. "I won't be the only one making a speech will I?"

"No I will be also, but we are the only two. I asked Adam if wanted to also, but he is in no shape to do something like that... he would never be able to get the words out."

"Yeah I know what you mean, he hasn't been talking much lately."

"Just give him some time, he will come around... he just doesn't know how to deal with this. Mike was like a brother to him as he was to Mike." She whispers.

Just then the priest walks up and says that it the funeral is starting. I take a deep breath and walk to a seat. I sit in between Rob and Adam, sitting like a statue I must add. The priest does his speech and then Mike's mother walks up to the front. During her speech Adam and I begin crying, but don't even bother in trying to stop cause we both know our attempt would be futile. By the time she is finished she is crying and the priest calls me up there. With a shaky breath I stand up and slowly make my way to the front. I turn around to see everyone staring at me sympathetically and waiting for me to begin talking. I take one last breath to calm myself down before speaking.

"Mike... Mike was the most kindest person I have ever had the chance to meet. He brought such happiness into my life that I will eternally be grateful for. If you were having a bad day just one smile from him could turn your day around. I remember when I first met him, he was extremely shy and right away I was intrigued by him. He could be so hyper and silly at times, but could turn right around and comfort you like no other can when you are feeling down. I think from the first time I met him I fell in love with him. He just had that way about him, he could reel you in and you were stuck. I fell deeply in love with him and always will be. He had so many plans for his future. He wanted to get a college degree in art and he wanted to start a band. He wanted to make his parents proud of him. His life was cruelly cut short, but I believe that he is happy where he is now and he is painting masterpieces and writing the most wonderful songs you would be ever so lucky to hear. Even though I wish he was here with me I know he is safe where he is living now and I look forward to the day I meet up with him again. He will forever be the one to hold my heart and even though he is no longer among us he will live forever in my heart and those of his parents and friends."

When I am finished I can no longer hold in the tears and just burst into sobs. Rob quickly walks up to me and takes me back to my seat where I cry on his shoulder. Adam takes my hand in his and squeezes it comfortingly. I squeeze back and we remain like that until the end of the ceremony.

I watch as they close Mike's casket and pick it up. They walk slowly past us and then we all follow along behind. They place his casket in a hearse and drive to his grave site while we all walk slowly over to it. Once we reach it we all stand around it and the priest says a prayer. After he is finished they lower his casket into the ground then leave us to say our goodbyes. While everyone says their goodbyes I stand in the background and stare at the promise ring that Mike gave me. I shall never take it off!

Rob tells me that everyone is going to walk away and let me stay. Before he walks away he tells me to take as much time as I need. I nod my head slowly and then I am left alone. Once everyone is quite a ways away from me I get down on my knees and stare sadly at Mike's grave.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Mikey." I whisper. "I wanted to so much and I really did try, I hope you believe me and forgive me for failing you. I miss you so much, but I know I will be okay. I hope you have found peace where you are, I don't really want to say goodbye so I won't. I love you Mike and I'll see you again one day."

With that said I throw two roses down onto his casket that is yet to be covered, one red and one white rose. Slowly I turn around and begin to walk away as tears stream down my face. Walking away is killing me, but I know I will see him again once all my days boil down. For now I must live my life like he would want me to. I know that when the time comes I will be greeted by Mike's smiling face and he will take me into his arms where I will stay eternally.

The End

A/N: Well What to you think? It took me quite a while to write this story as I am sure you can imagine since it is so damn long lol. I hope you liked the story, please leave me a review and tell me what you thought! :o)