Soulmating

Cc: saboteur_98155@yahoo.com

=DISCLAIMER= This story is meant to imply nothing about the sexuality of the real people involved. Anything mentioned from this point on is purely fictional and not meant in any way but the highest regard.

NOTE: Saboteur_98155@yahoo.com is STILL the place to send feedback... this email adress is just temporary. Thanks.

The lyrics used within are not meant to imply anything about the individual preferences, practices, or lifestyle choices any of the musical artists mentioned. The lyrics are not used for any personal monetary profit...

Thank you for the feedback... all two of you. But in all seriousness, if you enjoy the story then I'm glad regardless of if you contact me.

If you have any objections to my writing, then why in the name of Jesus are you reading this? I know some of you might like Hanson but I don't buy the whole "I didn't know it was a GAY STORY!" defense. So shut up and don't send me any more hate mail you stupid, obesessed little Christian girls.

WARNING!! This chapter contains scenes of intense and very raw human interaction. If you are bothered by that, then don't read. You've been warned.

The mentions of previous works of gay fan fiction are meant in the utmost respect...

This the next to last chapter. Almost home.

REMEMBER! Comments, Suggestions, and Criticisms can be sent to saboteur_98155@yahoo.com

I can be reached on ICQ at 70639912... Or on AIM at Reid00005992...

Enjoy!

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| || The Compound- Chapter 11 - "The Pursuit" || || By Reid || ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

=The blackout...=

"Hey... cut it out." Zac giggled, weakly trying to swat my hand away from his stomach.

"I can't help it. I think you gave me permanent horniness." I whispered in his ear and let my fingers creep under his shirt.

"I'm gonna lose the game..." Zac pouted before nibbling on my lower lip.

Well, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask on N64 could wait for now, I thought as we began to kiss. Keri had surprised us with our very own 20" TV and a Nintendo 64 set that was so beautiful, Zac almost seemed teary eyed to see it. We found it when we came back from our little honeymoon and in the two days since, we had scarcely been able to look at each other without needing to strip naked and have sex. Just the memory of his body bound and blindfolded on the big bed was enough to give me an erection that threatened to tear my shorts in half so fast that it would imbed the two pieces in the wall for years to come. It was still kinda unclear what had been so appealing... I guess it was Zac's willing submissiveness to my desire. There was something about how he'd given himself so unquestioningly to me that made me feel so incredible. It was just one of those things, I guess.

We had perched the TV on the end of the desk so whoever had to play the N64 had to either sit on the side of the bed or lay on their back with it between their feet. Zac had chosen the latter and he looked so tempting that I couldn't resist. We were blessed with being alone for a few hours since Taylor had signed up for an activity group and the orientation for all of the newest residents would be located in the auditorium in the CP sector. Apparently, it was a pretty big function and Devon would be attending as well, so there wasn't much worry about him being in danger, which was a help to both Zac and I. Practically the whole D sector would be attending the function since there would be free food, leaving Zac and I alone in the deserted sector. It didn't strike me was odd at the time since Zac had shocked me to the point where I felt his forehead when he said he'd rather stay back at the room and miss the buffet.

Part of me still felt we should go with Taylor, but I remembered he was a big boy. It was kinda surprising. In the few says since he'd arrived, I'd really grown fond of Taylor in a very "older brotherly" way and in some ways, he was fitting what I'd expected and in other ways, he really hadn't. It had surprised me to see him and Zac start kissing each other on the lips goodnight, but they explained it was how they were raised and it was just a familial thing. It would take some getting used to.

Zac and I had considered going to the courtyard but the weather had looked particularly craptastic. So we stayed back at the room, and Zac had almost teasingly stated he didn't want to be disturbed during his video game. So after about thirty seconds, I had crept onto the bed and cuddled up to him, nuzzling his neck and trying to cop a feel under his shirt. For some reason, he smelled extra hot that day and my hands just seemed to have a mind of their own as they tried to touch his warm skin. It was pretty easy to gauge how welcome my actions were and when Zac would smile and minister to me with a long kiss before turning back to the game, I could tell that he wasn't planning on making me wait too long.

"Mmmm... not only do you smell good, you taste good." I murmured in his ear and began to give long, warm kisses to the little area between the back of his ear and his hairline.

Zac didn't say anything for a few seconds and I heard the controller fall out of his hand. He turned his head and converged his lips to mine and kissed me with a few short kisses before laying on a long one. He felt so warm and so testicularly pleasing as I rolled over and straddled him, sliding both hands up under his shirt and burying my face in his neck. His skin just tasted sweet and alive as my tongue found it's way onto his collarbone as he began to pull his shirt off. It had a little trouble getting up but soon enough, it was off and draped across the TV, on which the forgotten video game was still playing. Zac let out another of his part giggle, part moans and pushed up against me, arching his back and displaying his hard nipples.

It was pretty damn clear what he wanted and it wasn't like I could ignore him. My kisses got firmer as they traveled down and onto his chest, where I licked each nipple with a long stroke across the perceptive skin. Zac's legs kicked and I could feel him digging into the mattress with his heels as the moans got a little louder. Sweat had begun to stand out on his chest and shoulders and under him, the backs of my hands could feel the sheet begin to go warm and moist. Those strong hands had found their way to my shoulders and he held them firmly, making sure the intense pleasure he was feeling wouldn't leave anytime soon.

Then something went wrong.

At first, I was way too into servicing Zac's nipples to notice that the lights hand gone out. I didn't hear the dying drone of the TV or the metallic death whir of the sexual aid dispenser because the moans from above me drowned it out. I noticed when my eyes opened and there wasn't any light in the room. It was pitch black and the first thought I had was that we had jiggled the lamp off the nightstand and it had broken without us knowing it. But if that happened, the ceiling lights would have detected it and come on automatically. And even then, the TV wouldn't have gone off. It was very odd.

"Ohhh God... oh shit... Reid... lower..." Zac moaned, his eyes still shut tightly.

"Zac... Zac, something's wrong." I panted, pulling off and pushing him back onto the bed with my hand on his chest.

"Huh... what... what's wrong?" He gasped, opening his eyes and sitting up. He noticed the lack of light immediately.

I flailed around in the darkness and smacked my funnybone on the side of the desk, drawing an agonized yelp as my arm got that horrible "tingly" feeling. I had really caught myself good and it was so bad my stomach felt sick. Zac was quickly at my side and rubbed my sore elbow, and it felt like he was holding onto me in the darkness. I was seriously scared at that point but I hadn't realized it yet. My feet nearly tripped over Zac's shirt as I went to the door and pulled it open, looking out into the pitch-black hallway. It was then that I felt more scared than I ever had and as I heard faint voices from far down in the hallways. After a few minutes of blindly wondering what had happened out in the darkness, it began to sink in.

The door felt like it weighed a ton as I tried to shut it, knowing that the automated system had gone out with the lights and the door was basically dead weight. My muscles strained and I ground my teeth as I shoved at the door, my feet slipping against the floor. Zac came up behind me and with both of us pushing, we got the door closed and when it was fully set, I leaned back against it. I was trying to form some coherent plan of action but Zac seemed to not know what was going on.

"Reid," He said, his hand fumbling around until it rested on my cheek, "What's wrong?"

"Zac, this is bad..." It was all I could say and in the darkness, my stomach felt like it was boiling.

I heard Zac rummage around in his desk and a few seconds later, a small flashlight came on and the room was illuminated with an almost supernatural green light. He must have gotten it from his snorkeling and shell harvesting class, I thought. My spine tingled and my hands shook as I sat down at the desk and tried to get a handle on the terror coursing through my veins. Zac sat down on the bed next to me and propped the flashlight up against the foot of the bed. I could indistinctly feel his hand on my knee.

"Reid, you're seriously scaring me. Please tell me what's going on." His voice sounded like he just barely controlling it.

"Zac... there's been a power outage." My fragile stress induced calm wasn't being helped by the 'Phantasm'-like green light that made our once cozy room look like an EKG reading.

"What do you mean?"

"The power has gone out. This whole place... the lights, the security system, the locks on the doors, the heating and cooling, the infotrack, the TVs, the stoves, the computers, the stereos, and everything that uses electricity does not work. Until they can restore power, this whole place will be like an abandoned hospital."

Zac bit his lower lip and his self control was leaving him, "How did it happen?"

"It's the rain. This is the hurricane... Dr. Howard said she'd heard a warning..." I said and held my throbbing forehead.

"Wouldn't they know?"

"Apparently they didn't." I said and stood up, trying to keep from having a stroke.

"But... why?"

"I don't know, Zac!" I snapped, "I have no idea!"

"Don't yell at me... please... I don't know what's wrong..." He said and his voice trembled.

Immediately, I felt horrible and sat down next to him, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Zac..."

"Why is it so bad? Can't we just wait for the lights to come back on?" He said and moved closer to me.

"We can't wait here..." I said, and the sickening possibilities entered my mind.

"Why not?"

"Zac... there's nothing standing holding back the freaks down in the lower sectors. There's nothing between them and you. We're lucky if we have half an hour before they show up at the door." I said, my tone sounding chillingly dead.

"Reid... we gotta leave..." Zac said and he stood up, pulling on my hand.

"We can't go out there. We'll run right into them before we can get anywhere guarded."

"Well... what about Keri..."

"She's down at CP with Dr. Rios."

"What about Tay... and Devon... and Jake..." Zac whimpered.

"They're all down at CP. They aren't in danger because it's such a big crowd. Most of the agents are there too."

