Disclaimer:

Here is chapter 50, the next chapter in an ongoing story about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the Act. Thanks to people who write and tell me what they think, here I am still writing. I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell me what you think.

For the obligatory disclaimer, I must say I have no contact with either gentleman or group, so these chapters exist within the imagination of the author's mind, combined with public events that happened during this time.

Cheers,

Musicfan

Hours had passed by the time they got back to their hotel, everyone laughing as they spilled out of the taxi. Stephen helped Ronan with their packages, and he followed at a more leisurely pace, dragging their purchases with him. He hoped that Alex would either be up or so soundly asleep that his arrival in the room wouldn't bother him. Quietly, he used his key to open the door and found that Alex was still asleep. As softly as he could, he dropped the bags onto the sofa in the room and reflected on an idea of taking a shower, feeling sweaty from their day of wandering around the stores in the humid air. He stripped, not bothering to turn on the lights, and quickly showered, enjoying the cool water along his skin. Afterwards, he wrapped himself in a towel and made his way to the other bed, crawling under the covers for a nap. The sun had been hot, and even with the sunglasses and shower, Stephen was still feeling the effects of the heat. He rolled over and drifted off, smiling as he thought of the enjoyable day he had had.

#

A muffled curse woke him out a sound slumber and he blinked, reorienting himself as to where he was. The expletive had come from Alex, who had stubbed his foot on his suitcase.

"Hello there," Stephen said with a grin as Alex turned around in surprise.

"Shit, I hadn't wanted to wake you, Stephen." Alex said apologetically, rubbing his toes. "Go back to sleep." He kicked the offending piece of baggage and swore again as it fell over, spilling its contents onto the floor.

Stephen turned away, not wanting his friend to see the grin on his face that he couldn't help. "You know, it probably would be easier if you could see what you were doing." He suited actions to words and turned on the lamp that was on the table in between the beds. He saw that Alex was just out of the shower himself, and had been trying to get some new clothes without disturbing him. "It's about time we got up, anyway." He scooted back on the bed and leaned against the headboard. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, other than wanting to kick this damn thing again," Alex said, his voice muffled as he stuck his head in his bag looking for something. "Dammit all, where is it?"

"Where's what?" Stephen asked, curious. Alex stood up with a sigh, shaking his head as he looked at his friend.

"My shaving kit. I knew I packed it, but for the life of me, I can't find it at all." Alex was annoyed with himself. Stephen knew he was a very fastidious man and hated having stubble.

"Mine's in the bathroom, you can use it if you want. I don't mind." Stephen offered as he reached to the top of the headboard and stretched. Alex turned to thank him and stared. Stephen's chest was bare and he idly scratched it as he came out of the stretch. "What?"

"Nothing," Alex said, nonplussed by the sight. He could probably count on one hand the number of times he had seen Stephen act so at ease while in a state of undress. Most of those times he still had swim trunks on, or he had been so busy changing into another outfit backstage that he hadn't been worried with who saw him. Normally he was rather reticent about allowing others to see him, being naturally body-shy. Alex said nothing as he turned and headed into the bathroom, his clothes in his arms. He filed away the thought for later perusal, determined to find out what was really going on.

Stephen took the opportunity to get dressed while Alex was in the other room, putting on a pair of black dress pants and a nice shirt that would work no matter where they went for dinner that evening. He told Alex about his day while Alex shaved, casually walking in and grabbing his tube of hair cream. He sat down on the toilet seat, chattering away, completely at ease with his friend. Alex observed it all without comment, finding it strange. The man he was sharing a hotel room was different from the man he had spent time with in the past. Granted, some time had passed since the last time they had roomed together, but Alex found himself curious. He took the hair gel out of Stephen's hands and poured some onto his palm, working his fingers through Stephen's hair for him.

Stephen was so used to it that he smiled up at him, chuckling. "You're not working, you know. We're on holiday."

"I know that. But I can do it much faster than you can," Alex told him, pouring some more gel into his hand and working it into his own hair. "Don't touch that, it looks good."

"Yeah, yeah." Stephen said, but in a good-natured way. Alex was obviously feeling a lot better, having slept most of the day away. He got up to allow Alex room to finish up, and gave Ronan a ring to see if there had been any plans made for dinner. Ronan told him what time they had to be downstairs, and said to meet the rest of them in the bar whenever they were ready. Stephen told Alex, who nodded as he walked into the room.

