Gorillaz Forever

by thirteen2d

Follow Cleo as she tries to restore her old life with the Gorillaz. Trouble occurs when there is a bump in the road forcing her to decide he future fate.

Gorillaz Forever

1

Like a Memory

Here I am continuing where I left off in "The Gorillaz Experience." If you haven't read it, this might be confusing at first…Trust me. It felt good looking back at all of the memories, so that's why I started writing again. Call it a new hobby of mine if you will. Any who, enough with this small talk, it's time that you know why the Gorillaz will forever be a part of our family.

When I completed "The Gorillaz Experience", I printed it all off and turned it into an actual book. I placed the book amongst all of the other Gorillaz memories in the box that 2-D gave me. He gave me that box when I lost my memory after the fall off of the balcony. In that box was also the letter telling me that I am better off without him and the band. Remembering that still breaks my heart. I placed the box in my parents' closet knowing that I never wanted to see it again. My parents told me that I shouldn't keep running away. They told me that I had to go back to England at some point. I knew that they were right and moved out when I got the chance. Saying my last goodbyes to my newly made friends, I packed up what I had and left Canada. When I finally got back to England, I didn't want to take a step into the place that we shared, but I had to. Finding the spare key, I opened that door and walked into the cold room. The place hadn't changed a bit. There was still the crack on the window, my old laptop still on the bed, and the now spoiled food in the fridge. It was quiet at first. I felt alone and scared, but as time went by I got used to it. I fixed the place up so that it had its warm feeling that I remembered.

I began looking for jobs that would involve my biotechnology or robotic knowledge. However, there weren't any openings at all. One day, after a long day of searching for a job, I decided to go out for some coffee. I decided that I would pay a visit to the old coffee shop I worked at. I caught up with some old friends I used to work with and was eventually on my way back home. It was a nice day, so I decided not to take my bike and walked instead. As I was walking down the street a voice come out from behind me.

"Hey there,"

"Sorry I'm not interested," I said walking away

"Wait, I know you from somewhere. Hey, you're that girl in my brother's band."

"Brother?" I said turning around.

Standing there was this tall thin person with a crooked smile.

"The name is Hannibal Niccals."

"Aren't you supposed to be in jail or something?"

"I got released."

"Right, sure you did," I said walking away.

"Wait, maybe you can help me out."

"Let me guess you need a place to stay?"

He just stood there smiling at me. I thought that I might be able to get some interesting information out of him. Maybe some information about that book Murdoc has. I let him come home with me.

There we were, sitting in the living room. It was awkward. I didn't know what to say to him. This was Murdoc's brother! Just looking at him reminded me of Murdoc and how I hated his guts. I gave up trying to think of something to say and told him that he could sleep on the couch for the time being.

The next day I got up as usual and went to go make myself some coffee. However, he was already up with a pot ready.

"Morning darling, I thought that I should make myself up a cup of coffee."

I was confused. He reminded me of Murdoc with his looks and charms but it seemed that he wasn't a morning drinker like he was. Or he was just playing it up. I ignored him and sat down with a cup of coffee and my book.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"Wicked."

"Is it a good book?"

"Yup."

"You know I've read some interesting books."

Then it hit me…here was my chance to ask about that book.

"Say, was Murdoc much of a reader?"

"Murdoc, he wouldn't even look at a book. Why?"

"That's what I thought. It's just that the last time I saw him he was reading this book. I thought, what makes this one so special. I knew that he was up to something and I thought that you might have an idea."

"Well I haven't gotten a clue and even if I did, why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm letting you stay in my house and I could probably get it out of you one way or another."

"I like where this is going," he said moving his chair closer.

"You are just like your brother," I said with a laugh and I walked away.

I had a feeling that he still may know something about that book, but I just couldn't get it out of him by talking, and I really didn't want to go down that one particular road…I just had to wait and get it out of him eventually.

I continued to let him stay. Sure he was obnoxious at times but he wasn't so bad to be around. I eventually just got used to him. I guess you can say that we even developed a friendship. One day while putting groceries away, Hannibal comes up to me with a smile.

"Guess what I just got?" he asked

"Ummm, I don't know I give up."

"I got tickets to go see a show on Saturday."

"A show, what show?" I said grabbing the tickets, "Dr Dee? Damon Albarn?! No way!"

"I thought that you would like it. How about it? Is it a date?"

"Wait, hold on…date?"

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry."

I thought for a second and remembered what 2-D said in his letter... "I'm moving on from you. It will be better for the both of us." I knew that I had to move on from him. Looking down at my hand I saw the ring. I looked back at him. He was different, in his own odd way. I looked back at the ring and took it off of my finger.

"It will be better for the both of us," I muttered to myself.

"What was that?"

"Oh I said…can't wait for the date on Saturday," I said walking away with a smile.

I didn't really see the harm in one date with him. He appeared to be a really nice guy. Sure he had some of the same characteristics as Murdoc, but, I guess I overlooked them. I guess I did start to like him in that way at the time…What the hell was I thinking?!

When Saturday finally came I was excited. I couldn't wait to go see the production. When I got out of the car, Hannibal was right there waiting for me with is arm out.

"Right this way darling," he said as I grabbed his arm, "You look very pretty this evening."

I just gave him a smile as we walked into the theater. The show was incredible. I loved everything about it. Just being able to see Damon's work again was a pleasure. The date wasn't that bad either. He kept quiet and enjoyed the show. Something I didn't expect from him at all. I admit it was a nice evening. After the show I wanted to see if I could talk to Damon. We waited until it was mainly just the crew and cast left. Sure they told us to leave but I just told them that I was with Damon. I decided to venture down and found Damon putting his stuff back together.

"Damon!"

"13, is that you? It's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see the show. How have you been?"

"I've been alright. Man look at you."

"The show was brilliant. I just loved it."

"Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Who's your friend here?"

I turned around to see Hannibal standing there.

"Oh this is…"

"I'm Hannibal Niccals, her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend," Damon and I said at the same time.

"We'll talk when we get home," I said turning back to Damon, "It was great seeing you again. We need to catch up."

"Definitely, hey, maybe you, Jamie and I can all do something one weekend."

The two of us left and went home…in silence. Seeing Damon again made me think about the Gorillaz, which made me think about 2-D. I still loved him. I knew that I did deep down inside. We got home and I sat him down.

"Look, I'm not looking for a relationship right now. I just got my memory back and I am still getting over some stuff right now. I really hope you understand."

"Whatever," he replied and walked away.

He frustrated me so much at time. I didn't remember why I even let him stay with me. What was done was done. Even though he pissed me off, I couldn't find it in my heart to throw him out. He was a charmer and I fell under his spell. I guess you can say he reminds me of Murdoc, which reminded me of Plastic Beach where 2-D was. He was the closest thing I had to him.

2

The Start of Many

Things between Hannibal and I were weird. It was like there was something else there, which is really weird because he is pretty much old enough to be my dad.

One day it started out just like any other. I woke up to find him already awake with coffee made; I grabbed myself a cup, and sat down to read my book. However, this day was different…obviously.

"So what do you have planned today darling?"

"Huh? Oh, well…I was…uhhhh…Well…uhhhh..." then the phone rang, "Hold on. Hello?"

"Hey 13, it's Damon. Do you have any plans today? Cause I was wondering if you would like to join me and Jamie for some coffee to catch up."

"Oh hey Damon, I'd love to. What time and where?"

"I was thinking in about an hour or so and at the coffee shop you used to work at."

"See you then." Hanging up I looked up at Hannibal, "I'm going out for coffee with Damon and Jamie in about an hour."

"Oh well, can I come?"