At that point, it felt hopeless. Something inside me said that Zac and I should just give up and wait for them to come get us.

"What if we block the door..." Zac said, running over and trying to shove the dresser, "Come on... Reid, help me, please..."

My body fell back on the bed, "That won't stop them."

"Reid... please stop talking like that..." Zac cried and knelt on the mattress next to me, "Please don't do this..."

My body felt so damn tired. I laid back on the bed and rested my forearms over my eyes. It was almost like God was trying to test me yet again and part of me just wanted to give up and tell the old bastard that if he was going to do this, then I wasn't going to fight it. If he wanted to take happiness and fulfillment and my motivation for life, then I wasn't going to try and stop him. How much did I need to do to prove myself? What more did he need? If he wanted me to be forced to watch the love of my life be raped by a thousand slavering maniacs, then he obviously wanted me dead. He obviously felt I didn't deserve to feel any happiness if that's how he was going to treat me. Just lay back, I thought, lay back and wait for the sound of scratching at the door and crazy gibberish being chanted behind it.

"Reid..." Zac had been reduced to a terrified whisper and his fingers grabbed at the collar of my shirt. I could feel his hot breath on my neck as he pleaded, "Reid... please... please... I don't want them to get me..."

My arms fell from my face and in the green light, my eyes caught the squares of the sexual aid dispenser. Suddenly, the whole situation didn't seem so daunting. My eyes widened and I began to formulate a plan in my mind. Zac stopped crying and looked at me, and a look of hope was in his eyes. A sense of determination raced through me as I suddenly vowed that they would not get Zac. I wouldn't let it happen. No way.

"Zac... we're getting out of here." I said and stood up by the dresser, "Help me move this in front of the door."

"I thought... you said... this wouldn't work." Zac grunted between pushes as we maneuvered the steel chest in front of the door.

"This might fool them. But we can't take any chances." I said as I dusted my hands off and tossed Zac his shirt, "Put it on."

As Zac hurriedly pulled his shirt on, I pulled the sheets back on the bed and stood up. My hands just barely brushed the ceiling and even when I jumped, I couldn't get any purchase on the crossbars of the dispenser. Not wanting to twist my ankle and kill us both, I stopped and mopped my brow with my shirt. The heat in the room was almost stifling in the ten minutes since the power had gone out and the air conditioner had stopped. Even if there weren't a hundred homicidal maniacs on their way, all the steel and insulation around the room would cook us like hot-dogs in a microwave.

"Zac... come over here." I said and he quickly jumped up on the bed with me.

"What are you doing?" He asked, tying his hair back.

"I'm gonna try and get us out," I bent down and wrapped my arms around his calves and lifted him up slowly, "Zac, I need you to push against the ceiling tile."

He tentatively pushed his hands onto the tile and said, "Ok... what next?"

"Can you push it to the left?"

"Yeah. It opens up."

"All right," I said, admiring how he was putting his trust into me yet again, "How far can you get up into the crawlspace?"

Zac's legs flexed in my arms and his weight was starting to make me falter but I stood firm. My forehead was drenched and I wiped it against the leg of his shorts. He was straining, trying to see how far he could get up into the space but not committing to anything. I started to feel frustrated because he wasn't playing into my plan. When I felt my opportunity, I bent my back and tried to straighten out and shove him up into the ceiling against his will. He yelped and dropped down on the bed, nearly braking the fame.

"What the FUCK was that?" He snarled, his eyes blazing.

"Zac... if you hide in the ceiling, they won't find you." I said and tried to grab him again. He pushed away from me.

"No." He said flatly.

"Zac... don't argue with me. If you hide in there, you'll be OK. You might be able to crawl your way to the CP sector."

"Are you gonna come with me?"

"I won't fit, Zac." I said, feeling tired again.

"My ass is twice as big as yours, Reid. I'm not going up there if you're not with me."

"Zac... please."

"No! Why are you doing this?!" He said, and I could hear the outrage in his voice.

My body seemed to give out and I sank back against the wall and down onto the bed, "Zac... just go. Please."

He squatted next to me and grabbed my collar, "No... I am not doing this unless you come with me!"

When I didn't respond, he took me by the shirt and forced me down against the bed and held his face so close to me, I could smell the anger on his breath, "No! I am not going to leave you here."

"I promised I'd take care of you..."

"I am NOT your fucking responsibility! Do you hear me?!" Zac hissed and his voice began to shake again, "I can't go up there and listen to them kill you... It would kill me if that happened to you... If you're going to get me up there, you're gonna have to knock me out and you promised and I know you'd never hit me..."

I knew I was pretty damn beaten and I began to stand up. I went to pick him up again but he stopped me.

"No... you go first so I know you're coming with me." His eyes were so dead set.

"OK..." I let my arms drop to my side.

Zac picked up the flashlight and held it between his teeth as he picked me up with adrenaline fueled strength and he groaned softly as he picked me up. I wasn't too optimistic about fitting into the tunnel but there was clearly no way Zac was going along with the other plan. And at least we had a chance if I agreed to at least try. I could feel his arm and chest muscles strain as he lifted me and my hands found the panel in the swaying light. It wasn't as heavy as I thought and it soon gave way, opening to a musky, hot darkness. The fatigue was being replaced by fear and I swore I could hear the footsteps in the hall. My hands frantically searched for a hold in the darkness and they found it in the pipes that carried some mystery element between the rooms. My arms burned as I managed to pull myself up into the hallway and to my "pleasant" surprise, it wasn't as tight a fit as I'd worried.

It felt like Zac was ready to collapse as my body finally pulled up off him and I thrust my legs back onto the conveyor belt, bracing them against the sides of the tunnel. Zac handed me up the flashlight and I checked both in front and behind me, seeing nothing in the hollow green light in the never-ending blackness of the (...void...) tunnel. Something inside me expected a scene out of Aliens where I'd see our only escape blocked off by maniacal grins and leers. My eyes closed and for the first time, I said a prayer. I prayed that I could pull Zac up alone and I was somewhat bolstered by the memory of carrying him to the infirmary. You saved his life then, you can do it now, I told myself.

"All right. Let's go." I said and held my arms out.

Zac wiped the sweat from his face and neck and grabbed my arms firmly. The first few seconds made me worry that first, my shoulders would be pulled out of their sockets and second, I'd fall out on my head and snap both our necks on the way down. But I couldn't let myself think that and Zac began to press his feet against the wall and his shoes squeaked against it. I remembered that somewhere I'd read that Hanson had taken up rockclimbing and his skills at doing so just might have saved our lives. He walked up the wall and did an impressive leap to the ceiling where he grabbed the crossbar and swung first one leg and then the other up into the hole. After he was safely in, I replaced the tile and flexed my arms.

"Ready to go?" Zac said, and grinned. I was ridiculously grateful for the sudden regaining of confidence on his part. He waited as I carefully crawled over the tile and up next to him and he kissed me gently on the lips, calming me down incredibly. It seemed like our situation wasn't quite as daunting as we began to crawl commando-style side by side. We pushed the flashlight up ahead of us and went in the general direction of the main hallway and I tried not to think about how long it would be to the CP sector. 27 miles, easily... everyone had to take the shuttle to get there... 27 miles... shut up! Shut up, Reid!

Every thirty feet or so, we came to the tile that hung over each room and gingerly climbed over each one. I made extra sure that Zac was never in danger of falling and snapping his neck or a leg, which would mean death, almost assuredly. The conveyor belt was made of smooth soft rubber and it didn't burn too much, thankfully. Again, I was forced to admit that we had more than our share going for us in the situation. After passing about the tenth tile, Zac stopped and gasped in the darkness.

"Reid, baby... we gotta stop... I need to rest..." He panted and laid on the belt.

I stopped and wiped the sweat from my forehead with an equally sweaty shirtsleeve.

"Hey... couldn't we hide in another room?" He asked.

"No... they'll go through every room."

Zac was silent before taking a long breath. We started crawling again and after the twenty fifth tile, a point which I'd marked in my head, we stopped. I could hear Zac's heavy breathing in the darkness and he was waiting for me to make a decision. As we had been crawling, I remembered that the conveyor belts ended at the intersection between the ASM and the infirmary. There was a connecting air vent that should have been right in that general area. We were directly over the space where our hallway from the D sector led into the hall that would later connect to the main concourse. Trying to remember all the mental blueprints in such a high stress situation was pretty hard work and I craved a Pepsi more than ever.

"Stay here." I said and took the flashlight. I crawled up about ten feet and felt the edge. I tentatively stepped off the raised conveyor belt and for a few heartstopping seconds, I couldn't feel anything. Then a heavenly firmness came up under my foot and it was one of the steel bars that reinforced the vent system. The space was only about the size of two telephone booths and in the darkness, it was even more claustrophobic. But I was so glad to feel the bar under my feet, I didn't care. My heart slowed and I felt a sense of incredible relief... but it didn't last long as the light began to waver.

Then it went out and my heart stopped. There was no way we could do this without the light.

After a few terrifying seconds of pitch-blackness, it came back on but it was much weaker. In my panic, I nearly dropped it into the unreachable confines below the bar. Our D sector hallway was raised a good two feet off the normal level and if the light dropped, it would be beyond my reach and it would shine through the flimsy glass of the ceiling and alert them to where we were.

"Reid!" Zac called in the darkness, "Reid... where are you?!"

"I'm here... I'm right here." I said and shook the light gingerly, and it was only about half as bright as it had been, leaving the corners of the small intersection dark and foreboding.

