Trigger The Years Past - 12. Chapter 12: Wisteria Lane

Miracle walks out of the bathroom in a warm white robe and sighs. "Feels good to be clean of that man."

Cheston sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at Miracle when they heard that grand door bell chime through out the house and both of them looked at the bed room door.

"Good thing you didn't install my door bell of doom." Miracle walked over to a rolling cart and grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry.

"I'll go see who it is." Cheston stood up, still clothed from the day as he headed for the bed room door.

"Okay." Miracle took a bite of the strawberry and fell back on the bed, softly laughing.

"It's not funny, who knows who it is." Cheston walked out of the bed room and headed down stairs.

"Who cares." Miracle looked around and grabbed the remote and flipped the television on.

Cheston reached the front door and opened it. "Gavin, hey."

Gavin stared at Cheston. "Where is Miracle? Can I come in?"

"He's uh...upstairs." Cheston stepped aside and nodded. "Yeah, come in." He shut the door behind Gavin. "I guess, I take it...you heard what happened."

"My mom called, they won't tell her exactly, but Miracle's car is parked out front and...he's not there." Gavin turned and looked at Cheston. "What happened?"

"Are you in shock? Can I get you something?" Cheston asked, trying to figure out exactly what Gavin was feeling or thinking so that he could decide what version of the story to give.

"Shock?" Gavin looked around and then walked around Cheston and sat down on the love seat. "I'm not sure. I just don't understand who would kill Wayne, why Miracle's car would be there. Obviously he's here, if he wasn't, you would be freaking out right now."

Cheston turned around, watching Gavin and then slowly nodded. "Uh...Wayne died, yes." He nodded. "Gavin, what would you say if..." Cheston closed his eyes. "I'm not quite sure what to tell you."

Gavin rubbed his hands together. "I just want to know what happened." He looked at Cheston. "I'm not dumb, I know Miracle is capable, and I know...Wayne would of let him in the house."

He took a deep breath. "Do you care if Wayne is dead?"

Gavin slowly shook his head. "Not really. I mean, aside from the fact that it sucks that a person has died, I didn't particularly care for him."

"I'm just going to say...that Miracle did it in self defense...and now he's safe from Martin because of it." Cheston looked down. "And I hope you can live with that and...keep quiet."

Gavin slowly nodded and stood up and looked at Cheston. "I see how it is." He looked down. "Well, you know I'm loyal to Miracle, so...I won't say anything. In a way, he did us a favor, we get everything, and a huge life insurance policy to top it off." He took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm going to go then."

Cheston nodded. "Thank you."

"Yeah." Gavin walked by Cheston and headed out.

Cheston heard the door shut and he turned and walked over to lock it and then headed back up to the bed room and leaned a shoulder against the door frame.

Miracle looked over when he saw Cheston and his eyebrows lifted in question.

"We're clear." He said, confirming that Miracle was safe, much to his own relief.

Miracle heard a knock on the door and opened it and saw a guy standing there, young, but not like Gavin, had to be about his age or maybe a little older. "You could of used the door bell. It's really grand and fun." Miracle grinned.

The guy turned around and looked at Miracle, he wore what looked like pale blue scrubs with a pair of white shoes, a tattoo of a flaming skull on one of his arms, though it was half covered by the short sleeve of the top he wore, and his head was buzz cut, and his face clean shaven. His eyebrows lifted. "I'm looking for Cheston." He said, a Russian accent evident.

"He's at work." Miracle said. "Though I haven't met any of his friends, I suspect that all the people at the party were mostly his moms evil friends." Miracle leaned against the door.

"Of course, he would be. Wouldn't he?" The guy looked up and then started to laugh but it was quickly halted. "A friend? Maybe when dinosaurs roam and gravity turns upside down."

Miracle laughed. "I'm picturing children's drawn dinosaurs." He shook his head. "So you aren't his friend?" He looked over the guys clothes and gasped. "You're one of his clients!"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, how perky you are."

"You can come in." Miracle nodded. "So what's your name?"

His eyes widened a little and he walked in and headed into the living room. "Uh...Nikolai." He said as he looked around. "So this is what some of my parents money paid for."

Miracle walked into the living room. "So, by the way you're dressed like you just got out. Is that normal? Your attorney to be the first person you visit?" He fell back in one of the sofa chairs and spread his arms along the arm rests. "He must of got you a good deal."

