Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 09:40:01
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go #56

Disclaimer:

   Here is chapter 56, the next chapter in an ongoing story about
Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the
Act.  I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell
me what you think.

    I have no contact with either of the gentlemen in question and such
literature is the product of the author's imagination.  That being
stated, I also wish to say that there is explicit sex in this chapter.
If you are not of an age to be reading this, please stop reading.

   Cheers,

   Musicfan



###



     Eloy awoke the next morning to the sound of a door closing somewhere
else in the suite.  Muffled voices carried through the door and it was
fairly obvious that the others were awake.  Stephen was still fast asleep,
curled up against Eloy's side.  Eloy looked down at him for a long while,
his eyes tracing familiar features.  As always, he was entranced with just
watching Stephen sleep.  Long lashes rested on pale cheeks. His gaze
followed the line of the nose down to the generous lips, which were curved
into a half smile as he slept.

    The need for the bathroom made Eloy untangle himself from Stephen's
embrace.  He quietly made his way out of the bed, trying not to wake his
lover.  Casting his glance around the room, he found his pants and pulled
them on.  Somehow the evening before he had forgotten to bring his bag into
the room, so the only clothes he had was the ones he had worn the night
before.  Moving so that he wouldn't disturb Stephen, he made his way out
the door and checked the doors in the hall until he found the bathroom.
Once he had finished, he came out and nearly walked into Ronan, who had
been walking down the hall back to the main suite.

    "Good morning," Ronan said with a grin, seeing Eloy's rather disheveled
appearance.

    "Mmmm, morning," Eloy said, smiling at Stephen's band mate. "I don't
suppose you know where my overnight bag is?"  He was desperate for a shower
after his exertions the night before, but wanted to have something to
change into before washing up.

    "Out in the parlour, I think," Ronan said, turning and leading the way.
Once they were out of the hall he gestured to the bag Eloy had put down the
night before.  "Everything work out all right?"  Eloy's smile pretty much
answered his question as he hunkered down and opened his bag, rummaging for
his shaving kit and some clean clothes. Ronan tactfully didn't mention the
marks on Eloy's back that he saw there.  Their presence brought the others
out of the back room of the suite and they all waited as Eloy finished
gathering his stuff.

    "Steo still asleep?" Keith asked, grinning.  At Eloy's nod he sat down
on the sofa and stretched out his legs.  "Noisy lad, ain't he?"  The others
laughed at his remark.

    Eloy flushed at Keith's comment and paused in the act of pulling his
clothes out of his overnight bag.  "Whatever you do, please don't tease him
about that.  He'd never come out of the room if he thought you had heard
that," he said, looking up at them before looking back down into his bag.
Keith nodded sympathetically at his assessment.

     Finally finding what he needed, Eloy stood up, hefted his clothes into
his arms and said as he headed out the room, "I never knew anyone could
blush so well in the dark."  The accompanying laughs were muffled as he
made his way down the hallway and back into the bathroom.

     By the time he was finished, there was still no sign of Stephen, so he
went back into the parlour with the others and had a cup of coffee.  He was
feeling more awake after his shower and the others were very good about not
teasing him too much.

     Ronan sat watching him as he sat down at the table with his coffee
cup. They had some muffins and pastries on a tray and Eloy grabbed one to
munch on with his coffee.

     "Eloy, I'm just beginning to find out some of the things that happened
while we were on break in Dublin, and the rest of us will probably have to
deal with Steo at some point or other.  The question is whether you want to
be here for it to have your say, or wait until after you're gone before we
have a go at him.  We just want him to know he shouldn't have to hide what
Louis did to him, and screw up his life because of some misguided thinking
that he's protecting us."

      Eloy sighed and rested his chin on his hand.  He was feeling much
more awake than he had earlier.  "How did you find out about Louis?"

     "Our tour manager told me when he was pissed one night," Mikey said.
"I don't know why we didn't see it coming, it's such a typical thing for
Louis to do.  He just loves manipulating people, and I'm sure he had a
field day with Stephen that night."  The rest nodded grimly at his comment.