Once my breath was under control, I shook my head vigorously as turned around. Zac had crawled out to the edge of the conveyor belt and the sight of him scared the hell out of me. After getting a hold of myself, the air vent I jerked backwards and almost fell off the bar. Zac reached out and grabbed me as he jumped down onto the bar, making it shake. It felt like I was nearing heart attack level as I worried that the bar would break and send us both down through the glass and present us, sliced and diced like a Thanksgiving turkey. Zac held onto me and held us both secure as I regained my breath and blinked against the sting of sweat trickling into my eyes.

"You OK?" He asked and giggled nervously.

"No... I'm pretty fucking not OK." I said and wiped my brow.

My head felt like it was going to burst like a balloon as I tried to get a grip on the wall and keep from passing out. Zac edged over on the bar and put his hand on my shoulder and steadied me as the near crippling anxiety was finally starting to abate. The air vent caught my hand and the metal felt slightly cool under my palm, which was a pleasant relief in the stifling dark incarceration. I finally took a full breath and the air was heavy and unpleasant with the mix of our fear and adrenaline and the musty copper smell of the vent. At that point, I think we both made a note to never come back here.

"Reid... we gotta keep moving." Zac said and gently pressed against me, his warm breathing on the back of my neck and I could feel him trembling slightly.

After one last breath, I moved forward and pulled myself up into the dark tunnel of the air vent. Unlike the conveyor belt, it was made of thick, smooth steel and when my ass hit the bottom of the tunnel, it felt amazingly cool and refreshing under my hot calves. It was like one of those "eye of the hurricane" situations where you're so caught up in just keeping moving that the reality of what you're doing doesn't hit you. Zac and I were lost in the cavernous ceiling of the compound and any number of sharp, deadly things could be waiting to impale one or both of us. The idea of Zac bleeding to death or breaking a leg was just too horrible to think about.

The flashlight, by the grace of God, was still working when Zac stepped foreword carefully on the bar and took my hand. He climbed slowly and carefully as I helped him up into the pipe and took some extra care to make sure he was safe. We sat there for a few seconds, resting and when Zac smiled, I couldn't help but smile too, as we were most likely out of any immediate danger. There were no sounds in the vent except for our breathing and we both listened, trying to hear if any one had come into the hall yet. The ceiling was either keeping the sound out or they were moving too softly to hear because there was no noise. No noise at all.

I wiped my eyes and immediately pulled my hands back at the grime and metallic stink that covered them. It triggered my gag reflex and I took several breaths through my nose and shook my head. Zac didn't say anything as he held up the flashlight and pointed it ahead and looked at me. I nodded and we moved in the general direction of the infirmary. The green light swayed and again, I prayed...

=CP sector...=

Oh god, why did this have to happen now? Taylor asked himself and pressed his hands into his forehead. This had to be some awful dream... this blackout would just end. It would end. In a few seconds, he would wake up in his bed with Reid between him and Zac and it would all be OK. He would wake up, towel himself off, and lay back in bed and fall back asleep. This was just some horrible dream that was the result of him being in such a different environment. Maybe if he were lucky, this whole compound would just turn out to be a dream. He would wake up and it would be four months ago and Zac would be in the hotel bed across from him and it would all be OK. Then he could remember Reid and help Zac meet him in real life and they could fall in love.

It would be so perfect... if it were a dream. But it wasn't. All the lights had gone out and they were all stuck in the auditorium. But not to worry, they had said, we have several armed agents in here to protect us and several hundred more out rounding up the others. And when the backup power system finally kicked in, they would all be fine. But they did have to be careful because of the... others. The residents of the J sector who had escaped... and they had gone right for Zac... Oh god... just the thought of it made Taylor seize up. He felt so damn guilty. Right when it had all looked so cool; this had to happen... why couldn't he have just stayed behind? They could have dealt with this together. You failed him again... you didn't take care of him... Taylor buried his head in his hands and sobbed quietly in the corner.

"Hey... are you OK?" A voice said from above him.

Taylor sniffled and wiped his eyes in a hurry, not looking up, "Uh, yeah... yeah, I'm all right."

"You sure?" The voice said.

"Yeah..." Taylor looked up and immediately trailed off.

God, he was beautiful. Whoever this kid was had the most beautiful eyes Taylor had ever seen. They looked so blue... like the ocean. The rest of him was even better and Taylor couldn't take his eyes off him. He looked to be about 5'9" and had that perfect weight balance that Taylor had always and forever been jealous of. And his lips were so kissable...

"Ummm... you want some company?" He said, snapping Taylor out of his reverie.

"Yeah. Sure..." Taylor said and slid over, watching the kid sit down. He had short blond hair and an amazing tan... it was all Taylor could do to not drool all over himself.

"Are you worried about someone?" The kid said.

"You probably can guess." Taylor said and idly rubbed his knee.

"Yeah, I can... I'm worried about them too."

"You know Zac and Reid?" Taylor asked and let his head rest back against the wall.

"Yeah. I've hung out with them before." He said and Taylor looked over at the candlelight reflecting off his eyes.

"It's weird..." Taylor said, feeling an oddly immediate comfort with the stranger.

"What is?"

"That everything was going so well. I mean, they got married and everything was going so awesome. Now this has to happen. I feel kinda like it's my fault." Taylor said and he felt the lump return to his throat.

"Why would it be your fault?"

"Because I feel like I should protect Zac... like he's kinda my responsibility. And after Reid treated me so nice, it's like when the lights first went out, the only thing I thought of was not getting trampled or raped in the darkness. It was like all I could think of was myself. And now I feel horrible because if I ran fast enough or took enough shortcuts, maybe I could have gotten back there to be with them or help them or something... but now it might be too late..."

"Taylor..."

"Tay."

"Tay, it's not your fault. If you had tried to run back there, you might have gotten caught by all the crazy guys. And even so, maybe Reid and Zac found a way out. They're both really smart. I'm sure they're OK."

"I hope so... but I'm so worried..." Taylor said and his lip quivered.

"Whoa... I guess Hanson men do cry." The kid said, smiling.

Taylor couldn't help but laugh as he took a sip off the water bottle next to him, "Yeah, we do."

"I doubt Reid would let anything happen to Zac. Reid's a hell of a fighter."

"I know..." Taylor wiped his eyes and looked back at his companion, and his stomach fluttered, "Hey, I don't even know your name. If you're cool with telling me, then I'd really like to know..."

The kid smiled, "I have a dorky name."

"Hey, my first name is Jordan. It can't be worse than that."

"Jake." He said.

"Hi Jake. Taylor Hanson at your service." Taylor said and held out his hand.

When Jake touched it, they both felt a shiver.

=The air vent...=

It seemed like the more sweat we poured out, the harder it got to pull our selves along the polished steel of the vent. Apparently, all the cartoons I'd watched had been wrong as the sweat didn't lubricate the surface. It was more like coating the area with maple syrup and making us try to crawl along it as it dried. The sweat formed an adhesive and our bare skin stuck to it and it was quite the bitch to try and crawl over. My calves squeaked along the metal and Zac's warm body against mine was the only reminder as to why we were even trying to make our way out of this hellhole. The vent wasn't exactly dusty but the air wasn't what I'd really call "clean and pure" either. The air smelled like the inside of a doctor/dentist's office only tenfold and for someone who had always hated that smell, it wasn't a picnic for me.

About every ten feet, there was a raised circle around the pipe and everytime my nuts bashed against it, it made me wince. Several times, I had to rest and hold them until the aching ended. It seemed like the vent went on forever and there was no light at the end. A panic began to rise inside me and I worried that at some point, we had turned and gone out into the ocean and we'd be left crawling forever. But then I'd snap out of it and realize that we had been going in the exact same direction. We weren't going out into the water... but where were we going? I prayed Zac wouldn't ask me but even so, I knew it was on his mind. I only had the vague plan to get us to the infirmary but after that, I was at a loss.

So the crawling continued. The vent under us had turned sour with our sweat and it reinforced the notion that fear induced sweat is the worst smelling kind. The clunking of our feet as we crawled was boring its way into my brain and if this went on for much longer, I would have gone crazy. At that point, all I wanted was for us to be safe. Just for us to find a safe place where we could lay down together and rest... that's all I wanted.

"Reid!" Zac whispered, and the light jiggled in his hand, "Reid, look up there!"

His excited tone gave me a jolt of hope and when I looked ahead, I felt a surge. About thirty feet in front of us was a pretty good size square mesh opening in the vent. I motioned for Zac to be silent as we crawled ahead slowly and after about ten feet, I could feel that we were directly over the infirmary. The steel under my legs and arms felt much warmer and as we got closer to the opening, a hot smell found my nose and it made me sick to my stomach. As we crawled forward, I could see gradually see more down through the opening and I quickly reached over and shut off the light. The vent would normally have been pitch black but from through the mesh wiring, a flickering orange light bathed the vent.

They had set the infirmary on fire.

My forehead sank down and rested against the hot metal of the vent. This was just too much. The freaks had managed to set the infirmary on fire. The steel felt hot under my hands and I knew that we had better get moving again. I could sense that Zac was depending on me for what to do next. He needed me to be strong for him and as much as I wanted it to give me an extra pound in each of my balls, it didn't. I started to get tired again.

"Zac, we gotta keep moving."

"Where are we gonna go?" He asked gently.

"I don't know, Zac. But if we stay here, we're gonna get fried."