"Ummm… well it was supposed to be just us, but I guess they won't mind if you tag along."

Giving him a smile I quickly ran into the bathroom and got myself ready. When I was finally ready to walk out the door, Hannibal was waiting for me on the couch. He looked up at me basically checking me out…eww… and gave off a cat whistle. Of course I blushed because that's what I do whenever something like that happens. I'm a sucker when it comes to that kind of attention.

When we reached the coffee shop Damon and Jamie waved us over to them. It was great to see them again. When they asked about Hannibal I just told them that we were friends…nothing more. Things were fine. We were all having a good time. That was until a familiar voice came out from behind me.

"Cleo, is that really you?"

Turning around I looked up at a face with dark glasses, "Paula?"

"It is you! What are you doing here?"

"Uhhhh, having coffee with some friends of mine."

She grabbed me and pulled me aside, "No I mean, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, well…"

"So you got him! Great, I'm so…"

"No…no…things didn't go as planned… I'd rather not talk about it here."

"Well…how about I swing by your place tonight."

She gave me a smile and walked away as I turned back to the table. I just felt like crap after that, so I had to use some of my acting skills to disguise my feelings. We said our goodbyes and were on our way. When I walked through the door the awkward silence was broken.

"So what is wrong?"

"Huh… oh nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

"I know when a pretty girl like you is upset."

"Look, I'm not in the mood to put up with your charm right now."

"Hey, hey, I'm just here for you. Now tell me what is wrong darling."

"I really don't want to talk about it so drop it."

"I'm not going stop until you…" he was cut off when there was a knock at the door.

When I opened the door standing there was a delivery man. I signed the papers and grabbed the box. On top of the box was an envelope. It was a letter from my mom saying that I left something important behind. I couldn't think of anything that I left behind that was so important that she had to mail it. When I opened the box my heart broke. Inside was the box that 2-D gave me. I admit that I started to cry at the sight of it. As much as I didn't want to, I felt that I had to open the box again. When I did Hannibal was standing right behind me. He put his arm around my shoulder as I cried looking back. I kept crying and crying while he held me tightly. It felt good crying on his shoulder. I hadn't cried about the situation in a long time. When I finally calmed myself down I looked up at his face. He looked back at me and smiled and asked me if it felt good to let it all out. I smiled back and nodded as Paula arrived. I quickly wiped away the tears as I got up off of the floor. As I put the box away, Hannibal let her in as he went out. The two of us sat down and I began to tell her what happened when I got back to Plastic Beach. The look on her face was of disbelief.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry to hear that. So you're never going to see him again?"

"It's what's best for the both of us."

"Is it really what's best for the both of you, or is it what he thinks it's best for you."

I looked at her knowing that she was right.

"Look, the only person who would know what is truly best for you is you yourself. You need to get back to him."

"No…"

"No, what do you mean no?"

"I mean, I've tried to get him once and look what happened. I ended up falling off of a balcony and him telling me I'm better off. I don't even know how I'm going to get back there. I'm all out of options right now. I think it's time for you to leave. I need some time to think things through."

Without any other word, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the door. I finally had a chance to be alone with my thoughts. I kept going back and forth between going back to him or not. It was driving me crazy. I wanted to, but I didn't because I thought that I was better off. However, there were more things leaning towards 2-D. Just when I thought that I had made up my mind Hannibal walked in. He snapped me out of my little trance when he slammed the door shut.

"Are you feeling any better now that you had some girl time?" he asked as he sat down with a drink.

"Sort of, things just got a little more complicated."

"Well I'm all ears darling."

I just looked at him with a "what the fuck" expression. I was not expecting him to say something like that at all.

"Well, I don't know. I'm just confused at the moment."

"Oh, well here have a drink."

I grabbed the drink and drank it all. Then another one…and another one. Then things went fuzzy after the fourth. Except Paula came back sounding upset. That's all I could remember.

That night I had a nightmare. It was the first of many. I dreamt that I was back at Plastic Beach with everybody. Then planes came and started firing at us. Next thing you know it we were in the middle of an epic battle. Noodle was shooting from the balcony until she was shot down and fell down to the waters below. Murdoc was in his tower as a plane bombed it. Russel was shot by Cyborg as she short circuited. I couldn't find 2-D until it was too late. He was taken by a whale and dragged down to the sea. I woke up right as I would turn around to see the boogieman coming at me. I looked over at the clock which was telling me that it was quarter to eleven in the morning. Then there was a sharp pain in my head as the phone rang due to my hangover. On the other line was Paula. All she said was that we needed to talk. She told me to meet up at her place and so I did. Kevin was sitting there zoned out watching TV like he always has as we were in the dining area.

"What was going on last night?" she asked.

"Funny, I was just about to ask the same thing."

"You don't remember do you?"

"All I can remember was having some drinks with Hannibal and you coming in sounding upset."

"I was upset because…"

"Because…"

"You were making out with Hannibal."

"WHAT?!... No that's not true."

"Yes, yes it is. You two were all over each other."

"That can't be I…I…I just wouldn't even think about doing that."

"Well you did.

"That explains my neck," I said putting my face into my hands

"Cleo what is going on with you?"

"I...I…I just…don't even know anymore."

"Well you need to get your cards right before you regret it."

I looked up at her as my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Finally I've reached somebody!"

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"Hi yes, I'm the guy who takes the modeling pictures for 2-D. We need him to do a shoot. So, if you could please have him come by tomorrow that would be great, thanks."

"I'm sorry but… he doesn't exactly live in this country anymore."

"For crying out loud! Well thanks anyways."

"Wait, I can do the modeling if want."

"Fine, fine. What else have I got to lose? Come by tomorrow at noon" he said hanging up furiously.

I finished talking to Paula and went home. I've made mistakes that I was going to regret. Having that drink was the start. No letting him live here was. But that wasn't going to be the last of my mistakes. My life had turned into total chaos at that point. I was a mess basically. I mess that I needed to clean up. But I couldn't do it alone. I needed the help to make things right again. To put it all back to normal. But I couldn't figure out what was the main cause. This kind of feeling had always been with me in some way. Ever since the band split after "Demon Days" there had always been this empty feeling.

3

Déjà vu

The next day after church I went to do the modeling gig. When I walked through the building I got the feeling that I did long ago. It felt good to do something that I hadn't done in a long time. This feeling actually made me smile and laugh. As I was leaving the photo shoot, they offered me a job as a model, so I accepted. When I got home I grabbed my book and sat down to a cup of hot chocolate. Hannibal was in the shower at the time. When he got out of the bathroom he smiled at me with his typical crooked smile and walked over to me.

"How was the modeling?" he asked.

"Fine," I said as he stood right behind me.

"Good, good," he replied brushing my hair aside.

"What are you doing?"

"I was hoping we could continue where we left off."

"That was a mistake."

"Ya but I know you liked it," he said throwing my book at the wall and grabbing my wrists.

"Get your hands off of me!"

He pulled me off of the chair and up against the wall.

"You will cooperate," he said as he started to choke me with one hand while grasping my belt with the other.

The way he was choking me suddenly reminded me of that night with Kevin, only this time… I was alone.

"Now you will give me what I want," he said as he tried to unbuckle my belt.

At that moment something in me snapped

"Fine…I'll give you what you want," I said as I kicked him.

He quickly got up off of the floor and starting yelling at me. I quickly responded and punched him in the face. He grabbed me and threw me over the couch and jumped right onto my back. He started strangling me again as I flipped him over so that I was on top. He quickly threw me off so that I would hit the wall. A picture frame fell off and broke on my head. I got up and charged at him. We kept at it for a good half hour or more, until I left and stayed at a hotel. It felt good to finally be angry again. It seemed like I had a lot more stuff bottled up than I thought.

