DISCLAIMER: This story is fiction straight out of my head and onto the computer by sure will alone and many grape soda's and countless hours of banging my head against the wall for inspiration. I don't know the sexual preferences of any of the celebrities I use therefore hence the name fiction. No humans were harmed in the writing of this chapter but I am afraid that a couple of flies were sacrificed for the good of the many. (They will be sorely missed.)

COPYRIGHT: I give Nifty the permission to post this chapter and to Nifty alone. No others may remove this posting from this site without the express consent of the author, Wolfflyer.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to all my readers, you're the reason that I turn my machine on everyday. Your guys kick ass, thank you.

Doctor Dan Reynolds smiled as he pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down. He grabbed Scott's wrist and absently took his pulse.

"Doc, what happened?" Scott asked in a quiet voice. He still didn't realize the severity of the last week.

"Everything looks okay. How do you feel?" Dan asked with a look of amazement.

Scott took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. He said, "Okay I guess. But my chest hurts, like someone had been squeezing me."

Chuckling Dan answered, "Sorry `bout that. That was me."

"What?"

"What is the last thing you remember before waking up a few minutes ago?" He asked.

Scott's face scrunched up as he tried to sort out the images that ran through his mind. "I think it was you talking to me about withdrawal."

"Hmm." Dan replied as he started writing down on a clipboard. "Anything else."

"No." Scott said hoarsely. "What's going on?"

"Scott, you've been in a coma for five days now."

"What?"

"Listen." Dan ordered softly. "After you checked yourself in here, you slipped into a coma. We still don't know the reason why, or how you came out of it. But yesterday morning your heart stopped beating."

"Oh shit." Exclaimed Scott.

Dan stood up and walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds allowing the mid-morning sun to shine into the room.

Turning to face Scott, he continued, "You were dead for fourteen minutes. Your chest hurts cause I was doing CPR on you."

"So," Scott stated, "I owe my life to you."

"No, you don't." Dan explained. "We tried everything we could to bring you back. But nothing worked, it was getting to the point of giving up."

"What? What happened?"

"You happened." Dan said as he ran his hands through his balding gray hair. "You started breathing on your own. We can't explain what happened or why, but I know that you have been given a second chance."

"Doc, I'm scared. I had the most weird dream." Scott stammered.

"Tell me," Begged Dan.

Turning his head away from the older man, Scott replied, "I can't. Not yet. I'm tired, can I sleep."

"Okay, when you feel ready, remember I am here to help you." Dan reassured gently. "But before you sleep, there is someone here who wants to see you."

"Who?" Asked Scott.

Dan walked over to the door and whispered to someone out in the hall. A few seconds later, Scott's parents walked into the room followed by a very worried Shelia Seine.

Scott's face lit up like the morning sun. A huge grin broke out on his face and he motioned for them to come closer.

His parent's had been extremely worried about Scott's reaction to seeing them, but as soon as they saw him smile, they rushed over to his bed and both of them hugged his prone form.

"I missed you so much." Scott sobbed.

"I love you son." Yulonda said in between kissing his face.

Richard let his actions speak for him. He just held his only son with a fervor that stated that he loved him unconditionally.

Dan had stepped out of the room to give the family some privacy. But Shelia still stood by the door, she didn't want to interfere with the family reunion but she was also nervous about how to act with Scott.

A few minutes passed before Scott and his parents remembered that Shelia was in the room.

"Shelia, I'm so sorry." Scott pleaded as he held his arms out for her.

Shelia lost what control she had and ran over to him and held him tightly. Willing all the hurt away with her touch, reassuring that all was forgiven. It was over.

"No, I should've handled that better." Shelia sobbed. "I never should've forced you away."

"No you didn't. I forced you away."

The friends just held onto each other as the tears fell down their cheeks. Scott's parents looked at the pair with smiles. For the first time in many years, they could see hope.

Breaking off the hug, Scott looked at his parents, "Mom, Dad, this is Shelia. My best friend."

"I know dear, she met us at the airport." Yulonda answered.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked his parents.