"Actually, he failed." Nikolai sat on the love seat. "I assaulted my teacher when I was sixteen, got guilty and...just got released today."

"That's why you make it self defense, it's not that hard to...twist it that way." Miracle said. "How old are you now?"

"Twenty four." He shrugged. "I guess I got lucky, not that long." He looked at Miracle's wrists. "Ouch, what happened to you?" A grin appeared. "Cheston like it rough?"

Miracle looked at his wrists and then he looked at Nikolai and the hint of a grin appeared. "Cheston didn't do this." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "It was a bad case and...I had to...defend myself."

Nikolai laughed and leaned back and brought his arms around and laced his fingers behind his head. "They believe you? Like one hundred percent?"

"There might be a trial, not for me, but I could be a witness." Miracle sat back and shrugged. "Should be interesting, see what the defense tries to throw at me. They'll probably try to tear my character apart."

"They do that to ruin your credibility." Nikolai's arms lowered and he took a deep breath.

"So, if Cheston failed you, why visit him?" Miracle asked.

"I have my reasons."

Miracle's eyes widened. "You want revenge." He stood up and walked over to the love seat and sat beside Nikolai, his back turned towards the arm rest, one leg bent beneath him and his arm on the back of it, facing Nikolai directly. "How about lots of cash? A vacation? Want a car? Cheston could always just buy me another one."

Nikolai looked over at Miracle. "Bribery? Really?" He looked Miracle over and grinned. "I would take you as a prize, that would hit him in the gut and stab him in the heart."

Miracle's eyes slightly narrowed. "That the only reason?"

"Maybe." Nikolai looked off across the living room again. "Or...I could bide my time, unless you're already entrusted to everything, we could take him out, since you're so good at...self defense."

Miracle grinned and stood up. "Wait just a minute..." He walked over to the kitchen and then his eyes narrowed at the pad lock on the knife drawer. "Damn it..."

"What?" Nikolai looked up.

"I was going to show you self defense...but he locked the knife drawer." He turned around. "I met a knife thrower at a circus, I can miss a persons head pretty good...or hit it if that's what I'm really aiming to do."

Nikolai slowly nodded. "Interesting..." He propped a foot up on the edge of the coffee table. "Why does he lock the knife drawer? You one of those cutters or something?"

Miracle sighed. "No...I'd never give myself scars...unfortunately I got one anyway. It was a horrible accident...but I'm going to get laser removal, seven treatments and the doctor says it will be vanished."

"That's a bitch, though lucky you got hitched...with the rich."

Miracle smiled. "What a rhyme." He laughed and shook his head. "I do that too, at random."

"Yeah, sure." Nikolai shook his head. "Obviously Cheston still doesn't trust you. Kind of dumb if you're so sure on your hatred for scars that you'd go out of your way just to get rid of the one you got, by accident."

Miracle shrugged. "I actually freaked over it when we were going to have our first night together, it's why we still haven't actually been together."

Nikolai grinned. "Another hit to the gut, I could nail you first too."

Miracle rolled his eyes. "You were beat to the punch." Miracle held up his wrists. "Of course, I'm keeping the horrid details to myself."

"I bet he hated it, I could put him through it again." Nikolai said.

"You could." Miracle walked around the bar and sat on the far side of the couch, one leg tucked under the other. "But, then you would reap the consequences that followed."

Nikolai slid over and crawled onto the couch, moving close to Miracle. "How? You can't even get into the knife drawer. Unless you're packing guns around here, but then I'll bet it's safe to say that he keeps those locked from you too, if you even know where they are."

Miracle stared at Nikolai and frowned. "You willing to gamble on that?"

Nikolai's face inched closer to Miracle's. "I think so." He whispered.

Miracle reached up and grabbed him by the collar and yanked his face just a little closer, their lips close enough to touch if either of them just moved a little more. "You know, when people hurt me, they have a tendency to get killed. That's not a threat, it's just how fate works around me."

Nikolai grinned. "Then I might as well die happy." He said, jokingly.

"Nikolai!" Cheston dropped his suit case and looked at Miracle. "What's going on?!"

