Hey there again. Well, here's the next part of Dreams of an Angel. You know what, I started writing this story partly because I want to try dabbling with writing. Well apparently now, I've seem to get stuck at it. I cannot stop writing it even if I want to! Drew, I really think you've created a monster here!! Help!
Anyway, here's the next part. If it's too short again, my apologies. Again, thanks for all those positive feedbacks guys. It's good to know there are people out there who enjoyed it as much that I do. You want to know the rest of the story? Well, I want to know the rest of the story so very badly too, which is why I cannot seem to stop writing!! :P As I said, big bro, you've created a monster!!
Onwards to the boring part! Legal matters! Hehehe. You can press 'fast-forward' now.
Well, first of all, this story, as you will certainly find out soon, is TOTALLY fictional. So! If any of you truly believe in it... well, my brother is studying psychiatry right now for his final medical examination in April, so maybe I'll just refer you to him. You'd make a good delusional subject. Secondly! None of the guys in the Backstreet Boys are gay! (No matter how hard I wished it :P). But nobody say we couldn't dream it, heh heh. Thirdly, Warren Worthington is actually a character from Marvel Comics, X-men known as Angel or recently Archangel. Okay fine, I admit it. I'm bored and I am making a pathetic attempt to make life a lil' bit interesting. Its not like I'm gonna publish it or something. What else to talk about hmm? Oh, there may be some adult gay scenes in this story. Unlike my brother, I don't mind writing naughty stuff ;) so! If you're underage, naughty, naughty! I can only ask you to go away, but I cannot do anything else to stop you from reading on anyway. Hell! I've been sneaking into the internet to watch gay porns since I was 13! So, if your parents or whoever responsible for you catch you, don't say I didn't warned you. However, if you're homophobic... well maybe I can seduce you enough to turn you around heh heh. I do so love a challenge ;)
Anyway, enough talk. Any comments or boos or suggestion or whatever, just sent it to the same address as in NNTs, goldenknightuk@yahoo.co.uk . Yeah, we shared the same address. Don't ask. Long story.
Okay then! On to the show. Now, don't be shy now. If you got any comments or suggestions, just drop me a note. You do the request, and I'll do the show.
Andy
Warren entered the room quietly, mindful not to disturb Howie who has fallen asleep on his seat next to the bed. AJ is reading a book on the other side of the bed. He looked up when Warren entered the room.
"Hey," AJ greeted him though his voice contains less cheerfulness than before.
"You can sleep on the couch in the sitting room if you want," Warren offered.
"No, its okay." AJ mumbled softly, "I'm not that tired."
Warren leaned over Nick to check his vitals again, and nodded in satisfaction when it was stable.
"So, is this Dr. McCoy coming anytime soon?"
"He'll be arriving by 7 this evening at the latest. I've already arranged for my private jet to fly over to Westchester and wait for him. As soon as he and Jean is aboard, it will fly them here."
"Who's Jean?"
"Another of my friend from Westchester." Warren reply simply and was glad that AJ didn't enquire further.
"Brian and Kevin will freak out when they hear about this." Said AJ.
"It's my fault, I'm afraid," said Warren. "I shouldn't have allowed you to come with us to the mall. I knew a little bit about mobs chasing celebrities, but I never thought it'd be that bad."
AJ gave a small, tired smile.
"It's not your fault, Warren. It's actually nobody's fault. We got mobbed at the mall all the time. But we managed to get it under control most of the time. This is one of the rare situations when things went goes out of control. It occasionally happened, but rare."
"Its too bad it has to happen when Nick got this particular problem." AJ continued.
"You never noticed anything that would indicate this problem on him before?" Warren asked curiously, as he tries to examine Nick's past.
AJ simply shook his head sadly.
"I never even suspected it. I don't think any of us did. Some friends we are." He answered grimly. "There were times when Nick prefers not to leave his room at all while the rest of us went out to hit the clubs. And there were also times when Nick would complain of headaches and his mood would then goes bad and he would snaps at everyone. His bad mood would then spread to the rest of us and eventually we would snapped at each other too."
Warren frowned at that but remains quiet.
"And oh, he's been daydreaming a lot too for the last few weeks." AJ continued. "Damn, we should have suspected something was going on!"
"Well, you do now, and that's all that matters." Said Warren. "You cannot change the past, but you can do something about the future."