     "I will say this, Stephen did it because he thought it was what was
best for the group," Eloy said in a low voice, wanting them to understand.
"And, in truth, I'm in the same situation with my group. Neither of us has
any idea what this news could do if it were ever to come out. I understand
and support the decision he made at the time."

      "Even if it made you both miserable?" Keith asked in sympathy.  Eloy
looked at him in surprise before wryly acknowledging his comment.

     "There are seven other people involved that could be affected by our
relationship.  Don't you think that we wouldn't think of that?" Eloy asked
soberly.  Elsewhere in the suite they heard water running and they knew
that Stephen was up.  Eloy sighed and rubbed his face before drinking from
his coffee cup again.  "Ja, I'd like to be here when you discuss this, but
probably it wouldn't be a good topic for this morning."  The others nodded
at his comment.

      A short time later Stephen walked into the room.  Immediately his
gaze was drawn to where everyone was sitting and he padded up in bare feet
to where Eloy was sitting with his back to the door. Wrapping his arms
around Eloy's neck, he leaned down to give him a kiss.  Eloy tilted his
head back and smiled at his lover.

      "Goed morning, zusje. I didn't want to wake you so I decided to let
you sleep in."  He looked up into Stephen's smiling eyes and reached up
with one hand to push the damp hair off his face.  "Join us for breakfast?"

      "Mmmm, I think I will," Stephen said, giving Eloy one last squeeze
before heading to the sideboard to pour himself a cup of coffee.  He made
his way back to the table where Mikey moved over and pulled another chair
up to the table next to Eloy.  Stephen sat down with a sigh and grabbed the
sugar bowl, putting two spoonfuls of sugar in before taking a sip.  "Ah."

     "Sleep well?" Ronan asked with a grin.  Stephen slanted him a glance
before shaking his head ruefully.  "No?"

     "Somehow, I didn't really have the desire to sleep much last night,"
Stephen said with a grin.  "Kept on getting distracted." He reached across
the table and tugged the basket of pastries towards him, looking through it
before pulling out a muffin.

      "Really? I slept like the dead," Shane said blandly, ignoring the
looks his friends gave him.  "Might want to check that bed, if it's giving
you problems."

      "Hmmm, I might," Stephen agreed, not looking up from what he was
doing.  He was waiting for the others to start in on him, and was mildly
surprised when they didn't.  He looked to where Eloy was just leafing
through the local newspaper, looking at the sports scores. His gaze
wandered around the table where his friends were all pretending that this
was just another normal morning.  "So what's on the agenda for today?"

     "Nothing, really." Mikey said, looking up at Stephen.  "We're done
with recording so we're just going to take it easy today.  I was thinking
of going out and getting something for Hannah, actually.  Anyone interested
in doing some shopping?"

     "Yeah, I could join you in that," Ronan said enthusiastically. Keith
also agreed and Shane nodded.  "Steo, why not just stay in and relax?  I
think you two deserve a break today."

      Eloy nodded in agreement.  "I wouldn't mind just sitting in one place
for a change.  All this running around has been a bit much."  Ronan nodded
sympathetically at his comment.  Before Stephen knew it, the rest were all
set for going out and leaving the two of them alone. They all got up at the
same time and walked out, saying that they would be back later on and to
have fun.  Stephen sat, blinking in surprise as they all filed out the
door, leaving him alone with Eloy in the suite.

     "All right, who are those guys and what did they do to my friends?"
Stephen asked in surprise, still not believing that they had left without
giving him a hard time about the night before.  Eloy chuckled at his
comment and went on flipping through the newspaper.

      "I think it's sweet.  They know we don't have a lot of time so they
want to give us as much as they can together." Eloy looked as he finished
the newspaper and rested his chin on his hand as he looked at Stephen. "So,
now that we have the day to ourselves, what would you like to do?"

     Stephen sat thinking for a moment before shrugging.  "I haven't a
clue, actually."  He grinned and Eloy laughed at the expression on his
face.