"I'm all set. Just want to get some cologne on," Alex said, reaching into the bag again and pulling out a bottle. He applied it liberally, also offering the bottle to Stephen, who shook his head.

"You know that's not my type." Stephen said with a laugh. Alex made some sly comment about a lot of things not being his type, to which Stephen laughed. He and Alex got along famously, and for the most part Alex didn't play over the top with him when they were by themselves. Stephen knew it was just an act he did to wind them up, and it usually worked. But he much preferred the less flamboyant friend, and this was the one he wanted with him on holiday.

As they made their way downstairs, he reflected on their earlier kidding about Alex losing his heart to him. He knew that Alex was joking, but there had been a time when they had both considered the possibility of having a relationship. They had been thrown together enough that it would have been a natural consequence, but it had never progressed past them talking about it once or twice. They found that they were much better friends, and neither of them wanted to wreck that with a physical relationship. Working as closely as they did, a fall out would have been awful to deal with, and instinctively they both avoided the situation.

When they got down to the lobby, they found the others waiting outside the bar for them. Ronan had made reservations for them at a local restaurant and went to go get them a ride. He was able to get a van to come pick them up, and the six of them rode together, laughing as they went.

They had a fantastic time, having a fun night out. Alex had them all in stitches as he kept up a running commentary about the personal lives of the people around them. Stephen had an aching side from laughing so hard all evening. Ronan and Yvonne decided that they wanted to go dancing and invited everyone along. Alex and Stephen bowed out, saying they wanted to get back to the hotel. Lisa tried to get them to stay and go over to the club next door to the restaurant, but they told her to enjoy herself with Keith.

They left the restaurant together, leaving the two couples to go over to the club. As they waited outside for a taxicab, Alex lit up a cigarette. Stephen made a face, but didn't say anything to him. They didn't say much on the ride back, but when they got back to their hotel, they went to the bar for a few drinks. Stephen brought Alex up to date on what they had been doing while he was away, and told Alex about Keith's plan to propose to Lisa while they were on holiday. Alex was delighted with the news, and vowed to help with the planning of everything so that it was perfect.

A few hours later found them holding each other up as they made their way back to their hotel room. Alex had bought a bottle of champagne at Stephen's news and together they had both gotten quite tipsy. Stephen was a little unsteady as he stood at the door, trying to insert the key in the lock. Alex had to help him and together they went in, Alex laughing and Stephen trying to shush him since it was so late. They collapsed on the bed, still laughing.

"Oh, my side aches!" Stephen moaned, ruefully rubbing his stomach as Alex lay back, still chuckling softly.

"How pathetic!" Alex said drolly, which elicited another giggle from Stephen.

"Thank you," Stephen leaned back on his arm and looked down at his friend. "It's all your fault, you know. Getting me drunk. Are you doing it so you can have your way with me?"

"Would you like me to?" Alex asked, arching a blond eyebrow at his friend. "You know Stephen, I told you all you needed was a good shag. Maybe I should be the one to help you out."

Stephen stared down, seeing his friend was serious with his suggestion. "Alex, I don't know what..." His reply was stopped by Alex's hand on his arm.

"Stephen, I'm suggesting this as a friend. For just a good time, hell, a way to relax." Alex sat back up and faced Stephen. "As a friend, I'm offering. If you want to take me up on it, fine. If not, that's fine too."

Stephen stared at Alex, touched by the offer. He knew Alex tended to be freer in sleeping with people, and that Alex knew he wasn't the type to do the same. But looking at things from Alex's point of view, he could see why he was offering. As he looked into the face of a friend that he had known for years, he knew that he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Thank you, Alex. It's sweet. But I can't. I'm... I'm not really free to." Stephen said, looking down shyly, a bit surprised with himself. As he thought about it, he knew that he couldn't take Alex up on his offer because without love, the intimacy of sex just didn't appeal to him. Not that he didn't love Alex, but not in the way he would have needed to in order to take him up on his offer.

"Not free?" Alex repeated, thinking over Stephen's shy admittance. He reached over and tilted Stephen's face up, his fingers under Stephen's chin. "Are you telling me you're with someone?" Stephen was still looking down, and he nodded, smiling softly. "Who?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you," Stephen said. He could feel his cheeks growing warm under Alex's steady gaze. He also knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep anything from his friend.