"Well, that's a long story son. But we don't have to talk about that yet. You just get better, we have plenty of time to talk about that." Richard said with a grin.

Scott raised the head of the bed to be in a more comfortable position as he stated, "I don't think so. We should talk about it now."

"Son," His mom ordered, "The doctor said you needed your rest, plus you need to eat something."

"Mom..."

Shelia put her finger over his lips as she said, "Scott, for once in your life, listen to them."

Giving her a weak smile, Scott complied. "Okay, for now, but I need to talk to you both."

His parents agreed and Yulonda said, "Don't worry, we're not going anywhere."

Looking at Shelia, Scott asked, "How long are you staying?"

"Don't worry tiger, I'm not going anywhere."

Scott breathed a sigh of relief. He needed to talk to his parents but he wanted her to be there. All three of them stood to leave and a look of panic came over his face.

"Shelia, could you stay with me a bit."

"Sure, let me see your parents out first. I'll be right back." Shelia promised him.

As they closed the door leaving Scott to his fears, Shelia hugged Yulonda and whispered in her ear, "He's so lucky to have parents like you."

"I hope that we can make him see that." She whispered back.

Richard was surprised as the red head gripped him tightly. Hugging him and stating, "It's been so good to meet both of you."

"Very nice to meet you." Richard stammered.

"Take care of him." Yulonda begged. "He needs you now more than ever."

"I will." Shelia declared. "But I need him too."

They stood there for a moment in silence. Just the three of them, like they were forming a pact. Reassuring each other that they would do whatever it took to get Scott back on track. A common bond that would hold them through thick and thin.

"Look." Richard broke the silence. "We're tired and we need some food. Do you know of a hotel that's close by?"

"Sorry, don't know anything about this town. But I'm sure the receptionist will know." Shelia offered.

"Tell Scott that we will be back later on tonight." Yulonda said.

"I will, get some sleep and food. I'll keep watch over him."

Shelia watched as they walked down the hall. Smiling to herself she entered Scott's room. The smile vanished as she saw him.

Scott was lying on the bed but had the sheet pulled up to his eyes with a look of terror on his face. Sweat was running down his head as his terror filled eyes darted around the room. And then she saw it; tears were falling down his cheeks.

Rushing over to him, she held him tightly. "What's wrong?"
Scott didn't say anything but grabbed her so tightly that it was getting hard to breathe. She tried to comfort him by whispering softly in his ear and after a few minutes, he seemed to calm down enough to talk.

"What's wrong Scott?" she asked again.

"I don't want to be left alone, I'm scared." He stammered.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." She promised him fiercely.

Scott asked, "Can you lay with me till I fall asleep?"

"Sure sweetie."

Shelia climbed into the bed and Scott snuggled up to her and wrapped his arms around her. If only this was for real she thought. I would be so happy lying next to him. Why did I fall for my best friend? Why did I fall for a gay man? But her questions went unanswered.

After a few moments, she could tell that Scott was sleeping by his slow and steady breaths. Turning her head, she kissed his forehead and softly whispered, "I love you."

Shelia drifted off to sleep next to him. Dan walked in the room and smiled. Seeing the two sleeping, he walked to the closet and grabbed an extra blanket. Stretching the blanket out, he covered Shelia and shut the blinds. He quietly shut the door as he turned the lights out.

Yes, he thought, I think he will be okay. Walking down the hall, he turned his thoughts Garet. I wonder where he took off too? I hope he's all right. But for the moment, he couldn't do anything about Garet. So he went to his office and stretched out on the couch. He hadn't slept in two days and his aging body demanded a few hours sleep. He drifted off contemplating the miracle that he had witnessed the day before.

BLACKS HOUSE

Garet woke up and immediately something felt weird. He felt something heavy on his chest and it was a warm thing. His eyes opened up and he saw black hair. He grinned as he remembered that Joshua had fallen asleep on his lap last night. Somehow in the night, he had moved to a more comfortable position. He gently moved his brother off of him and stood up.