     "What a quandary!" Eloy chuckled.  "Let's see, it's mid morning.  We
could call down for breakfast or just wait for lunch.  Which would you
rather?"

     "I'm not much of a breakfast person, so this should hold me," Stephen
said, gesturing to his half-eaten muffin.  "Unless you want something..."

     "No, this is fine." Eloy asserted with a smile.  "Then we have several
choices."

     "Such as?" Stephen prompted, amused with the way Eloy had taken
control of their time together.  He was quite willing to go along with
whatever Eloy wanted to do.  He sat back in his chair and put his hands in
his pockets, waiting for Eloy to elaborate.

     "Well, for one, we could just sit and talk. It has been a while and
talking on the phone isn't the same," Eloy suggested.  Stephen nodded
thoughtfully and waited for him to continue, since he had mentioned several
choices. "Or, looking in the paper, I saw that there were several of your
favourite programmes on and perhaps you would just like to relax in front
of the television."

      Stephen smiled and shrugged, not giving Eloy any leads on what he
wanted to do.  Eloy thought over the other choices and smiled.

     "Then, of course, since we're alone, we could always go back to
bed..." Stephen laughed outright at this suggestion and Eloy made the
attempt to pout, though he didn't have much success at his endeavour.
"No?"

     "I just had a shower.  And the bed has hardly been made a half hour
and you want to go back and muss it?" Stephen made a good effort of
sounding shocked, but the curl of his lips gave him away.

     "I suppose you're right," Eloy said reluctantly. "Ah well, it was
worth the try." He looked around the room and smiled. "How about if we just
take our coffee out to the sofa and just chat then?"

     "Yeah, that sounds grand," Stephen said.  They topped off their mugs
and took them into the other room.  It was the same room that they had been
in with the other lads the night before.  Stephen moved over to the sofa
and sat at one end, sitting cross-legged on the cushions.  Eloy sat
opposite and threw a leg up so he could stretch out.

     "Ah, this is much better!" Eloy said with a sigh.  He raised his mug
in a toast towards Stephen, who grinned and did the same before taking
another sip.

    "You know, I'm still in shock that they were able to get you over
here." Stephen said, deciding to jump right in. He smiled at Eloy who
shrugged.  "Who set it up?"

     "Not sure I should tell you," Eloy said demurely.  "Don't want to get
the lads in trouble."  Stephen snorted at his comment and shook his head.
"What?"

     "You're not going to get away with not telling me, you know.  I'll
find out eventually," Stephen warned him.  When Eloy laughed, he shook his
finger.  "I'm serious here, mister.  You hold back, you sleep on the sofa
tonight."

     "Would you really do that?" Eloy asked in surprise.  He knew better,
but couldn't help but tease Stephen.  He knew it would drive him nuts, and
he was having fun.  Stephen nodded solemnly, trying to keep a straight face
as he made his threat.  "Really?  Even if I do this?" Eloy moved his
outstretched leg in between Stephen's crossed legs and started rubbing his
foot against Stephen's crotch.  Stephen jumped in reaction to the movement
and couldn't contain his involuntary reaction to Eloy's caress. "I think
other parts of you think otherwise."

     "That's fighting dirty!" Stephen declared with a laugh, giving into to
the inevitable as he tried to push Eloy's foot away.  "Go on, you!"

     "Just trying to prove a point, honing," Eloy commented, drinking his
coffee as he put his other foot in Stephen's lap.  Stephen grabbed his foot
before he could do anything with it, and held it before placing it down and
giving it a massage.  His touch effectively distracted Eloy who sighed in
appreciation.  "That's nice."

     "You need to relax more, you know." Stephen told him as he dug his
thumbs into the muscles of Eloy's foot, bringing out a grunt.  "Especially
with all the running around you've been doing."

     "Ja, I know.  But there never seems time," Eloy commented. What
Stephen was doing was feeling great, and he didn't want him to stop.