"And why not?" Alex said, almost indignantly. He transferred his touch to Stephen's shoulder and shook it slightly. "Come on now, give. Why shouldn't you tell me?"

"Well," Stephen started, and then stopped, trying to figure out how to tell the other man. "What if you don't approve?"

"Don't approve... Stephen, do I know this man?" Alex asked, thinking of everyone in the Boyzone organisation who could possibly be the focus of Stephen's interest.

"Yes, sort of." Stephen said. "You've met him a few times." Alex forced him to look at him in the face and his smile turned into a grin. He knew that there was no way he was going to get out of this, but he didn't know how to tell him.

"Who?" Alex asked again, staring at him intently. "Just tell me."

Stephen sighed before saying the name. He felt a bit silly, acting shy like he was, but he had always had a problem sharing these kinds of things with friends. For so long he had been on his own, that he hadn't done it enough to feel comfortable with it. "Eloy de Jong. He's in Caught in the Act. You know, the Dutch group."

Alex stared at him in complete surprise. Immediately an image was brought to mind of the other man and Alex let out a slow whistle. "You son of a gun!" He exclaimed, laughing softly. "Not my type, but I suppose he's a bit of a looker. But Stephen, when? How? And how long have you been holding back from me?"

Stephen had a silly grin on his face from Alex's reaction. "How? The usual way, I would imagine. You just fall in love with one another. As to when? Well, that's the hard part." He looked up from his lap and Alex held out a hand, telling him to stop.

"Wait. Not another word until I get comfy. I have a feeling this is going to be a long story." Alex said. He shucked himself out of his dress clothes and pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Then he walked over to the fridge in the corner of the room and opened up the mini-bar, pulling a bottle of wine out. Grabbing a couple of the plastic glasses that were sitting on top of the table, he opened the wine and poured them both a glass before handing one to Stephen. Then he sat down with his own and sighed. "Why is the when the hard part?"

"Because... I don't know if we can still be together." Stephen said, his hand trembling as he contemplated telling his friend everything that had happened. Alex started to open his mouth and he put his hand up to forestall him. "Wait. Promise me one thing before I say anything else."

"What?" Alex asked, wondering what he was going to have to promise.

"What I say stays between the two of us. Just you and me. No one else." Stephen said, dead serious. "The rest of the lads know some of this, but not all of this. The only people who know it all right now are just Eloy and me. Even Michelle doesn't know everything." Alex knew it had to be big if Stephen hadn't told his older sister. She was Stephen's closest confidante, and if Stephen was contemplating telling him something that he hadn't told his sister, Alex knew it was going to be something important.

"I promise. Not a word." Alex said, crossing his heart and kissing his palm to seal his promise before closing his hand on it. "Stephen, if no one else knows, this has to be eating at you. Please tell me."

Stephen started back to his first meeting with Eloy. Occasionally Alex would make a noise as he realised how far back this went. Stephen downed his glass of wine and Alex raided the fridge for something else, moving onto a bottle of whiskey to give Stephen some fortification. Stephen told him the whole story, from the first time that he and Eloy had made love to what happened with Louis at the Pod. Alex's muffled exclamation and fierce look made Stephen feel a lot better about the way he was feeling. It was also the only time that Alex said something, because he couldn't contain himself.

"That son of a bitch," Alex said viscously. "He has a lot of gall saying that kind of thing. How'd he find out?"

"I don't know," Stephen said miserably. "Michelle thinks it was my brother Alan." He then went on to tell Alex some of the things that had gone on while he was at home in Dublin. He felt so relieved to be able to share it with someone else. He had bottled the whole thing up so tightly that unless he buried himself in the work, he found himself brooding about it for hours on end. He kept on moving in circles, trying to figure out how to go on, and if he could go on without hurting his friends.

"You're not doing yourself any favours, you know." Alex said, sobered by Stephen's story. "And you're doing a big disservice to the lads."

"What," Stephen asked, startled by Alex's comment. "What disservice?" He was lying back on the bed with Alex by this point and they were both on their sides facing one another while they talked.

"By not telling them what's going on," Alex said simply. "Don't you think they should have a decision in what happens with the group?"

Stephen was confused by Alex's comment. "Have a decision? Of course. But what has anything that I've told you got to do with them?" He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back off of his face. "I don't understand what you're getting at."

