Needle in a Haystack

*A/N Hullers! Here's an original story that I stared a long time ago. It still isn't complete but here you go! It is slightly incestuous but the characters aren't related by blood anyway. *

Rickie didn't particularly like Drake. He just didn't seem to be right for his mom. Sure, he was rich but he was also 10 years older than her. He missed his dad. Unfortunately, he had died in a freak accident over a year ago, leaving Rickie, his mom and his younger twin sisters all alone. His mom had been depressed for nearly half a year before she met Drake. They were the worst months of Rickie's life. During this time, his 12 year old sisters, Emme and Mimi, grew silent and stopped speaking. Even now, six months after their mom met Drake and their wedding day being today, they hadn't said a word. They kept to themselves as though each other was the other's life support.

Many people Rickie didn't know had attended the wedding and now he just felt extraordinarily out of place. The reception party was held outdoors at Drake's family farm near the edge of a forest. They were moving here into the large house where they would be staying with Drake and his sister, her husband and their two children. Rickie supposed he'd have to start calling them Aunt Marie and Uncle Darren, which he was not looking forward to. Rickie drifted away from the festivities, into the bordering forest.

Erin watched the blonde boy wander into the forest with interest. So that was his new cousin. Well, cousin-in-law. His Uncle Drake had married that Camille lady and had her and her three kids moved in. The twins were creepy but this boy seemed different, interesting even. Erin followed him into the forest. Hopefully, he could make friends with him and then he wouldn't be alone on this stupid big farm. Erin followed the faint trail of footprints the boy had left on the soft forest floor. Soon, he heard the sound of the creek that flowed near the house. He rounded a corner and found the boy sitting on a fallen tree, throwing pebbles into the creek. Erin stopped when he saw the look on the boy's face. It was one of strangely serene sadness. It was beautiful to Erin, how the boy's bright amber eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he gazed with an almost wistful look into the creek. Erin didn't want to spoil such a wonderful scene but his body was not cooperating and he found himself drawn to this angelic creature.

Rickie looked up at the sound of someone approaching. He was startled to see a light-brown haired boy with brilliant brown eyes that had a red tint to them. The boy stopped when he saw that Rickie had seen him. A light blush tinted his cheeks as he began explaining himself. "Uh, I saw you go in here. You know, this forest has many wild animals that could be dangerous. I was just making sure that you were ok." Rickie was surprised by how light this boy's voice was. It seemed as though it should be a bit deeper. The brunette boy had a nice build, not bulky, but well toned. Rickie regarded the other boy with mild curiosity. "You're Drake's nephew, right?" The boy nodded. "My name is Erin. You're Rickie, right?" "Yea." "Can I sit with you?" Rickie hesitated for a moment before he nodded and scooted over to make some room.

Erin sat down next to Rickie and picked up a few pebbles from the ground. They sat in silence for a few minutes; tossing the pebbles into the creek. It was Erin who broke the silence. "So, how old are you Rickie?" "I'm 15." "Really? So am I." "Cool." The conversation lapsed back into silence. Then Erin turned to look at Rickie. "Why are you over here and not at the party?" Rickie had hoped that this wouldn't happen, but of course this guy would be wondering why he'd left his mother's wedding. However, for some reason, he wanted to tell him everything. "I didn't really want my mom to get married. It's not that I don't think Drake is a cool guy or anything, It's just… I'm afraid she'll forget about everything before she met Drake. The time she spent with Dad. I want our old life back." Rickie gasped as he felt warm tears begin to slowly roll down his cheek. He tried to wipe them away, but they just kept on coming. Erin wrapped a comforting arm around Rickie's shoulder. Rickie leaned into him, grateful for the comfort and support. They sat like that for a few moments until Rickie could speak again. "I-I'm sorry. You shouldn't have seen that." "Why not? It's ok to cry. You miss your dad and that's totally understandable. But, don't you think this wedding is a new beginning? No one ever truly forgets the past, but we have to move on. Did you want your mom to stay depressed?" Rickie looked up into those red-brown eyes full of truth and knowledge. Erin smiled. "You need to move on too. Look to the future and remember the past. That's all we can do." Rickie nodded slowly. And then their lips met. Neither of them knew what was happening for a moment, but once they did, they quickly pulled away with scarlet blushes painted across their faces. "Sorry!" they both exclaimed. There was a short, awkward silence following this. Then Erin cleared his throat. "It's getting late. We should go back before we're missed." "Yea, you're right." They stood up and went back to the party.

