Love Conquers All
by Flaming Matt
Chapter 3
October 2015
"Just leave him somewhere and call the police or something." Ryan suggests in an almost desperate tone and he just couldn't believe he had got himself involved with something like this and just wanted to go home and pretend it never happened, because he never agreed to kidnapping anyone and couldn't believe this was happening.
"Yeah Jarred, no one will know it was us and I don't want to get in trouble, so let's just dump him somewhere safe and where someone will find him and go home or something." Barry then states and while he was scared of the two other boys, he was more scared of getting caught up in some big police investigation and just wanted to go home and pretend it never happened.
"Just go home then, but if you two tell anyone, then you will be sorry and that's a promise." Jarred responds in a cold tone, he wanted them to know that he was being serious and while inside he was actually a little afraid himself, he had gone too far to go back now and he wanted to finish what he had started and if he had to do it without them, than so be it as far as he was concerned.
"Seriously Jarred, threats? You know I'm not afraid of you and don't pretend like I am." Ryan quickly states in response and while he had no intention of grassing on his friend, he wasn't going to let him talk to him like that either.
"Fine, but don't tell anyone, I have a plan and everything is going to work out fine, even if I have to do it alone." Jarred then states in a slightly frustrated tone and knew that it would be harder to do on his own, but it wasn't that big of a deal and it might even work out for the best and it would mean that he wouldn't have to explain how he actually got this idea in the first place, he knew they would probably freak out or something and he couldn't be bothered to deal with that.
"If people find out, you er... well you promised no one would know I helped." Barry then states in a nervous tone, before spitting in his palm and holding out his hand for his friend to shake and while it was childish and he actually felt like embarrassed and a little pathetic doing, he couldn't take it back and was just hoping they wouldn't mock him or worse, hurt him.
"Seriously?" Jarred can't help but ask in a bemused tone, they were twelve now, not some little kids, although he didn't really expect much more from the other boy, he never liked him and didn't really care what happened to him now.
"Just do it Jarred or we will have a problem and he may be pathetic, but do you really want to find out if you can actually take me." Ryan then quickly states as he spits in the palm of his hand and holds it out as well, it may be childish and pathetic, but it was still binding in his eyes and he wouldn't leave until his friend did the same.
"Fine, but after you go, then you're out and you can't talk about it ever again, not even with me, I don't want anyone else finding out." Jarred responds after a few moments in a serious tone, before spitting in the palm of his hand and shaking both of their hands, before wiping it clean on his jeans.
"See you later and if you want to come round tomorrow, I have some new videos and they're awesome." Ryan then offers, before turning around and walking away with the other boy by his side, sure he may not want any part in this now, but they were still friends and he wasn't going to stop being his friend, just because of this, well for now anyway.
"I might, but it will be in the afternoon." Jarred responds after a few moments and smiles as he sees them hold up their hands in acknowledgement before disappearing out of site. "This is going to be fun." He then states to himself, as he turns back to the little hut and opens the door, before smirking at the sight in front of him as he shuts the door behind himself.
The Next Day
"How's Matt doing?" Wesley asks in a sad tone, they had been told about what had happened the day before, but this was the first chance he had had to speak to his friends and he knew that his friend had not taken the news well and he was worried about him.
"He's finally sleeping." Ben responds in a tired and sad tone, he just couldn't believe what had happened, one moment they had been on top of the world, to then having that world crumble beneath them and he was scared for his fiancé, who had had one of his freak outs after they had been told what had happened.
"He will be okay Ben, I mean Jordan is fine and Alex will be out of hospital in the next few days." Wesley then states in a more positive tone, before frowning after remembering their other friend and couldn't help but feel useless.
"Mitch won't say much, but he said they're making progress and I trust him Wesley, he will find Peter soon." Ben then states as he tries to be positive himself, but he can't quite manage it as he looks across to his fiancé asleep on their sofa, he normally looked happy when he slept, even after everything David had done to him, but he looked sad now and it worried him.
"I'm worried about Alex though." Wesley then states in a slightly hesitant tone, he knew his friend had enough to deal with already, but his boyfriend was with Jordan at the moment and he needed to talk to someone about it.
"But he will be fine, you just said he will be home in a couple of days." Ben responds in a slightly confused tone, he was still looking at his fiancé sadly, but his friends words had caught his attention enough to turn away from him for a few moments.
"Yeah, but he doesn't know about Peter yet and well I know we aren't exactly close, but I'm worried about him and he's going to need someone and well Jordan has Carter and Tobias and Matt needs you, so well I want to be there for him, but I'm not sure how to help him Ben." Wesley then says as he tries his best to explain what he was trying to say and can't help but feel a bit useless for not knowing what to do himself.
"Just be yourself Wesley and trust me, you're good at that sort of thing and well, look Wesley just be yourself and he will appreciate it." Ben responds with a small smile and while he was still concerned about his fiancé, he wanted to reassure his friend and hopefully give him a confidence boost.
"I guess so." Wesley then states, before looking over to his sleeping friend in concern, after hearing him mumbling something and could see him shaking.
"Oh shit." Ben then quickly states, before just as quickly getting up and moving over to hold his fiancé.
"I'll get some spare clothes and a couple of towels." Wesley then says in a sad tone, before getting up and walking to his friends bedroom, he knew he was having a nightmare and knew that it was likely that he would wet himself and he wanted to try and take as much strain off his other friend as possible.
"Thanks Wesley." Ben responds with a sad look, before turning back to his fiancé. "Sshh, it's okay Matt, it's okay, I promise." He then whispers in his fiancé's ear, while he gently strokes his head and side with tears in his eyes.
"I just wish I could be in there with him Mike." Sarah states in a sad tone, while looking out to the pool house from the kitchen and not for the first time this year, felt like she was useless and powerless to help her son.
"He will come to you Sarah, but right now, he is just too emotional to realise what he really needs." Mike responds in a sympathetic tone. "Come on Sarah, he always comes to you and as much as he loves Ben, he loves you more and you know it's true." He then adds in a more positive tone, after seeing that his first attempts to reassure her had failed.
"I know, but I can't help it Mike and god knows how Tobias is, I mean he barely seemed to understand what happened and I could tell that Carter and Wesley were just as surprised by his reaction to the news." Sarah then states as she looks away from the window and towards him and just couldn't even begin to think of how to deal with her other son.