"Do you think any of them would be happy to find out that you've basically screwed yourself for their sakes?" Alex asked, spelling it out for his friend. "Shouldn't they have a decision in it?"

"No," Stephen said, baffled. "This isn't about them. I'm doing it so we can keep the group together. Don't you see that, Alex? I don't want to be responsible for scuttling the band. I don't want that over my head. Better I not have a personal life than wreck their chance at making it in the business."

"You really believe that, don't you?" Alex asked, awed.

"Yeah, of course I do!" Stephen exclaimed. "If I was straight, this wouldn't be a problem for them. Alex, they've been so good to me over the years. I can't repay that with being selfish."

"Oh, Stephen," Alex said, seeing that his friend was determined not to share his situation with his friends. "You know that eventually it's going to come out, don't you? They're going to find out. And they probably won't be happy to find out that you've made yourself miserable for them."

"How else can I do it?" Stephen cried, upset with what Alex was telling him. "Do you think I should be selfish and just say feck it all? And when the company drops us, what do I do then?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I just think you should tell them what Louis did to you," Alex said patiently. He tried to put himself in Stephen's shoes, but he couldn't see Stephen's reasoning at all. He also wasn't one to form a permanent attachment with anyone, so he had a hard time picturing himself in that sort of a situation. "And how much is Louis lying to you?"

"I don't know, Alex. But I don't think I can take that chance. Eloy agreed with me. He's in the same situation. We both have too much to lose." Stephen said, getting thoroughly depressed.

"You can't live like this forever, you know." Alex said knowledgeably. "Eventually, something has got to give. And you're going to have to make a decision. I just hope you make the right one."

Stephen stared at his friend miserably. He knew exactly what Alex meant. He was constantly in fear of Eloy changing his mind and going on to someone else. He knew it was only a matter of time, and the thought of never spending time again with the other man was enough to break his heart. But every time he went over it in his mind, he couldn't find another solution. So he prayed that Eloy would be willing to wait. He selfishly felt relief at the fact that Eloy was so busy doing his own work that he probably didn't have time to look around for another relationship. So he kept hoping that when the time came, that they'd be able to come to a solution for their problem.

"So do I, Alex. But what else can I do?" He asked softly, looking at his friend in despair. Alex shook his head, wondering how Stephen had kept this bottled up for so long with only his sister to talk to about it. He opened his arms and Stephen moved into them for a hug.

"Stay here tonight. I promise no funny business. I think you need someone to hold onto tonight," Alex said softly, his voice a little unsteady. Stephen clung to him, thankful for Alex's willingness to listen as well as his offer for some close contact with another human being. He missed the touching and cuddling with Eloy the most, he knew. Alex rocked him gently back and forth, not saying a word, but silently offering support. Not too long after that, Stephen drifted off to sleep. While Alex certainly couldn't compare to Eloy, Stephen appreciated his offer and accepted it for the generous gift it was.

The next morning the strident ringing of the telephone woke Stephen. Alex was a beast in the morning, so Stephen struggled to get to the phone before it had gone on too long.

"Yeah?" He asked blearily, wondering who was calling. It was Keith, wanting to know if they wanted to come down for breakfast. Stephen groaned and told him that he didn't think either of them was up for food at the moment. Keith could tell that Stephen had been drinking the night before and didn't bother to cajole him down. As he hung up the telephone, he looked warily at his friend, but thankfully Alex was still sound asleep. He rolled back over and fell back to sleep, waking several hours later. The sun was still up, but he felt like it was late in the afternoon. Alex had left the room, so Stephen felt comfortable getting up and taking a shower. He was feeling lazy and not really inclined to do much, so he stayed in the room until the phone rang.

It was Ronan, wanting to know if he was going to bother to come down and join them for dinner. He gave his friend an affirmative, agreeing to meet them downstairs in the lobby.

After dinner, the two other couples wouldn't allow Stephen or Alex to go back to the hotel by themselves again and made them come out to a club with them. Stephen wasn't much for clubs, being more of the type who just wanted to sit at a quiet table in the pub and relax, but he went with them willingly enough. They had an enjoyable time together, and both Yvonne and Lisa dragged him and Alex out onto the dance floor a few times. It was on one of the trips where Yvonne had asked Alex to dance and Keith was already cutting up the floor with Lisa that Ronan leaned over and told Stephen about their plans to pick up and go to Las Vegas for the next step in Keith's plan. Stephen nodded eagerly, and they put their heads together discussing the details until the two couples came back to the table.