"Just fucking with your ex client." He then brought his leg up and place his sock covered foot into Nikolai's chest and shoved him back after letting his shirt go. "He made entertaining company, though I didn't get to throw a knife by his head because you locked the knife drawer."

Cheston walked further into the room. "Fucking with? Or about to fuck?" Cheston looked at Miracle. "Because...I don't know, Miracle...I just have to question."

Miracle looked at Cheston and then stood up. "Really? Is that how it's going to be? Mr. Possessive, going to stay with me and then question me every time I'm in arms length of another guy? I thought...you were confident in yourself."

"Oh, I am, this has nothing to do with my issues. Much with yours." He stared at Miracle. "I talked to Sterling, wanted to see how he was, he can see again, though it had a draw back, he's got a bit of a lazy eye now." He shrugged. "He had a lot of nice stories to tell, I had the time with a really long lunch break. Kevin ring a bell? Or three guys in Philly? How about Ryder? You sure bragged about how you could of had him while Jaemin was right in the next room showering. No wonder you loved that guy so much, he was obsessed with you."

Nikolai leaned back. "This is better than I thought." He mumbled.

"Shut up." Cheston briefly glanced at Nikolai.

Nikolai lifted his hands up briefly and grinned.

Miracle grinned and shook his head. "If that were true, how come I haven't fucked him yet? Not like he doesn't have the potential!"

"Looks like you were about to!" Cheston took a step back and waved his arms out. "How do I know that you weren't?!"

Miracle slowly nodded. "You know, Cheston, if I were you...I'd be really careful right now..."

"Wow! That really proves how you feel. What are you going to do Miracle? I'm not afraid, I damn sure know that you won't pull your stunt again! What would be your excuse?!"

"Maybe you're helping daddy!" Miracle crossed his arms. "But no, I wouldn't make this any messier!"

Cheston started laughing. "But would ya write about it in your book?! That you keep in your safe?!"

"You referencing what I wrote? About West Virginia? You know I wrote that while I was in a psychiatric facility." Miracle slowly shook his head.

Nikolai's eyebrows lifted as he watched the lovers spat, so much dirty laundry.

"But you sure wouldn't want to risk being put under that spotlight." Cheston grinned.

"I'd destroy that book before you even made it out of Wisteria Lane." Miracle stepped closer.

Cheston burst out laughing. "That's priceless!" He waved an arm.

Miracle frowned. "This is stupid, fighting like this, I did some stupid crap, I never said I didn't. Jaemin put up with a lot...okay? I'll admit I did the guy wrong so many times...and I had my ways...Kevin, shouldn't of happened. Those guys in Philly? Nick? He fucked me drunk and passed out. Jaemin let him carry me into the camper, I didn't even know what was going on, he just watched the guy toss me over his shoulder. Then he took a pen, wrote the guys name on..." Miracle paused, embarrassed. "Then I woke up in the fucking van and Jaemin told me Nick tattooed me, branded his name and really it was just a pen and Jaemin did it!"

"Wrote the guys name on...what?" Nikolai asked with a grin.

Miracle gave Nikolai a look. He then looked at Cheston. "My point is, I don't do those things anymore. So stop going after my past and throwing me at the stake and setting it on fire like a witch hunt!"

Cheston frowned and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use your past against you. I just walked in...after talking to Sterling and...saw...you and him..."

"Yeah, well I'm sure Sterling would put me in a nasty light, he's probably pissed at me and will hate me forever after everything." Miracle looked at Nikolai. "He was just...acting up! And...well...maybe I was slightly flirty, sentence me ninety days and two months probation, attorney!"

Cheston rolled his eyes. "Slightly flirty...I feel much better." He shook his head and looked at Nikolai. "Now you, why are you even here?"

"Maybe another time?" Nikolai stood up. "This...was a fun show." He headed towards the door.

"I don't think you should come back." Cheston said.

Miracle walked over and wrapped his arms around Cheston from behind and leaned up to rest his chin on his shoulder. "Come on, he's another friend."

Nikolai grinned at Miracle.

"Lets just at least talk to him next time he comes, you didn't even get a chance to see what you do to each other." Miracle laughed. "Might end up with a...boy fight." He slipped back and walked around Cheston. "That would be fun."

Cheston listened to Miracle's antics and stared at Nikolai. "Come back, tomorrow...in the evening when I'm actually at home and you can't..."