"Do you know what is going on, Warren?"
For a brief moment, Warren felt tempted to tell AJ of his suspicions, but he decided against it at the last moment, and shook his head. Never trust anyone when it comes to the subject about mutants.
"Hank will figure out what's going on." Warren reassured him.
AJ simply sighed and leaned back.
"This incident will go into the newspaper tomorrow." AJ muttered before getting up. "I better tell Kevin and Brian what happened before that happens. The last thing I want right now is dealing with an angry Kevin and a frantic Brian."
"AJ," Warren called out as AJ reached the door. "Don't beat yourself up on all these. You didn't know things would get out of control. Nobody's perfect."
AJ merely nodded and walked out of the room.
Time flew by and the sun descended into the horizon slowly. The shadow lengthened as the day gradually gives its way to the night.
As his awareness slowly returned, Nick let out a soft moan and stirred slightly on the bed, trying to fathom what has happened. Did he pass out again?
His memory seems to be nothing but a blur and his body is stiff from lying in one position all the time. How long has he been unconscious again? Gosh, this really is a d^Âj^Å vu.
His memory cleared a little and bits and pieces began to trickle back into his mind. Shopping... the mall... screaming fans... mob... so it hasn't been a dream after all. He remembered screaming Howie's name... He remembered the stabbing pain in his head and the overwhelming sensation in his mind... sensation he couldn't even describe. He remembered the world getting dark and before that... fireworks? Yes! Sparks and bursts of multicolor lights. Don't know what was going on there...
He opened his eyes slowly and realized that he is lying in a posh bed with an equally posh room. Okaaay! Where am I and how the hell did I get here? He slowly sits up and winced as his muscle protested against the effort. But unless he moves, he will never get rid of the stiffness. Where the hell am I?
Well, at least, whoever rescued him took every measure that he is comfortable. Currently he is only wearing his jeans - well whoever rescued him also took into consideration to respect his feelings enough not to undress him when he is unconscious. God he feels thirsty. He turned to the adjacent bedside table and saw a pitcher filled with water. Moving awkwardly, he tried to grab the glass next to the pitcher, but his protesting muscle finally betrayed him, causing his hand to slip. The glass was pushed off the table instead and cracked on the carpeted floor. God, damn it!
The noise must have attracted attention. Movement from the door indicates someone is coming and he withdrew his hand and looked up at the door. The door open and Warren strode into view.
"Nick! You're finally awake!" With a relief smile on his lips, Warren rushed to him and helped him pushed himself against the bed so that Nick could rest his back against the head of the bed.
"Warren..." Nick mumbled in confusion. "I passed out again, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but you're awake again and that's all that matters." Warren said passionately.
"I tried to... call you... but there were... to many..." said Nick.
"It was a total confusion at that time, Nick. Howie, AJ and I tried to find you, but we couldn't. But don't worry about that. We found you at last and you're safe now."
"The others... where are they?"
"They're having dinner at the sitting room. They'll be here shortly. You just get some rest." Warren noticed the broken glass on the carpet. "You want a drink?"
He filled another glass with water and handed it to Nick. Nick drank it all down and then handed back the empty glass to Warren.
"How's the head?" asked Warren.
"It's fine now," Nick whispered, keeping his eyes down. Silence stretched for a moment and Warren waited as Nick looked like he has something else to say.
"Nick?" said Warren worriedly as Nick's body began to quiver slightly. He placed his fingers under Nick's chin and his heart sank when he say Nick was crying softly.
"Nick? What's wrong?" Warren asked softly, as he gently wiped the flowing tears from Nick's cheek.
"Warren, what's wrong with me?" Nick whispered. "What the hell is wrong with me?"
Warren sighed sadly and pulled Nick into a tight hug as Nick broke down once again, rubbing his back soothingly. Silently, he wished he could tell Nick his suspicion, but he is not sure whether its true or not. Furthermore, he cannot tell how Nick would react when it comes to the topic about mutants. He doesn't want to scare the guy away with only vague speculations and suspicions without any hard proof.
"Nick? Are you okay now?" He asked tentatively when Nick's sobs lessen to an occasional sniffing.
Nick pulled away from the hug reluctantly. For some reason, he definitely feels safe within Warren's arm. But that is one topic he doesn't want to deal with at the moment.