In the firelight, Zac nodded and we kept crawling, quietly in case they could hear us or if anyone were left in the burning remains of the infirmary. I went over the opening first and the heat from the fire felt like it was burning only about an inch away from my stomach. I hauled ass across it as quick as I could and once I was on the other side, I felt my stomach just to make sure nothing had been seared off. The skin felt hot and flushed.

"OK... Zac, roll onto your back." I said.

He laid on his back and looked at me.

"Now give me your hands." Ii said and he stuck them out over the opening.

I grabbed both hands in mine and pulled him over the opening as fast as I could. Apparently the heat had kept the sweat from congealing and he slid easily across the metal and glided right into my arms. It wasn't the biggest victory but it was just what I needed. We laid there for a few minutes as my breathing returned to normal and I wrapped my arms around his waist. I spooned him for a few minutes in the cool darkness and we both felt more than a little relieved. In reality, the infirmary would have been way too close to hide in and they would have found us eventually.

Zac giggled and mopped his forehead, "You stink, dude."

"I wouldn't be talking."

=CP sector...=

"All right... so what do we know for sure?"

"Not much, Keri. We know hat somehow, the storm went undetected."

"How?"

"The warning was purged. Probably by the same person or persons that killed Agt. Barrie."

"How could they have gotten access to the system?"

"Our prime suspect is Jared Raines. He had pulled information from the InfoTrack concerning metal corrosion. Bonds tried to stop him but he had already found it out. He must have used it to escape through the shower system. He did it so quickly it's a miracle he wasn't found out. He must have hidden in the air vents or something."

"Has anyone been up into D?"

"Not yet. We still don't have security mobilized enough to reach D sector."

"Oh lord."

"It's possible that they left the room or hid someplace."

"Why would they? They had no idea this would happen!"

"That's true."

"Where could they be hiding?"

"The J/X residents have completely overrun the D sector. They set the infirmary on fire and the closest we can get is the DH sector ASM pantry. Other than that, any advance into D would lead to injury and possible loss of life on our part. They got into D quicker than we could ever have planned for so unless your boys ran real fast and found a real safe hiding place, there isn't anywhere they could hide."

"So... we should just wait until we get backup power and go in and search for the bodies?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Well, what are you saying?! Those two boys are my responsibility. I will not sit here while they get raped and beaten."

"Keri... there isn't really anywhere they could have gone."

"All right. Thank you, Agt. Romano. You're dismissed."

"Keri..."

"I said, THANK YOU. YOU ARE DISMISSED."

"Yes, ma'am."

=The air vent...=

The damn thing was going on forever, I thought.

My stomach was starting to ache with frustration and worry as we kept crawling forward, with no clue as to where we were going. I didn't let the anxiety take control because I knew that Zac was putting his faith in me. He needed me to be strong. It was what I kept telling myself because nothing else could have motivated me to continue. If it had been just me... I would have just laid down on the bed. But it wasn't just me anymore. Regardless of my status with Zac, as the elder member of the relationship, it was my responsibility, like it or not, to make sure that he would be safe.

As we crawled, a random jumble of thoughts bounced around in my brain. It wasn't like my life was flashing before my eyes because it didn't go in any specific order. It was just like someone had taken the filmstrip that was my life and snipped it apart and taped it back together with no attention paid to sequence. But what surprised me was that most of the memories that were from the pre-Zac era didn't really seem clear. Just fuzzy little snippets of various life experiences. And even try as I might, I couldn't recall what any of them were. The only things I remembered were the various random shots of Zac... him holding my hand... kissing me... us cuddling under the covers... kissing in the swimming pool... laying in the courtyard... those were the memories that took priority of my thoughts. It was a pleasant thing to realize that when it counted, he was the face I saw.

"Reid... stop... I gotta rest again." He gasped and sat up, slowly.

I wasn't going to argue. If Zac had a heart attack, it would be beyond all imaginable recourse if he died in my arms halfway between sectors in this hellish steel no man's land. When my eyes laid on the flashlight, the thought occurred in the back of my mind that the batteries might go out soon. But I couldn't think like that. I stretched my legs out as best I could in the cramped confines of the vent. My hair was soaked and when I ran my fingers through it, it felt like I had been in the shower for a few hours. Odd as it was, the only thing I thought was that in my life, I had never been so sweaty that my hair had been completely drenched. Pretty weird.

After resting and getting the swelling sensation out of the back of my throat, I looked over at Zac. His head was resting back against the vent and his legs were pulled up to his chest. His hair was still pulled back and in the sparse light, I could see droplets of sweat dripping off his ponytail. His hair, which had once been scraggly, was now slick and flat against his head. The burning in my chest stopped gradually and slowly, I crept over next to him and put my arm around his shoulders. His head fell sideways and rested against my shoulder, and his heaving breath blew across the exposed skin of my jawline.

"You hungry?" Zac asked softly.

"Oh yeah. You?"

"Fuck yes. I could eat a whole Burger King right now." He said and giggled.

I smiled and hugged him, "We'll guilt trip Keri into flying us in some of their finest when we get outta here."

"Ohhh yeah... Whoppers... Bacon Double Cheeseburgers... french fries... American Chicken sandwiches... onion rings..." He said dreamily.

"All I'm thinking about is a drink." I said and my throat burned with desire at the mere thought.

"Mmmm... an ice cold Pepsi... doesn't that sound good?" He moaned impishly.

I laughed and gently pinched his waist and he squirmed and giggled. We both sighed and I picked up the fading light and held it in my hand as we started crawling again. The scenery didn't seem to change as we crawled forward and the heat was becoming unbearable. It made me hearken back to Apollo 13 where the astronauts, led by the ever-talented Tom Hanks, floated in the disabled spacecraft dealing with frigid cold and then almost fatal heat. When we get out of this, I had sure as shit better get a medal for saving the life of a celebrity because this is getting to be too much, my mind said to itself.

This wasn't what I signed on for... but is it ever what you sign on for? An interesting and very sage thought said I, but it would have been more beneficial to tell someone who was listening. Now wasn't the time for deep thoughts but they kept coming anyway. But I mostly ignored them. That was too bad because some of them would have made spectacular dramatic epic films or emotional ballads in song. Maybe Zac could've written one... if I could have remembered what any of the thoughts were. After a certain point, the thoughts stopped coming and all I could think of was the song "Sea Of Love".

Come... with me. To.... the sea. Of... love. Come with me... my love... to a sea, the sea of love... I wanna tell you... just how much... I love you. And so on. It was a song that I'd always loved and even when an 80's band covered it, I loved that version as well. There are just some songs that can pull you out of a depression and make you feel like life has something to offer. MMMBop was one of those songs and it was very fitting... but at that moment, I couldn't remember a single word of it. Yes, that's right, the song that rocketed to the top of the charts and charmed billions of people worldwide... I couldn't remember it. Almost funny, if you think about it. But such was life, I'm learning. Life was one big comedy and even though some of the jokes might have seemed sick and/or twisted, you just had to live with it. Just one big amalgamation of comedy.

And then... right when the laughs looked like they would stop, we saw the end of the vent. Zac and I both stopped and I wordlessly told him to hang back as I inched forward towards the end of the tunnel. The vent didn't stop really, it was more like it turned downward and as I got closed, I could see that there was a drop. At first, I was scared because it could have been fifty feet down to the ground. But it wasn't. It was the sweetest sight I'd ever seen. When I peered over the downturn, I saw that the vent only turned down about two feet before a mesh screen covered it. Through the small screen, the white floor of a hallway was very visible and to my near pant wetting relief, the backup power had been restored in whatever sector we were now in. A smile came across my face and I let my head hang over into the cool air-conditioned flow from the hallway.

"Oh yeah..." I said softly.

"Reid? Reid, is it cool?" Zac said from behind me. He was still about ten feet back from me.

"Hell yeah, Zac... it's cool." I said and with an exhausted arm, waved him foreword.

He scrambled up next to me and when his face looked over into the opening, he shuddered with relief and went limp next to me. We enjoyed the cool air for a few minutes as it dried our sweat soaked faces and cooled us down considerably. If that was going to be our heaven, then bring it on because it was worth it. If it came right down it, I would have stood up in front of the golden gates and said that at that point, nothing had ever felt better to me. It was partially the knowledge that things would be OK and the pure, primal pleasure of a refreshing element added to my weary system. How sweet it was.

"Let's get outta here." Zac whispered in my ear.

I didn't need to say anything in response as I got onto my hands and knees and after some contorting, I had managed to arrange myself so I was sitting on the edge with my feet dangling over the mesh covering. Hell, they could bill me later, I thought. With no hesitation, my body dropped down and the mesh gave way underneath me easily and I landed on my feet on the cool floor of the hallway. The amazingly cool air around me made me shiver and nearly collapse with relief as I inhaled the frosty atmosphere that made goosebumps stand up on my body. Whatever hall we were in was lit by the soft golden glow of the backup lighting system as I stretched my sore legs and readjusted myself to standing upright like a human being.

It felt so damn good to finally be out of that dirty vent that for a split second, Zac had eluded my mind. Immediately, I winced and stood back under the opening that my body had made. I could feel the hot air coming down from the steel vent and I looked for a few seconds, not seeing anything in the darkness. Then, Zac came jumping down, nearly landing ontop of me and sending us both into a sweaty, dirty pile on the floor and a slight cloud of dust rose up when we landed. The light came down next and all I had to do, from my months of practice with the KY Jelly, was stick out my hand and catch it easily. As fate would have it, and be on our side for once, the light flickered and went out. The batteries had failed at the best possible moment.