Stretching his six-foot frame, he brushed the black hair out of his eyes while he tried in vain to stifle a yawn. Shaking his head, he quietly went to his bag that was still sitting in the kitchen where he had deposited it last night.

Rummaging around till he found the small leather day planner, he took one last look at his brother still sleeping on the couch. He walked over and gently kissed his brother's forehead before retreating to his old bedroom.

As he quickly cooked the dope, his mind wandered to his brother. What would happen to him? What would happen to Joshua if someone found out that he was addicted to heroin? Garet wanted more than anything to kick the monkey off his back. But he couldn't figure out a way to do it without losing his brother to his father or worse.

Having cooked the dope to its liquid form, he pulled out a needle and drew the contents inside. He wrapped a rubber hose tightly around his left arm. He waited for the veins to rise with a desperation that only junkies could know or describe. Seeing the vein, he stabbed the needle into his arm and injected it.

"Gar, what are you doing?"

GREG'S HOTEL ROOM

"So, he's awake now." Greg said to Garion as the blue haired man entered the room.

"Yes." Garion replied with a touch of contempt in his voice.

"But no one has talked to him but his parents and that red headed bitch."

Greg flopped down on the bed with a sigh as he said, "Shelia won't say anything. And his parents don't know about it."

"Well," Garion paused as he lit a cigarette, "He'll find out about it soon enough."

"Don't worry. I've talked to Mike and it's all set. He'll play ball." Greg stated emphatically.

"I hope so." Garion answered as he pulled the blue black smoke deep into his lungs before exhaling loudly. "Scott can be a real dick if he feels threatened."

"That's why we hit him fast and we hit him before he's had a chance to realize anything." Greg explained for the tenth time. "By the time he knows what's going on, it will all be over and I'll have control of the band."

"I hope so." Garion sighed quietly. "I sure hope so."

"Trust me, I'm right about this one." Greg answered confidently.

IN A CAB IN DETROIT

Pick up the phone Lance thought as he rode in the back of a taxi. He had just left the office of the record company and he was still on that euphoric high of big time business. Somehow he had managed to steal Justin and everything he had recorded away from them for a song.

Lance was ready to pay a high price for the once teen pop star. But all he had to pay was the balance of the advance that they had given him, and all recording fees, and the cost of the house that Justin was living in. All in all, he only had to pay eight million dollars total. And with that, he received all the demos and all the rights to the recordings.

Needless to say, Lance was walking on air at this point. But now all he wanted was for the curly one to answer his phone.

So he could share with him the good news.

"Hello." Justin's cool voice answered the phone.

"Damn, it's about time." Lance half screamed into the phone.

"Calm down Scoop." Justin smiled as he moved the phone away from his ear.

"Just, I have great news." Lance shouted excitedly.

"Already?" Justin asked thinking it would take longer than two hours.

"Yep, and now I own your ass." Lance said fiercely.

Justin started jumping up and down in his living room. He had been holding his breath, just waiting to hear those words. Tears formed in his eyes, finally he thought, I have someone who really believes in me.

Trying to calm himself down, he stated, "Now, don't go thinking that you can have my ass now just cause you own it."

Laughing, Lance fired back, "Why would I want your ass? It's all old and out of shape now."

"Oh really, then you haven't seen me lately have you?" Justin accused while looking down at his trim body making sure there was no signs of being out of shape.

"Damn, remember yesterday. I got to see the entire package, pee wee." Lance teased.

"Ha, ha," Justin quipped. "Where are you?"

"I'm in a cab, I have a few things to tie up but Stevie and I are going to take you out for a night of celebration." Lance informed him.

"I don't know, I have lots of things to do here." Justin argued.

"Hey, I own you now. I say you are to go out with me and Stevie and get extremely fucked up." Lance replied trying to sound angry but having a hard time since he couldn't stop giggling.

"If I have too." Justin complained but found out giggles weren't helping him sound genuine either.

"Okay, meet us at Stallions around ten." Lance said.

"Where?" Justin asked.

"Get a cab and tell him Stallions." Lance replied with a hint of exasperation.