The next day I quietly walked up to the front door. I heard people laughing inside. I opened the door and walked partly into the living room.

"Jacob?" I yelled as I saw my younger brother sitting there.

"Cleo it's so good to see you again. We were just talking to your friend Hannibal here."

"We?" I walked further in to see a blonde haired girl sitting next to him.

"Oh, Cleo this is my girlfriend Leslie. Leslie, this is my sister Cleo."

"I'm so glad to finally meet you," she said with a bright huge smile.

We sat down and talked for a while. Jacob had met Leslie when he gave me the guitar he made. The two hit it off and they had been together ever since. She moved to Canada and then the two of them moved to England just a few weeks ago. She seemed like a really nice girl. The two of them had that spark that I recognize. The way she looked at him was the same look I was very familiar with. It was like looking back into the past. It made me feel good in a way. At one point Leslie left the room to answer her phone.

"I like her. She seems to be really nice," I said with a smile.

"She is amazing. I love her. Cleo…I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"What, that's great."

"I know but there's a problem. I can't exactly afford a ring right now."

As soon as he said that my heart sank. I wanted my brother to be happy. Then I remembered my grandma's ring that dad had given 2-D. I sprung up off of the couch and ran into my bedroom. Going through the many drawers, I finally found the ring. Running back I sat down and grabbed Jacob's hand. As he saw the ring his face lit up.

"Thank you, thank you so much Cleo," he said grabbing me in a hug.

I gave him a smile as she walked back in. They were there for a while longer until it was time for them to leave. I was happy for the two of them. I remember going into the bedroom to take a little rest. However before I could even close my eyes I heard Hannibal talking to someone on the phone. Creeping up towards the door, I listened to the conversation.

"Ya, ya we got into a fight… She was stronger that I thought…I have a plan. I just need her to go away…and for good. Then I can have the place all to myself…So what…Well ya that book does spark my interest. I mean what the heck is that bloke of a brother of mine be doing with a book. He never reads anything except for those magazines…Ha, that is true…Well maybe I could use her…Well she was a member of the band so she would be the perfect person for the job. I just need to make it so that she would take it…That book will be ours. Piece of cake," I could hear him hang up the phone, "Piece of cake."

I quickly locked my door. Something obviously wasn't right. Crawling into bed, I made sure my gun was at my side just in case. As much fun times I've spent with him, I still didn't trust him.

Night after night went by as I continued to have the nightmares and the uneasy feeling towards Hannibal. I was expecting him to do something… I wasn't to sure what, but something. Finally that something came. I was coming home one day after a photo shoot. When I got home nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Hannibal wasn't around when I got there so I did put my guard up. I started to fix up some dinner when he finally came home. As the two of us sat down to the meal, it was quiet…too quiet. When he was finished he got up and went to the bathroom. I cleared the table and started to do that dishes like always. That was when he came up behind me and knocked me down with the pole for the shower curtain. He grabbed my wrists and tied them together.

"Now listen up. You are going to do me a favor or else. Remember that book you were telling me about, you know, the one my brother has? Well I want you to get it for me ok. He is up to something and I don't like it. Now nighty, night," he said stabbing me with a needle.

Like many times before, I slowly watch the world disappear.

When I finally came through I couldn't really make out what was around me. I tried to move but realized I was in a box. Something I wasn't unfamiliar with. I started kicking the top of the box. Once I finally had it loosened I heard a voice… a female voice.

"What do you think is inside?"

I recognized this voice. I gave the top one final kick and jumped up and out of the box.

"Noodle!" I yelled.

I looked up right into her eyes. Her jaw dropped and there was a complete silence. I looked around and saw Russel's big head out a window, Murdoc was in a chair, and 2-D was sitting on the floor. I didn't know what to say. I was in a complete state of shock.

"Now where have I seen this before?" Murdoc said breaking the silence.

"Hannibal," I whispered.

2-D stood up and untied the rope that was still around my wrists. I still didn't know what to say. I didn't even know where I was.

"Where am I?" I asked. Then I dawned on me. This was the study.

"Nowhere, why don't you take her down to her room for now and keep her there Face-ache," said Murdoc.

2-D put his hand on my shoulder and guided me all the way into my room in silence. It hadn't changed a bit since the last time I was there. I turned around just as he was about to leave.

"Stu, wait!"

He turned around with puzzled look on his face, "Ya?"

"I read your letter."

"Oh…right. Good night."

"No, wait. I just wanted to say it hurt me."

"I'm sorry…good night," he said as the elevator doors closed.

I felt…well actually I didn't know how to feel. I stayed in that room for a long time. I finally came to my senses. I mean this was the person I loved. I couldn't jut let him go the way he wanted. I got into the elevator and went down to his room. When I saw that he wasn't in there I went up to each floor. When I reached the study, I heard Murdoc's voice in the recording studio.

"She fell off of the balcony and hit her head. Now the poor girl doesn't remember anything."

"But she said my name when she jumped out. Explain that."

"A coincidence maybe."

"Ya but what is she doing here then," came 2-D's voice.

"Not sure. When Hannibal called me, he said he had a special present for me. Well you know me. I can't pass up gifts. I had no idea she was inside."

Then there was an awkward silence and my chance to walk in. As I opened the door everybody stared at me.

"I thought I told you to make sure she stayed in there Face-ache."

"I didn't fink she was actually going to go anywhere!"

"Please don't get mad at him," I said walking in, "I was bored. I'm sorry. I like the guitars you have there. Do you mind?" I asked grabbing my guitar.

I sat down on the floor and started to play the tune from "Broken". I stopped halfway through the song because of an odd vibe that was in the room.

"How did you know how to play that song?" asked Murdoc.

"The same why I learned all of the songs."

"Wait, what do you mean by all of the songs?" asked 2-D.

I totally forgot that I didn't tell them that I could remember everything.

I turned to him and said, "Umm…all of the songs I know. For example, Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry, Stylo… uhhh those just to name a few."

"Hold on a minute Cleo…what?" asked Murdoc.

"Cleo…odd…For some reason I thought that you would've call me…oh…I don't know, Eliza maybe."

"You…you can remember!" yelled Murdoc.

The look on everybody's face was priceless.

"Well if you need me I'll be in my room," I said leaving.

"Wait hold on," 2-D said as he grabbed my wrist, "How much do you remember?"

"Everything…thanks to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I started to get my memory back after listening to The Fall. Then I read your letter. After reading that…"

"Cleo…I'm so sorry. But I honestly thought that you were better off without me."

"You were wrong. It ate me up inside."

"Cleo please forgive me. You mean the world to me. Letting you go for the second time was the hardest thing I have done," he said grabbing me in a hug, "Cleo I don't want to ever let you go again."

I was still upset with him, but as he held on to me tightly…so many memories flooded into my head…I didn't care anymore. Just being able to have him hold on to me was all I wanted. I loved him too much.

As I put my arms around him and nuzzled my head into his shoulder I said, "Of course I forgive you, because deep down inside I knew that you never meant what you wrote. Stuart, you are my everything and I love you so much."

He put his hand on my face and brought it towards his for a kiss. I could hear Noodle and Russel both say Awwwww, while Murdoc just sat there probably feeling awkward. At that moment, I was back…back to my normal self again. That night I spent it with 2-D. Let's just say that was a good night. It was also the end to the reoccurring nightmare. However, I didn't see the many more nightmares that were waiting up ahead.

