See Me - 13. Chapter 13: Long Time Coming

Emry sighed as he laid back on the couch flipping through television channels, appearing bored out of his mind. "There is never anything on...and to top that all off, mom is in rehab, Lana is furious with me, so bad she went to rehab with her and dad is at wor..." Then he heard a knock on the door. "Work."

"I'm coming!" Emry tossed the remote aside and got off the couch and walked to the door and opened it only for his eyes to widened by the sight of the person on the other side.

It was no one he knew, that was for sure, it was another teenager, one with messy hair, slightly brushed down in the front and left to spike out in a mess all around his head, dyed in a black Mohawk like streak from the back all the way to the front, the rest was blonde all around, and then there was the heavy use of eyeliner and the snake bite piercing at the corner of his eyebrow, at the far end, away from his nose.

He wore a black shirt that could barely be seen by the fastened leather trench coat over it. And he wore black jeans and matching black leather army boots. Emry's eyebrows lifted. "Uh...can I help you? Or maybe...you need help that is beyond my powers..."

The other teenager shook his head to the side to clear his vision and then he slowly grinned, it was at that point that he swished something around in his mouth and parted his lips just enough to let what appeared to be blood seep from his mouth and down the corners and off the edges of his chin.

Emry stared at him. "Okay...what's next? The plastic fangs? Really?" He crossed his arms. "You were scary first...now you're just cheesy."

He then looked down and suddenly spit most of the fake blood onto the first step and then he looked back up and stared at Emry, his grin slowly returned.

"Hey! That's the step..." He looked down at the mess on the first wooden step. "Ugh...now I have to mop that.." He looked up at him. "Look what you did."

The teen stared at Emry and then stepped up and forward, over the top step and over the mess as he ushered Emry back so that he could step into the door. He didn't wait for Emry to react, rather his hand went around the back of the boy's head and he pulled him close and began to kiss him, whatever was left in his mouth, Emry would get to taste and he would find it was a nice cherry flavor.

This was the strangest encounter he had ever had with anyone, and now this guy was ushering him back into the house and kissing him. His eyes remained open the whole time, tasting the flavor of the fake blood and after a moment he planted his hands into the guys chest and pushed him back. "Ugh!" He shook his head and turned around, wiping his mouth on his arm.

"What? You wanted to know what it was...right?" He asked.

Emry paused, licking his lips, he had to admit to himself for a second that it did taste good. He turned around and he looked over at him. "Well, of course I know if you're going to put fake blood in your mouth, it's going to have a flavor...and cherry is like...so obvious!" He shook his head. "What do you want, anyway? I've never seen you before."

He smiled. "You're going to be mad..." He said in a playful tone.

"Why?" Emry continued to wipe at his mouth with his finger.

"I came here...for my dad." He sighed. "I'm from New Jersey and...well, my mom kind of got herself shot when she hooked up with a loony tunes boyfriend, they were in a fight and uh...well I did turn a music box on for effect and I got the hell out of dodge."

Emry's eyes widened. "Okay...don't burst...or you'll pass out..."

"Oh, that's right...you're the narcoleptic..." He grinned. "Glad I didn't catch it, said it was in our dad's family genes."

"Calm..." Emry closed his eyes and then smiled as if he were going insane. "Okay...first of all, your mom is getting attacked...and you turn on a music box to play for them and you run?" He opened his eyes. "I get running from a man with a gun...but you took the time to turn on a music box because the guy is..."

"Clooney tunes...he needed a tune." He shook his head. "I know, a little morbid...but he had her in a corner, she was dead anyway and I wasn't getting killed too."

Emry stared at him. "Then...you come here...I don't even know you exist...but you know I do...and we have the same dad? Brothers? And you kiss me?" He took a deep breath and turned around, falling towards the coffee table, catching himself on his hand as he lowered down. "Really trying not to scream and...it's so hard..."

"Wow...I feel insulted...he keeps me secret." He rolled his eyes. "Don't know why...he cheated on your mom and knocked my mom up with me because your mom cheated on him." He shrugged.

"And they live a loveless marriage." He looked up at his so called brother. "He does it to keep our family together, though we aren't so together now, at least...not right now." He shook his head. "What do I call you?"

"Dani." He grinned and looked around. "So, this is the place. Do I get a room?"

"Might as well take Lana's...she won't be using it since she'd rather stay with our mom in rehab.."

He walked towards the kitchen and looked at Emry. "Why? Who wants to live in rehab?"