"I think he knows what's going on Sarah, but he's different from the other boys and even us." Mike then states in response, before seeing the look in her eyes. "Sarah, with everything that he's been through, he is a lot stronger than we give him credit for, those years in the orphanage and what he had to do to survive, he's tough and I think he is being strong for his friends and I will bet my life on him coming to you and crying his heart out once he knows his friends are all right." He then decides to say in a sincere tone and while he didn't quite know where that came from, he knew it was the truth and could see in her eyes, that she believed him and quickly moves over to embrace her.
"You're a good man Mike Walker and a good father." Sarah says in a sincere tone and while she wanted to kiss him, she held herself back and instead just eased out of the embrace and turned back to the window.
"Whose that?" Mike asks in a curious tone, after hearing her phone beeping and can't help but be a little relieved at the interruption, he had almost leaned in for a kiss, but this really wasn't the time for that and knew that it would have been a mistake.
"He's a little sweetheart." Sarah responds in a proud tone and just couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such a thoughtful and sweet son, even if he was adopted, to her, he was her son and she was his mother.
"Can I see?" Mike then asks as he walks over to her side and could guess by the smile on her face, that Tobias had texted her something and he was genuinely curious to see what he could have sent her, that would change her mood so drastically. "I love you loads Mum and can I have a cuddle when I come home please." He then says as he reads the message out loud and couldn't help but pull her back into a cuddle.
"I'm so glad we found him Mike, I mean I wish he never had to go through what he did and I would never wish his family dead, they were my friends since childhood, but I'm so happy to have him here with us and he's just so sweet and loving." Sarah states from the heart, after enjoying the embrace for a few minutes, she really was lucky and despite everything else, so loved her boys and knowing how much they loved her was enough to keep herself from being overwhelmed.
"You should text him back Sarah, he obviously sent it for a reason and I think he needs to know you will be there for him when he gets home, it will help him stay strong for his friends." Mike then suggests with a warm smile, before handing back her phone and giving her a little space.
"Okay and thank you again Mike, I don't know how I would have got through this past year without you." Sarah responds with a warm smile, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and while she had wanted to do more than that, it wasn't the right time and she knew that he felt the same way.
"I will make us a fresh coffee." Mike then states with a slight blush and can't help but wonder how close they were and if they would end up together or just stay good friends.
"Thank you Mike." Sarah responds with a smile, before concentrating on her phone and what to send her son.
"Is he okay?" Wesley asks in a caring tone, as he turns back around to his two friends with a sympathetic expression and could tell straight away that his friend was struggling to keep his composure.
"You didn't have to turn away Wesley, he wouldn't mind." Ben states in response, while purposely ignoring his friends question, which was just too hard for him to think about right now.
"I know, but it's private and even if he wouldn't mind, it doesn't mean that I should watch." Wesley responds honestly, before kneeling down next to his friend and putting an arm around his shoulder to comfort him.
"I guess so, it's been a while since he wet himself though." Ben then says as he gives his friend a quick glance, before looking back at his sleeping fiancé, who to his relief had at least stopped having whatever nightmare he was just having.
"He will be fine Ben, once he processes everything and the shock wears off, he will be fine." Wesley then decides to say in an attempt to reassure his friend, but he could tell that it didn't really help him as much as he had hoped it would.
"We're engaged." Ben then states in a sad tone, both he and his fiancé had been so excited to tell everyone, but before they had even had a chance, they were told about their friends and he wasn't sure why he was bringing it now, but he just wanted to tell someone and could feels a few tears roll down his face.
"What?" Wesley quickly asks in a surprised tone and although he heard what his friend had just said, he had to ask him to repeat it, just in case he heard him wrong.
"I asked him to marry me last night Wesley and he said yes, we were going to tell everyone together, but well we never got the chance and er..." Ben then starts to explain, before feeling himself being pulled into his friends chest and cuddled, as he loses his composure and quickly starts to cry.
"Sshh Ben, it's okay and I'm so happy for you, well for both of you and so will everyone else, you two are soul mates and we all love you both so much." Wesley then states in a soothing tone, while at the same time gently rocking his friend, he just couldn't believe how everything was turning out, this news should have everyone feeling happy and congratulating his two friends, but instead he was having to comfort one of his friends in his arms, while his other friend was asleep after wetting himself while having a nightmare and he just didn't know how to begin to make it better.
"Your phones vibrating." Ben manages to say in a tired tone, he had been crying in his friends arms for what seem like hours, but after being brought out of his distress by the feeling of his friends phone vibrating, he could see that it had only been ten minutes.
"Oh okay, but I will check it later, you're..." Wesley then begins to respond, before trailing off as he feels his friend shifting and sitting back up and he couldn't help but look at him sadly, his face was wet with tears and his eyes looks so red and puffy.
"Answer it Wesley." Ben states in a firm tone, before wiping his face with one of the dry towels on the floor in front of them. "And thank you Wesley, I needed that and well, just thank you." He then adds with an appreciative smile, after giving his face another wipe and looking at his friend.
"Okay and you don't need to thank me, you would do the same for me Ben and so would Matt." Wesley responds with a smile, before looking down at his phone and he can't help but be a little surprised to see that he had three missed calls from his dad and two from his mum and quickly dials his dads number, while he watches his friend leaning forward and checking on his boyfriend... well fiancé he guessed now and couldn't help but smile at the thought, before hearing his dads voice and quickly starts to talk to him.
"What's wrong?" Ben asks after trying not to eavesdrop on his friends conversation, but he couldn't help but hear his friends side of it and was confused and from the look on his face, he could see that he seemed as confused as he was.
"I don't know, my dad just told me to come straight home, but wouldn't tell me why and he sounded really strange." Wesley responds in a somewhat dumbfounded tone, he'd never heard his dad sound like that and while he wasn't completely sure, he could have sworn that he could hear someone crying in the back round.
"Did he sound angry?" Ben decides to ask in a curious tone, as he tries to help his friend figure out why his dad wanted him home and was just hoping he wasn't in trouble or something like that.
"I don't know, but I have to go, you don't mind do you, I mean I can stay if you want me to Ben." Wesley quickly offers in response and while he was worried and wanted to go home to find out what his dad wanted, he wasn't going to leave his friends, especially when they were both clearly upset and vulnerable and knew his dad would understand.