4

Family Matters

A couple of days later we were all relaxing in the recording studio. It seemed that Murdoc relaxed a little more about letting 2-D out of his room. Nobody said a word; we all just sat there in silence minding our own business. That was until 2-D started humming. He was humming the tune to "Ghost Train". Eventually Murdoc grabbed his bass and joined in. Next thing you know it we all just rocking out in that room. We all were in a good mood! When the song was over we all started laughing.

"Man it's been ages since we've all played together," I said with a laugh.

"No kidding," replied Russel.

Then there was a short silence until 2-D spoke.

"So…Cleo I've been wondering."

"Yes?"

"Did you go through the entire box?"

"Oh, yeah, I did."

"So you found your grandma's ring, right?"

"Ummm, ya. I gave the ring to my brother so that he could propose to Leslie."

"Leslie. Well that's good."

After a long awkward moment Noodle and I left the room to go to hers. We were sitting on her bed when we decided to make it a beach day. That is, with what beach we had. Putting on our swim suits we ran outside to chill in the sunny weather we had that day. We swam around in the water and chilled on the shore. Here was my chance to finally catch up with here after all this time.

"So Noodle, what exactly was going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you leave?"

"Oh…I'm not really ready to tell you yet."

"Oh…ok then. I can wait until you are."

"Thanks. So what have you been up to all this time?"

"Well…" so I told her the whole story, except for cyborg bit.

"Wait…so let me get this straight…you lost your memory because you fell off of the balcony, all because you were running away from Murdoc, because you ripped a pages out of a book?"

"Uhhh…since you put it that way…ya?"

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"At this point I have no idea. But don't you think it's kind of weird? I mean, what makes this book special that two people want to have it."

"That is true, but still…"

"Ya I know. But now I have the problem of Hannibal wanting me to steal the book for him."

"Are you going to do it?"

"I don't know. I don't trust him at all. Then again, I don't trust Murdoc either. But I trust Murdoc more than I trust him. Mainly because…Murdoc is…is…"

Then Noodle stole the words right out of my mouth, "Like family."

I looked at her, "Ya…I guess he is."

"So don't steal the book."

"But Hannibal said get the book or else."

"Or else, or else what?"

"I don't know but knowing him it can't be good."

"That may be true… Well it's getting late. I'm going to go inside. You coming?"

"No I'll just stay here and watch the sunset."

I sat there staring at the golden sun as it slowly descended into the horizon. It was so pretty and peaceful. It made me feel good inside. I began to think about this whole situation. I did see Murdoc as a bit of a family member. I considered the whole band to be family. They were no longer just friends. We were all closer together. Just a like a family would be. At that point I said screw the book. I was enjoying the sunset until I heard someone behind me.

"Beautiful," came 2-D's voice.

"Ya it is."

"I wasn't talking about the sunset."

I just gave him a look and smiled as he sat down next to me.

"So, you listened to my album?"

"Ya…Mom and I went shopping for my birthday. We went into the music store and I saw the CD on the shelf. Something in the back of my head told me I had to listen to it."

"Really?"

"Ya…I guess no matter what you were always on my mind."

"I guess nothing can really tear us apart."

"I guess so," I said as I leaned in for a kiss.

"Cleo…"

"Ya…"

"I missed you like crazy when you were gone. Now that I have you back I never want to let you go…And that's why…I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

I looked over at him as he got up on one knee. I was overwhelmed…this was actually happening. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.

"Ok I know it's one of Murdoc's rings but he's letting me use it until I can get you one."

I was still speechless. I looked up at him and tackled him in a bear hug.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said with a chuckle.

That was one of the happiest days of my life.

For the next couple of days I was in a good mood. Nothing could rain my parade. Until one day it hit me. We were engaged, but how were we going to get married while on Plastic Beach. I began to panic. I brought it up to 2-D as quickly as I could. Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamed of having this big wedding, now that I have the chance, I couldn't. I started to cry like a little girl when I told him. He calmed me down and told me that we would bring it up to Murdoc. And so we did. We sat there for a good two hours to try and convince him to let us off the island to have this wedding. When he finally gave in I was so happy. However, I had to make a deal. We could have the wedding in October as long as I never go down to his secret room ever again. Well of course I chose the wedding. I mean who wouldn't. So what if I couldn't get the book. What's the worse thing that could happen?

A couple of weeks later I began to feel weird. Not ha, ha weird. More like something wasn't right. Boy was I right. I began to feel nauseous on some occasions. I began to think, what the heck could it be? I back tracked all of the things that I've eaten and pretty much ruled everything out. There was nothing out of the ordinary about my diet. None of the food was even bad. Then I realized that I was late one day in the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" asked Noodle

"I'm fine."

"You don't look or sound fine."

"I…I'm late."

"Late? What do you mean late?"

"Think about it for a second."

"Oh…oh…OH my god. You don't think…"

"It does explain the vomiting."

"Ewww…Just the thought of you and 2-D is weird…But how can you be sure?"

"Looks like we need to go into town."

"But Murdoc is not going to let us go. He may let us go if you make up and excuse."

"But what?"

"Well, I guess you can say you want to upgrade the cyborg and need parts."

As soon as I heard her say that an "oh crap" moment came over me. She knew about the cyborg. I felt so bad. I didn't want to look at her face.

"Oh, you know about that."

"Ya…I do. But, let's not talk about that right now. Right now, we need to worry about you. Come on let's go talk to Murdoc."

I still couldn't forgive myself for Cyborg Noodle. Then it hit me…I hadn't seen it since I've been here. Chances are it was in the cupboard. When we got to Murdoc, I explained how I "wanted" to give the cyborg an upgrade. Right away he agreed and grabbed everybody into the Jetty. We were off the island to Essex. Noodle and I went to the store and got me three tests and some other things. Seeing how we were supposed to be there for parts we went to various stores and picked up random pieces. When we were about to leave Murdoc had another idea. He wanted us to go to our apartment and pay Hannibal a little visit. As soon as he mentioned going over there, I looked over at 2-D.

When we reached the apartment, 2-D and I stood at the door as I knocked. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed 2-D with a clenched fist. A grin came across my face. As Hannibal answered the door 2-D hit his face.

"If I ever hear you doing anything to her again I will have your head mounted on our wall."

"It's good to see you Hannibal. I see you've met my fiancé Stuart."

Hannibal just sat there with a stunned look on his face as we all stepped over him into the apartment. I walked into our bedroom and grabbed my laptop and a few other things such as clothes. When I got a bag ready I saw Murdoc leaning up against the wall, Noodle sitting on the couch staring at Hannibal and 2-D examining the crack that was left by him on the window. I went up to him and touched his shoulder.

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Ya…fine," he said with a bit of sadness in his voice.

As he went to grab some things of his own I turned to Hannibal.

"I need to talk to you…alone."

The two of us went out into the hallway.

"Alright, here's the deal. I can't get you the book."

"Well too bad. You will get it or else."

"Or else what exactly?"

"Or else a certain someone you love will be taking a dirt nap if I don't have it in my hands within the next three months."

I panicked a little bit and said, "Make it this time next year and you can stay at our apartment."

He paused for a minute and held out his hand, "Deal."

Once 2-D had his things we were back on the Jetty to Plastic Beach. When we got to the island I opened up one of the tests. I didn't want to tell 2-D what I was doing. I was scared. When the time was up I looked at the test…there it was…the little plus sign. My first thought was it was faulty test and to try another one tomorrow. The next day came and I tried again, another plus sign…well third times the charm. The next day…it was another plus. I couldn't believe it…I was pregnant. I was actually pregnant. I remember sitting in the bathroom not knowing what to do. I was officially scared out of my mind. I mean I was going to have a living human being inside of me. I was too scared to even tell 2-D. I didn't know what to do! Eventually I got so scared to the point were I cried. I kept crying until I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Cleo? Are you ok?"