Later that night, after all of the guests had left, the residents of the farmhouse gathered in the large kitchen. They sat at the dining table, with Drake at the head. "Well, I hope everyone got a chance to meet! But just in case, let's go around the table and introduce ourselves. Let's start with you, brother." Darren, a tall, burly man with a 5 o'clock shadow stood up. "I'm Drake's younger brother Darren. It's nice to meet you and I welcome you to our family and household." He had a deep, rumbling voice like his brother. He sat down and the woman next to him stood up. She had the same light-brown hair as Erin but hers was curly and long. "Hi! I'm Marie, Darren's wife and banker. He can't keep a hold on his money for anything!" "Honey!" "Oh hush! We're all family now. I can joke if I want to." Marie had a motherly voice, one you'd hear on television. She had a pretty face, as well as the same eyes as Erin, the strange red-brown. When she was done, a girl of about 13 stood up. She had the dark-brown hair of her father, but the same eyes as her brother and mother. "My name's Angie! It's nice to meetcha!"

Eventually, the introductions got around the table, until they reached the twins, Emme and Mimi. They just nodded and stayed silent. Camille stood. "They don't speak very much. Actually not at all since the… incident. Please don't be offended." "Nonsense! We understand how a traumatic experience could cause something like this. We won't push them," was Aunt Marie's soothing promise. Afterwards, Drake showed everyone to their rooms. It turned out that the house wasn't large enough for everyone to have a room of their own so Erin and Rickie had to share a room.

Rickie lay in the unfamiliar room in the unfamiliar house. He could here unfamiliar sounds outside the unfamiliar window in the unfamiliar forest. All that was familiar was the bed sheets and a few posters on the wall. And the boy sleeping on the other side of the room. His new cousin-in-law. The one who he'd kissed earlier that day. The thought made him blush furiously. He concentrated on trying to sleep. He ended up listening to the steady breathing coming from Erin. It was soothing, like his voice had been earlier. Once again the memory surfaced and Rickie sat up abruptly. He got up and went into the hallway to find the bathroom.

When he returned, Rickie was surprised to see Erin sitting on the window seat, looking out towards the forest. Erin turned to see Rickie in the doorway. "So, you couldn't sleep either, huh?" Rickie shook his head no and went to sit on his bed, facing Erin. "I just need to get used to this place before I sleep soundly." Erin laughed. It was a nice sound in Rickie's ears, almost like the song of a howling wolf, high and beautiful, but somewhat lonely. "Yea, I understand. I never had to share a room with anyone so this is a bit new for me too." Rickie smiled. -I saw and couldn't help but smile as well. How could a smile like that not be contagious?- Erin held out a hand to Rickie. Rickie took it and Erin pulled him over to the window. "It's much more beautiful at night." Rickie took a look outside at the forest and had to admit that Erin was right. The moon shone in a cloudless sky, not quite full yet, but illuminating the Earth nonetheless with help from the billions of stars in the sky. There were pyre-flies dancing in the trees of the forest near where the creek could be seen winding its way through the trees. "It's fantastic! Like something out of a fairytale," Rickie whispered in awe. He suddenly blushed when he realized that he was leaning over Erin with his face and hands pressed against the window and Erin's arm wrapped around his waist. Erin was blushing too, but he had a shy smile on his face as well. "Um, I don't really know how to say this," Erin said in a hushed voice. Rickie slightly rested his body on Erin's, climbing onto him. "I think I can guess." He slowly kissed him, cautiously but with determination. Erin tightened his arm around Rickie's waist and pressed his lips a bit harder against Rickie's.

Eventually, the need for air arose and the boys parted, panting slightly, cheeks rosy. "Erin, you know that we're cousins right?" "By marriage, not blood. It doesn't matter to me anyway. I can't control who I end up developing feelings for." Rickie smiled and snuggled up on Erin's chest. "I'm glad. I do like you, Erin." "I like you too, Rickie." Soon, both boys were sleeping soundly in each other's arms on the window seat, the moon's ghostly white light caressing them fondly.

*See? Only slightly incestuous. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. ^_^*