"Go after...your...dare I say it?" Nikolai looked up and then grinned. "Whore? Oops...I did it."

Miracle's eyes narrowed as Nikolai backed out the door. "I beg you come back." He spoke, sarcastically, as Nikolai swung the door and he saw him spin around and run off just before the door slammed shut.

"Bastard." Cheston walked over and locked the door and turned around.

"Miracle! Hello!" Lacey waved her hand in front of Miracle's face.

"Huh?" Miracle blinked and looked over at Lacey. "What?"

"You zoned out." Andy said.

"Yeah, and my break is almost over." Lacey sighed and looked around the hospital cafeteria.

"I'm sorry, it was one of those feel good zone outs. You know the kind where you just zone out...and it feels good?" Miracle looked between them.

"Maybe?" Andy shook his head. "So, I'm glad that, aside from zoning out, you seem to be...handling things okay."

"Yeah." Miracle looked down and nodded. "I mean, you go through so much bad stuff, eventually, you can just come through it a survivor I guess, maybe that's how the military is, you get used to it after a while and...eventually you can just do your thing and...get it done."

"Yeah, but then most of them end up with post traumatic stress disorder or something." Lacey sipped her drink.

"Well look at me." Miracle smiled. "I know I'm a few screws to short."

Andy drummed the table with his knuckles. "So when are you actually going to start working with Cheston?"

"Oh...so much has been going on, we never really got around to it, stuff just keeps coming up." Miracle laughed. "Maybe when I remember to mention it to him or he remembers to mention it to me. I think he's used to just being that guy that goes on and just does his thing."

"Oh god, am I going to have to go over there and put you on a track?" Andy teased.

"Maybe." Miracle laughed. "I'll probably do it tomorrow or something. We actually got a meeting with this...uh...person. I don't know how that's going to go."

"What person?" Lacey asked.

"An ex client that Cheston failed and he got out of prison or something and came to the house and Cheston and I were to busy arguing among ourselves to really see what he wanted because Sterling bad mouthed me to Cheston through lunch and then the guy called me a whore and walked out." Miracle slowly nodded. "Yeah, so we're having dinner with him! I think, I scheduled the cooking crew to come in."

"Should have them bring television dinners." Andy laughed. "Say they're gourmet."

Miracle grinned. "Hell, I ordered food from a restaurant and had it put on the real dishes to make it look like I cooked it, then I told the truth."

"Nice." Andy looked out of the window.

"Windows." Miracle's smile slowly faded as he stared at Andy. "It's always something about people looking out of windows...I always see longing...and emptiness."

Andy looked over at Miracle. "Is that how you feel? Or felt? I...saw the old half of your documentary, I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's okay." Miracle shrugged. "I guess, kind of. When the sun isn't shining in...and you just get that gray or bluish glow...and it looks cold."

Andy reached over and patted Miracle's hand. "Well, I'm not empty and I'm not longing."

Lacey looked between them. "I already know about things, I know he's trying to figure things out...and that's okay. I'm really in no rush to start anything, I haven't really even been looking for anything."

Andy smiled at Lacey. "I appreciate the patience. Shes such a good friend."

"Well, I'm glad you guys found each other." Miracle looked at Lacey. "I'm just sorry we're not as close, I don't blame you, time does things to people and...changes. I uh...really miss my friend Melanie, she kinda became my Lacey."

"I would of liked to have met her. She had to of been really awesome to fill my shoes." Lacey grinned.

Miracle smiled. "She was, a bit of a mean girl, but when she got what she wanted and she was happy and settled, she was lovable." He nodded.

"She seemed awesome, from what I saw on the video." Andy quietly laughed. "Kinda power hungry."

"On that day." Miracle looked around. "I always think...if this were a story, how could I cheat and write that it was her twin and get away with it?" He shook his head.

"Literary criminal." Andy shook his head and laughed.

"Maybe." Miracle shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

Miracle looked up when the door opened and Cheston walked inside.

"Look what the cat had waiting in our drive way." He waved Nikolai on and then closed the door.

"You sat in the drive way?" Miracle looked at Nikolai.

"Yeah, I hoped he would hit me with his car so I could sue him, maybe his bumper would tap my forehead hard enough." Nikolai grinned.