"Umm…ya Stuart…ummm…I'm fine," I said quickly tossing everything out.

"Can I come in?"

"Umm…ya sure," I said wiping away the tears off of my cheek.

"Honey what's wrong," he said walking and putting his hand on my shoulder as I stared at his reflection in the mirror.

"I…I can't tell you."

"Cleo look you can tell me anything," he said turning me around and wiping away a tear.

"I…I…I'm…pregnant."

"Wait…hold on. You're pregnant?"

I looked up at him and nodded, "I don't even know how this could have even…wait…the night I came back. That's the only time that would make sense."

"Damn it… I knew there was a reason why I had a forgetful feeling the next day."

I just gave him a look.

"Cleo I love you, and there is nothing in the world that I would rather do than have a baby with you," he said with a smile.

"Really, well what about all of those other kids that you supposedly have?"

"Ya…About that…That was before Demon Days. I was being stupid then. But this is now," he said grabbing my hand and kissing the finger with the ring on it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I'm just really scared. I'm not ready to be a mom yet."

"It's ok. I will be with you and I know that you are going to be an amazing mom. We can do this…together," he said holding onto me in a hug.

I felt so safe in his arms. I continued to cry but, with happiness. We were going to be a family and he was happy about it. I was happy about it. However, things were going to have to change around there. The problem was…getting everyone to agree to some of these changes.

5

Family, Love, Heartbreak

After several days of trying to convince Murdoc not to smoke inside anymore, I finally saw him out on the balcony lighting up a cigar. Maybe things won't be so bad here after all; maybe we will actually be able to raise a family here. I decided to send my parents a letter letting them know what was going on. When I was able to hear from them, they sounded so excited. Of course just like any mother, she wanted to help out with the wedding preparations and the baby. But before I was able to start preparations I had to make sure that Murdoc will actually let us off the island. I slowly crept up to the balcony and tapped his shoulder.

"Ya what do you want?"

"Umm, I just wanted to make sure that you were ok with letting us off the island, just until after the wedding."

"Fine ya whatever,"

"Really?"

"Would you just leave already!"

I quickly got out of there to go find 2-D. I told him the news and we packed up and left. I knew that things were going to be a whole lot better from here on then. It was a long trip but we finally made it to our apartment. As soon as we opened the door we were greeted but our forgotten new roommate. Hannibal was sitting there on the couch with a beer can and a porno magazine.

"What the heck are you block heads doing here?"

"Ummm, it's our apartment," 2-D said walking through the doorway.

"So, that doesn't explain why you are here."

"For you information we are here because we have a wedding to plan and a future child to take care of," I said following 2-D.

"So you finally knocked her up. I'm proud of ya," Hannibal said putting his arm around 2-D.

2-D immediately pulled away, grabbed our luggage and walked into our old bedroom. I followed him, glaring at Hannibal as I walked by. As soon as I walked into the room, there was a strange smell in the air. I did not want to find out whatever was making that smell. I was even to scared to sit on the bed, who knows what he could have done on there in our absence. Of course before we decided to do anything we cleaned. We cleaned the heck out of that place. It may have taken us a good six hours or so, but we managed to get our apartment to its former glory. Of course we still allowed Hannibal to stay there while we there. No matter what, I couldn't just kick someone out of our apartment when they have nowhere else to go.

As a couple of days passed, it was finally time for my first ultra sound. I walked into the office a little scared. I had no clue what to expect. Thankfully 2-D came along so I guess things were alright. After the appointment we learned that things were fine. I was finally able to relax for a bit and continue on with planning our wedding. My brother and Leslie came by a few times to help out in any way that they could. However, every time that they came over I began to notice something different. It appeared the each time that they came over Leslie drifted away from Jacob.

One day 2-D said that he was heading out to meet up with Jacob while Hannibal was out…well… being Hannibal, so I had the place to myself. I sat around until there was a knock at the door. Opening it up, I saw Paula standing there. She grabbed my wrist and told me that I had to come with her. She brought me all the way to her house. As we walked in, it was quiet and dark, that was until the lights came on and everyone jumped out yelling surprise. I looked around and saw all of my older co-workers, Leslie, Paula, and Noodle. I immediately gave Noodle a hug and greeted everyone. Paula had planned a surprise Bachelorette part for me. It was nice hanging out with all of the girls. We all laughed, ate, and of course opened presents they had given me. Some of the items were…let's just say…a little erotic. We all had a good time and it was a day that I will hope to remember for a long time.

When I got home 2-D still wasn't home, however Hannibal was. He was sitting there on the couch. He looked up and gave me a crooked smile once again.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Cram it Hannibal, I just had a nice evening with my friends and I don't want you to spoil my good mood," I said getting myself a drink in the kitchen.

He came up behind me a wrapped his arms around me, "Oh come on, I'm sure I can make your day even better before he comes home,"

"You just don't get it do you? Your charm doesn't work on me anymore, so whatever you have planned you can forget it. I'm not going to steal that book for you no matter what kind of threats you use," I said pushing him away and walking into the bedroom.

I knew that that wouldn't be the last time. I knew for a fact that he would be coming back…like a migrating bird, a very disgusting bird.

Eventually the wedding day got closer and closer. My parents were able to come up along with the rest of the Gorillaz family. One day 2-D told me that we were going out to lunch with our parents so that they can finally meet each other. Things really hit it off between them. I felt like nothing could go wrong. Weeks went by and it was almost time for the wedding. However, I had an ultra sound to go to before the wedding. We walked into the room just like we had done before, nothing special. I walked in and they started the procedure. As I was lying there the doctor was looking closely at the screen.

"Interesting," she said.

I started to panic, "Everything is fine right?

"What is wrong?" 2-D said grabbing my hand.

"Well I think another congratulations is in order,"

2-D and I just looked and each other and then back at her.

"You're having twins."

"What? You mean there isn't one but two?" asked 2-D

"That is correct sir."

A huge smile came across his face as he hugged me.

I felt really happy as we left the building. I mean we were going to have twins. As we were on our way home we began to talk about names. We wanted them to be nice names that would really have a ring to them. When we got home we heard noises coming from inside. Opening the door, on the floor was a trail of clothing that lead to the couch.

"What the hell is going on?" I yelled.

Two heads popped out, Hannibal's and…Leslie's.

"We…were…ummm, just playing a little game," Leslie said as she grabbed a piece of clothing to cover herself.

"Ya find where the rod goes," said 2-D.

"Oh good you guys are home. Have you seen Leslie, she hasn't been returning any…of….my….calls," said Jacob as he walked in. "Leslie? What…what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Jacob, but this is exactly what it looks like. You just weren't satisfing me like he does. Besides when you're working with someone, you usually end up hooking up with them."

"Oh Leslie what are you talking about, we don't work together darling," Hannibal said.

"Right, I must be thinking of someone else. Silly me. I think I should get going," she said putting on clothes and walking out past us.

"Get out you worthless piece of shit," I yelled at Hannibal.

As he too got dressed and walked out, I turned to my brother and saw the heartbreak on his face. I gave him a hug and told him that she wasn't worth it anyways. He grabbed the ring out of his pocket and told me that he was going to propose to her that night. He placed the ring on the counter and left with a feeling of defeat. I felt so bad for him. This was the last straw with Hannibal.