"All right, then I'll see you guys at ten." Justin promised.

Lance snapped the phone shut and tried to sit still in the taxi. As it was, the driver kept giving him dirty looks about the way he was hopping up and down in the backseat.

Laughing out loud, he tried to explain to the driver, "I just got a new client."

"Right." The driver replied.

Lance didn't let the driver's indifference ruin his good mood. He couldn't wait to get Justin in the studio to finish his record. Now, all he had to do was get Justin and Scott in the same place. But he already had an idea about how he was going to do that. Still laughing out loud, Lance settled back into the seat and plotted.

STOCKTON CALIFORNIA

Shelia awoke with a start. Looking around the room, she noticed that she was alone. Stretching and yawning simultaneously, she pushed the covers off her and stood up. She walked over to the door and walked out and down the hall.

She ran into the duty nurse and asked if she had seen Scott. She was informed that Scott was in the cafeteria with his parents. She noticed the time and her stomach growled at her. Patting it absently, she went to go join Scott and his family.

She found them sitting around a table way in the back. The cafeteria was half full and she weaved her way back to the table. Upon seeing her, Scott gave a wave. She motioned to him that she was going to get some food and she went to start of the buffet line.

Her dietary habits were quite strict so she only got a Caesar salad with a carton of skim milk. After all, she didn't look as good as she did by eating everything. She kept great care of her body.

"Hey sweetie." Scott said as she approached the table.

She gave a friendly grin and sat down in the empty chair.

"Hey tiger." Shelia answered. "How are you two doing?" She asked his parents.

"Much better after a few hours sleep." Yulonda replied with a look of affection at her.

"And after eating." Richard said. "Now all I want to do is have a smoke." He gestured at his pipe sitting on the table.

Scott finished the last bite of his sandwich and said, "That sounds good. I could use a cigarette."
"What, everyone leaves as soon as I sit down?" Questioned Shelia good-naturedly.

"Isn't that what happens after you normally share a guys bed?" Teased Scott. "They leave you."

"Funny." Shelia replied but bent over and whispered in his ear. "Fucking dick."

Scott laughed along with his parents. They didn't hear her comment but they could guess what it was.

"Don't let the men get to you." Yulonda stated. "Us ladies will sit here and get to know one another while you two go and smoke. But first, dear, I need another cup of tea."

Richard laughed a deep-hearted laugh as he got up and went to find another pot of hot water for his wife's tea. Yulonda never went anywhere without her stash of herbal teas. Richard returned with a pot of steaming hot water and placed it in front of his wife.

"I love you." He stated as he grabbed hold of Scott's wheelchair and wheeled him towards the doors.

"I love you too."

Scott waved at the two women and immediately began a story that sent his father into fits of laughter.

Yulonda shook her head as she placed a fresh bag into her cup. She sighed, "It's so good to see him laughing again. It's been a long time since I've seen him laugh."

"What was he like, you know, before?" Shelia asked as she took a bite of her salad.

"Ohhh, that's good." Yulonda purred as she took a sip of her tea. "He was a normal kid. Always quick to laugh and smile."

"It's hard for me to believe that Scott was normal." Shelia mused.

Yulonda smiled affectionately at her, "He's just lost his way for a time. He'll find it again."

"You really believe that don't you." Shelia asked amazed.

"Yes I do. Scott had some bad things happen to him. And somehow, we couldn't reach him. It was like the world became dark to him and he couldn't find us anymore." Yulonda said, as her eyes became misty.

"About his cousin?" Shelia asked.

"Yes, about Roy." Yulonda admitted with hint of sorrow. "That was an unfortunate accident, but Scott could never quite forgive himself. So many lives were affected by his stubbornness and pride."

"Scott has told me about it so many times. I could never figure out why he was in so much pain. Normally pain heals but it was always there inside him, festering like a disease that couldn't be healed." Shelia replied with disgust.

"Scott's love for Roy was unlike anything I've ever seen between cousins." Came the reply. "Their love for each other was endless. We raised Roy from a little boy, did you know that?"

"No, Scott never said."