"I don't want you to go, but you have to Wesley, your dad would never tell you to go home unless it was serious and you should go." Ben responds with a warm smile. "Seriously Wesley, go and you can ask my dad to take you home, he said he needed to go to the hospital to talk to Alex's dad about something and you can tell Sarah to come here, then I won't be alone and Matt will be happy to see her when he wakes up, he needs his mum." He then adds in a sincere tone and while he would prefer his friend to stay, he couldn't keep him from going home and the more he thought about it, the more he thought Sarah being here when his fiancé woke up, the more it made sense and he knew it would mean the world to her as well.
"You're the best, you know that Ben." Wesley then responds, before pulling his friend towards him and quickly giving him a quick kiss on the lips, he just loved him so much and he wanted to let him know that.
"Oh my god! You've been kissing Tobias again." Ben quickly states in an amused tone and despite all the other stuff happening, he couldn't help but tease his friend, he would recognise the taste of his brothers toothpaste anywhere and had been around his friends house enough to know that they didn't use that kind.
"How the hell... I mean er... oh crap." Wesley then begins to try and lie his way out of it, but quickly realises that he made a complete mess of it and had only confirmed his friends suspicions.
"His toothpaste is super strong and has this weird but nice taste and you taste like it and I know you don't use that type." Ben then says with a small grin, after deciding to not tease his friend too much, he just wasn't in the mood for that and settled for just using it as a distraction from the other stuff for a few minutes.
"Shit, but, it was the last time though and it..." Wesley then begins to say in an embarrassed tone, before feeling slightly relieved as his friend interrupts him.
"It's fine Wesley, just make sure it really is the last time this time, because Lily is going to ask him to be her boyfriend tomorrow and you shouldn't be kissing each other like that any more." Ben decides to say after interrupting his friend and while it was tempting to let his friend struggle to explain himself, he didn't think it was fair and given everything that had happened, he was happy to give him a break.
"We know and it was a good bye kiss Ben, we talked about it together and it won't happen again." Wesley responds with a smile, he was grateful that his friend wasn't giving him a hard time and quickly gives him another cuddle.
"Good, now get going and tell Sarah to not be too long, I don't want to be alone and I don't want Matt to wake up without her here, I meant what I said before Wesley, he needs his mum." Ben then says with an appreciative smile, he really did love his friend and knew that he needed to give him a little push to leave and go home.
"Okay and I will tell her to bring you a drink and something to eat for both of you." Wesley responds with a smile before getting to his feet and walking towards the door.
"Bye." Ben then calls out, before watching as his friend walks out of the door and quickly turns back to his fiancé and gently strokes the side of his face affectionately.
"Come in Mitch and sit down please." Hopkins instructs the young man after calling him into his office and couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable and could tell that the young man had no idea what he was about to tell him.
"Sir, I haven't finished the report just yet, but I can have it on your..." Mitch quickly begins to say after walking over to his bosses desk, before being surprised as he is interrupted.
"Mitch, I believe you know Andy and Amanda." Hopkins states in a professional tone, he was used to giving this kind of news to people, but when it came to people he knew and people who he worked with, it was completely different and he was still trying to work out the best way to tell the young man, while also struggling with the news himself.
"Er... yeah, I mean yes Sir, we've met before and we er... yeah we know each other." Mitch responds in a nervous and awkward tone, before blushing and knows that he just made a fool of himself.
"Relax Mitch." Hopkins decides to say, after seeing the young man was obviously confused and a little flustered and couldn't blame him, he knew he was under a lot of stress with heading his first ever case and he had obviously thought he was being called in to talk about that and couldn't help but wish he had handled this better and he hadn't even given him the news yet, which he was still dreading.
"Okay Sir." Mitch responds in a more relaxed tone and although he was still confused about why he was called in here, he didn't get the impression that he was in trouble.
"Now, I've called Andy and Amanda in here to answer any questions you may have, they're leading the investigation and they both wanted to be here for this Mitch." Hopkins then starts to say, before pausing for a few seconds and again while he had done this so many times in his career, it was never easy and especially when it involved people he knew and he could see the look in both of the other officers faces as well.
"Investigation? I don't understand Sir, is this to do with Peter?" Mitch then decides to ask in a confused tone, after his boss had stopped talking and despite assuming it was something to do with his case, he couldn't help but notice their expressions and could feel his stomach tightening a little bit, he had seen that look before and it unsettled him.
"Sir, if you don't mind, I think it will be best coming from us." Andy then decides to state in a measured tone, this wasn't easy for any of them, but he could see that the senior sergeant was struggling and as it was their case, he felt like they should take the lead.
"As you wish Andy." Hopkins replies in a professional tone, while trying to hide the relief he was feeling and show just how much this was affecting him.
"I don't understand, did something happen?" Mitch then asks in a slightly scared tone, they were all acting strange and he couldn't help but sit up a little in concern.
"Mitch, last night we were called to the Phoenix Motel after the manager reported that he couldn't get into one of his rooms and that there was a strange smell coming from..." Andy begins to explain, but trails off in surprise when he sees his friends face go white.
"Oh god!" Mitch then states as he quickly realises what he was about to be told and quickly starts to get up, but as it really hits him, he slumps back into the chair and can feel himself beginning to shake.
"Mitch, we're really sorry, but we found the body of Jim Fisher and we're sorry Mitch, but he had been dead for at least a day and..." Amanda then begins to say, before being interrupted and quickly gives her partner a sad look.
"I... I don't understand, he can't be." Mitch states in a stunned and almost robotic tone, he knew Jim and he couldn't be dead, he just couldn't.
"Mitch the last person he called was you and I know this is not the time, but we need to know if there is anything you can tell us." Andy then states in a hesitant and concerned tone, he could tell that his friend wasn't taking the news well and he felt horrible for having to ask him questions, but they needed to know and it couldn't wait.
"Mitch, if we could wait, we would, but we need to act fast and if there is anything you can tell us, then it will help us catch the person who did this." Amanda then states, after deciding to try and keep her friend focused and help him understand why they had to do this now, even if it was the last thing she wanted to put him through.
"He was on a date, he can't be dead, it was just a date." Mitch states in a confused and distraught tone, this was to too confusing and he just didn't understand what was happening.
"Okay, that's good Mitch, can you tell us more about the date, the times, the name of the other person, what they looked like, where they lived?" Andy then asks and while like his partner, he didn't want to do this, he knew that it needed to be done and could only hope that their friend could keep himself together and not fall apart.