"Oh man..." Zac wheezed as he sat up and caught his breath next to me.

"We made it." I said, and laughed softly with a bit of disbelief.

"Together." Zac smiled and kissed me, and not even the gritty texture of his lips could ruin the moment.

I chucked and tossed the flashlight to my side as we looked around and got our first glimpse of the place we'd made our way to. The hallway looked entirely unfamiliar to me as I stood up and pulled Zac with me. He yanked the band out of his sweat-encrusted ponytail and let his clotted hair fall across his shoulders. In the light, I could see that his face was splotched with dust and dirt and his once white shirt had large stains of black grease and grime as did his shorts, which had turned from dark blue to nearly black and had become caked with the same dirt and grease. But he was still cuter than hell.

Slowly making our way down the hall, it still wasn't clear where we were until we walked past a nameplate on the door. After scanning it and finding the name unfamiliar, the sector ID code caught my eye. We had crawled all the way to the FC sector. It was the sector of the compound that none of the residents had ever really seen before because it was where they kept all the old library books that had been damaged beyond repair or needed to be taken out of circulation. It was from memory because at that moment, the logical part of my mind wasn't working and the only thing I registered was Zac's head on my shoulder and the warm feeling of him against me.

We didn't hear the soft thump of something hitting the floor from behind us.

=CP Sector...=

There's no way, Jake. There's no way you're falling for his older brother... you're not that lucky. But what if he was? Jake was almost melting as he and Taylor continued to talk and help each other through the blackout. When he had seen the older Hanson curled into a ball in the corner and crying, he had seriously debated with himself whether or not he'd be breaking "Hanson Law" but going over and talking to him. He had always loved Zac. But what if he loved Taylor? There was just something that happened when Tay's beautiful eyes had locked with his and that amazing voice had spoken. It just felt like such an instant connection that Jake didn't want to let himself deny.

Maybe Brandon was still trying to ruin it... but it wasn't going to happen. If that creepy jerk saw one thing from hell, he would see Jake happy. And now it seemed for the first real time that it might happen. Just the first look at Tay had purged Brandon's influence from his memory and it made all the sessions with Dr. Parker seem insignificant. The sound of Tay's voice floating into his ears as they talked had been like a big huge band-aid on all his hurt. He didn't feel so alone anymore.

"So... tell me about you?" Taylor said and Jake felt those eyes warming him again.

"Well... Born and raised in Minnesota. Grew up, came here, and here I am."

"There's more than that. What about your family?"

"My mom and dad divorced when I was like six and he got custody of my two older sisters. For most of my childhood, it was my sister, my mom, and me alone. I didn't do really well in school and didn't have many friends so I learned to just be by myself. My little sister and I hated each other and I guess I kinda blamed her for my parents splitting up."

"When did you know you were gay?"

"I was something like eleven. I knew I was gay when I saw my friend take his shirt off and it made me feel kinda sick to my stomach. But in a good way. I wanted to tell him so bad but I was so scared. That was when they were first talking about building these things so I didn't tell anyone. I finally told my mom and my little sister overheard and she told her friend who told her mom who called the government. So here I am."

"That must have been rough." Tay said and looked so understanding.

"It was. I turned 16 like two days ago and all that stuff that happened before feels like it happened a long time ago."

"Hey, happy birthday. I know this must suck as a party but, you know..."

"Thanks." It was all Jake could say.

"Hey, Jake..." Tay said in a very pensive voice.

"Yeah, Tay?"

The blond pop singer looked at his feet for a moment, "Have you ever had sex?"

"Uhhh... yeah. But it didn't lead to anything good." Jake said and nervously cracked his knuckles.

"Cool..."

"Have you?"

"Ummmm..." Jake smiled slightly as Tay turned a deep shade of red, "No, I haven't."

"Seriously? Not even with all those drooling fans?!"

"Nope. I was always too nervous to do anything. I didn't want to just give my virginity to someone I didn't love."

"Wow... that's really cool."

Taylor nodded and both boys sat against the wall side by side... thinking...

=FC Sector...=

There had to be some sort of communicator around here, I thought. My logic was coming back and we stopped walking and stood in front of one of the offices. Zac looked at me, ready to follow my lead to the ends of the earth. Quietly, I padded into the office and looked around on the cluttered desk. Amidst the pencils and papers and library records, there had to be some sort of phone or communicator device. My eyes scanned as I looked with all the common sense I could muster until my eyes found the black box. After turning it over, my heart raced as I saw the speaker and white number pad. We could get in touch with Keri and let her know we were OK!

My finger found the switch and after sliding it back and forth with no response, I realized that the power in the offices was still out. The only backup power that had started was in the hallways. But maybe... if we could get some batteries into the backup power source. But then my heart sank again as I realized that there were no batteries here. They didn't need flashlights normally. Damn... damn it... Damn them and their lack of planning for an entirely unexpected act of God!

"Shit!" I hissed and pounded the desk with my fist.

"What's wrong?" Zac asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"We can't use the communicator without power. And there aren't any batteries."

"We have batteries." Zac said, matter of factly.

"Where?"

"In the flashlight... and we can use that lovely yellow battery recharger over there to repair them and then we can call for help. Sound easy enough?" Zac said and smiled primly.

I shook my head and kissed him on the only clean spot I could find which was the tip of his nose. He sat back heavily in the desk chair and waited as I hurried out the door and back down the hall towards the vent we'd climbed down out of. The light was somewhat obstructed in that section of the hall and it was casting an odd shadowy pattern that kept me from being able to see back into the hall. Sweat ran into my eyes and my system ached. My mind was feeling hazy from fatigue as I tried to find the red plastic flashlight in the darkness. Where the hell had I put it?

For the first time, I noticed the stink of my body and my nose wrinkled. I smelled like old cottage cheese and toe jam. The memory made me smile as I thought about Zac's first morning in the compound. It gave me an extra boost as I searched for the light, hoping to find it sometime soon. The rubber soles of my shoes squeaked against the floor and it made me smile in it's own slapstick way as I bent down to try and feel around the dark floor with my hands. The flashlight had done a damn good job of blending in to the darkness on the floor or else it had moved or I'd thrown it farther than I'd thought. But I hadn't thrown it, I'd just dropped it next to me.

When I heard the dripping noise from behind me, I didn't really register what it was. Then when the hand grabbed the collar of my shirt, I realized that someone else was there. The hand gripped my collar like a vice and whipped me back against the wall at the end of the wall. It was made of large bricks and my teeth chattered painfully and I groaned deeply, my back aching from the impact against the brick. My eyes only could make out the white outfit that whoever it was had on. My eyes had become accustomed to the light and in the dark I was still trying to see but it looked like only a dark profile against the lights further down the hallway. The only sound I heard was my heavy breathing and a high whining sound coming from my attacker.

The hand reached back out and grabbed me by the hair and I cried out with pain as he swung me over and down onto the floor. This guy was pretty damn strong as he kicked me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me. I tried to curl into a ball, but another foot caught me in the small of the back and jarred my spine. I crawled back into the light of the hallway and my eyes got their first look at whoever it was. From what I could tell, he was about my age, maybe a little older, with buzz cut brown hair. His face was dirty and his eyes didn't look human... they looked black and dead... and they looked right into my own eyes. He wasn't wearing the usual uniform of a resident... he was wearing a T-shirt that had probably once been white but was streaked with dirt and long dirty white pants that looked like pajama bottoms. I got a good look at his foot as it kicked me in the shoulder and instantly, I recognized the boots as the brand that the agents wore. But an agent wouldn't be doing this to me. Agents were supposed to protect us... not hurt us.

Then when his fingers closed around my throat and pulled me up, I started to worry. He forced me back against the wall and the only thing that entered my mind was Zac... there was no way I could let him-- My thinking was cut off as I felt him punch me hard in the stomach, doubling me over. I wheezed and for a split second, I wondered if my dad had come here and disguised himself as a young man. It was weird but kinda true because my dad wore pajama bottoms and he kicked me and punched me a lot too... it would have made sense. In fact, maybe it was true. My dad was beating me up again!

But my dad would never try to kill me. I knew he wasn't my dad when I felt the white hot slash of metal across my shoulder. A long cut was made in the cloth of my T-shirt and the small knife cut an excruciating line of fire on my skin. I shook in disbelief and looked at him again as he pulled his hand back and licked his lips crazily, and he smiled. I tried to get my arms up... but I couldn't. His arm plunged forward and I felt the hard, sharp knife stab deep into my stomach. My breath rushed out of me and I fell foreword... not wanting to believe this was happening. I wasn't getting killed... I wasn't getting stabbed... and even as he stepped back and my body began to slump onto the ground, I still didn't want to believe it.

My ears were filled with a rushing sound like the waves of the ocean as I hit the floor and rolled onto my side. My hands pressed against the gash in my stomach as I tried to sit up but couldn't get the strength. I could feel the hot seep of blood coming out between my fingers and when I looked up, the point of the knife was red... and dripping... with my blood. My blood was on the knife... and on my fingers. There's no way this is happening... no way... I'll wake up and Zac will be in my arms and we'll be back in our bed just like it's supposed to be. If I just close my eyes tight... and then open them... just close them tight... but it didn't work. The stab wound throbbed as my eyes began to feel blurry and my head began to feel light.

Then those black eyes turned away from me. They turned away and looked down the hall... looking at the room where... Zac was still sitting... The realization must have been crystal clear as my eyes widened and my already bloodless face turned even whiter. The eyes turned back to me and he licked his lips again, and he smiled at me... then he started to turn and walk down the hallway.