"If I say don't ask...you'll ask, won't you?" He twisted around to stare at him.

"You're getting to know me fast." Dani pointed at him and closed one eye.

Emry shook his head and he leaned forward and brought his hands to his face. "Where is your stuff?"

"Oh, I just tossed my bag under the steps, sky looks clear as ever, not worried about rain...I'll get it." He headed towards the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a soda and he shut the door and popped it open.

"How do you know you didn't spit on it?" Emry looked up and suddenly grinned. "Might of..."

He lowered his can and he looked over at Emry, letting silence hang in the air for a moment. "It'll dry." He cracked a half smile. "Takes a lot to get to me."

"Really?" Emry grinned. "I bet I know someone who could."

"And who might that be?" He leaned over the bar counter.

"You'll see." Emry pushed himself up from the coffee table and headed around to the couch and he fell down into the cushions again.

"Secrecy..." He left his soda on the counter after another sip and then headed towards the couch to sit next to him. "So..exactly how old are you?"

"How old are you?" Emry stared at him.

"Sixteen, so I'll be joining the Juniors at your school." He paused. "Wait...so if this Lana..." He pointed at himself. "My sister, I assume? If she comes back, that means a bed room shortage. You'll have to share, won't you?"

Emry frowned at the realization. "In that case...I'll have to hope she stays mad for three more years."

"Oh...a Freshman." Dani slowly nodded. "So that makes you like...fourteen? Maybe fifteen, given the month? Though I swear you could pass for thirteen, such jail bait...porn industry will take you in without question if you go for it." He paused. "Once you're...barely legal, that is." He grinned.

"Will be fifteen in the summer." Emry said. "And no...I don't think I'm doing porn...maybe that's more your alley." He sighed and leaned forward to grab the remote.

"Oh, really?" It was when Emry attempted to lean over him to grab the remote that he grabbed him by the back waist band of his pants and yanked him forward and across his lap and then gave a firm smack on his ass. "Sure about that?"

"Hey!" Emry grabbed the remote despite now being pulled across Dani's lap and then feeling that hands firm smack and he twisted his head around. "Let me tell you a story before you keep picking on me anymore."

"Fine...but you aren't moving." He crossed his arms on top of Emry's back, holding him in place. "Do share."

"You might think I am defenseless because of my conditions...You might think you can pick on me..." Emry frowned. "But I can steal throw a pretty mean punch. Didn't do much to a big football player...but after getting nailed by a girl with some mean gold knuckles...I still managed to knock her across the face with an X-Box controller before I went out..."

Dani started to laugh. "Woah...you brandished an X-Box controller for a weapon and went up against a bitch with some gold knuckles?"

"Yes...and I got her too, even after she hit me, and almost made a pretty graceful exit." Emry sighed and laid his head against the cushion of the couch.

"So, I better watch out then." Dani lifted his arms and watched Emry push himself up and back onto the cushion of the couch next to him.

"Maybe..." Emry mumbled, part of him felt like what Lana said was true, that he sort of had been the favorite child, now he felt a little threatened by this new brother, he wondered if their father would feel some sort of obligation to him. He shook his head. "How did you get here? Do you have a car?"

"Hitched." Dani stood up and stretched his arms up and yawned, turning around to look at Emry. "Why? Did you want to go somewhere?"

"I guess we can dip into the cab money." He stood up. "It's funds my dad saves for me to transport since..we only have his truck and...I'm not supposed to drive." Usually he called Athen to take him places, but he didn't know where they exactly were right now.

"Hell, dig into it." Dani said.

"Go outside, you don't get to know where it is." Emry crossed his arms and watched as Dani rolled his eyes and walked out. It was only after the door closed that Emry headed off towards his parents bedroom to collect some cab money from a safe box that his dad kept hidden away, and the key was hidden even safer than that, not even Jessica knew where the key was. Oh, and he checked under the pillow and snatched his mom's condom stash of cash, seemed like she had started a new collection.

Lana hadn't stayed in Dallas with her mom as she had originally planned, she realized she had been really hasty the previous night and had actually not packed a lot of things and forgotten a bunch of stuff she needed. The rental car pulled up at the trailer and she stopped, having already called the house and when getting no answer, she was sure that no one was home. They had gotten a new phone and the one in the wall, it was safe to say the battery died.

She got out and shut the door as she started to run up the steps and then stopped short, looking down to see a puddle of what appeared to be red blood on the top step. "What the fuck?" She made a face and then took her key out and unlocked the door, skipping the top step as she walked inside.