     "Honey, you've got to make time for yourself.  This pace is a killer,
and there has to be a point where you and the others just need to tell them
when to stop.  Or else you collapse somewhere on stage and it makes the
news that one of you has gotten into drugs or something.  You can't have
that, E."

      "Ja, don't think I haven't thought of that," Eloy admitted with a
sigh.  "We keep on promising ourselves a nice long break, but it never
seems to happen.  I'm amazed at the fact that this worked out, frankly."
Stephen nodded sympathetically.  "But its because Bas is sick and can't
sing at the moment.  The doctors told him he had to stay home for at least
a few days and rest his throat.  So our promoters moved our television
appearances, which gave us the long weekend off."

     "Well, however you did it, I'm glad it did work out," Stephen said as
he pulled Eloy's other foot up onto one knee and started working on that.
Eloy put down his mug on the floor and leaned his head back against the
bolster, enjoying Stephen's massage.  When he had finished with that foot,
he started on the calf, digging his fingers into the muscles there.  "God,
Eloy, you're all knots."

      "Sorry," Eloy said apologetically. "All that dancing. I know my knee
has been acting up lately."  Stephen glanced up with him in concern as he
said that.  Stephen knew well that it was probably worse than Eloy was
saying if he even admitted to that much.  He didn't say anything, knowing
that if he did, Eloy would deny it.  Without a word he moved his hands up
as far as he could reach and started rubbing Eloy's knee.  Eloy hissed, his
reaction telling Stephen all too well how much it was bothering him.

     "You know, it would help if you soak that." Stephen said without
acting like he had noticed Eloy's reaction.  "When Shane broke his ankle
that time it bothered him a lot on the next tour and our costume manager
suggested he soak it with Epsom salts.  It seemed to do the trick."

     "Maybe," Eloy said, relieved when Stephen moved to his other leg
without saying another word.  "So, what about you?  Album done?"

     "Actually, the album has been done for a while.  It came out this past
spring.  These sessions have been for the release in the States, which will
have different tracks.  Louis thinks we need to go more for an urban sound
to compete with the bands there."  Stephen finished with Eloy's other leg
and pulled both feet back into his lap, where he unconsciously stroked them
as he talked.

     "So you're doing promotion for that and recording?" Eloy asked.
Seeing Stephen's nod, he continued. "That's going to keep you pretty busy
for a while, I guess."

     "Yeah. Things have been pretty busy already.  Oh, you know how I told
you about that Andrew Lloyd Webber song?  It seems like they want to
release it now."

     "Really?" Eloy said in surprise.  "That's great news!  I thought the
record company didn't want to do that."  Stephen was grinning and he knew
he was going to get a story.  "Go on, tell me what happened."

     "Andrew gave a copy of his album to one of the radio stations in
England.  The music director started playing tracks to see what people
thought and apparently No Matter What took off like a house on fire.  There
was a lot of surprise when the album came out and it wasn't on it.  So now
they're talking about re-releasing the album and adding it to it."  The
satisfaction in Stephen's voice showed his enthusiasm in what had happened.

     "And are they going to release it as a single?" Stephen's smile grew
larger and Eloy had his answer.  "That's fantastic news, babe."

     "Thanks. I'm thrilled, to say the least.  I love that song and I don't
know what the hell they were thinking, but at least we're getting it
released.  The best I can figure out is that they didn't want to compete
with the two albums, for some reason.  Sometimes I don't think they really
talk to each other at the label, if you know what I mean."  Eloy nodded,
knowing exactly what he was talking about.

     "So when does it get released?" Eloy asked.

     "August, sometime.  Not too far from now, actually.  And the album
comes out in the States around the same time, so we'll probably try and get
over there and do some promotion for that, I guess.  Lord knows when, since
I haven't heard the plans and it's July already." Stephen leaned back with
a sigh.  "I guess we're paying for that long break we had in the States
earlier this year."  Stephen had told him all about their trip and his
comment turned them towards the topic of their Disney collections and their
latest shopping trips.

     Before they knew it, it was afternoon and the sound of the door
opening in the hallway distracted them from their conversation.  When the
others came in, it was to see the two of them still on the sofa, chattering
away.