"I'm okay now. Thanks for holding me and thanks for not making a big deal out of this." Nick whispered softly, feeling quite embarrassed for breaking down in front of Warren like that.
"Hey, do feel ashamed about it," Warren replied earnestly. "Sometimes its good to cry and let it all out. There is no shame in crying. I cried too when..."
'When I lost my old wings,' Warren thought bitterly, but feeling relief that he managed to stop himself from revealing that.
"I cried a lot too when bad things happened to me in the past." He finished it off when Nick looked at him enquiringly.
"What bad things?" Nick asked softly as he noticed the flash of pain and sadness in Warren's eyes... the first flash of emotion he ever seen in Warren's eyes for that matter.
Warren smiled sadly as he unconsciously pushed back bits of Nick's hair from his forehead.
"Many things in my past," Warren spoke at last and Nick's heart sank at hearing the sadness and bitterness in his voice. "My father's death, leaving me as the lone survivor of my family to manage the family fortune. My bestfriend's betrayal as he tried to make a grab for all my money. Messed up relationships, one after another... sometimes, crying is the only thing that makes a person stays sane. It lets all the pent-up emotions out, instead of having it all locked up inside."
"I'm sorry..." said Nick softly.
"No, don't be sorry." Said Warren. "Its all in the past. Things happen and at times we fall. We may cry for a bit to let the emotions out. Then, we just get have to up again and move on. What I want you to realize is, there is no shame in crying."
Nick stared at Warren's eyes for a moment. This is the first time he really looked into those glimmering sky-blue eyes up close. From afar, you will never notice it. But up close, you can see the roiling emotions that seem to burn brightly within his soul. There is much sadness and bitterness there, mixed with anger and loneliness and... regrets? There are more things that has happened in his past than he has let on...
"Hank will be arriving soon. Are you sure you don't mind him seeing you?" said Warren.
"The doctor? No, maybe it's best if I see someone." Said Nick, without taking off his eyes from Warren's.
"Nick, can I ask you about something... sensitive?" Warren asked tentatively, tensing as if he is expecting an explosion.
"What do you wanna know?" mesmerized by Warren's eyes, Nick doesn't even registered the fact that he is touching Warren's cheek lightly.
Warren paused to look at Nick in puzzlement, but decided to ignore the touch in order to pursue this opportunity.
"How do you feel about mutants?"
Warren watched Nick carefully as he finally saw Nick blinked in surprise at the unexpected question and shook himself as his awareness returned. The hand that was touching his cheek was quickly withdrawn.
"Mutants?" Nick said curiously. "I don't know. I have nothing against them, unlike Howie or the rest of the world. I think they are cool, unless they start causing a mess... like that guy Magneto. Why do you ask?"
Warren felt a lump in his throat as he thought this over. The good news is Nick doesn't have any problem against mutants. The bad news is, Howie does.
"Howie hates mutants?" Warren asked carefully, trying hard to sound casual.
"Yeah. But that's because one of his best friends were killed last time when that great ship appeared over New York and started to went out of control. The ship struck one of the skyscrapers and the stone debris fell on top of an apartment block where she lives. People said mutants were involved. Whoever was involved, Howie never forgives mutants for it."
'The Apocalypse incident again!' Warren cursed bitterly in his thought. He knew well what Nick was talking about. That was when he made that accursed deal with Apocalypse and gained his metal wings and called himself Death, one of Apocalypse four Horsemen. They created havoc in New York at that time, nearly destroyed everything. Howie has every right to hates mutants, especially him, for he was one of those who took part in wreaking the city.
"What about the others?"
"Well, AJ is fine with it. Kevin and Brian prefer not to talk about it. I don't really know how they feel about it. They were raised as strong Christian believers and judging from all those protesters out there, most of them came from the Christian organizations. But whether or not Brian or Kevin took what those people belief strongly, I cannot say. I'd be surprise if Brian takes it strongly though. Why Warren? What's with all this mutant questions?"
"Well," Warren began uncertainly. Is it wise to tell Nick? Well, there's only one way to find out. Warren hates gambling, but sometimes, it is necessary to gamble. "I also asked another person to come along with Dr. McCoy. Her name is Jean. Dr. Jean Grey. She... she is a mutant. Her power is mainly telekinetic, but she also has a degree of control in telepathy. I thought that if Hank cannot help you, Jean could probe into your mind and see if there is anything wrong."