Ronan started up the discussion about wanting to see more of America than just the East Coast, and Alex obliged by suggesting other places they could go on their holiday. When Las Vegas came up, Stephen jumped on the suggestion, saying how he always wanted to dress up and go play at the card tables.

"Don't you want to stay here, though?" Lisa asked, knowing that they had only seen a fraction of the attractions in the area. Keith made a comment that it was about time they had some grown up entertainment and Stephen laughed at him, agreeing. The girls shrugged good-naturedly, happy to do whatever the boys wanted. So they made plans to check out what it would take to get to Nevada, as well as where they would stay while they were there.

As they were heading out to find a taxi, Keith wrapped his arm around Stephen's shoulders, giving him a squeeze as a thank you for going along with his and Ronan's plan. Stephen grinned up at his friend. "Anytime, Keith."

They trailed behind the others as they talked, their heads together. "Stephen, would you mind helping me out with something else?" Keith said softly, keeping an eye on his girlfriend so he could talk. Stephen nodded, eager to see his friends happily married.

"Absolutely. What can I do?" He said, looking up at his friend.

"Help me pick out a ring for her," Keith said softly. Stephen broke out into a huge smile, and nodded.

"I'd love to!" He said. They had to stop their conversation because they had caught up with the others, and Lisa was waiting for Keith to join her. Ronan gave Stephen a wink and he grinned back at his friend. He was having a ball helping them plan the surprise, and he couldn't wait to see Lisa's face when she found out. It was turning out to be one of the best holidays he had ever had, and he couldn't wait to see how it was all going to turn out.

They didn't wait until they got to Vegas before starting their plan of getting Keith and Lisa married. Yvonne had been told of the scheme and eagerly played her role of distracting Lisa while the boys got their plans together. Stephen and Alex went shopping with them one day while Ronan and Keith went to a car rally, and it was Alex who lured them into the jewelry store to look at what they had there. Stephen kept a sharp eye out for what Lisa liked, making notes so he could tell Keith later when they met for dinner. He wanted everything to be perfect for the two of them and really felt that they deserved to be together. He reported his findings later to Keith and Ronan, and they made plans to go get the appropriate ring while the girls were busy elsewhere.

Finally, they had everything they needed, and planned for a last big night on the town in New York. They had moved to a hotel inside the city so they could be closer to things, and had been having a grand time going about the city. At the advice of the bartender in their hotel, they booked a dinner at an expensive restaurant in Manhattan, and everyone agreed to dress up for the occasion.

They discussed their plans for later on in the evening, making sure that they would have everything coordinated properly. They weren't quite sure when Keith was going to pop the question, but together they were determined that there was no way Lisa could turn him down. By the time the others joined them in Stephen and Alex's room they had made some firm plans on how to make sure it was all going to go off without a hitch. Or with a hitch in the end, as the case was to be.

Stephen followed Alex out of their room and down to the lobby where the others were waiting. Stephen paid the ladies the compliment of a wolf whistle, which got them all laughing. But they did look lovely. Everyone was dressed up for a night on the town, and they were eagerly looking forward to this trip. Stephen exchanged a look with Keith, nodding slightly with a smile. He knew that tonight was going to be the night, and that it was his role to make sure that Keith had the chance to ask his question. He was amused at the butterfly feelings in his stomach in the behalf of his friend's big night, but he was truly excited, knowing that Keith would be over the moon if Lisa said yes. As they crowded into a limousine that Keith had set up ahead of time, he prayed that everything would go right.

It seemed like fortune was smiling on Keith that evening as everything seemed magical, from the fabulous dinner that they had at the restaurant overlooking Central Park, to dancing on the roof deck club under the stars. Without making it look too obvious, they all found an excuse to leave Keith and Lisa alone together. Ronan dragged Yvonne out onto the dance floor and Stephen and Alex disappeared on the idea of checking out the view, though they had no intention of leaving the room. They both were too curious about how Lisa would react.