"Good? He's dead, my best friend is dead and you're telling me that it's FUCKING GOOD!" Mitch then responds in an angry tone, as he gets to his feet and turns to his friends with his fists clenched.
"Andy, Amanda, I think it would be best if you wait outside, I will call you back in when we're ready." Hopkins then quickly instructs the two officers in a firm tone, he wasn't angry at them, but they were both experienced enough to know how to question someone in this situation and their poor choice in words, was something he would need to talk to them about after this was all sorted out.
"Okay Sir." Andy quickly answers in a professional tone, although inside he was angry at himself and knew that he had made a big mistake and knew that it was a rookie error.
"It's okay." Amanda then says in a quiet tone, as she walks out of the room with her partner and knew that he had made a mistake, but they were partners and she wasn't going to let him blame himself.
"Mitch please sit down." Hopkins then states after watching the two officers leave the room. "That wasn't a request constable." He then states in a firmer tone, after deciding that he had to take control of the situation and knew from experience, that this sort of situation he needed be firm and strong.
"He can't be dead." Mitch eventually states after doing as he is told and he just couldn't process any of it, it just didn't make sense and he didn't seem real.
"Mitch, I know how you feel..." Hopkins begins to say, before trailing off for a few moments. "I've known Jim since he was a kid Mitch and he was my friend, so believe me, I know how you feel Mitch, I really do." He then states in a sincere and sad tone, he had felt the same things as the young man was displaying now, but he had seen the photo's and he knew that it was true and that their friend was really gone.
"It was just a date though, he's had, well it wasn't his first time Sir, I just don't understand." Mitch then states in a numb tone, he heard what his boss had said, but it didn't help and it didn't make any of it any easier to understand.
"I know what he was like Mitch, but was there anything different about this one, anything at all Mitch, I want the person responsible caught and I want it done as soon as possible." Hopkins then quickly asks as he tries to curb his own anger at their friends murder.
"It was just a date." Mitch repeats, before looking up in surprise when he hears his boss sighing. "I don't know anything Sir, it was a blind date, even Jim didn't know anything about him, he didn't even know his name." He then adds in a more serious tone, after coming to his senses a little bit and his training started to kick in.
"Andy and Amanda have interviewed the manager of the hotel and he was able to give them a few details, but it's barely enough to form a profile Mitch, are you sure there isn't anything else you can tell us about the man or what Jim said to you in that phone call?" Hopkins then asks in a firm tone, after deciding to push him a little harder after he realises that he was starting to pull himself together and he wanted to make the most of it.
"What details?" Mitch then asks, while ignoring what his boss had asked him. "Sir, I want to help, I want to find whoever did this, but I need to know what the manager said." He then states in a serious tone and while he wasn't sure how he was being so calm, he wasn't going to waste time thinking about that, when he could be finding the person who killed his best friend.
"Mitch." Hopkins begins to say, before taking a few minutes to think of the best way to deal with the young man, because it was obvious what was on his mind, because he had those same feelings, but he couldn't let him go down that path. "Mitch, I want to kill the bastard, I want to find him and I want to do so many things to him, that by the time I am done, there won't even be enough left of him to feed the fishes, that's what I want to do." He then states in a cold and calculated tone, he knew this was unprofessional and potentially dangerous to his career, but he knew this was the best way to reach the young man and stop him going down a path that he will never come back from.
"Sir?" Mitch can't help but ask in a shocked tone, he couldn't believe what his boss had just said and although they mirrored his own thoughts, he was still stunned by him.
"Mitch, we're police officers, we have a job to do and a duty to the public, but we're human and we have emotions and I understand exactly what is going through you mind right now, but you can't act on those thoughts, no matter how much we want to and believe me Mitch, I want to kill that son of a bitch and I want to make it hurt." Hopkins responds honestly as he stares at the young man in the eyes and could see that he believed every word that he had just said.
"But it's Jim, someone killed him and..." Mitch then begins to say, before being cut off and despite wanting to finish, he respected his boss to much to question him.
"And he will be found and he will be punished, but you have a case to lead Mitch and I need you to pull yourself together and be a police officer, otherwise I can't have you working on it any more." Hopkins then states in a firm tone and while he hated himself a little bit inside for using such a threat, he knew that he had no choice and hoped the young man would prove that he made the right choice in bringing him into the team with such little experience.
"Does his family know?" Mitch then asks in a slightly horrified tone, after thinking about Wesley and he could feel his stomach tightening and could only imagine what it would do to the boy.
"They've been informed and..." Hopkins begins to answer, before trailing off for a few moments. "Mitch, after Andy and Amanda come back in and talk with you, I want you to have the rest of the day off." He then decides to say and while he was needed on the other case, he would be of no use in his current state of mind. "Mitch, I will suspend you if I need to, you need to get your head together, so either go home after we're done here or have a week off and be taken off the Erickson case, so make the right choice Mitch." He then adds in a reluctant tone and could only hope that the young man made the right choice and not force him to do something he didn't want to do.
"Sir, I want to be informed of any updates or leads." Mitch then responds after a couple of minutes, as he weighs up his options and despite being torn over what to do, he trusted his boss and knew that he should take any advice that he is given by him.
"Two days Mitch, I want you to take two days off and then come and see me, if you do that, then we have a deal." Hopkins then offers in response and despite still not quite believing that their friend was dead, he was at least able to relax knowing that the young man wasn't going to do something stupid.
"They can come back in now Sir." Mitch decides to state, after giving his boss a nod and knew that he didn't need to say any more about taking time off, his head was still spinning, but he had always been good under pressure and he was already getting himself together, but he needed to know what they had on his friends murderer and maybe it will help him think of something that might help them.
"Okay." Hopkins responds as he gives the young man a long look, before calling the other two officers back in and sitting back to listen to what they have on the case.
"I just don't get it though." Peter says in a confused tone, his head was still hurting and he just didn't understand anything after waking up and he had no idea where he was.
"I wish you could remember mate, you would trust me if you could remember." Jarred responds in a warm and friendly tone, while hiding a smirk as he pretends to itch his nose, the plan was hardly going that well in terms of progress, but he was slowly getting there and he could tell that the stupid idiot was beginning to trust him and he knew it would get easier as time went on.
"It just doesn't make sense and why should I trust you, I don't even know you." Peter then states in an unconvinced tone, they were just kids and the other boys story just made no sense, these things happened in the movies and to adults, not kids and he was still confused about why he couldn't just go home or something.