My body jerked and I tried to make my limbs work as I fell forward on my stomach and tried to crawl after him. I was breathing heavily and in my chest, I heard a slight rattle as I pulled myself along on numb arms. My shoulder stung slightly but I ignored it, just trying to catch up with him. In my throat, I tried to form words... I tried to plead with whomever it was to leave Zac alone... he could have me. I would give myself to him if he would only spare Zac. My legs dragged along the floor and under them, I could feel the warm trail that was a mix of plasma and blood I was leaving on the floor like some demented slug. It made me feel a sickening lukewarm rush of revulsion and my stomach got nauseated.

The thing in white kept walking until he stood at the door. There was no crash from inside the office and I could only assume that Zac hadn't seen anything yet. I rolled onto my side and crawled as fast as I could when I saw him step slowly into the room. After several terrifying moments of unknowing, I finally crawled over and got my first look into the room. The guy was standing a few feet inside the door and from where I lay, I could see that Zac was sitting with his back to us both. Zac had found a bag of Doritos in the desk drawer and was eating the chips slowly, savoring every bite and my eyes began to blur again. This time with tears. I couldn't let Zac end up like this... no...

My mystery attacker began to walk forward slowly as my body was fueled by an extra jolt and I dragged myself forward quickly, pulling into the room and hoisting myself slowly against the doorjamb. Even in my pain and worry, I could hear Zac munching the chips in his mouth as he ate them. My eyes looked over the room as I frantically tried to find a way to stop him... the room had several large steel bookshelves in a row and the more steps he took, the less of an opportunity I had. My legs managed to carry me far enough to reach one of the bookcases as I slipped behind it and braced my injured shoulder against it. It was crunch time. This is your chance, Reid... my mind reeled... don't let him get Zac...

With a groan, I shoved my good shoulder into the first shelf set and my cuts burned and my stomach felt like it had caught fire as I threw myself against the bookcase. The shelves fell forward and created a domino effect, falling in a row, one after the other and from what I heard, and the last set came crashing down directly onto whoever he was. I heard Zac jump backward onto the desk and when I raised my face from the aged leather of the books, I saw that he was looking down at the arm sticking out from under the last set. His eyes were shocked and he seemed paralyzed... but he was OK. I had done it... I had pushed it all over in time.

Then he looked up and saw me.

"Reid..." He said softly.

I tried to respond but my mouth wouldn't work and I felt a trickle of blood oozing up onto my tongue. Its metallic taste was utterly nauseating and I tried to spit, but my throat muscles wouldn't work. The corner of a book was pushing agonizingly against the blistering pain in my stomach as with the last strength I had, my hand weakly moved it away. My body began to shake and from my moderate medical knowledge, I knew I was going into shock. And after shock, I would probably die from a loss of blood. If not from the cut to my shoulder, which presented most likely no immediate threat, it would be from the gore to my stomach. But it was cool... Zac was safe... Zac would be OK... Taylor could take care of... HIM!

My shoulder screamed and I moaned softly with pain as Zac pulled me up into a sitting position. My eyes weren't focusing and everything around me looked fuzzy... like I'd opened my eyes underwater. Everything looked like it was blurred and had been sponged with water and all the paints were starting to run. Somewhere inside my mind, I felt Zac wrap his arm around my waist and carefully haul me up into an unsteady standing position. My knees tried to buckle and I whimpered feebly as my stomach throbbed. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening but something felt like it should just... fall.

"Reid... please try and walk." Zac whispered in my ear, his hair tickling my earlobe.

I grumbled and did my best to walk, but my knees felt like jelly. Zac made a frustrated hissing sound as he held his biceps under my armpits and drug me forward and finally my feet at least tried to walk. He was able to help me over to the door jam where my knees tried to give out again but he caught me and he groaned as my weight sank against him. Zac's breathing sounded heavily controlled as he thrust his arm around my neck and his head under my arm and helped me forward, encouraging my legs to work. My nose burned from the acidic scent of his sweat and the sour fear fueled body odor in his armpit as he pulled me forward, softly pleading with me to try and walk.

When I shook my head to try and clear the cobwebs and tried to tighten myself up, I could feel Zac tense under my arm. He again encouraged me excitedly to try and walk as I worried about staining his shirt with my blood. It was already dirty enough, I told myself... it doesn't need your blood on it. My forehead pounded and I gritted my teeth, holding myself up and trying to reach down and get another rush of power in my veins. I sucked in a deep breath and began to walk, relying on Zac to help me along as we went down the hall at the quickest pace we could manage. Zac made a soft straining nose in the back of his throat as we finally made it to the end of the hallway and he rested me again the wall. My body tried to sink back but Zac leaned in and pulled me back up, his hands shaking with desperation, and setting me against the wall. My eyes narrowed and I could see a frantic worry in his caramel eyes... don't worry about me... I saved you... I made sure you were safe... you're my honeybunny and you're safe... now I can go...

Before he pulled off, Zac leaned in and deposited a long kiss on my pale lips. The warmth and life inside them gave me an extra jolt my eyes opened. My legs seemed to stiffen up and I leaned against the wall, holding my stomach. Zac smiled faintly and turned to the door and tried to open it. After the first time, it beeped and gave off some "access denied" message and Zac cried out in frustration. He shook with anger and pressed against the door again, with no luck. He growled and to my shock, began kicking the door hysterically, making the steel frame rattle and I could hear the aluminum hinges begin to bend slightly. Zac was letting out angry cries of determination as he kicked the door from several angles, looking like some karate fighter and as much damage as his... deliciously toned soccer legs... could administer, the doors wouldn't open.

Zac stepped back from the door and looked around, his breath heaving with determination. He backed up a few more steps and ran forward, placing a flying kick right above the doorknob and causing the door to crash open. The impact of the blow had knocked Zac backward onto his tailbone and after yelping painfully, he looked up and laughed triumphantly. Even I couldn't help but smile as the hallway outside the F sector came into view. It was beautiful. The outside hallway was lined with windows that looked onto the outside and when Zac helped me into the hall, we looked out and into the daylight. The sky was gray and wind whipped rain against the glass and the trees outside were flailing in the strong gales. This part of the compound was raised up a bit and down on the ground we could see out onto a peninsula. It was lush with greenery and pink flowers and at the tip was a pole with a flashing red beacon light.

"We're gonna get you a doctor, Reid." Zac gasped, helping me along.

He pulled me along the hallway and our feet rustled against the carpeting and when I looked behind us, there was a trail of red droplets. My conscience ached as I worried about how much money it would cost to clean it all up... I must have left a red trail all the way from the F sector. The sensation of Zac's muscles quivering under me brought me back and it felt like he was almost ready to keel over as we reached the end of the hallway. He rested and leaned against the wall, hugging me close to him and gently murmuring reassuring thoughts in my ear. His body was quaking and my responsibility returned and I held him weakly and I could feel a ripple of hope go through him as he smiled and kissed me.

"We're gonna be OK." He said, "We're gonna be OK."

=D Sector...=

"Hey! You shut up!" Agt. Gurion barked at one of the crazies as they hustled the few remaining fugitives into the waiting shackles.

This was too much, she thought.

"What do you think, Lori?" Someone beside her said. It was Agt. Revell.

"I think this is pretty goddamned inexcusable."

"You got that right." Revell said, sitting back against the wall.

Gurion sighed and leaned against the wall next to her, "How did he get out, Gina? How did we miss him?"

"It was a slip in InfoTrack. He found out how to dissolve metal. He got all the way here just by doing doing that."

"DAMN IT!" Gurion said and threw an overturned chair down the empty hallway, "Why wasn't he on X?!"

Revell laughed gravely, "The warden didn't think he was 'dangerous' enough. This will probably cost her the job. It's a shame because del Toro was actually pretty good at what she did. She cared but after this, I can't imagine her being kept on. It's just... I mean, would you forgive this?"

Gurion shook her head and walked down the hall with her hands on her hips, "I trained in the Mossad for eight of the hardest years of my life, Gina. Eight fucking years. Never did I see anything on this level. Never did I see anyone or anything assemble itself like this for one purpose. I saw bodies in tanks after napalm attacks and I pulled dead children out of bombed schools... but never this. They go through all these damn rooms and claw through the one door but don't touch anything. When they saw he wasn't here... they just stopped and curled into balls and waited for us..."

"Except when they set the infirmary on fire."

"Can you blame them? They probably felt that the doctors would just harm them..." Gurion trailed off and leaned back against the wall.

"He killed Karen."

"That's what Barton was afraid of. Is she still at CP?"

"Yeah. Her boys are there so she's going to stay with them. Caroline is there too so she won't be too lonely."

Gurion readjusted the band in her hair, "Where do you think they are?"

Revell let her legs fall out in front of her, "They weren't here when the crowd arrived. Maybe they got away. We haven't found a trace of either of them. Why?"

"I hope they're OK."

"Did you know them?"

"Yeah, I did. I met Reid and I walked Zac to his marriage counseling appointment."

"I escorted Zac when his brother got here. He's a sweet kid."

Gurion didn't say anything as she looked at the door. Room 33A. If you ignored the door, the room looked untouched. When the power had been restored, the TV had come back on and the video game had restarted. From the look of the sheets, they had been laying together. But there was no other sign that they had been there. Where were they... where could they have gone... Gurion thought, doing mental mathematics in her mind. Then her eyes caught the door and she shivered.