"Lana." A voice called out as he moved up the steps behind her. "Woah...did you see the blood on your step?"

She stopped just as she got in and turned around to see Dolph standing there and then looked up to see he parked behind her rental. "Uh...yeah I saw it, don't really know what to say about it..." Her eyes slightly widened.

Dolph grinned. "Maybe Asia came by and nailed him again?" He chuckled. "I'm joking." He held the screen door open. "Look...Justin begged me to be subtle...but I just have to be blunt without over stepping here. Something is going on with you...about me and...we haven't even been able to start our project and the week is already over, I mean...we got from now till tonight to talk and write some crap of an assignment up..."

Lana stared at him. "But...you know enough about me, right?"

"Not really...you always drifted on by with maybe a comment and off you went, even when I was close to Emry, it's hard to be close to you when you don't want it to be...and now I can't even get as much as a hello..." He sighed. "What is wrong?"

Her eyes shifted slightly down in a thoughtful expression. She thought back to when Emry told her that Merit and Siera had slept together, knowing now that Merit was gay, she wondered just how Siera had pulled such a thing off and then she wondered, if she pulled off the same thing, maybe she could get these feelings out of her system and let them go.

"Tell you what...I'm kind of busy now...but if you can come back tonight, we'll talk...about everything. The project...whatever you think is happening...just everything." She smiled and then quickly nodded.

Dolph slowly nodded. "Okay...and what time should I show up on Wisteria Lane?" He had to make the joke, she was being really chipper about it all.

Lana got the joke, though she didn't acknowledge it, the smile simply remained. "Does nine sound good?" She knew her dad was also working the night shift and that would start at seven and then she had to figure out a way to keep Emry out of the house without him knowing she was even in town.

"Okay, nine...I'll be here." He looked down at the puddle on the top step. "I'd be careful..." He turned around and headed towards his car.

"Yeah..." Lana looked down at the top step with a troubled expression, however upon further examination, she noticed a camo duffel bag was hidden beneath the steps. "What the hell?" She moved forward and slowly stepped forward, skipping the top step, afraid she was going to fall.

Once she was safely on the second step down, she let go of the screen door and walked down and around the steps and lowered down and grabbed the strap of the duffel bag and unzipped it and started digging through it, most of it was clothes, though of a darker fashion, she could tell. It was clearly either a males duffel bag or a cross dressing chick. Wouldn't that be a story for Asia? But then there was a folder of photographs.

Lana took it out and pulled the photographs out, they were all polaroids and of an incredibly pornographic nature, pictures of Cedric and another woman, pictures of them both nude, the woman wearing lingerie in some of them. She made a face, not exactly appealed to the fact that she was seeing her dad like this. She had no problem putting the pictures away.

"Okay...so...one of his ex's? Maybe shes a cross dresser now?" She zipped the duffel bag up and shoved it back under the steps. "Won't that make a story." She stood up, clearly the woman wasn't inside or she was being quiet and hiding. She walked up the steps again and headed inside, skipping over the top step.

"Okay, anyone in here?!" She called out. "I already found your bag!" She looked around. "And...I found your pictures..." She slowly headed down the hall and dropped her own duffel bag on the bed, it was an American flag designed bag.

She then went about throwing more of her belongings inside. "Call Dad..." She barked the order at her cell phone that was attached to her hip. "Speaker on." Then her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Cedric answered the phone.

"Dad...it's me, I just got to the house and uh...well.." She decided against telling him she was inside, she needed him to get rid of Emry tonight. "I couldn't go in because I saw Emry walk inside as I drove in, he didn't see me, though...but I have something to ask you."

"Go ahead." Cedric said as he sat down for lunch break.

"I don't want Emry to know I am in town. Look...I didn't sleep much last night...I am going to find a friend to crash with for several hours. Do you think you can get Emry out...maybe around nine tonight?"

"Lana...wouldn't it just be easier for me to distract him between my shifts?"

"No way, dad...you need some time to sleep. I know it's hard on you when they ask you to swing a first and a third in one day, as rare as they do it." She sighed and headed back into her bathroom. "Just...make up some kind of excuse."

He slowly nodded. "I tell you what, I'll get him out of the house on my way to work, he'll need a ride to where ever he's going to go anyway."

"Awesome, thanks...you're the best." She paused. "And I'm sorry about the things I said, I just need to be away and...it'll help mom to have one of us as supports, I'll just finish school in Dallas or whatever."