"If I was making it up, then wouldn't I be trying to convince you that we were the best of friends and that I was amazing and perfect?" Jarred responds in a calm tone and while it was hard to keep his act up, he was going to get his revenge on his former best friend and he knew that this would hurt him and having to pretend to be nice to the stupid prick in front of him, was a small price to pay.
"I guess so." Peter responds in a thoughtful tone and it would make sense for the other boy to big himself up if he was lying, but he had done almost the opposite and he couldn't help but relax a little bit more around him.
"Look Peter, I'm a bit of a prick and while we never always got along, we were friends and I wouldn't be helping you now, if I didn't like you, just think about it, if I hated you or bullied you, wouldn't I just beat you up and leave you tied up in the middle of nowhere?" Jarred then states in a serious tone and with a look to match it, he knew that the best way to get to the idiot, was to actually be honest, well not completely honest, but he had seen on TV and from the person who helped him come up with the plan, that the best lies were almost based on the truth and he was now seeing for himself that it worked.
"Okay, but I still don't get it, I mean what about this Alex boy, you said he was my friend and your best friend, but then you said that he wants to hurt me and like kill me or something and it doesn't make any sense, we're kids and why would he want to hurt me?" Peter then asks in the same confused tone as earlier, although he felt himself trusting the other boy more and more and the answers he was giving weren't the kind of answers someone who was lying would give.
"I want to tell you, but you won't believe me Peter, if I couldn't remember anything like you, then I wouldn't believe me and if I try to tell you, then you're going to want to go home and if you do that, then he will get you and I don't want to be responsible for him hurting you again." Jarred answers in a slightly emotional tone, not that he was even the slightest bit bothered about the other boy being getting hurt, but for the plan to work, he needed to stick to it and follow it through to the end.
"It was your fault he wants to hurt me?" Peter then asks as he scrunches his face up in confusion and he just didn't know what to make of that at all, although again, it wasn't something he thought a liar would say, which made him trust him even more, even if his head was hurting and he didn't really remember much of anything in his life.
"I won't tell you everything, I still think you need to rest and give yourself a chance to remember on your own, but if you really need to know, than I will tell you why I blame myself for you getting hurt." Jarred answers and again has to pretend to itch his nose to hide his smirk, he had done research on this kind of thing online, after getting the advice of the person who helped him come up with this idea and got some good ideas of what the other boy might ask and how to answer and so far it was paying off great.
"Please, I just want to know something, I mean I remember loads, but nothing since, well er... how old are we?" Peter begins to say, before realising that he didn't even know how old they were, well he knew, as far as he was concerned he was ten, but even he could see that he was bigger than he was before and the other boy looked older than ten and he had told him that they were the same age, so he was getting even more confused.
"We're both twelve Peter, although I'm older by like six months, why? How old do you think you are?" Jarred asks after answering his question and for once he was genuinely curious, because he had known him since before they even started school, so he was curious to how he didn't seem to remember who any of his friends were, yet knew who his family was and his own name.
"I'm twelve? I only remember being ten." Peter answers honestly, before taking a really good look at the other boy and although he didn't think he recognised him, he was trying to view him looking smaller and younger, just to see if it jogged his memory.
"Two years isn't so bad, on some shows and movies, people can lose like their entire lives, so it's not so bad and you've started remembering stuff already, so hopefully in a couple of days you will believe me about what happened to you." Jarred then states as he takes the conversation back on track with the plan and can see that the idiot was trusting him more and more.
"I suppose so." Peter responds in a slightly down tone. "Jarred, why do you think it's your fault Alex hurt me?" He then decides to ask, after thinking about his earlier question and how his friend hadn't actually answered it yet.
"You told me something about Alex and I didn't believe you Peter." Jarred quickly answers, before just as quickly looking down and sniffling a little bit, just to take the plan to the next level and when he feels a hand on his knee, he knows that it's working and has to suppress a smirk.
"I did?" Peter asks, before thinking about it for a few more moments. "Why wouldn't you believe me, if we were friend though Jarred?" He then asks in a suspicious tone and despite trusting him more and more as they talked, he didn't like the fact his friend just admitted to not believing something he had told him.
"Honestly?" Jarred asks in response, as he slowly looks up at the other boy with a hopefully ashamed expression, that he hoped would get the idiot to feel sorry for him.
"I just want the truth Jarred." Peter responds with a sad look, although he can't help but give his friends knee a little squeeze after seeing how guilty he looked.
"Like I said earlier Peter, I'm a bit of a prick and while we were friends, we weren't that close, but Alex and me were best friends and he swore that you were lying and honestly, I believed him, because I liked him more than I liked you Peter, that's why it's my fault you got hurt, if I had just believed..." Jarred answers in a fake emotional tone, before being surprised by the feeling of the other boy cuddling him and trailing off and despite himself, he couldn't help but enjoy it and actually found himself cuddling him back.
"I'm not mad at you, at least you're here now and looking after me." Peter then says in a sincere tone, before letting his friend go and despite still being confused and frustrated about everything and not being able to remember things, he was happy to at least have a friend who seemed to genuinely want to help and protect him.
"I still should have believed you, but at least I know what Alex is really like now and what he is, so he can't hurt either of us again." Jarred then states with a shy smile, after almost forgetting what the plan was, due to the cuddle taking him completely by surprise and he had only just got his head together enough to move on to the next part of the plan.
"It's okay." Peter then responds as he looks at his friend and again tries to remember him. "Wait! What do you mean hurt us again, did he hurt you too?" He then asks in a concerned tone, after his friends words had sunk in and he couldn't help but be worried about him, especially since he had been so kind to him since he woke up here.
"Peter, I want to tell you everything, but not today, but I promise that once you start getting better and remember more, then I will tell you, but you're aren't ready just yet." Jarred responds as the other boy says exactly what he had predicted he would say and couldn't believe how easy this was and he was sure that by the time the week was over, he would have done enough to go and see Alex and start his end game, he was going to hurt his former best friend in a way that he would never see coming and it was going to be the best moment of his life to see his face, when he realises what he did to his precious boyfriend.
"I'm getting tired, are you sure I can't go home, I don't like being out here alone Jarred, it's scary." Peter then says in a tired tone, before yawning and could feel himself getting weaker and was a little surprised, as he wasn't feeling tired before his friend had brought him some food and drink to have.