"I couldn't get in the garage." Cheston said, annoyed. "And I saw the cooking crew leaving. What is for dinner?"

"I have a wonderful dinner ready for us! Come on!" Miracle hopped off the couch and ran through the kitchen and into the dining room and held his arms up as Nikolai and Cheston walked through to find three Salisbury steak banquet television dinners on the table and three cans of coke.

"What is this?" Cheston asked.

Nikolai started laughing. "He called the crew to microwave the meals." He fell down in one of the chairs laughing. "You're going to have to pay them for this..."

Cheston glared at Nikolai who was in a fit of laughter and then he looked at Miracle. "How much did they charge?"

"Five hundred dollars." Nikolai laughed.

"Uh...the head chef said he would consult with you tomorrow. He seemed kinda scared." Miracle explained.

Nikolai laughed even louder. "Your chef is gonna quit."

"How did they do this?" Cheston asked.

"Well the head chef micro waved one meal, then two other chefs took turns doing the others...and they stood in the kitchen...and they took turns getting the cokes and sitting them on the table." Miracle sat down. "The head chef lit the candles too."

Nikolai grinned. "This is awesome, I love it. How much you gonna pay them, Chest?"

Cheston slowly sat down and forced a smile. "Maybe fifty dollars each, then twenty each for the gas...and five dollars per minute for each meal." He looked down. "Don't want them scared or quitting."

Nikolai laughed a little more and looked at Miracle. "You're so awesome."

Miracle looked at Nikolai. "Glad you think so." He said, sarcastically.

"So, what exactly do you want? You know, you wanted this meeting, so it's kind of your fault." Cheston looked at Nikolai.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you can't keep your.."

"Choose your next word carefully." Cheston said.

"Let me guess, slut, whore, bitch? Am I close?" Miracle's eyebrows lifted.

"Mmm...you're hot." Nikolai grinned at Miracle. "On fire...in fact."

Cheston slammed a fist against the table. "Get to the point." He looked at Miracle. "And you, stop antagonizing."

"Why am I here if I can't antagonize?" Miracle asked.

"My point is, you failed...and you're a sorry ass lawyer...and I want revenge on you." Nikolai looked at Cheston and then reached behind him and suddenly yanked a gun out and aimed it at him. "So, unless you got a better offer?"

Cheston's eyes widened when the gun was taken out. "Woah..." He pulled his hands up slightly. "Nikolai, you don't want to do this. You just got free, imagine being in there the rest of your life..."

"Won't happen, it was self defense." Nikolai looked at Miracle. "Tell the tale, if you value your own life."

Miracle stared at Nikolai and then looked at Cheston. "What? You won't get away with it, first of all, why would your ex attorney attack you? The story won't make sense."

"He didn't attack me, he attacked you...and I saved you." Nikolai said.

"They won't ever believe that...not after what already happened." Miracle covered his face with his hand and shut his eyes tight. "Damn it...I..."

"Miracle, don't tell him anything." Cheston stared at Nikolai. "Just put the gun down, I'll give you whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" Nikolai grinned and stood up and walked around the table and grabbed Miracle by the arm and yanked him up. "So you wouldn't mind if I took him and rode away in your nice, awesome car?"

Miracle grunted and opened his eyes. "Ugh...the license plate? They would find you." He said, trying to talk Nikolai out of his ideas.

Cheston slowly shook his head. "Please, just put the gun down. I'm sorry, I fucked up, I can't win them all, and I am sorry that you were one of them."

Miracle stared at Cheston and then slowly turned around, his arm still in Nikolai's grip. "Hey, I got a better idea." His free hand ran up Nikolai's chest.

Nikolai looked down at Miracle. "Yeah, what's that?"

"Well, I sure don't want to die, I'm smart and I know who the winner is here." He grinned. "And I always go where the power is." Miracle ran his finger along Nikolai's jaw. "But wouldn't it be...so sweet...to tie him to a chair...and fuck so hot...in front of him?" Miracle's eyes widened curiously.

Nikolai looked at Miracle thoughtfully. "That's an idea, you know, I really like the way you think, I could watch him..."

"Well, there is some rope in the garage, the only problem is that, it's on a shelf that's to high. Think you could get it?" Miracle asked.