"Being a dad means your child never has to say they are sorry to you, I am always here, it's my job and I never plan to fail at it, I love you."

"I love you too, bye." Lana reached down and slid her finger across the screen and then she grabbed her bag and rushed off down the hall, not sure where Emry went or how long he had actually been gone and she needed to get out as quick as she could.

With a hop over the top step, she swung the door shut and turned around, stretching forward to lock it with her key, then she turned around and went off, leaving the trailer behind, for now.

Asia opened her door and her eyes quickly shifted from Emry and landed right on Dani. "Who the fuck is this?"

Dani slowly grinned. "I'm supposed to be scared of her?"

"You better be, want me to come out and show you why?" She looked him down and then her eyes traveled back up.

"Woah...guys..." Emry sighed. "I uh...guess I kinda came over to hang out, as strange as that might sound."

"Yeah, why do you want to hang out here?" Asia asked.

"Well, I kind of told him I would take him to meet who he should be scared of." Emry said.

"And it's supposed to be you?" Dani grinned and chuckled.

"Piss me off and see..." Asia turned around and left the door open as she headed back down the hall and turned into her room.

"Go on." Emry lightly shoved Dani and followed him inside, shutting the door and he followed after Dani and headed into Asia's room and looked around. "Black and pink..."

"Those are my colors, I like how they go together." Asia fell down on a black leather bean bag chair with pink skulls all over it. "What exactly are we going to do?"

"Get ready for church." Dani walked over and sat down on Asia's bed and reached into the messenger bag strapped across his chest from his shoulder.

"Church?" She grinned. "I don't go to church."

"Do you want to start trouble? You strike me as the type of person that does." He pulled out a black lipstick and a compact mirror and started putting it on.

Asia looked around as she thought about it. "Well, I guess a little prayer wouldn't hurt, though knowing my track record, God would work against me." She looked at Dani.

"We're not going to pray...we're going to walk in like little Satanists and scare everyone sick." He said as he finished the basic black and then he put it up and took out the pen to touch up his eyeliner and then flipped it to the other side where it had mascara also built into it.

Asia's eyes widened. "Wow...I never thought of that."

Emry stood there and he observed Dani. "Do you do that often?"

"Every Sunday, always a different church, you never know where I'm going to show up next." He pulled the pen away and replaced the caps and dropped it into his messenger bag and he grinned. "It's fun..." He looked at Asia. "Hope you got some freaky gear."

"I guess I could whip something together...maybe not a Satanist...but possibly the sluttiest dope addicted hooker you've ever seen." Her eyes slightly widened as a picture came to mind.

"So high that she puts her make up on like a clown?" Dani grinned at Asia. "Figuratively speaking, of course. I just mean....heavy and dramatic, like a five year old who still doesn't know how to play dress up."

"My thoughts exactly." Asia grinned.

"Wow..match made in Heaven! You know, he might fit into your group better than Justin!" Emry lightly clapped his hands together a single time.

"Or Hell..." Dani looked over at Emry.

"You might be right..." Asia shrugged. "Justin only tagged along at Miki's request...and no offense...but Dolph only softened him up more. He's like a squishy SpongeBob..."

Dani fell back on the bed and he started laughing. "SpongeBob." He looked over at Asia. "And what exactly comes out of him when you squish him?"

Asia looked over at Dani. "Go squeeze him and see...or better yet...fuck him and see..." She stood up. "If he's as soft and squishy as I think, he'll make you feel real good." She laughed as she walked over and opened her closet.

"Like a blow up doll..." Dani sat up.

"Hell no!" Asia turned around. "If you want that...you got to go to the middle class where the blow up bitch is...and shes not soft and squishy...but she isn't tough and hard either, shes just dry, plain, and boring. In fact...it's so bad...she has a gay guy using her."

"For real?" Dani's eyebrows lifted.

"I don't joke about what isn't true." Asia went back to looking through her closet.

Emry stood there, sort of feeling like the odd ball, but when Asia started throwing crap about Merit around, even if it was indirectly, that started to bother him. He didn't care how much she joked about Siera, but he didn't like Merit being thrown in on it as he now seemed to be since his sexuality came out.

"Well, Dani...I think you're in friendly hands...you two have fun...and I'm just going to take care of some things." He managed a smile. "Asia...please keep him." He said through gritted teeth.

"Fine...I'll baby sit." Asia gave him a strange look and then she laughed.

"Good...see you later, Dani!" Emry then rushed out of the room.