"His mother was horribly murdered when he was four, and his father wasn't the best role model. He signed Roy over to us right after the funeral. He grew up with Scott ever since." Yulonda said with a far away look in her wise eyes.

"From the time they could walk, they were in-separatable. And what terrors they were back then." Laughed Yulonda.

Shelia just nodded her head to encourage her to go on while she finished her salad.

"Oh my, one time. They were around ten or so. They decided that they wanted to fly. So they went in the linen closet, and got my best sheets, and took them to the roof and jumped off." Yulonda was laughing as she recited the story.

"Scott?" Shelia asked in between laughter.

"Yea, Scott broke his leg and poor Roy broke his jaw." Yulonda paused for effect. "That was the only time I had some peace and quiet in the house. Roy couldn't talk."

Both of them broke out in laughter at the thought of a hyper ten-year-old with a broken jaw.

"But the funny thing was." Yulonda remembered. "The entire time Roy had to eat through a straw, Scott did too. Just so Roy wouldn't feel bad. He wouldn't do anything that Roy couldn't do. And likewise, Roy pretended to have a broken leg."

"Really," Shelia asked with disbelief. "They were that close."

"Yea, it was a tragedy what happened that night." Yulonda grew quiet as the memory flooded her sub-consciences.

Shelia was trying to figure out a way to change the subject when Yulonda asked, "So, tell me about Scott being gay."

"Well, I..." Shelia started but she saw the two men enter the cafeteria.

"We'll talk later." Yulonda stated as her face broke out in a huge grin at her two men.

Richard approached the table wheeling Scott. Scott had a look of pure happiness, a look that Shelia hadn't seen in a long time either. It made his handsome looks stand out all the more. But he still looked pale and un-healthy.

"Did you two ladies have a nice chat?" Richard asked as he sat down. But not before he kissed his wife on the cheek.

"Oh yea." Yulonda replied. "Scott, you have a beautiful friend here."

"Yes." Scott answered as he looked at Shelia who gave him a weak smile. "I'm really lucky."

"Are you two done polluting the air?" Shelia shot back at him with a wicked grin.

"For now, remember it's been a couple of days since I had one." Scott replied defensively.

That shifted the mood at the table. It made everyone remember why they were all sitting there in the first place.

Scott took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry that you guys had to come out here like this. I mean for this reason."

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is we're here, with you." His father said with a grin of encouragement.

"No dad. It matters. I didn't want you to know about my problems."

"You're our son." His mom demanded fiercely. "Your problems are our problems."

"But I haven't been the best son." Scott replied.

"Listen." His father spoke up. "We've always been proud of you. No matter what happened in the past."

Shelia sat back and took it all in. She could tell that Scott wanted, no needed her there. But she felt like she was spying on something that she shouldn't be. Scott glanced at her and she shot him a grin. He smiled back and continued.

"I'm so sorry about everything." He said as tears started forming in his eyes. "I'm so sorry about the things I've said and done to you since Roy's death."

Both of the parents were completely shocked at what their son had just said. It was the first time that Scott had admitted Roy's passing. And the first time that they had talked about it.

"After he died. No, please let me finish." Scott pleaded as his father opened his mouth to say something. "I need to tell you about this."

"Okay, go ahead."

The trio looked on as Scott tried to explain that which hurt him so deeply. All eyes looked at him with love and understanding and a feeling of support.

"After he died, I never let him go. I held on to him so tight and I denied his death for so long that it started eating me up inside." Scott choked out as tears fell down his cheeks.

"I ran away from everything and everyone. I hated you for not blaming me." He admitted to his parents. Seeing the tears fall down their faces did little to absolve him of his guilt. But steadily he pushed on.

"We made a pact. We would be together forever. But then he died. And he broke that pact. And how I hated him for leaving me here." Scott said as he held his eyes shut.

Wiping away the tears that fell down his face, he continued, "I thought because he lied to me, that he didn't truly love me. And that if he didn't love me, then no one did. For so many years I thought that love didn't exist because of it."

"Oh baby." His mom uttered out. "We...I love you so much."