     "Looks like you two got far," Keith said as he dropped his bags,
noticing the empty coffee mugs on the floor in front of the sofa.  Stephen
was still rubbing Eloy's feet and the look of bliss on the other man's face
brought out a chuckle as Keith looked at them.

     "They look comfortable enough to me," Ronan observed as he put his own
packages down.

     "Very comfortable, thanks," Stephen said with a grin as the others sat
down.  "I take it you found something to spend your money on?"  He took in
their bags as they all nodded, taking seats around the room.  "Anything
interesting?"

     "I found something for Jordan and Lisa," Keith offered.  "And we found
this toy store you would love!"  He proceeded to tell Stephen about the
stuff they had there while the others fished out their purchases to show
the couple.  Ronan showed them a necklace that he had picked up for Yvonne,
while Mikey and Shane went through their presents.  Stephen grinned, seeing
that they had been good to remember everyone on their lists.

     "Good for you.  Now you get to pack them all up," Stephen said with a
grin.  He had already gone out a few days before, because he wasn't sure if
they would have time later on in the week.  They chatted for a while before
turning to the topic of dinner.

     "What do you say we have something brought in so we can enjoy a
relaxing night together without the fans looking on?" Shane asked, looking
around to see everyone's reaction.  Stephen was watching everyone
suspiciously.  He knew damn well their reasons for suggesting that they
have dinner in.

     "Lads, you don't have to do that," he said in a disapproving voice.
"No need for the rest of you to stay in just because of us."

     "And what makes you think that's the reason?" Shane asked, arching a
shaved eyebrow at his friend.  Stephen stared at him, not backing down from
his comment.  "What if we are sick of going out and just want to have a
quiet night?"

     "Yeah, right." Stephen said, unconvinced with Shane's argument. Keith
started to protest and Stephen just looked at him, quelling him instantly.

     "Stephen," Eloy said, kicking him lightly in the stomach to get his
attention.  "Remember what Sigmund said."

     "Huh?" Stephen said, looking confused at Eloy's non-sequitor. "E, what
are you talking about?  Sigmund who?"

     "Freud," Eloy said with a slight grin as he withdrew his feet and sat
up on the sofa.  "Sometimes you should just accept things as they are, and
sometimes a banana is just a banana."

     Mikey started laughing at Eloy's comment while Stephen just looked at
him with a confused look on his face.  "Eloy, what the hell are you on
about?" Stephen demanded.

     "Just don't question it.  Do you really want to go out to eat tonight
with me tagging along?"  Eloy asked patiently. Stephen looked down at his
hands and Eloy reached across the sofa to lift his chin up. "Let's eat in
tonight.  Don't turn away the suggestion, please."

     "I just don't think it's fair to them to change things just because
you're here is all," Stephen said in a low voice, the others barely hearing
him.  Ronan moved over and knelt down next to where Stephen was sitting and
placed a hand on his knee.  Stephen looked up, surprised at his gesture.

     "Steo, this whole thing was my idea.  And what's wrong with sitting
down and having a quiet meal together, yeah?"  He smiled up at Stephen who
unwillingly smiled back in response.  "God knows you've had no time to
yourselves, so why not just enjoy some quiet time, all right? Let the rest
of us get to know your fella."

     "As long as you're not doing this just because you feel bad about it."
Stephen looked up and upon seeing his friend's faces, knew that their minds
had already been made up.  "Oh, all right.  What should we have in?"

     "How about Chinese?" Mikey asked.  The others looked interested in the
suggestion, so Stephen nodded after a glance at Eloy. He didn't say
anything else as the others threw suggestions around before putting in the
order.  The rest of the lads settled down with some drinks as they talked
about their day and what they did.  Stephen appreciated their tacit
acceptance of Eloy's presence.  It made him definitely more comfortable
about their situation, knowing he had his friends' support.