Dani heard the front door shut a moment later and he looked over at Asia. "He must of really wanted to get rid of me, then again...I kind of disturbed him when we met, but that was fun too." He grinned and stood up and looked into her closet. "That would go good...and maybe that." He said, pointing out clothing options.

Emry rushed down the steps and went through his phone to find the number to call the cab, however once he got to the bottom of the steps, he stopped and grabbed onto the railing and his other hand fell to his side, feeling slightly light headed, wondering if he had rushed off too quickly.

"Emry!" Jesse called out as he ran across the parking lot and into the stairway of Asia's apartment building. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Oh...hey." Emry looked up and managed a smile. "Just trying to get rid of...something that landed in front of my door." He shook his head. "Really, don't ask."

"No questions here." He smiled and then walked closer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...just in too big of a hurry I guess..."

"Well, come here." Jesse walked around and pulled Emry over and down to sit on the steps. "I was going to ask if you'd hang out, maybe we could mess around with songs or something but...maybe that would be a bit too much now."

Emry sighed and then leaned against Jesse's shoulder. "I told you...I was not singing that song."

"Oh, come on...it wasn't that bad." Jesse grinned and then he wrapped an arm around him and looked down to check on him. "Are you really going to be okay?"

"I think so...I hope." He closed his eyes. "I was just...uh...I wanted to get to Athen's house and...well, I was going to call the cab..."

Jesse looked up, seeing Dolph pull into the parking lot. "Maybe Dolph could take you...he just pulled in."

He opened his eyes and slightly lifted his head, seeing Dolph park over at his building. "Maybe...I don't know if I have the right to ask."

"You're not asking...I am." Jesse stood up and moved around the steps. "Hey! Dolph! Over here!" He called out and waved him over.

"Yeah? Hey Jesse. What is it?" Dolph asked, catching his breath after jogging over to where they were.

"Uh...Emry was leaving and he was going to call a cab and then he kinda almost had a spell and...well, he really wasn't looking well, doesn't look well and...so I said you would take him." Jesse nodded.

Dolph looked over at Emry and frowned as he moved around Jesse and sat on the step beside him. "What happened?" He reached over, rubbing Emry's back.

"I was just rushing down the stairs and then it felt like I was falling when I wasn't...kind of like my weight was pulling and then falling...it was weird." He looked up. "Then I made it to the bottom and I just knew if I took another step...that would be it."

"You're getting better at sensing it." Dolph said. "I can pull my car over...where are you trying to go?"

"I was uh...going to go to Athen's house." He paused. "You know...we have that project and this is the last day we have to crunch anything else in...the assignment is due tomorrow."

"Yeah..." Dolph thought about how he could possibly fail that assignment, though he wasn't as much concerned about that as he was the over all situation with Lana. "Let me go get the car." He stood up and headed off.

"See? Simple." Jesse leaned down and grabbed Emry by the arm and helped pull him up. "Everything okay? No weird feelings?"

Emry slowly shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand. "No...just a really tired feeling." He said as he walked along with Jesse as they headed out of the stairway of the apartment building.

Dolph's car pulled up moments later and he waited as Jesse opened the door and made sure Emry got in okay. "Well, I'll see you two later." Jesse smiled. "Feel better, okay?" He shut the passenger side door.

"Thanks." Emry said, an arm weakly flinging up and wrapping around the seat belt, tugging it down and he managed to fasten it as Dolph started driving.

"Emry...you know...just because we're not as close, you can still tell me anything, right? If this is about more than just the assignment..."

He looked up. "What would make you think that?"

"Just that...Justin saw some things...some questionable things...gave him theories, but at the same time, they could be really innocent things too and...I was just curious."

Emry looked down. "Dolph...for one, I..kind of don't like Justin spying on me." He looked towards the window. "I guess you can say I'm a selfish bitch."

"Woah...don't get worked up." Dolph said as Emry's tone began to raise. "You don't have that kind of energy."

"First I look at you and Justin and I feel this jealousy that goes under my skin and digs right down to the bone but I manage to look right up and smile. I have no right to be jealous, I had my chance, and what do I do next?"

"Emry please..." Dolph looked over at him. "Don't."

"I invite Athen to my house...and then..." Emry started breathing heavy and he started gasping.

"Emry!" Dolph pulled over as Emry started to hyperventilate. "Calm down!"

Tears began to run down his face as he gasped and his body slightly jerked and Dolph knew that the possibility of an anxiety triggered seizure was just on the horizon and it didn't appear that Emry had anything on him to fix it. So, in the moment he made the split second decision to dive over and press his lips to Emry's and he kissed him gently yet deeply.