"I going to be staying with you for the next few nights, but I couldn't make it so I could stay tonight, it was too risky and I don't want him to find you Peter, I won't let him hurt you again." Jarred quickly responds in what he hoped was a sort of passionate and reassuring tone, he was still working on those and was happy to see that the other boy seemed to have believed him and relaxed again.
"Okay I guess, but er... can you bring me a different flavour drink tomorrow please, the orange juice tastes funny and I don't think I like it." Peter then asks after accepting his friends explanation and despite not wanting to sleep out here alone again, he could already feel his eyes getting heavier and when he feels his friend gently pushing him on to his back, he can't even bring himself to protest.
"Just sleep and I will try some apple juice, you always preferred that to orange juice, I just couldn't get any today." Jarred then states in response, before pulling the cover over the boy and quickly starts to smirk, when he sees that his eyes were already closed and was happy that at least Barry had come through with the sleeping pills, even if he had chickened out of the rest of their plan and was completely pathetic.
"Carter?" Ben can't help but ask in a surprised tone, he knew his brother was on his way home, but he wasn't expecting his friend to come round as well.
"Hey Ben, is Wesley in the toilet or something?" Carter asks with a smile, after looking around the room and he couldn't help but wonder where his boyfriend was.
"Huh?" Ben quickly asks in response, he was sure Wesley would have called him to tell him he had gone home already, it was hours ago and he was more than a little surprised to see him here instead.
"Wesley texted me a little while ago to come quick, so where is he and what's up?" Carter then asks in a confused tone, because he couldn't help but wonder why his friend was looking at him like that, he knew his boyfriend was here, they had come here together before he went to see Jordan with Tobias, so he was definitely wondering what was going on.
"He went home hours ago Carter, his dad called and told him to come home, I thought he would have called you to tell you that." Ben answers as he pours his friend a drink, he looked a little out of breath and was a little bored himself since he left the pool house to give his fiancé and Sarah some time alone.
"Well I guess he did, but I just assumed he meant to come here, it didn't say he was at his house." Carter responds in a thoughtful tone, his boyfriends message sounded urgent, but if he was with his dad at his house, then he couldn't see anything be wrong.
"Hey, where's Tobias?" Ben then asks in a curious tone, after realising that his brother hadn't come in with his friend and knew he couldn't have walked past the front room without him seeing him.
"Ha! You're going to love this." Carter responds with a grin and while he wanted to go and see his boyfriend to see what was up with him, he couldn't resist telling his friend about what his brother was doing right now.
"Oh god, what's he doing?" Ben quickly asked in a hesitant tone, he knew his brother too well and by the look on his friends face, he was doing something stupid or embarrassing.
"Ha! Nothing bad Ben, it's just that while we were talking with Jordan and stuff, Ashleigh and Lily came around as well and honestly, you should have seen how much Tobias blushed, it was so cute and Jordan wasn't far behind either, I swear I could have got a tan from those two Ben." Carter quickly explains and despite there being a bit more, it wasn't as funny as his two friends faces and he just thought it was hilarious.
"Oh my god, he didn't do anything stupid though right? I mean we know what he's like Carter." Ben then asks with a grin and he could just imagine his brother getting all shy and embarrassed.
"Honestly, I don't know if Lily has some sort of special power or something Ben, but despite being shy, she just brings out the best of him and I could tell that she likes him, like really likes him Ben and we know how he feels about her." Carter answers with a slightly forced grin and although he was still happy for his friend, he still couldn't quite put his jealousy to one side just yet, not completely.
"I really like her a lot as well Carter." Ben then states with a warm smile, she really was special and he was proud of his brother, "But hey, what was Jordan being so shy about, it's not like he hasn't been around girls before, in fact he's kissed at least half the girls school by now I reckon." He then asks in a curious tone, sure their friend could be a bit shy sometimes, but he couldn't see him being shy just because a girl was in his house.
"Oh, you don't know." Carter states with a big smile, he couldn't believe his friend didn't know and he couldn't wait to see his reaction.
"Oh, this is going to be good." Ben quickly says as he leans forward a little, he rarely saw his friend like this and knew that it must be good.
"Ashleigh's seen him naked Ben and she saw everything, but it gets better, because we know she groped him that time right?" Carter begins to explain, before deciding to pause for a few moments to build up the suspense a little bit.
"Oh wow, but er... I don't see how the groping thing is funny though Carter." Ben decides to say in a slightly confused tone, sure what his friend had said at first was both shocking and funny, but the groping thing was definitely not and he was a little surprised that his friend would bring that up like he did.
"Oh right well er... shit, look Ben, forget about that part okay, so anyway, she's seen everything he has, but it gets better, because she's seen him with a boner too and you should have seen his face when she let it slip that she had seen it and it was so funny." Carter then quickly finishes explaining with a little giggle and despite feeling bad for bring up the groping, everything else was funny and he knew Jordan wasn't upset and it was the only reason he was telling his friend right now.
"Oh shit, she saw it? You know like naked?" Ben can't help but ask in a shocked tone, if his shorts or trousers were tented, it wasn't so bad, but if she had seen him naked with a boner, then he knew he would be mortified, although at the same time, despite feeling bad for his friend, it was hilarious and he couldn't quite stop himself from grinning.
"No, but it wasn't far off." Carter answers with a smirk. "Well she was with him at the hospital, well you know because it was kind of her fault and all, but after he fell asleep while she was there, he got a boner and well he was naked under the sheet and you know that hospital sheets are really thin and he might as well have been naked." He then quickly adds with a little giggle, after realising that he didn't quite explain it enough the first time.
"But fuck, I mean he's okay about it right, I mean it's embarrassing, but it doesn't sound like he was angry or kicked her out or anything." Ben then asks in a curious tone, if it were him, he wasn't sure what he would do, but he knew he would have thought about making her leave, but he wasn't sure what his friend would do.
"Honestly, I don't know when it will happen, but they obviously like each other Ben, so I reckon they will be boyfriend and girlfriend soon, it's just the way he looks at her and she definitely likes him, I mean she's seen everything he has and she still wants to be around him and she hasn't made fun of him once, so I think she's pretty cool." Carter responds with a grin, although this time it wasn't because he found it funny, but because he genuinely liked her and he was happy for his ex boyfriend.