Nick stared at him for a good while, no knowing what to say. Not having any problems with mutants is one thing, but having someone probing his mind...
"I... I don't know, Warren." Said Nick nervously.
"Nick, there is... there is another reason why I asked Jean to come along. You see... when Jean's power manifested itself, she... exhibit similar symptoms as you did whenever she's in public. She was already half-crazy when she arrived at Westchester, screaming of voices in her heads and all. You have to accept the possibility that you are also a telepath and that your power are beginning to manifest itself, because if you are, then you need to control it before it drives you insane. Jean can help you in that."
"Oh God, oh god, oh god... this can't be happening." Said Nick as he covers his face with his hands. "I cannot be a mutant!"
"You said that you have no problem with mutants." Said Warren.
"I... I have no problems with mutants but being a mutant myself? I... I don't know... I mean... I already have a normal life that I'm happy of! I have a nice, happy family and good friends... and a career that I truly enjoyed and love..."
"You are scared that being a mutant would change everything." Warren finished it off for him.
"I love my family and my friends." Said Nick. "I don't want that to change. I don't want to lose them."
"I know how you feel, Nick." Warren sadly. And he truly means it. He truly knew what Nick is going through right now. "When I learn that I was a mutant, I was..."
Warren nearly bit his tongue out as he realized what he has let slipped. Deep in his thought, he shouted a bundle of curses to himself for being so stupid and careless. He watched in dismay as Nick eyes widened before drawing himself away from Warren hastily. Warren has many experience from other people recoiling themselves when they learn that he is a mutant, and to be honest, he didn't really care about it. It was a surprise when he realized how hurt it feels when Nick recoiled from him.
"You... you're a mutant too?" said Nick in a small voice.
"I..." Warren spoke hesitantly, desperately trying to think of a way up to cover up the mess he has inadvertently done. But he couldn't think of any way out of this. "I... am."
A stretch of silence ensued, both couldn't think of anything to say. Warren cast his eyes downward, unable to meet Nick's eyes. Even when not looking at him, he could feel the weight of Nick's stare upon him.
"Nick...," Warren began but Nick interrupted him hastily.
"Warren, I'm... I'm sorry." Nick hastily drew himself nearer again and held Warren's hand. "I... I mean what I said about me not having any problem with mutants. You... you just caught me off guard for a moment. You see, all these things are new to me. So far, I've only heard or seen mutants in the news on TV or radio. I never met one before so... you must understand... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to recoil like that. I'm so sorry."
Warren looked up and was relieved when he saw the sincerity in Nick's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Nick. I never meant to keep it a secret from you or anyone else for that matter. But it really is a necessity. You must understand..."
"I understand, Warren. The world has already made up its mind about mutants. Hell, Howie would have gone ballistic is he knew about you. You must be careful around him. He really, really hates mutants." Said Nick.
Mentioning Howie's name caused Warren to look at the door hastily. Dimly along the corridor leading to the sitting room, he heard some laughter as AJ, Howie and Jubilee watched some show on the TV while eating their pizza.
"So, what is your power?" Nick asked curiously. "Telepathic?"
Warren smiled sadly.
"No." Warren replied. "Remember the angel you saw flying last night? That was actually me."
"No kidding!" Nick exclaimed in surprise. "So I wasn't dreaming then! But... but you don't have wings..."
Warren slowly placed his hand over his image inducers, hesitating for a moment, before switching it off. Immediately, his image began to ripple. Nick's eyes widened in shock when Warren's skin turns blue and a great feather wings appeared before him.
"Your... skin..." Nick stuttered.
"It was not always like this. It's... a long story..." Warren replied nervously. Nick would probably think of him as a total freak because of his skin.
But Nick's attention was more on the wings rather than the skin. He looked at it in awe even as Warren spread it apart so that Nick could get a better view.
"Wow." Nick breathed out in awe.
"You can touch it if you want." Said Warren.
"Can I?" said Nick hesitantly. Warren stretched out one of his wings forward and brushes it against Nick, causing him to gasp. Hesitantly, Nick placed a finger against it and gently strokes it.
"It's... soft..." Nick whispered, tracing his fingers along the rows upon rows of neatly arranged pure-white feathers.