The two of them received a lot of stares from the waitstaff as they ducked behind a palm frond to peer around its edges and watch their table. They had to explain what they were up to, and eventually the whole staff knew that a proposal was planned. Alex picked out a lovely bottle of champagne with the instructions to deliver it once it looked like the lady had said yes. Eventually they had a small crowd waiting around them as everyone watched the table on the other side of the room. Stephen found a lump in his throat as he saw Lisa's reaction to the small box in front of her as Keith went down to one knee in the restaurant, all the hope of the world in his gaze.

It was evident from Lisa's squeal of surprise and her act of throwing her arms around Keith what the answer was. Their waiter Andrew promptly delivered the bottle of champagne and opened it with a flourish, pouring the couple celebratory glasses to toast the decision. Stephen had to peel his fingers off of Alex's arm, he was so excited with Lisa's reaction and Keith's ear to ear grin. Keith then stood up, shouting "She said yes," and lead Lisa out onto the dance floor where they danced to a slow song played by the band. The people in the restaurant applauded the news, smiling at the elated couple in the middle of the dance floor. Stephen watched with tears in his eyes, thrilled beyond belief for his friend.

When they were finished their dance, the others converged upon the table, Yvonne exclaiming over the ring on Lisa's finger and giving her a large hug. Lisa kissed each of the other men, knowing full well how much of a part they had played in the night. While Stephen offered to drag the others away so that Keith and Lisa could continue their romantic evening, Lisa wouldn't allow him to, promptly pulled him down into the chair next to her, leaning against his shoulder. He smiled at Keith, taking his mouthed "thank you" with a smile and nod as he admired the ring on Lisa's finger.

"Can you believe it?" Keith asked in a boisterous voice, thrilled that everything had gone off as well as it had, exceeding his wildest expectations. "She said yes!"

"Yeah, a bit of a surprise, isn't it?" Ronan said with a laugh, teasing his friend. "That she'd say yes to you." The twinkle in his eye belied his taunt and they all laughed at his comment. Yvonne gave him a soft tap on the arm as a reprimand for it, though.

They continued to celebrate into the night, with both Alex and Stephen taking turns dancing with the two women. Stephen took the opportunity to give a private wish that Lisa would be happy while they were dancing and Lisa kissed him on the cheek, eyes sparkling.

"Do you know he wants to get married in Las Vegas?" She asked, resting her fingers on his arms as he swung her around the dance floor. He nodded, knowing full well what the rest of Keith's plans were.

"Will that be okay, without your family here?" He asked softly, wanting to make sure that she was going to be all right with the whole thing. She nodded, saying that Keith had promised that if she wanted to, they would do another one in Ireland with their families present, but that he just didn't want to wait a moment longer.

"Aww, sweet," he murmured, giving her a peck as she hugged him tight.

"Thank you for everything you and Ronan did. Don't think I don't know that both of you had a hand in this, Stephen." She said with a laugh. He grinned unashamedly at her accusation and nodded.

"Absolutely. When my brother needs help, I'm always there to lend a hand," he said. The music ended and he brought her back to the table where they sat down. Keith grabbed her hand and kissed it, still over the moon with her reaction. Stephen was thrilled for them, and hoped that the rest of it would go off as well as this night had for them.

Eventually the day caught up with them all, and when Ronan suggested they head back to the hotel, Stephen nodded gratefully. Alex opted to go check out some clubs, and assured Stephen he had his key so he could get back into their room. The rest of them got a taxi back to their hotel, Yvonne and Lisa whispering to each other while the three men sat on the opposite seat in bemusement. When they got back to the hotel, they went up to their floor, Lisa giving Ronan and Stephen another kiss as they headed to their rooms. Keith gave them both hugs and whispered thanks as he followed his fiancee down the hall.

"Well, that went off all right," Ronan said with a satisfied smile as he watched them enter their room and close the door. Yvonne leaned on his arm, happy with the way the night had gone.

"Yeah, it did," Stephen said, stifling a yawn. "Now to get them married, though I think that will be the easy part."

"Yeah," Ronan agreed. "Well, we're off. Sleep in and we'll see you for a late breakfast, yeah?"

"Sounds good to me. Goodnight," Stephen said softly, waving to them as he entered his room. He closed the door and leaned against it with a sigh. It had been a long day, but a satisfying one. He took off his clothes, hanging them back up in the closet as he made his way over to the bed closest to the window. He figured he'd leave the other one for Alex, since he had no idea what shape Alex would be when he came in later on.