"Oh wow, shit I can't believe we all have someone now, we can go on like loads of double and like quadruple dates with each other." Ben then states in an excited tone, as he thinks about the possibilities, although he quickly frowns when he thinks about Alex and Peter and can't believe he forgot about what happened, but the sound of his friends phone beeping distracts him from feeling guilty.
"I think I better go Ben." Carter then states in a distracted tone, after reading his boyfriends message and can't help but be a little worried.
"What does it say?" Ben then asks in a concerned tone, after guessing that it was another text from Wesley and couldn't help but be curious.
"It just says 'Where are you, I need you.' and er... well I should go." Carter responds in a worried tone and quickly texts back to tell his boyfriend he was on his way.
"Do you want me to go and see if Sarah can give you a lift?" Ben then offers, he could tell that his friend was worried and he couldn't help but feel the same way, the way his friends dad had asked him to come home quickly and the two texts he had sent his boyfriend were strange and he wanted to try and help his friend out.
"I er... shit, no, no it's okay Ben, it will only take me like ten minutes, less if I run." Carter responds in a hesitant tone, before suddenly feeling himself being hugged.
"It will be fine, he probably just has the house to himself and is waiting for you naked or something, so get your cute little butt over there and have fun." Ben then decides to say and while he was only trying to cheer his friend up and reassure him, it was a possibility and his boyfriend had actually done something similar to him a couple of times in the past and couldn't help but smile at the memories.
"Yeah probably, he's stupid enough to do something like that." Carter responds with a small smile, after his friend lets him go and despite wanting to believe it, he knew something was wrong and just wanted to get to his boyfriends house as fast as possible.
"Go you moron, I'm going to go and see if Matt is okay now anyway, so get moving Carter." Ben then instructs his friend and gently starts to move him towards the front door and smiles when his friend gives him a quick hug, before jogging down the drive way and then down the road.
"How is he doing Gordon?" Mike asks in a sincere tone, after walking up beside his friend and looks into the room with sympathetic expression.
"He is strong Mike." Gordon answers in responds, after giving his friend a quick glance, before turning back to the room to watch the nurses checking his son over.
"How about you Gordon?" Mike then asks, before wincing slight at himself for asking such a stupid question.
"He's all I have in the world Mike, I don't know what I would do without him." Gordon asks in a honest tone, he thought about just saying that he was fine, but he was too tired and emotional to lie.
"Yeah, I know about Maggie and even though she helped David hurt Matt, she was your wife and well I'm sorry Gordon." Mike responds in a sympathetic tone, he had wanted to bring the subject up himself, but had no idea how to do that and couldn't help but feel a little relieved that his friend had done it for him, although he couldn't help but be a little surprised by his expression and wondered why he looked so surprised.
"What are you talking about Mike?" Gordon asks in a confused tone, they all knew what she had done and that she was in prison, but the way his friend was talking, made it sound like it was something new and was wondering if he was missing something or whether he was just that tired, he was just misunderstanding him.
"Maggie is dead, she was attacked two days ago and died Gordon." Mike quickly answers in a confused and worried tone, that wasn't the kind of thing that slipped your mind and he could see how tired his friend was, but still, he couldn't help but be worried about him even more than he already was now.
"What? What are you talking about Mike, is this some kind of joke?" Gordon quickly asks in response and can't help but give his friend a hard stare and wondered why he would say something like that.
"She's dead, we received a phone call Friday night, telling Sarah and I that she was attacked and died, they should have told you by now Gordon." Mike answers in a confused tone and while he could tell that his friend had no idea what he was talking about, it just didn't make any sense, why would they call them and not her own husband.
"Is this some sort of joke?" Gordon then asks again in a slightly angry tone, he knew his friend well and he knew that this wasn't something he would do, but if his wife was dead, then he would know about it and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
"Gordon, we were called by one of Mitch's friends, he works at the prison and he told me that Maggie was attacked and died, why wouldn't they inform you?" Mike then asks in response, this just didn't make any sense and he had no idea what was going on.
"Friday night? What time Friday night Mike?" Gordon then decides to ask in a confused tone, his head was spinning at the moment, but he knew his wife wasn't dead, he had a visiting order for her for the end of the week and it had been confirmed the day before, but he also couldn't help but remember Friday night itself and he was sure the name Greg rang a bell and he was hoping his friends answer would help him job his memory.
"I don't know Gordon, maybe somewhere between nine and ten maybe, but why do you want to know that?" Mike asks after answering his friends question, which only made him more concerned about him, because he knew if roles were reversed, he would be focusing on his wife being killed, not the time of the phone call he received.
"That doesn't make any sense, you say this Greg is Mitch's friend and works at the prison?" Gordon then decides to ask, as he ignores the worried and confused look on his friends face, he had been the one to check on Jordan after he was brought in, before he knew about his son and he remembered there being a Greg with the young boy and he seemed friendly with Mitch as well, which made his friends story about the phone call, make even less sense.
"One hundred percent Gordon, but what does that have to do with anything?" Mike then asks in a completely lost tone, he had come here to offer his condolences to his friend, but it was obviously turning into something else and he wasn't liking where it was leading at all.
"Maggie isn't dead Mike, I have a visiting order for this coming Friday and it was confirmed yesterday." Gordon answers with a suspicious expression. "And Greg was here last Friday night Mike, I can't quite remember the details, but his niece was involved with Jordan being brought into the hospital and it was obvious that he was friends with Mitch." He then states, after managing to compose himself a little bit and while it was possible his friends eldest son had more than one friend named Greg, it was highly unlikely, although as he thought about it, this whole thing was highly unlikely and he didn't know what to make of it.
"What are you saying Gordon?" Mike then asks in a panicked and slightly fearful tone and while he was slowly working it out for himself, he was hoping his friend would say something that countered what was going through his mind, because this was big and it didn't make any sense.
"As far as I remember, Greg was out with his niece all evening and then they came here after Jordan was brought in, he wouldn't have been anywhere near the prison and he would have mentioned something to someone if he was there, so I'm sorry Mike, but I don't know what is going on, but Maggie is alive and whoever called you, wasn't this Greg person." Gordon responds in a neutral tone, after taking a few moments to think over everything and the best he could come up with, was that someone was playing a sick joke on his friends, although he couldn't see why they would tell them Maggie was dead, that didn't fit at all, but as curious as he was, he was too tired and too worried about his son, to really think about it.