Finally the big wedding day came. As I sat in the church in my wedding dress I couldn't help but to think that I was finally going to be called Mrs. Cleo Pots. Paula walked in, in her red bridesmaid dress and gave me some last minute touches. I walked down the aisle as everyone stared at me. I admit it was a bit creepy but I didn't really mind it at the time. I had my eyes on him the whole time. The wedding was everything I had ever imagined. It was beautiful, just everything about it was perfect. I was finally his wife and he was my husband.

When we were at the reception I looked around and saw that everyone was there. By everyone I mean everyone that I have worked with in the past, people who have appeared with the Gorillaz, my old co-workers from the coffee shop, even some of my friends from Canada. It was perfect and everyone was having fun. Hannibal and Leslie weren't even there, which was a good thing. After our first dance we sat down at the head table just to talk. I happen to notice one thing that was out of place. I saw Noodle and Jacob sitting there…alone…talking. I decided to investigate and headed over to their table.

"Hey guys what are you up to?"

"Oh hey Cleo, I was just talking to Noodle here about guitars and what not."

"Oh cool, cool, so are you guys having fun?"

"Oh tons of fun. I didn't know your brother was so funny."

"Hey I'm not the funny one Cleo is the funny one in the family."

"What are you talking about Jacob you have been keeping me laughing since the moment the reception began," Noodle said as I slowly became excluded from the conversation.

I walked back to 2-D wondering what the heck was going on. Was it really possible that my best friend and my brother have developed a close relationship with each other behind my back? I didn't think much about it after that. I grabbed 2-D and dragged him to the dance floor. That day was a magical day.

About a few days later we packed up our things and allowed Hannibal to come back to the apartment. What was done has been done and there is no going back. We gathered up with Noodle and the others and headed back to Plastic Beach. So what if we didn't have a honeymoon. As long as the two of us were together it made me happy. Soon we were going to be a happy family of four along with our Gorillaz family.

6

Silence Banshee

As time went by, we continued to live our lives on Plastic Beach. There had been some toss around discussion about releasing a new track or something, a track to say that we are still around to rock your world. 2-D and I began to be really excited about our little bundles of joy. We decided that we wanted to stick with the names Raven and Zachary.

One day I decided to go outside for some fresh air. As I opened the door I got a warm feeling. However, there was no sun that day and the temperature was low. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. As I leaned over the railing I saw something move down below. I ran down the steps and saw an odd humanoid standing there. I wasn't scared, at all. This creature seemed to have a welcoming feel to it. I walked up to it very slowly as it turned around to reveal its fish bowl face. The veiny skin and the tentacles made this creature seem like a work of art. As I took one more step closer it bolted towards the ocean. I had no clue what this thing was or why it was even here. All I could say was that I wanted to know more about this thing. There was just something about that told me that everything was going to be ok. Standing there staring at the ocean I placed my hands on my stomach. I truly believed that everything was going to be ok, that was until I saw something in the distance. It was ship that was heading straight for the island. For some stupid reason I didn't even think about running inside to tell someone, I just stood there and watched the ship come closer and closer. When the ship finally reached the shore I saw a familiar shape jump off. Soon the figure wasn't alone. When I finally was able to make out the two shapes out I began to panic. Leslie and Hannibal were standing there before me with their typical grin. I tried to turn and run but found myself tied up. They were able to gag me before I could scream and shoved me onto the boat. I had no idea what was happening. They locked me up down below and sailed away. Nobody could see that coming.

I sat down there gagged and bound for who knows how long. Leslie finally walked down and untied the gag.

"Leslie please you don't know what you are doing. I have to get back, you don't understand."

"Oh I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Please Leslie; just don't do anything to me"

"But then that will mean taking the fun out of it all"

"Leslie! I'm expecting, you don't understand."

"You think that is going to stop us. We already knew about that. Let's just say the paparazzi have hit you hard. Any ways, let's just say Hannibal has gotten tired of waiting and running."

"Waiting and running? What are you talking about, it has only bee…"

"Oh I know how long it has been. We have just changed our mind. Now it was nice chatting with you," she said placing the gag on me once again.

Many hours had paced before they came back down. Blindfolding me, they picked me up and dragged me into a building. Once they had placed me on a chair they toke the blindfold off. I looked around to see several people standing around looking at me except for one tall person whose back was turned to me. I had no clue what was going on and I admit that it scared me. Hannibal and Leslie had something planned; I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Now Cleo, I can call you Cleo right? You are probably wondering why you are here. Let's just say that you are valuable. You have money, some useful information, popularity, and not to mention you know how to put up a good fight. We need you to go on a little mission for us. Rumor has it that there are a few people looking for me. I need you to find out who they are, what they want, and kill them….scratch that, bring them back to us and then we will kill them. Now what do you say?" said Hannibal as he turned around to face me, "Oh, bloody hell would someone take that stupid gag off of her so that she can respond. It's like I'm surrounded by fucking idiots"

"Sorry Hannibal won't happen again," Leslie said as she removed the gag.

"Hannibal you can go to hell. I will never participate in any of your sick crimes."

"Trust me darling, I'm already in hell and if you won't do as you are told, you and the rest of your family and band will parish. Even if it means killing my own brother, he needs to be taken down a peg or two anyways."

"Oh my god, you are one sick bastard."

"Why thank you. Now are you going to help me?" he asked pulling out a gun and putting it to my head.

"For the safety of my family and friends?"

"Why of course, but there are rules to this considering you still haven't gotten the book for me,"

"Rules, what kind of rules?"

"Leslie, why don't you fill her in on this one darling."

"The rules are, you can't ever go back to the band, you can't contact your family ever again, and you will from this day forth…be a member of our little group."

"And what if I broke one of these rules?"

"Then everybody you care about will be six feet under the ground. Now are you in or out because I am starting to lose patience and am very tempted to pull this trigger."

"And what if I say no to the whole thing?"

"Then I blow your brains out right here and move on to someone else."

I took a deep breath and said, "Alright…I'll do it."

"Perfect! Now to make sure you do everything that you have been assigned to do, Alexavier here will work as your partner. Oh, and make sure you get the book in the process. I still don't want my brother doing anything funny. Now come on, don't just strand around there everyone, there is work to be done. Let's get to it you lazy asses," He said walking out with Leslie around his arms.

Everyone had left room except for one person. I assumed that this person was Alexavier. I tried to hard not to cry as he walked out of the shadows and into the small light that was in the room. His green eyes stared into mine and his red hair stood out. He walked up to me and untied my hands.

"You must be Alexavier."

"Alexavier Wagner, but just call me Alex, or as the guys around here like to call me, Metal Face or Ginger," he said in an Irish accent.

"What kind of name is Metal Face?"

He turned his head and smiled to reveal braces.

"Look if you are going to be a part of this group you are going to have to make some personal changes, alright?"

"Let me guess, I would have to change my, hair, name, stuff like that?"

"Yup, so have you any clue what you would do?"

"Well I guess I have an idea."

"Well then come with me and we can get you situated," he said grabbing my hand and taking me into a back room.

"So who are you really?"

"That I can't say just yet, I mean you can spring at any moment right?"

As we walked into the room I once again had to create a new persona. I figured if I can do it once, then I can do it again. However, I failed to think about the little bump in the road and how that was going to affect this. I undressed and found make-up. I covered up all of my tattoos except the one on my back. I found a regular green tank-top and a pair of jeans that managed to fit me, along with a pair of converse shoes. I put on a red wig and placed freckles on my face and green contacts for my eyes. I turned around to see Alex standing there watching me.

"Hi Alexavier, my name is Theresa Wagner. I am your twin sister as you can tell by our same hair and eye color," I said with an Irish accent.