Emry gasped one more time until Dolph kissed him and then his body slowly started to calm down, first the jerks stopped and then the trembles settled and that last gasp of air was released in a slow breath when the kiss was broken.

His eyes fluttered half way open and he stared up as Dolph looked right back down at him, the two remaining so close, for a moment that seemed to be a long time coming, even if it seemed like it might never come at all.

Asia grinned as she stared at herself in the mirror, a pair of black leather fingerless gloves that stretched up to her elbows were worn along with a black leather pleated mini skirt and a black mesh crop top with shiny gold chain mail draped over it. She looked down, checking out her knee high black stiletto's

"Perfect...totally whorish..." Dani grinned at her.

"Yeah...it's not one of my better outfits." She turned around and looked at him. "Want to be a cross dresser?" She grinned. "I can fit you up with some water balloons."

Dani's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" He gasped at the idea. "I've never done cross dressing before."

"Well, if I'm being a hooker, you can be a cross dressing gay hooker, the more sin, the merrier, right?" She grinned.

"One more thing." Dani pulled off his necklace with a silver pentagram on it and draped it around her neck. "Now you're a Satanist too."

"Thanks." Asia grinned and started to turn towards her closet. "Lets see what you could wear." She tossed a bag of balloons onto the bed. "From my birthday, my stupid Aunt Jackie bought them...so very dollar tree of her." She paused. "I was about to say I hope they didn't bust..."

"But how chaotic and awful would it be if they did?" Dani grinned. "The cross dresser revealed...horribly."

"Most people would hate that...but, baby...stay in my head." She pulled out a top that was black in the front, pink in the back and had red roses designed all over the front. "Again...another bad fashion choice...but I think I was high when I went shopping once."

"What is it?" He asked

"Well, it has to work so the balloons don't show." She turned around and tossed it on the bed. "Button it up, make sure the balloons don't show and...then tie it up right below the balloons, then fit into these." She threw a pair of cut off jean shorts on the bed. "Wait...you don't have hairy legs do you?"

"Not a spot." Dani grinned. "It's a rare genetic thing...I wasn't born with as much testosterone as I should have been." Though he had a feeling his levels were a little higher than Emry's. He did at least look his age.

"Good." She threw a black lacy bra at him. "Fill the balloons up, make them the same size...or make one bigger and play off the plastic surgeon messed up." She grinned, though her attention shifted when her phone rang.

"Good one." He pointed at her and then headed off to the bathroom to fill up the balloons.

Asia's eyes narrowed and she answered. "Trillian...surprised to hear from you. I'd think the fast lanes of New York would have sent your mind into over drive and make you forget us small people..."

"Nice to hear you are still..." Trillian trailed off. "You know...I don't want to even be hostile...it's not why I called."

"And why did you call?" She sat on her bed, it was then her mind began to wander back to her plan and the money she was going to get, she needed to think much bigger than her Aunt Jackie. Wouldn't it just be a shock to show up at Trillian's door in the big apple?

"Tell me...how is the big city working for you? I've only dreamed of it...and you've known this for years and...despite what happened, I'd think you'd of at least still had the heart to take me with you."

"Take you with me?" Trillian frowned. "Asia...if I took anyone, it would have been Emry."

Asia scoffed. "Emry..." She nodded. "But of course...your sorry ass couldn't pay for his doctors and his medicine, dope that you, and who ever the hell you hooked up with, would probably just steal and get high off of."

"Don't you ever say that to me." He said through gritted teeth. "I'd never dare use Emry for his medication and for anything else. You want to know why it would have been Emry? It's because he is everything that you are not."

"Asia..." Dani walked to the door with the balloons and then he froze, seeing the look on her face.

A look of pure devastation, tears suddenly ran down her face as those words cut her like a knife slashing her wrists. She didn't even acknowledge Dani in that moment.

"What's wrong? Shocked? How could you be, Asia? Just look yourself in the mirror..." Trillian went on.

Asia's head lifted and she looked across from the bed and stared into the mirror, her hand balling up into a fist, clutching onto her comforter.

"Selfish...only ever out for yourself, wanting to tear people down, ruin their lives, being a royal bitch. You've treated Siera like shit for years, you hate Talia and won't even tell the poor girl why. And don't think I haven't found out why, and what blowing it up cost Liam. Justin has kept me filled in on everything." Trillian sighed.