Nikolai looked between Miracle and Cheston. "Fine, but you're coming with me." He started walking and yanked Miracle by the arm, tugging him along only to stop.

"Wait." Nikolai turned around and looked at Cheston. "You both have to come, I can't just leave him."

Cheston had hoped he would get a chance to call the police, but that chance seemed to shatter.

"Oh god, look, just go get the rope, it would be so much faster. I can get him in the living room and set up the chair." Miracle said.

"The living room? Where the front door is?" Nikolai then slammed Miracle into the wall. "What kind of idiot do you think I am?!"

"Leave him alone! It's me you have an issue with!" Cheston yelled.

Miracle cringed and looked up. "Nik, I don't think you're an idiot. Why would we run? You would come and find us, you'd hide and come back later, maybe kill us in our sleep. I wouldn't be that stupid." He closed his eyes and then leaned up and kissed Nikolai.

Cheston watched this and started to look away, but then he thought better of it and looked down at the gun.

Nikolai deepened the kiss and pulled Miracle close until Miracle broke the kiss. "See? Now...just go get the rope."

"Okay, I trust you." Nikolai let go of Miracle's arm and headed out into the garage.

Once he went through the door, Miracle slowly walked over and shut the door and let out a held breath and looked at Cheston who pulled out his phone. Miracle shook his head and walked over to Cheston. "He'll hear you call." He whispered and grabbed Cheston's arm and opened the sliding glass door and lead him out by the pool and he opened the door to the small storage closet and pulled Cheston inside and pulled the door shut.

"He's going to know we came out here." Cheston breathed heavily. "And damn you use every excuse, every reason..."

"He was going to kill us. Get over it." Miracle mumbled. "I had to get him away..."

"Hey! You lying bitch, where did you go?! First I'll find you!" Nikolai walked out of the sliding glass door.

"He's going to find us, I need to call the cops." Cheston whispered.

"We just need to get the gun from him and talk him down." Miracle looked out the small opening in the door and saw Nikolai walking around the pool. "I...don't want him to go back to prison."

Cheston shook his head. "Good luck."

"Own a pocket knife?" Miracle asked. "Most guys do."

Cheston reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. "Here."

Miracle took the knife and flipped it open. "Here's to hoping I can really do it, or we die." He slowly opened the door just as Nikolai came up from the basement entrance at the side of the glass doors. His eyes widened and he pulled his hand back and threw the knife. It spun through the air and hit the hand with the gun.

Nikolai screamed when the pocket knife cut the back of his hand but it didn't stab him, it was enough to get him to drop the gun and then he looked up and saw Miracle and Cheston and dived down to grab the gun.

"Oh crap." Miracle ran towards the house only to dive towards the ground when Nikolai aimed the gun at him, Cheston stopped in his tracks shortly behind.

"Nice job." Nikolai walked closer. "Why didn't you aim for the head."

Miracle looked up. "Because I don't want you dead or in jail, you dumbass! We could of called the cops, I wouldn't let him!"

Nikolai looked up at Cheston and then down at Miracle and he took a step back. "You're serious?"

Miracle slowly stood up. "Yes.." He walked closer and then swung a hand and Nikolai's grip on the gun was loose enough that he managed to snatch it away. "I mean it." He looked between the two. "Now we really have stuff to talk about."

"You're not going to call the cops on me?" Nikolai looked at Cheston.

"Be lucky Miracle likes you." Cheston walked towards the glass doors and then he turned around. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Cheston!" Miracle's eyes widened. "Come on!"

"What is there to talk about? I'm not his friend, you like him, I'm letting him go for you, he better not fuck it up. That's all I have to say." Cheston shook his head.

"Fine, go." Miracle looked down as Cheston walked inside the house.

"I...can't believe someone would do that for me." Nikolai looked at the pool.

"Sometimes, all anyone needs is a second chance, and hopefully we don't do stupid things with them. Though, knowing me, I'll always do stupid things." Miracle walked over and threw the gun in the pool and let it sink to the bottom. "Someone can fish it out."

"Do you like me?" Nikolai asked.

"Depends on which way you're asking." Miracle stared into the water. "Apparently I can't like someone...without it meaning...."

Nikolai walked closer. "People...assume things a lot, about you, it seems."

"Like kissing you had some kind of double meaning, like it wasn't just a survival technique." Miracle spun around.