"I like it. Can't say it was what I thought, but it will work. Now come on…sis…let me go and introduce you to the rest of the group. Oh but before we leave you need to come up with some sort of code name. Mine being Metal Face so yours can be…"

"Syrin. You know like Banshee's daughter from X-Men"

He laughed as we walked away. He began to talk about how he loved the X-Men and how he and his previous life best-friend would always read them together. It sounded to me like Alex is in the same kind of situation as I am. It sounded like he too had a wonderful life, but was kidnapped by Hannibal. By the tone of his voice, he wanted out badly but couldn't figure out how. Maybe with my help we both can escape and return to our previous lives. But it was just the matter of how we were going to be able to do it without the harm of our loved ones.

7

Top Secret

Once I had established a new identity yet again, it was time for me to figure out what was going on. One morning Alexavier and I walked into the main office of HQ. Sitting at a box desk was Leslie with a pile of papers.

"I see someone got herself a well needed makeover," she said to me.

"Go to hell Leslie"

"My, my, my, somebody has a temper this morning. So I assume Alex here has told you everything that you need to know. So who are you exactly?"

"My name is Theresa Wagner. I am Alexavier Wagner's twin sister. I am in my early thirties and from Ireland, thus explaining my Irish accent. I have just recently moved here in order to get away from my abusive husband. I am currently pregnant and will be due sometime in June. I am also a rock climbing instructor. Is that good enough for you?"

"I guess it will have to do. Alright so I'm guessing you already know why you're here right? Well whatever, you probably thought wrong. We want you and Alexavier to work on a little mission for us. Hannibal darling why don't you take it away."

"My pleasure," he said creeping out of the shadows, "You see my brother has been too successful with his life. I want you to tear them apart."

"Wait let me get this straight. You want us to try and break the band apart?" I asked.

"You're lucky I already started for you," he said walking away with a laugh.

"And what if we were to fail?" Alex asked as he grabbed the papers off of the desk.

"You and your loved ones will soon wish they were never born," he replied closing the door behind him.

I didn't get it. Shouldn't he be happy that his little brother is successful? I would be proud of Jacob if he were successful. As the two of us left the room I saw our first assignment; to find any useful information about the band's success. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to go back home and see if there was anything I could do to get me out of this mess.

"Alex I can't do this."

"You have to cause you don't have very many options Theresa"

"Theresa? Oh just call me Cleo."

"Can't, it's against the rules. Once you're code name has been established you will be known as that by everyone here."

"So wait? You're saying that what everybody is called here isn't exactly their real name?"

"Exactly, now where do we want to go first?"

"How about we start out at, Kong Studios I guess. So who are you really?"

"That is classified information, when Leslie tells me it's ok then I will. Off to England it is."

I never asked him about who he really is again. We reached England and scoped out the old Kong Studios for several days. We found nothing but old posters and other kinds of trash. It was weird coming back to this place. It was just too creepy being there. We decided to take it easy and slowly work our way into "destroying" the band.

As we remained in England, word about my disappearance had spread. Stupid rumors came up like; Murdoc killed me, I left the band because I cheated on 2-D, I was living a double life. Well the double life one is kind of on the right track. Every day I couldn't get my mind off of 2-D and the babies. I had no clue what I was going to do. Luckily Alex was there to help me out in any way I needed. He was so supportive of the whole situation, especially when Christmas finally came around. He knew how badly I wanted to see my family and spend time with them. He came up with the idea of doing some undercover work. The plan was that we were on our way on a road trip, but our car mysteriously broke down in front of their house. I remember the very night it happened.

It was a snowy night and we rigged our car up. We "broke down" right in front of my brother's house on Christmas Eve. He was throwing a huge party at the time. We walked up to the door and explained to him our situation. He let us in and offered a room for us to stay in. Once we were settled we walked down the stairs to join the party. I looked around the room and finally was able to spot Jacob. As I walked over I noticed that he was sitting with a female. When I got closer I realized it was Noodle. She looked so pretty, but what was she doing here? Then I soon realized that the others may be there too. I began to panic and pulled Jacob aside into the other room.

"Oh uh, Theresa was it?"

"Umm yes, I just wanted to thank you again for letting us stay here.'

"Not a problem. You two are welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"Thank you so much. I was wondering who that charming young lady that was with you is."

"Oh that's, Noodle, she is in my sister's band."

"I should have known that you have a sister. I bet she is just as wonderful as you are."

"Ya….she was," he said with an upsetting tone.

"Was? What on Earth do you mean by that?"

"She…she disappeared a while ago, and they have given up on the search. I just really wish she could be here with us now."

"Jacob, it seems to me that your sister is a pretty bright gal. I wouldn't lose hope if I were you. Who knows, she could be right under your nose and you may not even realize it."

"Wait what?" he asked as I walked away giving him a wink.

"Remember that there is always more than meets the eye Jake."

I never did talk to him the rest of the night, but I believe after that conversation he began to see right through Theresa and into his sister. Of course he knows me well enough to see that there must have been a reason why I was doing this and kept his mouth shut. Or at least I hope he did.

New Year's finally rolled around as we were just getting into more details about why Murdoc decided to go to Plastic Beach. It was just the same old stuff that I tried to read about in that darnn book of his. As I sat there reviewing photos and other documents I began to think of Alex's real identity. I looked over at him as he toke off his glasses.

"Hey so, when are you going to tell me who you are?"

"When we get this mission completed."

"Why are we even doing this? I mean what is the whole purpose in taking the Gorillaz down?"

"What's with the questions all of a sudden?"

"I just feel like there is something else. Not just taking the band down ya know?"

"That I can't answer because I don't even know."

"But what you do know is who you really are."

"Look its top secret information. I am not going to tell you."

"Fine, be like that."

"I'm sorry but I don't want anything to happen to my family."

"Ya, whatever, I understand. I mean you know pretty much everything about me and I feel like I hardly know the real you."

He leaned back in his chair and let off a big sigh, "You always managed to guilt me into everything."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just surprised that you of all people never even recognized me."

"Wait what?"

"My name of course isn't Alexavier Wagner. My name is Cory Baker. I grew up in Sacramento California with a girl name Cleo Frotner who was pretty much like a sister to me… and still is."

"Cory, I…I…I thought you were dead!" I said giving him a hug.

He explained to me how he got wrapped up in the whole situation. Long ago when Cory had started his job at the World Trades Centre he ran into a young girl named Cheryl. The two of them really hit it off. She eventually told him that she needed help in taking over someone's company. He helped her succeed and when she didn't need him anymore she tied him up in their basement on the day of 9/11. The very day he was supposed to go in for work. She told him that he was going to be very useful for her future plans. Cory Baker, the very same person I grew up with and was presumed dead for all of these years. He was alive, but now in the same situation as me. I have to figure out a way for the two of us to return to our happy lives. It was only a matter of time for me to snap back.

Once the holidays were over we thanked Jacob and returned to HQ. As we walked into the building Leslie was sitting there.

"So how is the little mission going for you two?"

"Cram it Leslie," I yelled.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Cram it. I am sick of taking all of this crap of yours."

"Theresa calm down, you really have no clue what you're getting yourself into." yelled Cory.

"Cory back off and stop calling me Theresa"

"You fucking idiot. You revealed your true identity?" Leslie yelled.

"Look she is like a sister to me; I had to at some point or another. I couldn't keep a secret from her, I never have and I never will again."

"That's it. You have been useful to us long enough!" She yelled pulling out a knife.

Out of instinct I grabbed a chair and nailed her in the face. Her piercing scream got the attention of everyone in the building. All we could hear was her screaming as people poured into the room. As Hannibal ran into the room, he pulled Leslie up. Her face was covered in blood from the large knife that was now located in her eye.