    To give him credit, Eloy had no qualms about just jumping into the
conversation with the others.  He shifted on the sofa at one point and
wrapped his arm around Stephen's shoulders as they all chatted, his casual
movement drawing no comments, though it made Stephen hyperaware of
everyone. When the front desk rung up to them that their dinner had arrived
and they were sending the delivery person up, they moved to the other room
and set up the table.  It was a tight squeeze with all of them there, but
no one seemed to mind.

    Stephen found himself relaxing even more as they picked amongst the
containers of Chinese food and chatted.  Eloy showed an active interest in
their work at Cheiron, having done his own recording there with his group
in the past.  They shared impressions of the people they worked with, with
a lot of joking going around the table as they ate.

    After their dinner, Keith suggested a movie on the satellite channel
and they moved back to the shared parlour to see what was on.  Eloy sat on
the sofa and Stephen took a seat on the floor by his feet, leaning back
against the sofa.  Shane sat down on the sofa next to Eloy while Ronan and
Mikey took the two armchairs and brought them over.  Keith joined Stephen
on the floor, leaning against the front of the sofa between Eloy and Shane,
which left Eloy making room for Stephen to lean back against his legs.
They finally decided to watch Deep Impact, and settled back to watch the
film.

     Ronan glanced over occasionally while the movie was playing and both
Stephen and Eloy were suitably distracted.  It was obvious from their body
language with how comfortable they were together.  A glance around the room
showed him that the others were keeping an eye on the couple, also.  He met
Mikey's gaze and nodded as the credits started rolling as the film ended.
It was time for a talk.

     Keith got up and went to the bar to make some drinks, asking everyone
what they wanted.  After serving everyone, he pulled a chair from the table
and sat down, having heard Ronan's comment that they were going to have
their chat now.  Stephen was oblivious, talking with Eloy about something
in the film, and it wasn't until he realised he was the only one talking
that his conversation stuttered to a halt.

     "All right, what're you all on about?" He asked, looking around at the
group. Ronan shifted awkwardly, not sure how to begin.  Mikey took it out
of his hands by starting in on the topic.

     "Stephen, remember when we were recording back in New York?" Mikey
asked.  Stephen turned to look at him and nodded.  "And I went back early,
yeah?"

     "Yeah, I remember." Stephen said.  The way the rest of them were
sitting around, he had a feeling that something was up, but Mikey's start
had him confused.  "What about it?"

      "I sat next to Mark on the plane on the flight home.  You know how he
hates to fly."  Stephen nodded at Mikey's comment and motioned for him to
continue.  "Well, he decided he needed to get good and pissed before the
turbulence the pilot warned about hit.  And he started talking about a lot
of things." Mikey shifted, feeling his way through telling the story.  "One
of the things he told me about was what happened in Dublin between Louis
and you at the Pod."

     By this point, Stephen sat staring at him, completely motionless as he
digested Mikey's comment.  He looked around the room and as he saw the
expression on his friend's faces, he knew that they all had found out what
had happened.  He closed his eyes without saying a word, thinking through
what Mark must have told Mikey.

     "Stephen," Ronan said in a low voice as he tried to get his friend to
look at him.  "Please talk to us about this."  Stephen shook his head in
disbelief as he thought back to the weeks that Mikey had known what had
happened, and how he must have told the others.

     "What is there to say, Ronan?" Stephen said softly as he opened his
eyes and looked up at his friend.  "Louis was absolutely right. News of any
relationship I might have could scutter things for us all. I couldn't deal
with being responsible for that.  I really couldn't."

     "You could have told us you know," Shane said, interjecting his own
comment.  Stephen twisted to look at him, all the while shaking his head.
"We could have helped."

     "How, Shane?  By having a go at Louis?  What good would that do?  And
maybe Louis could have gone about it another way, but still, Eloy and I
weren't being too careful if Louis found out.  And if the record company
got wind of it?  Forget it.  You know we wouldn't be sitting here now if
that were the case.  Shane, I've been through all this over so many times
it made my head spin.  I've talked to Eloy about it.  We didn't have a
choice."  Stephen could feel himself tensing up as the others confronted
him about what had happened. Eloy reached down and started massaging his
shoulders, feeling the hard muscles against his legs as Stephen defended
their actions.  Unconsciously Stephen relaxed against him, tacitly
accepting his silent support.  "We did what we had to."