"That doesn't make..." Mike then states in a stunned tone, before trailing off for a few moments. "Gordon, I'm so sorry, but I have to go, I'm really sorry." He then says in a confused and scared tone, he didn't know what this meant, but he needed to get home and talk to Sarah about this and maybe his eldest son, because something was going on and he was genuinely scared.
"It's okay Mike, but, well give me a call or something tomorrow and I will give the prison a call in a little while, I just need to make sure Alex is fine first." Gordon decides to suggest, he was still worried about his own family, but his friend looked scared and he wanted to try and do something and because for whatever reason his wife was mentioned as a part of this, he felt like he needed to look into it, just in case it his son was at risk.
"Thank you Gordon, but I need to go, bye." Mike then states in an almost numb tone, before turning away from his friend and walking towards the nearest exit.
The Next Day
"Erica, I'm fine." Mitch states for what feels like the hundredth time since they had woken up and he was getting a little tired of being asked the same thing over and over again.
"Mitch." Erica then simply states, while giving her boyfriend a sympathetic look and she could only imagine what he is going through.
"Fine, you want the truth Erica, you want the fucking truth?" Mitch then states in a venomous tone, before getting to his feet, he was just too overwhelmed by everything right now and his girlfriend was just making it worse.
"I just want you to talk to me Mitch, tell me what's wrong." Erica responds in a calm and caring tone, she was a little surprised by his reaction, but she wasn't scared and if he needed to shout or swear, then that's what he needed to do and she was happy to do whatever she could to help him.
"What's wrong? Seriously Erica, what's fucking wrong, my best friend has been murdered on the same night a kid who I was meant to be keeping an eye on almost dies, because some little bitch wanted to play a prank on him, two boys that I know get attacked and one is almost killed and god knows what happened to the other one, who I am meant to be leading a team to find, but instead, I'm stuck here with you nagging and asking me stupid fucking questions, what's wrong? What the fuck do you think is wrong you fucking idiot." Mitch responds as he almost hisses every single word, before turning around and kicking the lamp off the table. "What's fucking wrong, is that it's my fucking fault he's dead Erica." He then mumbles barely above a whisper, but Erica heard it loud and clear and despite being a little taken aback by her boyfriends angry outburst, she was genuinely surprised to not only hear him blaming himself, but meaning it too and it scared her a little.
"Mitch, I know you're hurting, god knows I know that, but it's not your fault, how can you even think that?" Erica asks in an emotional tone, before walking over and putting her arms around him from behind and despite how volatile he was right now, she knew he would never hurt her and would never be afraid of him in that way.
"He called me Erica, he called me before he went to the motel." Mitch then states in a defeated tone, while trying to pull away from her arms, before giving up after a few moments and just letting her comfort him, his anger had disappeared for the time being, but all he was left with was sadness and guilt and he could barely cope with it.
"I know he did, you already told me that and the police know and no one blames you, it was just a phone call and there was nothing..." Erica then begins to say in a reassuring tone, before being interrupted by her boyfriend pulling away from her again and this time she lets him go.
"He was having second thoughts Erica." Mitch then states in a quiet tone, before turning around with tears running down his face.
"Second thoughts?" Erica then asks in a confused tone, she had wanted to pull him into her arms again, but she could tell that he would just pull away again and she didn't want to risk him shutting down again, it had taken her hours to get him to talk like this and she knew that she was close to finding out what was really eating away at him.
"I didn't realise at the time, fuck, I didn't even realise until last night Erica, but he called me and he wanted to talk to me and not just to fuck around, he was having second thoughts and I brushed him off Erica, it's my fault, if I had just listened, if I had just talked to..." Mitch begins to confess, but before he can finish, he feels himself being embraced and kissed and despite wanting to push her away, he could only break the kiss, before crying on to her shoulder.
"Mitch, you have to pull yourself together, if you do this to yourself, then you will destroy yourself." Erica then decides to say in a concerned tone, after waiting almost ten minutes for her boyfriend to stop crying and was barely able to hold back her own tears, she just couldn't bare to see him like this and knew that she needed to snap him out of it and make him see sense.
"I just had to listen Erica, one minute of my time and he would still..." Mitch then begins to say, before feeling a finger pressing up against his lips and despite wanting to protest, he was just exhausted and he didn't have the energy to fight her anymore.
"You didn't ignore him Mitch, you heard Jordan blowing the whistle and went to help him and you would do the same thing every time, we all liked Jim, but we all knew what he was like, he could have just been messing around and even though he wasn't, he was a grown man and if he wanted to walk away from the date, then he would have and you know it Mitch, you know it's true." Erica states in a firm and serious tone, while making sure she keeps her eyes firmly locked on to his, she wasn't sure what else she could say to snap him out of it and could only hope it was enough.
"I should have listened to him." Mitch then says in a quiet tone, as he looks to the ground and despite his girlfriends words, he still blamed himself.
"If you had listened to him, then Jordan could have been killed, you didn't know what was happening to him and you did the right thing and you know it." Erica then states in a firm tone, before reaching out and taking a hold of his hands. "Mitch, please don't do this to yourself, the boys need you and what's more, Peter needs you, no one else is going to be able to find him, so you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start focusing on getting yourself together." She then states in a sincere tone, before pulling him gently into her arms and quickly smiles to herself when she feels him cuddling her back.
"I love you." Mitch then says after almost five minutes, he was still in turmoil and still felt guilty, but deep down he knew that she was right, but he needed a bit more time to get his head sorted out.
"I love you too Mitch, but I'm going to run you a bath, so let's go upstairs okay." Erica then suggests in a warm tone, before releasing him and then pulling him towards the stairs by his hand.
"Okay." Mitch responds in a tired tone, he really needed something to take his mind off everything and a bath seemed as good a idea as any.
Authors deserve your feedback. It's the only payment they get. If you go to the top of the page you will find the author's name. Click that and you can email the author easily.* Please take a few moments, if you liked the story, to say so.
[For those who use webmail, or whose regular email client opens when they want to use webmail instead: Please right click the author's name. A menu will open in which you can copy the email address (it goes directly to your clipboard without having the courtesy of mentioning that to you) to paste into your webmail system (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc). Each browser is subtly different, each Webmail system is different, or we'd give fuller instructions here. We trust you to know how to use your own system. Note: If the email address pastes or arrives with %40 in the middle, replace that weird set of characters with an @ sign.]
* Some browsers may require a right click instead