"For what it's worth, I think you were acting." Nikolai said. "Though, I didn't mind the kiss." The hint of a smile appeared.

"Maybe a little of me wanted to, maybe on some level, I'll always stray in some little way." Miracle shook his head. "Coming in?" Miracle walked around him and headed back inside.

Nikolai followed Miracle and then stepped aside so Miracle could slide the door and lock it shut.

"Not to rush you but...maybe you should go, you can come back and hang out, if you ever want, just...when it's a better time." Miracle nodded.

"Yeah, okay, I know my way out." Nikolai followed Miracle through the living room and into the foyer.

Miracle gave a small wave as he reached the bottom of the stairs and he watched Nikolai walk out and then he moved forward and locked the door and headed upstairs to the bed room, finding Cheston sitting on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Miracle asked, walking closer.

"Yeah, I guess, just trying to accept...you." He looked up. "Trying not to...well, maybe trying to find the Jaemin patience in me."

Miracle sat on the bed beside him, facing him. "Maybe that's not the answer." Miracle looked down. "Maybe...I should just face the consequences for...who I am."

"You mean...you want me to dump you?" Cheston asked.

"No, who would want that? But I can't expect you to just...not be you..."

"And I can't expect you to not be you." Cheston said.

"Not be me? Those things are not a person, they are impulses, part of my sickness, he's just a new person to experience, a new flavor, a different taste." Miracle laid down and curled up. "No one should have to deal with me."

Cheston looked at Miracle and reached out and rubbed his arm. "To be honest, I do believe that at least part of it was you trying to protect us."

"That was the initial idea, that's what was in my mind, what I don't know, is if that was the reason or just the justification." Miracle closed his eyes. "I'll drive you crazy, like Sterling..."

Cheston laid down beside Miracle. "I'm not giving up, not yet."

Miracle stood in the bathroom, holding his shirt up as he looked in the mirror at the bandage over his scar. "I want to look."

"No, the doctor said don't look until after the seventh treatment at the end of the seventh week, at the results. Don't ruin the surprise." Cheston said.

Miracle looked down and then dropped his shirt.

"I, however, do have another surprise." He smiled at Miracle.

"Another surprise?" Miracle looked up and grinned as he turned to Cheston. "Where?"

"Go to the garden, I'll follow." Cheston said, watching Miracle as he walked by him and then he flipped the light off and followed after Miracle as he headed out to the garden.

Miracle looked around at the shaded garden. "I don't see anything." He turned around and then sat on a wooden bench beneath one of the trees that shaded the area. "The surprise must be small, so why did we have to come here for it?" He grinned.

"Because...it's real pretty?" Cheston drew in his bottom lip nervously and then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, dark red, box. He then lowered down to one knee and brought the box around. "Miracle, will you marry me?" He opened the box to reveal a thin gold ring with red diamonds all the way around it, separated by white diamonds surrounding all the red ones.

Miracle let out a breath and almost forgot to breath in again. "What?"

Cheston stared up at him. "Marry me?"

Miracle slowly shook his head. "You don't know what you're doing. I mean, first of all, we have hardly been together long at all, and I've already hurt you, look what I did when I went to Wa..."

"Shh!" Cheston brought a finger to Miracle's lips and then leaned forward. "You did that for us." He whispered in his ear and then eased back.

Miracle shook his head. "And what about Nikolai? That was horrible, and I did that right in front of you!"

"You did that to save our lives." Cheston said.

"Yeah? And then how are you going to justify it the next time?" Miracle looked at him, his eyes watering up. "You need to really think about this, because...I'll just ruin it." He got up and ran out of the garden and back into the house, not stopping until he reached the living room and he crossed his arms and closed his eyes and cried.

Cheston looked down and then stood up as the photographer stepped out from behind another tree. "Sorry." He said as he closed the box and then turned around and headed into the house, finding Miracle in the living room.

Miracle shook his head, pacing back and forth.

"What makes you think that you will ruin it?" He asked Miracle.

"Because I will!" Miracle turned and looked at Cheston. "Don't be dumb! Sterling told you all the things I did to Jaemin. I treated him like crap! And bragged about it!"

"You were just a kid..."