     "But don't you think that as your friends, we had a say in this at
all?" Ronan asked him, seeing the pain in Stephen's face as he thought back
to the months he had been separated from Eloy while they dealt with this
problem themselves.

     "Ronan, it wasn't your problem. It was mine and Eloy's.  You shouldn't
have to worry about whether our relationship was going to cock up your
chances in the business, should you?" Stephen had thought all this out for
so long that he had all of his arguments prepared, since he had gone over
it so many times himself in his head.  "What if Polydor did find out and
decide they couldn't take a risk like this album if the news got out?
They'd be out a lot of money."

     "Stephen, what makes you think they don't know about you already?"
Mikey asked reasonably.  Stephen gave him a startled glance as he
continued.  "They might not know about you and Eloy, but they know damn
well what they have.  It hasn't stopped them from pushing us as a group in
the past, has it?"

     "No, but if word came out about me in a way they couldn't hide it, you
know they'd try to dump us in a heartbeat," Stephen said, still focused on
getting his point across.  "And if word came out about Eloy, he'd be in the
same boat.  Honestly, Mick, we couldn't deal with it." He pushed his hair
out of his eyes and leaned back against Eloy's solid presence behind
him. "You guys don't know the nightmares I've had over this.  I can't be
the one who causes it to all go to hell and a hand basket.  I wouldn't live
with myself if that happened."

     "Don't you think we'd be there for you, and that we'd find a way to
help?" Ronan pleaded, seeing how distraught that Stephen was getting just
thinking about it.  "Don't you think we'd go to the record company and stop
them?"

     "How could you, Ronan?  They don't give a shite.  They really don't."
Stephen said with a tired sigh.  He had been through all of these topics
time and again.  "Why do you think we did that Asian tour this past
winter?" He saw that the others gave him puzzled looks at his apparent
non-sequiter.  "Louis told me that they had gotten wind of me and were
scared to go ahead with the album.  He shifted things about to get us out
of the country while he cooled things down. When we got such a good
reception out in Asia, he got them to pick up the recording again."

      The rest of them sat and digested what he had to say before Mikey
picked up the argument again.  "Are you sure that's what happened, Stephen?
And that Louis wasn't playing another one of his games?"

      "If so, he played the game pretty convincingly," Stephen said.
"Everything he said came out the way he said it, so I have to believe some
of it was true.  I know that Louis is a mixer.  He's done it to all of us.
But I couldn't take the chance of being the one who wrecked it all from the
rest of you.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself I that happened."

     "I guess what I'm confused about," Keith said slowly as Stephen turned
to look at him. "Is why you just didn't tell us.  Even if we couldn't do
anything, at least we could be there to give a shoulder to lean on.
Stephen, when I think to all those times back in the States where we wound
you up about Eloy, I want to kick myself."

    Stephen smiled at his friend, knowing full well what he meant. "Keith,
it's all right.  I didn't mind, honest.  It was all in good fun.  Don't
think I didn't regret not telling you guys.  I just didn't know how to say
it."

    Eloy reached down and wrapped his arms around Stephen's shoulders in a
hug.  Stephen leaned back into the hug and the others were silent as they
watched the couple. Eloy rested his chin on Stephen's head as they sat
together.  When Stephen opened his eyes again, he looked around at the
group.  "I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you mad, but I really couldn't
tell you.  I couldn't even tell Michelle all of it. Hell, I don't even
think I could think about it, never mind talk about it."

     "Anyway, what is done is done," Eloy said quietly, his voice muffled
by Stephen's hair as he stayed where he was, completely comfortable in
front of Stephen's friends. "All that matters is that we're passed it and
we can move on from here."

     "Yeah, but I just want you to know that if something like this happens
again, we're here for you, Steo," Ronan said seriously.  The others nodded
as Stephen smiled.