"You know...New York can make a person really fucking grow up. You want me to tell you about Emry? He just wanted someone to see him...and when I say see him, I mean see him...not the kid dropped out on the floor, or the kid seizing like a freak of nature...but the kid as a person, a human being."

Trillian went on. "He's gentle...kind, caring...more worthy of anyones attention than you ever were and he never got it, now you see why he is everything you are not..." His voice began to crack up. "And I wish like hell I could have brought him with me, but unlike you...I'm not selfish, I know I could never care for him, but I can care for you."

Asia sat there in silence, listening to every word that pounded her ear.

"I know you lost both of your guns...I left mine. Do you still have the key to my place?"

"Yes..." Asia said in a carefully calm tone.

"You know where my gun is...and you need it...to protect yourself, you know how to use one...so it's yours. Maybe one day, if you ever make it here, maybe it'll change you too."

Asia heard the click as the call disconnected and she suddenly dropped her phone.

"Asia?" Dani walked closer and tossed the balloons onto the bed and moved to sit next to her. "What happened?"

She closed her eyes tight, not wanting to be seen like this. "Just get ready!" She snapped and rushed for the door. "I'll be ready when you are..." She gasped out, unable to hold back the urge to cry any longer as the sounds echoed down the hall as she made her way into the kitchen, collapsing into a chair at the table.

Dolph pulled up along side the street at Athen's house and he looked over at Emry, who appeared awake but resting in the passenger seat. He shut the car off, he wasn't planning on simply dropping him off, after the moment they shared, the idea of Athen made him angry. "Emry...stay here for just a minute."

"Okay..." Emry mumbled, his eyes closed as his head rested against the seat belt near the window.

Dolph got out and sprinted down the walk way. He made it to the porch and reached over and rang the door bell, then he paused and knocked on the door. Most door bells were broke where he came from, so to second guess it and knock was like nature to him.

Athen's door bell was not broke and it sounded off it's gentle but alarming chime and he stopped and headed towards the door and opened it. "Okay? Hi?"

"Yeah, I know...not who you expected to see? I'm not part of your circle or...your financial range..."

Athen's eyebrows lifted. "Hey...Doll face..." He waved a hand. "Kane's in jail..." He tapped his own chest with his finger. "Me. Athen."

His eyes narrowed. "Doll face...doesn't even really work, but I can still call you Athena. See...that works. My name only has one L in it." A grin appeared. "Ha, see how that works."

Athen crossed his arms. "And my name only has one A. Given that, if you can add another one, then so can I." He shook his head. "Lets get serious here. What is your business?"

Dolph frowned. "Oh...yeah, you got a point." He shuffled his feet. "Okay, here is the deal...I brought Emry here at his own request, personally I think it's a bad idea, no...he hasn't told me anything, just that some people have theories. Point is, he had a panic attack on the way, nearly had a seizure, thankfully I stopped it."

Athen frowned, staring at him. "Well, good...I'm glad you did."

"Well, I learned to get good at realizing when an attack is coming on. All I'm going to say is that if you upset him, if I find out..." He shook his head. "I wasn't scared of Kane and I'm no more afraid of you."

Athen looked over Dolph's shoulder to see Emry in the car. "Well, you...or who ever it is that has their theories, gossip over chess with the cafeteria boys, how 'bout that? And we'll talk about what's really going on when he gets here and you're gone."

"Fine...but I'm in the picture now...and I'm not leaving it again." Dolph turned around just as Emry had opened the door and slid out of the car. He rushed down the walk way to meet up with him. "You got it?"

"I'm fine." Emry pulled on the top of the door as he climbed out. "Really, thanks for the ride and...I'll call you later, if I don't...call me, I really think we should try to reconnect."

"Sure thing." Dolph nodded and closed the passenger door and headed around to the drivers side to leave.

Emry headed up the steps just as Dolph drove away and he took a deep breath. "I hope I don't look like I'm dragging myself over here."

Athen watched Emry, seeing the way he clung to the railing of the steps, noticing that he looked exhausted. "You're okay." He nodded. "I imagine your attacks are tiring."

"Well...when it's cataplexy...followed by panic and then near miss seizure...it can take it's toll, had it happened, I'd of slipped into sleep phase, most likely." He looked up.

"Come in." Athen stepped aside and then he shut the door when Emry walked in. "Sit...the couch." He took a seat in one of the chairs near by.

Emry fell down onto the couch, sitting, then he looked over at Athen. "So, we really didn't get to finish talking with...General Drama going on."

"General...what?" Athen slowly grinned.