"I know that now. And I really love you, and I love you too dad." Scott declared to his parents.

"I've never stopped son." His father replied through his hands as he tried to stop the tears.

"Since I loved you, I had to push you away." Scott explained. "Every time I found myself loving someone, I pushed that person away. I buried myself in my music and then I buried myself in drugs. But I've found that you can't bury yourself from yourself." Scott said quietly.

"I got high in the beginning because I loved the way it made me feel. A sensation that overwhelms you at first then traps you in a world that steadily kills you. But the whole time, I still found myself. My thoughts wouldn't go away no matter how high I got." He sobbed.

Shelia put her arm around him and gave him a squeeze. She let the tears flow freely, letting him know that she was there for him.

"My life had turned into one big fog. Never truly forgetting but never really remembering. Staying in a pattern that almost destroyed me. While I was in that coma, I had a...vision...I'm not sure what to call it." Scott motioned with his hands trying to explain something that he didn't understand.

"It's okay." Yulonda comforted.

Hanging his head down and shutting his eyes, he told them what he saw, "While I was in that coma, I was in a white room, and all around me was this voice. It kept asking me questions. No matter what I said, it kept asking me the same damn questions."

"Who are you? It kept asking that question. Then the voice turned into Roy." Scott winced at the memory. "He was so angry. He kept saying that I wouldn't let him go. I remember it so vividly; he started to punch me. He hated what I've become."

"I remember hearing a sound like a heartbeat. Then as it stopped I felt like my chest was exploding. Roy begged me and begged me to let him go. But I couldn't, I loved him." Scott said the last statement with a fervor that shook his listeners.

"Then another voice came out of the darkness. It was me, reminding me of everything that I'd lost over the last years. Demanding me to just give up and die." Scott tried to paint the picture but the emotions whelmed up.

"I remember feeling a helplessness and the desire to just give up. But I couldn't, I couldn't give up on Roy. But the pain was so intense. It hurts so bad." Scott sobbed against Shelia's shoulder.

"You don't have to go on." Yulonda stated. "Its okay, it was only a dream. You're fine now."

"Don't you see. I couldn't give up. That was when I stopped breathing. I know that now. My life was in the balance at that moment. Roy saved me, I let him go. All the pain, all the guilt that I had carried around for so long left the second I let him go."

Scott straightened up in his chair and looked his parents in the eyes, "Somehow I found myself there, and I found something that was worth fighting for. A face that looked down on me, promising a better day, giving me hope. I understand now. But I found something else in there too. It's okay to love, its okay to show emotion. It's okay to let him go."

His mother reached over and gave him a hug that lasted for eternity. Whispering her love in his ear, she held her little boy for the last time. He was no longer the helpless child, he was a man. And now and forever, she would hug a man instead of a child.

Scott glanced at his father who had his eyes shut but his lips were moving. Silently praying and thanking God for giving Scott his protection. He believed that God had sent his angel to watch over his son.

Richard finished his silent prayer and joined in the hug. Finally grabbing Shelia and including her as well.

He said, "Shelia, you're part of the family now."

Shelia was to moved to speak but she hugged him back as tightly as he held her. The four of them sat there for a few moments just basking in the love of one another.

JUSTIN'S HOUSE

Justin had just stepped out of the shower and was shaving when he suddenly got a feeling that swept him away. A feeling of intense love shot through, causing him to smile and kind of chuckle outloud. Thinking to himself that was weird, he continued to shave, leaving a small stubble on his chin.

Throwing the towel across the rack, he walked into his room naked. He stood in front of the closet and tried to find the clothes that he would wear for the nights celebration. Finally deciding on a pair of black vinyl pants that were one size to small and hugged his lean body perfectly. To go with it, he decided on a metal ringed belt and a white v-neck pullover.

He threw on a pair of bikini underwear and finished getting dressed. He was almost finished when the doorbell rang. Thinking that Lance meant to see to it that he would show up, he opened the door with a huge grin. His grin faded quickly when he saw who was standing at the door.

"What are you doing here?"

TBC