They had clawed through it. Their fingers had been reduced to bloody stumps as they tore at the plaster and aluminum of the door. The red streaks and jagged black tears in the door were hideous. They were the markings of lunatics and murderers. Rapists who had tried to live out their obsession. Even when their hands had been cut to ribbons on the broken door, they still continued to try. Probably at the urging of Raines. He had managed to get them to focus and they come so close... but no cigar. But where were they?

Gurion walked into the room and sat down at the desk. Not a trace... no blood... no other bodily fluids... no torn clothes... nothing. They had been through every room and every crevice but they hadn't found a thing. Where had they gone? They couldn't have gone down the halls because they would have been caught. They would have run right into the arms of... them. The hallway was too narrow to have done that and there weren't enough halls or rooms to sneak through.

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked up at the ceiling. And then she realized...

"Amazing..." She said, then she leapt in to action.

=Trust...=

My stomach stopped hurting, which was a plus. After Zac had recovered suitably, he tried to open the doors at the end of the hallway, but they didn't budge. These doors were reinforced. He knew not to try and kick them as he shook them violently, trying to get them to give way but they wouldn't move. A look of intense aggravation was etched on his face as he thrust his shoulder against the door, trying with all his might. But it wasn't working. The locks held and he eventually staggered back and bent over, breathing heavily. The blood around my wound had clotted and I wasn't pumping anything out but what had already left me was beginning to be sorely missed.

Sweat trickled down and off Zac's forehead as he turned his head and looked me. His eyes brightened and he jumped over to the steel grating about an inch off the floor. It was another vent and immediately I began to whine softly and protest, not wanting to go back in to the confines. I shook my head and started to crumple to the floor.

"Please... Reid, we have to. There's no other way." He pleaded and his voice was thick with emotion.

I limply nodded and held myself up as Zac slid his fingers between the steel strips and with a grunting yank, it came off and opened up. Zac dropped down onto his belly and looked into the vent, and I could tell he was glad about something as he stood up and helped me down onto the ground. My chest made another rattling noise that made me feel sick with worry as Zac gently guided me into the vent. The space was about 5 feet all around and sloped downward slightly and it looked like a big slide... but then I could feel what Zac was so happy about. At the end of the vent was another mesh opening and beyond it, I could hear the rain and feel the breeze. It let outside... out into the open air...

Zac guided me into the steel vent and with his hands on my shoulders, he followed me slowly and eased us both down the gradual decline. With one hand, I guided myself down as best I could, holding onto my injury with only the vague notion that if I didn't hold it, it would get bigger. Our feet squeaked against the steel as he held onto me, his forearm flexor muscles tensing against my cheek as he held me, making sure not to let me slide too much. Our heavy breathing was bouncing off the interior as we finally reached the bottom of the vent and my feet pressed against the mesh.

I felt Zac take a deep breath as he slowly climbed down my body, including a lovely mouthful of his sweaty crotch as he lowered himself down ontop of me. I hissed and jerked under him as he came into contact with my stomach and he bit his lip and apologized, his warm breath brushing my lips. All I could do was smile as he lowered himself down a few more inches and kicked at the mesh. After a few spastic kicks, it gave way and we shivered at the cool rain blowing in on our bare legs. Zac grinned and slid himself down slowly over me and I heard him work his way out into the air.

Zac let himself drop down out of the vent and into the air, and when he landed, his feet slid slightly on the wet grass. After getting his footing, I felt Zac reach back in and firmly grab my ankles and pull me foreword. I slid pretty easily on the steel and when my lower body hit the cool open air, I was worried I'd pee myself from the cool relief of it. My hand was still pressed against my stomach and when I was halfway out, I tensed up and worried about if the impact would hurt me.

"Reid... I gotta pull you down." Zac said and I felt his wet hands on my hips.

My teeth ground together and I took my hand from my stomach and pushed forward, sliding all the way out into the open air and I came crashing down right on Zac. He grunted and I felt his chest and arm muscles shudder under my weight as we fell back with a squish onto the wet green grass. But we were out. My eyes were stung by the sudden natural light and the droplets of cool, tropical rain fell on us. The air was slightly warm and it felt like an odd contrast to the cool rain... it was so odd... I felt something... begin to let itself go...

"Oh fuck!" I gasped.

Zac jerked slightly under me and then he relaxed and smiled, "It's OK... I needed a little warm up."

My eyes burned with shameful tears and the last ounce of fight went out of me as I began to sob weakly. To my endless gratitude, Zac hugged me tightly and nuzzled me with an amazingly comforting maturity. After a minute or so, he rolled me over gingerly onto my back. His smile went away when he remembered my stomach. He looked around furtively and slipped his arms under mine and eased me up to a sitting position. There was no way I was going to walk any further... no way...

Zac understood and practically carried me like a starving peasant over to what felt like a bench. An actual bench. After he laid me down, my eyes focused and I saw where we were. We had gone all the way to the other side of the compound and come out in the staff courtyard. The bench I had been laid down on was made out of genuine marble and carved into a Greek design. Surrounding me were about twenty tropical flower gardens and under foot was a beautiful pattern of Spanish tile. The whole garden was encircled by a line of green bushes that seemed to glisten in the rain. It was a beautiful place and right in the middle was a good sized fountain... complete with a cherub standing up and spitting water into the air. It was so pretty. And beyond it all... was the ocean. Down about thirty feet was the rocky shore... and then the ocean that was blue and breaking with stormy waves...

My hot skin felt amazingly wonderful against the cold, wet stone. My nose had gotten kind of stuffed up and I sniffled a few times, weakly trying to uncongest myself as the cool rain made my forehead feel a little less blazing. Once again, my medical knowledge made itself valuable because a high fever wasn't a good sign. My lips tried to tell Zac but he seemed to know. I watched as he stood up and stripped off his T-shirt and soaked it in the fountain. My mouth watered in anticipation and when he laid the cold, wet cloth on my forehead, it sent a shiver of pleasure from my head down to my toes.

Zac cradled my face in his warm hands and looked me in the eyes, "Reid... I gotta go get help... I gotta leave you here but I'll just be gone for a few minutes..." His lip quivered and he kissed me on the lips, "Reid, don't go into the light... just wait for me because I'm gonna come back really soon... I love you, Reid... please stay here and wait for me..."

He stood up and looked down at me, looking for a sign. My head felt like the red balloon that floated away... and I made eye contact with him and I could see fresh tears trickling down his cheeks. His face was still slightly dirty and the tears made little wet tan streaks as he bit his lip and looked down. My eyes made their way up and down his bare chest and stomach... and even at death's doorstep, I felt myself get a little hard down there. It was something else funny... when there was a shortage of blood in my brain... and all the blood I had was needed... I still got a little hard. My eyes glided up onto his face and he silently pleaded with me and I smiled. I smiled and winked at him... then I blew him a little kiss.

I could see him take a sobbing breath before blowing a small kiss back at me. Then he turned around and took off like a bat out of hell... running like the wind with his wet hair flying back behind him. He took off down the small sidewalk and turned the corner on the catwalk, and then he was out of sight. My eyes teared up and I began to cry feebly as the feeling of loneliness came back. My body curled into a ball and I sobbed softly, and all the tension... and fear... and worry... and protectiveness... cried it's way out of me. At least we were safe... at least it was going to be OK... I told myself over and over... and I looked out into the gray daylight.

The rain kept falling and it made the leaves of the flowers flap in the downpour and made little splashes on the tile. My cries got softer and then turned into gags and the armpit of Zac's shirt slid down over my nose. I lolled my head enough to move it away and still keep the cold compress on my forehead, and I wrapped my arms around my knees. The water dripping off the bench was turning a pinkish watery color as it flowed down in rivers between the tiling. My mind searched in vain for something to focus on and I noticed the light tan patterns on the tile... one was brick-like... another was in slight wavy lines that led into curls... and then it started all over again... whoever had decorated this place knew what they were doing.

I heard a voice from above my head beside me.

"Time to DIE."

=Assistance...=

Well, they selected me. Agt. Bonds thought as she helped the electricians put the finishing touches on the repaired power system. She had been pulled of J/X duty to oversee the final repairs since she owned a double degree of psychology and engineering. It wasn't like she minded. She was more than happy to let all the newbies take care of transporting the crazies back down to their cells. But then again, she couldn't stop thinking of Jared... they hadn't found him yet... and they hadn't found either Zac nor Reid. Not a trace... not a trace of any of the three. It was a Holmesian mystery, for sure.

"Let's be careful." She said warningly as she leaned against the glass doors of the control center, looking out into the rain.

Bonds sighed and rubbed her hands together, still reeling from the news that Barrie had been found dead. They figured that Jared had done it and found his way into D somehow... but they didn't know for sure. Hell, they knew very little for sure. By the grace of God, nobody had been killed or molested during this whole thing. Not like she hadn't tried to warn anyone! It wasn't like she'd just sat back and kept her mouth shut about Jared. She had tried to warn the woman in charge but she hadn't listened. No one had listened and here she was, having to turn down the opportunity to gloat, and just say 'it doesn't matter now'. But she wanted to gloat, damn it! She was right and they were wrong! She wanted to revert to 4th grade and do a victory dance and say, "I told you so! I told you so!"... but she was a grown up. An independent adult, they say. No gloating for the adults.

"Excuse me... Agt. Bonds?" One of the technicians said.

"Yeah?" She said tiredly, turning away from the window.

"Did you just see that?"

"No. Go back to work."

"I think I just saw someone out on the catwalk..." The techie said, looking concerned.