"It was word play...you know? General Hospital." Emry slightly smiled.

"That was the dumbest soap title, it's not even all about a hospital." He shook his head and sighed. "How is Lana? Sorry, but I figure...asking about those around first, ease into it."

Emry nodded. "Well, she left and went to Dallas, like she said, and...my dad came back, hasn't said a word to me really, I know he's really unhappy about everything, didn't stop him from going to work." He shrugged.

Athen leaned forward as he stared at Emry in thought, wondering how he was going to go about this situation. "So, what are you feeling? What are you thinking?" He asked.

Emry looked up. "I guess...I'm confused." He wrapped his arms around himself. "I feel like...such a perfect thing...crashed."

He watched Emry and then nodded. "Of course...I mean, what happened...it was bad."

Emry looked up. "You know, my doctor told me that it was possible that I would cataplexy right after orgasm. It happened with Dominik." A small smile appeared. "But...with you, it didn't happen."

"No...you were..." He slowly shook his head. "Emry...out of the two of us, I really shouldn't be the one saying this here and I feel awful to say, but I'm a little scared."

"Scared of what?" Emry pushed himself to sit upright, seeming to wake up a bit more.

Athen looked down, a pained expression on his face. "I was so wrong."

"How were you wrong?" He asked, his head tilted.

He looked up at Emry. "I had no right to...do what I did to you...I thought only of myself and it was so selfish."

Emry shrugged one shoulder. "If you're talking about the way it started, we came to like each other. So, why does that matter?"

"I've always liked you Emry...and to make it more than that, you're confused because of me. Here I am...supposed to be your sisters boyfriend, and naturally I'm your friend...and I get this incredibly stupid idea and now..it's done and you're confused."

He stared at Athen. "I'm confused...like...I don't know what happens next."

"And what happens next is what I'm afraid of." He shook his head. "Emry...I am so sorry if you thought different, maybe because of my idea...you confused me being a friend and...okay, yes...I flirted a little, there was some teasing. I...do think you are beautiful and who ever has you...they are lucky."

Emry's eyes slowly started to widen. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying...I did what I wanted to do, obviously I didn't want what happened because of it, to happen, I was too stupid to think of all the consequences, especially where you were concerned. Emry..." He shook his head. "I'm just not...I just can't."

"So, not only was I a fetish for you...but I was also a sexual experiment? You weren't even sure to begin with if you were..."

Athen closed his eyes and his head lowered. "Maybe it was just something about you, then I thought about it and realized that I never felt that way about any other guy. I mean...when the thoughts started, the first idea was you." He looked up. "The girlfriends little brother. The curiousity came with the fetish, all at once. Then I..." He sighed.

"Then you..." Emry stared at him.

"After what happened, I pictured the idea of a relationship, I had to do that because I didn't know what you were going to come at me with next and...I just can't." He shrugged. "It would be a lie, Emry."

He stared at Athen and for a second, he almost forgot to breath again. His head lowered and he stood up, a gasp of air drawn in, and just as he did, he threw up a hand when Athen moved out of the chair in concern.

"Emry?" Athen questioned, always having jumped when ever he made a sudden sound like that.

"Stay away..." He closed his eyes. "I don't need your help." He shut his eyes tight. "I don't know which life was better, a life where I existed to no one or...where I begin to exist for as long as I'm good for...and then cease to exist when I'm used up."

"See...this was why I was so scared. Emry...it's not you, it was my fault, I didn't think..."

"Athen!" He burst out and took a deep breath. "Is it your fault when Trillian left me? Were you not thinking when Dominik decided to take off? Or when Liam decided one blow job was good enough? Guess how he asked for it. He wanted me to worship him." He shut his eyes and fell back against the wall and slowly lowered to the floor. "I'm just an idiot."

Athen walked over and lowered to his knees in front of Emry. "You are not an idiot...Emry, no one can blame you for any of that. They should of known better, I should of fucking known better." He grasped him by the shoulders. "Two may have gotten away...but I will find Liam...and I'll beat his fucking face in, you just tell me right now."

He looked up at him. "Why?"

"Because...I can't take back what anyone has done, I can't take back what I have done, but I hurt, believe it or not, I'm paying for it...every time I think of you...and I want to make that son of a bitch hurt too." He nodded. "You just tell me...I owe you that and so much more..."

He stared at Athen and shook his head, quietly crying. "But you can't give me you..." He lowered his face into his hands and then felt Athen as he pulled him into his arms and he softly cried into his chest and he shook his head.