Miracle cried and shook his head. "Stop making up excuses, I was horrible. And it's going to be the same way. It's like...Fable, when you have the multiple choices and...you want to choose them all because you're so curious to see what happens, what the outcome is for each choice, you can't settle for just choosing one and seeing what happens, you have to know all of it. Or like going to the mall and you have to see all the stores and see the place from top to bottom, or if you're a kid and your parent tells you to pick one toy and you throw a fit because you demand both, you just have to have both."

Cheston shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"None of that made any sense, great." Miracle took in a deep breath and sat on the coffee table. "Those were all metaphors for guys. So...what that all means is..."

"You want to know what it's like to be with every guy in your life?" Cheston shook his head. "But you're not like that with Andy...or with Gavin, you weren't like that with Sterling when he was here..."

"It's just certain ones." Miracle looked up at Cheston. "Remember how I told you about the magnetic pull? That has to be there, then the curiousity is there...and then I have to know what would happen if I made that choice, what it would be like to have that toy, or see what kind of life I would have with that person, like seeing that certain part of the mall. Get it?"

Cheston walked over and sat on the couch near Miracle and nodded. "Yes, but what I also know is that you have the power of self control, and if you didn't before, you need to make yourself, that's part of healing from your sickness."

"Yeah, maybe. But then...it drives me crazy, not knowing, wondering, what if? Not testing a path that's presented to me." Miracle wiped his face with a single hand.

"So when you're on a path, and you come across another, you want to test it, to see if it might be better than the one you're on, and if you don't, it'll drive you crazy wondering if it was, wondering...if you missed out? Wondering if you stayed on your current path and it's a mistake?" Cheston asked.

Miracle looked down. "See? I'm horrible. Why would you want to marry someone like that?"

"Because, people can change, and I'm willing to help you, and...I want to believe that you can do it, so it's the path I choose, the one I want to explore." Cheston said.

Miracle shook his head, crying. "I'll mess it up, I know I will, I just know it."

"Marry me." Cheston took Miracle's hand.

Miracle looked at him, heavy and shaky breaths sounding from him and he looked down as Cheston picked up the box and opened it. He calmed himself down a little and looked at the ring. "Okay...I will."

Cheston smiled and took the ring out, sitting the box aside and he took Miracle's hand and slid the ring on his finger. "You've just made me so happy."

Miracle looked down at the ring. "Why did you do this?"

Cheston reached out and lifted Miracle's head by his fingers moving beneath Miracle's chin. "Because, I realized life is to short. You almost died once, and then you almost died again. You wouldn't of stood a chance, but then you saved our lives."

Miracle shook his head. "How did I save our lives?"

"Ultimately, your kindness. I think, Nikolai just needed to be showed what it felt like to be cared about, like you cared about him, from the moment you met him, he gravitated towards you."

"Guys always gravitate towards me, it had nothing to do with me being kind to him. Didn't you pay attention? He wanted to take me and use me, I meant nothing to him." Miracle shook his head.

"I think you did, otherwise he wouldn't of stopped, he wouldn't of cared, you couldn't of reached him in the end, the way you did." Cheston smiled.

Miracle frowned. "And you don't worry about that? How we were so close when you walked in that day? How it was just fun to me? He was fun, it was a game to me, like talking circles around each other." He slowly shook his head. "What if he comes back because I care? What if, because I care...I let him slip past that boundary that he came so close to? See, that was the fun in it, letting him get so close, right to the edge."

"So, it's Nik you're worried about?" Cheston slowly nodded. "I see, I guess I can understand how he might be...fun to you, but after what he did?"

"I told you I was messed up." Miracle stared at Cheston. "That's why I wanted you to really think about this before...you did it."

"Well, think about this, he might have that danger that you like so much, but if he screws up again, you will just be looking at him on the other side of a glass." Cheston nodded. "I know you love me, I know you do, so don't let some need for a thrill tear us down."

Miracle nodded and leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Cheston. "I want to be good."

Cheston hugged Miracle. "I think you can do it, believe in yourself, because I believe in you, just think, anytime that urge comes, is a taste worth it?"

Miracle nodded and closed his eyes. "I love you. And I'm so sorry that I am the way that I am."

"I love you too, and if you mean that, then you have to start fixing it, you have support, so much support. You can beat it." He rubbed Miracle's back and held onto him.