"Nick, will you let Jean and Hank examine you to see if you're a mutant?" Warren asked gently, as Nick continues to feel his wing.
Nick drew a shuddering breath at that, but remain silent.
"Nick, if you are a mutant, you need to learn to control your abilities. We can help you control it." Warren said softly but Nick still remains silent. Silence stretched again.
"I'm... scared..." Nick whispered out at last as he continues to stroke the feathers. Warren took hold on one of Nick's hand and gripped it firmly and he was relieved when Nick slowly returned his grip. He looked up and stared into Nick's frightened eyes.
"I'll be with you all the way if you want me to." Warren said softly, never breaking his gaze from Nick's eyes. The fear is still heavy within those eyes, causing him to add an additional reassurance. "If you would trust me."
The fear lessened, and Warren rejoiced silently when at last, Nick slowly nodded.
The sound of AJ's and Howie's voice getting nearer and nearer to the room, caused both Warren and Nick to look at the door in alarm.
"Warren!!" Nick hissed as he alternatingly looked at Warren and then back to the door.
Warren however, simply looked at the door in wary silence; his hand reached back out to the image inducers and quickly switched it back on. The wings disappeared and his skin returned back to normal color, just as Howie and AJ entered the room.
"Nick!! You're awake!!" AJ cried out and rushed over to give him a hug. "Man! You really gave us a scare!"
"Glad to see you back, dude," Howie just smiled as he walks to the bed. "Thought you're a goner."
"Sorry to give you a scare, guys." Nick smiled back as he finally pulled away from AJ's hug. "Won't happen again."
"You bet it won't. The doc is on his way to see you right now, right, Warren?" said AJ.
"He should be here anytime soon." Warren replied.
"Judging from AJ's cries, I figured you're awake." The guys looked at the door and saw Jubilee standing there, smiling widely. "Hungry?"
"Hey, Jube. Nice to see you again. Is that pizza?" said Nick, his stomach grumbled at the mere sight at the box Jubilee is holding.
"We thought we left some for you." Jubilee replied as she strolled over to the bed and placed the box next to Nick. "Eat up, bubble gum. You've been out for nearly six hour. You must be hungry."
"Starving, actually." Said Nick as he greedily ate the pizza. "Mmm... my favorite."
"Whoa there, Nick. Slow down or you'll choke yourself." Howie laughed.
Nick simply mumbled something as he chews though none could understand what he is saying.
"Did you mom ever teaches you never to talk with your mouth full?" said Jubilee.
Nick simply shrugged it off and continues to eat.
"What they don't know wouldn't hurt them." Nick replied before shoving another pizza into his mouth.
"Well, at least your appetite is unaffected." Howie laughed as he watched Nick shove yet another slice in.
"You feeling okay, Nick?" asked AJ.
"Umm-hmm!!" Nick simply nodded vigorously as he chew. "Ne-feer... ffelllt... bet-taahhh..."
"Guys, guys, guys, give him some time to eat properly, okay?" Warren smiled.
"Thanks Warren," Nick swallowed and grinned at him appreciatively before looking at AJ and Howie. "So what have you jokers been up to while I was off in la-la land?"
"Worried sick, about you! That's what we've been up to." Said Howie. "We thought you went into a coma or something."
"Yeah. And I have to deal with an angry Kevin and a very frantic Brian when I told them what happened to you," said AJ. Nick could have sworn that he was whining. "It was all I could do to prevent them from taking the first plane out here to check up on you."
"Why did you tell them?" asked Nick. "You should have kept it quiet between us."
"And let them find out when it's out on the front headline of the morning newspaper tomorrow? Hell no!" AJ answered back.
And at that moment, both AJ's and Howie's phone went off.
"It's Brian," said Howie as he checked the caller ID on his phone. "He's been calling every hour to check up on you."
"And Kevin is calling on my phone." AJ grinned evilly as Nick groaned.
"Tell them I'm still out cold!!" Nick hissed even as Warren and Jubilee chuckled softly.
AJ shook his head, still grinning.
"I took the first bullet, Nick. This one is yours." Said AJ as both Howie and he pressed the receiving button and placed one phone on each of Nick's ears.
"Umm... hello?" said Nick hesitantly, bracing his body as if expecting an explosion.
Warren watched in silent amusement as Nick winced upon hearing the shrill shouts and cries emanating from both phone.