      "Thanks, next time I'll remember that.  I've always known it, but
sometimes something like this is so personal, you can't talk about it.  I
guess that's what happened with me."  Stephen gave them a shy smile as he
leaned back into Eloy's steady embrace.  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

     "Well, if there is a next time, tell us, okay?" Keith asked. "That's
what we're here for."  Eloy sat up after giving Stephen one more
squeeze. He stayed behind Stephen as a comforting presence as Stephen
nodded his head.

     "I learned my lesson, believe me!" Stephen said with a short laugh.
"And thank you all for getting us together.  This means more than I can
say."  He patted Eloy's arm that was wrapped around his chest and looked up
at his lover.  It was obvious to the rest of them the love they saw between
the two men.  Eloy looked down at Stephen with a smile, which was returned
by the younger man.  They totally forgot the others for a few moments while
they looked into each other's eyes.

    "Well, now that we got that out of the way, we're all set, yeah?" Ro
asked, satisfaction tingeing his voice.  Stephen finally broke off from
looking at Eloy to glance around the room, remembering that there were
other people in the room with them.  A faint blush filled his cheeks and
the others couldn't help but grin at his expression.

     "Oh, shite, there they go again," Keith said, finally giving into the
temptation to wind Stephen up.  Stephen fixed him with a glare before
deliberately pulling Eloy's head down for a passionate kiss.  Shane turned
away, stifling a laugh while the others watched in various states of
surprise.  Ronan finally gave a wolf whistle, causing Stephen to break off
the kiss.

     Eloy stayed where he was, totally ignoring the other men in the room,
his eyes only for Stephen.  When Stephen tried to move away after Ronan's
whistle made him uncomfortable, Eloy pulled him closer, wrapping his arms
around Stephen's chest and not letting him move away as he nuzzled
Stephen's neck.  His action stopped Stephen's attempt to move out of his
embrace as he was caught up in what Eloy's lips were doing to him.

   "Awww, Christ, get a room," Shane muttered.  Though his words were
derogatory, the tone was not, and the couple didn't take offense at his
comment.

   "We have one, thanks," Stephen said with a smile, his eyes closed.  "And
speaking of which, I think it would be a good time to make good use of it,
don't you think honey?"

   "Mmmmm," Eloy murmured, still wrapped around Stephen. "Whatever you
want, liefste."

   "Let's go, then." Stephen said, moving away and turning to face Eloy. "I
think we need to get to that room in a hurry."  He gave Eloy a wink and
leaned forward for another kiss. "Or I'm not going to be able to hold back
any longer."

   Eloy fell in with him on his prank and pulled Stephen up on his knees
into French kiss, running his hands all over Stephen's back until he
grasped his butt. He trailed kisses along Stephen's jaw to his neck where
he whispered something low into Stephen's ear.  Feeling a nod in agreement,
he stood up, pulling Stephen with him.  Stephen wrapped his legs around
Eloy's waist and moaned.  He did have to bury his face against Eloy's neck
to hide a grin at the groans of disgust coming from his friends.

   "If you'll excuse us," Eloy said in a low voice as Stephen continued to
gyrate against him. "I think I better get this one out of the room before
you see more than you ever wanted to."

   "Thanks!" Keith said in gratitude, still surprised at Stephen's actions
as he and Eloy made their way out the door.  Ronan thought he heard a
stifled giggle just as the door closed, but he couldn't be sure.

    The room was silent for a few moments as the others digested the scene
that they had just witnessed.  Mikey was the first to speak.

   "Whose idea was it to get those two back together again?" He asked with
a chuckle.  Ronan raised his hand and they laughed at his expression.

   "It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Who knew what a sex maniac
Stephen could be?" Ronan said, shaking his head over what he had just
witnessed.

    "I guess he's making up for all those years of lost time," Keith said.
"You know what this means, fellas?"  The others looked at him, mystified as
to what it meant.  "That we better go out and invest in some earplugs if
we're going to get any sleep tonight."