"Look! If it's Jared, then I'll handle it. You worry about fixing that thing." Bonds snapped.

The technician shrugged and turned back to the repair job. Bonds sighed and rubbed her eyes as she rubbed her aching back and tried to stretch. When she looked down, she noticed that her boot was untied. When she bent down to tie it, one of the technicians let out a cry of surprise. Seconds later, a heavy weight crashed into the door and Bonds was sent sprawling on the floor. She flailed for several seconds and her hand went for the tazer on her belt and she prepared to fry that crazy motherfucker back to the stoneage.

"All right, Jared," She said, getting ready to turn around, "Get ready to drool for the rest of your life."

But it wasn't Jared. When Bonds turned around, she was slightly taken aback and immediately changed her posture when she saw the drenched thing behind the glass door. Whoever it was was absolutely soaked with water and looked like a drowned rat. It could have been because of the long hair but this wasn't a starving rat... this kid hadn't missed any meals. She immediately holstered her tazer and opened the door, allowing the kid to fall into her arms. From the smell of him, he'd been working real hard in some dingy conditions and he was so disheveled, she didn't recognize him.

"Please..." He gasped, his muscles quivering in her arms from fatigue, "Help me... Reid is hurt..."

It was Zac. Bonds immediately felt a surge of adrenaline, "Zac... where is he? Show me where he is."

"Back there... the courtyard... he's hurt bad... he needs a doctor..."

Bonds gently laid Zac on the floor where he stretched out on his back, twitching and shivering slightly as his body finally stopped straining and got the rest it needed. After she felt his head and made sure he wasn't suffering more than a pretty good case of exhaustion, she took a blanket from one of the technicians and covered him up. She stroked his hair and held her hand on his shoulder as he warmed up and the shivering stopped and he looked at her. She could hear his chest wheezing as he gulped for air.

"Please help him..." He whispered, his eyes looking into her soul and imploring her.

Bonds stood up and looked out into the rain. Then she turned to the technicians, "Call a medic for this one here. Let them know he's OK. Tell them to send a medic to the staff courtyard but only advance at my say so. Tell them we found Zac and Reid and we know where they are. Now I'm going to go get Reid."

And then she was off into the rain.

=The showdown...=

I didn't have the strength to look at who was talking to me. But he took care of that. The same guy who had stabbed me walked slowly over into my field of vision. His clothes were drenched in water and were no longer as dirty as they were and I finally remembered where I'd seen the uniform. It was what the guys down in J and X sector wore. The pedophiles. He walked over and stood in front of me and through the rain, my eyes squinted and could make out a bloody contusion on his forehead and his lip also looked nicely split from my handiwork. In his left hand was the knife and he was turning it around and round in circles in his hand.

"He is MINE..." He said, and his voice was gravelly and overlaid with obsessive hatred.

My eyes blinked against the rain and I looked at him calmly. I wasn't scared... just tired.

"Zac is MINE!" He screeched in a high pitched tone.

"OK..." I said in an almost silent whisper.

"Ohh! Is he not GOOD ENOUGH for YOU?!" He said, shaking with insane fury.

"He's bringing help." I said, feeling my body begin to slip away.

"He will SEE THAT HE IS MINE! He has been mine! HE IS MINE!" The guy began to carve into his arm with the knife.

I shuddered and felt the bile rise in my throat.

"I followed you... through the vents... I knew where you went and I waited but you stopped it..." His eyes gleamed with lunacy, "I followed all that way and I watched you and I smelled him and I thought of him and I want him and I could smell him the whole time... but you had to get in the way when he thought you loved him... He's mine... mine... I'm going to have him!"

I watched in exhausted horror as he stabbed himself in the arm over and over.

"You took him! You took him, rapist! You took him... he was mine... he was going to be mine... he was going to make all the pain go away... he was going to make it all better... all better... And all I have to do, is get rid of you... and then it will be mine... I will take him with me and it will all... be... better..."

"No... I didn't." I said softly.

My contrariness brought on another round of self mutilation as he came towards me. My eyes closed and I prepared to feel the knife plunge into my eye or my throat... but it didn't. He grabbed me by the hair and I could only make a tortured squeaking noise. The impact of the bookcases had taken away a lot of his loathe fueled strength, but he was stronger than I was and he yanked me down and forced my head back against the hard tile. His knee dug into my crotch and his weight came down on my stomach, sending thunderbolts of agony up and down my spine. There was no way I could fight as he pulled me over by my hair and bent my back over the rim of the fountain and I could feel the cold water against my scalp. My back felt like it was breaking and my vision blurred with pain as he held his face close to mine and waved the knife in my face.

"I'm not gonna kill you... I'm gonna torture you... I'm gonna cut off your face and then cut off your balls and make you eat them... and then I'm gonna cut out your eyes and then I'm gonna cut off your dick... and then I'm gonna carve into your skin... and then Zac will see... he will be mine... Do you like that, rapist?!"

He was pressing the back of the knife blade against the bridge of my nose and even in my brain fog, I felt more than a little stubborness and I smiled at him, "We all need somebody we can turn tooooo... someone who'll always understaaaand..."

"What are you talking about?! Shut up, rapist! How do you plead?!" He growled and yanked on my hair.

Not even the thousands of firey points of pain on my scalp could keep the words from leaving my mouth, "So if you feeeeel... that your soul is dying.... And you need the strength to keep trying..."

"SHUT UP!" He shouted and yanked my hair again. I felt the knife press against the skin under my left eye.

"I'll reach out... and take your haaaaaand...."

He screeched and yanked my hair back one last time, baring the soft skin of my throat and I could see his arm go up out of the corner of my eye. In the distance, I saw, upside down... the horizon and gray waves of the ocean. All at once, my life zoomed back to me and I realized that this was going to be it... I was going to die... I was going to die... and I couldn't stop it...

I heard a song... my favorite song... in my ears... It was the soundtrack to my death... Thank you...

Turning and returning to some secret place inside... watching in slow motion as you turn around and say.... watching I keep waiting still anticipating love... never hesitating to become the fated ones... turning and returning to some secret place to hide... watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say... Through the hourglass I saw you, in time you slipped away... when the mirror crashed I called you, and turned to hear you say... if only for today I am unafraid...

I'm unafraid! I'm going to die! I'm unafraid! I'm going to slip away... but I finally found courage... and I'm not afraid...

Take my breath away... take my breath away... take my breath away... My love, take my breath away...

My eyes closed... I waited for the first slice into my skin... I hoped he would by pure accident kill me quickly...

Just bury me next to John Wayne... or his gay compound counterpart... I deserve it...

But the cut didn't come...

All at once, his weight was removed from my person in one jerk. My eyes opened and in the blur, I saw what looked like a woman pulling him backwards and sending him flying over the railing and down onto the rocks below. The metal clink of the knife blade caught my ears as it hit the tile and I used the last of my energy to fall forward onto my knees and lower myself down onto my stomach and onto my side. My cheek pressed against the wet tile and my eyes began to blur again... but it was a different blurring... a more final blurring... like it was the last thing I'd ever see.

My arm was stretched out at my side... my right hand... the light was catching it... it was letting me see the ring... the ring was the last thing I'd see... and I thanked God... I thanked him for at least loving me that much... Thank you... thank you for letting me see... (Zac's love) the ring... thank you... God loved me... I knew God loved me... he didn't hate me for being gay... and I hoped he'd find it in his heart... to let me in to ... (the void) heaven... and my heaven had better... have... Zac...

=Aftermath...=

"All right, my talent and ability is here. Room 7?"

"Yes, Dr. Kelmo."

"What are his specs?"

"20 year old male. Standing 6'1", weighing about 190 pounds."

"Injuries?"

"Superficial external injury across his shoulder... and a deep stab wound to his stomach. It looks like the wall of his stomach was pierced and we might have had some damaging to his liver but his history says he had a spleenectomy. That just might have saved his life. Our main worry is blood loss and possible blood poisoning."

"Type him?"

"Yes. Type A."

"Thank God."

"We're worried about contamination. The knife used to cause the injury was incredibly unclean."

"Have we given the tetanus treatment?"

"We are now. His stomach needs to be repaired. Any longer and we risk further visceral deterioration."

"All right. I'll take care of that. Let me scrub up."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Is the assailant taken care of?"

"Yeah, died on impact."

"Agt. Gurion?"

"Yeah. She followed their path and got there just in time."

"What about the other kid?"

"Rios is treating him. Mild exhaustion. They went without food for quite a while so malnutrition is a concern but not a big one."

"I see."

"Take care of this one. He's real important to a lot of people."

"Nurse Watkins, I have not lost a patient yet. I will not start now. I'm the best surgeon in this place and I'm not going to lose someone. You just sit back, look pretty, and get a handle on the candlelight vigil out there. I have to go make another masterpiece..."

"Yes, Dr. Kelmo."

"All right, Mr. Cameron... let's put you back together."

=A prayer...=

Hey, God. It's Zac.

I know you're pretty busy and stuff.

But I just want to ask you...

I mean, if you can hear me,

I need you to bring Reid back to me.

He's still in surgery and if you could do me that favor.

It's not like I lived the most pure life,

But I didn't brake any rules really.

I always was taught you'd take care of me.

And I need you right now.

You can't take Reid away from me.

Please... Please God.

After all, I did kinda make the world a better place

with MMMBop.

And the follow up to our hit song MMMBop with Where's The Love...

And you can't ignore If Only...

Seriously...

Bring Reid back to me...

I love him and I need him.

Please...

=To Be Continued...=