"Tell me why the hell we are here?" I yelled at Hannibal.

"That is top secret information"

I noticed a gun poking out through Hannibal's shirt and went straight for it. Holding the gun up towards his head I asked him again.

"Look, let's just say there is something that always meets the eye."

"You can say that again." I said laughing.

8

Always Expect The Unexpected

As I sat there locked up in a room I shared with three other people, I began to realize that I couldn't continue like this. I looked up to see an Asian girl with a dragon tattoo staring at me. I looked over to see another girl with many piercings doing the same. As I looked at the last girl with blonde hair, she stood up.

"You know you have some real guts," she said with a Russian accent.

I just looked up and gave her a slight smile.

"Now tell me the reason why?"

"I can name three. One, she cheated on my brother, two, Hannibal is a fucking sly pig, three, the two of them are nothing but pathetic little assholes who kidnapped me."

"Harsh words, but good enough reasons. I like you. You've got courage and strength. You shouldn't be here comrade. You belong wherever you came from."

"I know, but what about you?"

"We are stuck here. Bound to them for eternity. We are outlaws, and that is why we came here. We are treated like family by them. But you, you are the only person the treat like garbage."

As she finished her sentence she walked away and sat down, right as Leslie walked in. I looked up at her and noticed the bandaged up eye covered by an eye patch. With her good eye, she stared at me with a stare that could make a young child cry. She handed me a piece of paper and left the room. My new assignment was in my hands, and it was a solo assignment. I was assigned to investigate Murdoc's past. I assumed that because Hannibal was his brother he would know Murdoc's past. Even I know a great majority of his past. I figured what better place to look, than to look on the internet. That was when I decided to create a new Facebook account under the name Theresa Wagner. I wanted to do this a while ago but now I have a perfect opportunity.

After I had made the account and asked around about Murdoc's past I began to dig up some stuff I never would have thought of. Apparently, the great and almighty sex maniac had a special someone at one point in his life. I decided to look into this farther but wanted to take a break even more. I sat there on my computer messing around with Facebook. That was until I came across 2-D's profile. I was tempted to click on it but knew that he would be at risk. I decided to just send him a message saying that I loved him as if I was a fan. Thanks to Facebook I soon learned that not only is Murdoc keeping secrets but my own brother was as well. I discovered that he had started seeing someone. It wasn't until Valentine's Day that I learned who it was. It had seemed that my younger brother Jacob and my best friend Noodle had starting dating. Things started to make sense, for example at the wedding.

As days continued on, so did my research. I headed out to Kong Studios once again and tried to get into contact with his old friends. It had appeared that a lot of them hadn't been around the area since the whole incident involving 2-D. I decided to take a minor break at the coffee shop one day. As I sat there enjoying my sandwich the one person I least expected walked in. Damon Albarn had walked in. Of all people in the world, he showed up. I quickly sprung from my seat and walked up to him. However as soon as I reached him I realized I couldn't talk to him as me.

"Excuse me, you're Damon Albarn correct?"

He paused as if in a moment of "not again." He looked at me and smiled, "Uh ya, what can I do for you?"

"I'm writing a report on the Gorillaz for a possible documentary. I was wondering if maybe I can do an interview. You see, I seemed to be having a great amount of trouble with information on the bass player."

"Umm, yeah why not, I guess I could help you out."

We sat there for a while discussing about Murdoc. He told me pretty much the same thing that I knew, except there was one piece of information that was very odd. He told me that whenever they were talking without the whole band around, he would often get a phone call. He told me that the phone call sounded personal because he always stepped out. He then went on about how he had to leave soon to go to a recording session with the band. Of course that perked my interest and so I asked him more about it. He explained to me how the shoe brand Converse had come up to Jamie asking for him to design some shoes. Of course the project grew and so the Gorillaz agreed to create a single for it. I asked him if I was able to tag along to get some inside, behind the scenes, information. He was a little against it at first but I was able to butter him up into letting me go.

It toke us a while to get to the studio where the band was recording. As I walked into the building I nearly walked run into Andre. I figured he must have been featuring in the single and continued on my way. Damon opened the door to a shoe thrown in his face. Of course Murdoc was doing his usual antics. Damon did get a little upset but he shook it off and introduced me. I looked at all of them and they looked so different. In the amount of time that I have been away, they appeared so much older. I didn't at all care; all I cared about was that I was with my second family again. I sat next to 2-D and smiled at him. He looked at me, then looked away, then looked back at me with a puzzled look.

"I'm sorry is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, Uh, no. It's just that you look familiar."

"Oh I get that a lot."

"How, uh, far along are you?"

"About six months now. I'm due in June with twins."

"Uh, congrats," he said walking away.

"Oh uh. Murdoc is it?"

"Ya, what?"

"I was just hoping that I can have a quick word with you, in private?"

He was hesitant at first but agreed and brought me into another room.

"Alright what do you need to know?"

"What was your life like before you started the band?"

"I'm sorry what?'

"What was your life like before you started the band?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? It's your life."

"Umm, hey can you play an instrument?"

"I do but I haven't played in a while. Why do you ask?"

"I was just. Never mind," he said as he left the room.

I had no clue what was wrong with him. He wasn't acting like himself. I decided to leave the room and see where he went. I spotted him walking in the opposite direction of the recording room and down the hall. I tip toed behind him to the point where he stopped and grabbed his cell phone.

"Hello it's me…I just wanted to see how you're doing…I know it's been a really long time since we've seen each other…I know…But look on the brighter sides of things. Once my brother is out of the picture we can be a family like we've planned…So how is he?...That's good to hear…I just wanted to call because I was just talking to a girl with an accent that reminded me of you…Well I have to go…I know. Please give him a kiss for me…I love you too…"

As he hung up I could swear tears started to form in those old eyes of his. I quickly hid in a doorway as he made his way back to the room. There was a completely different side of Murdoc I have never seen before…and I liked it. As I walked into the room I looked at Murdoc and smiled at him. He just glared at me and turned back to his bass. I thanked Damon for allowing me to be there and started heading out. He stopped me a convinced me to stay to hear them record their new single "Doyathing", so I did and realized that this was a different sound compared to what we have done way back when we first started.

9

The Truth within the Past

It was several days after the filming for the new music video that I finally headed back to HQ. I walked into the building and ignored the glaring Leslie. Being back in that hell hole was no breath of fresh air. When Hannibal came up to me about my assignment I told him that I was unable to find anything. Murdoc was like family to me and I always want to protect my family no matter what.

It was late one night as I was trying to figure out a way to escape. I sat there on the bed alone until Cory and my roommates walked in.

"Cleo look you can't stay here any longer," Cory said as he sat next to me.

"Look I don't have much of an option do I"

"Yes you do. You have the option of leaving here and going back to your normal life."

"Well then what about you. I can't leave you here."

As the Russian girl Danica walked closer she said, "It's like I've said before darling. We are all outlaws here. They treat us with respect, like one of them. But you are something else. You need to leave before you are no longer useful to them," she handed me a key; "This is a key to my car. I want you to take it and leave as soon as you have the chance."

"We can distract them if you want. Pull a, Charlie's Angels type of moment ya know," the girl with the tattoo, Ruka said pulling a knife out.

"Look guys, I don't want you to get involve in my problem."

"Cleo, you are like a sister to me, therefore I will get involved with your problem no matter what you say. Danica, Ruka, and Tory, come with me. We have a distraction to create. Cleo…run."

As Cory left with the girls I had nothing left to do but to take off my disguise. I threw them under the bed and grabbed the keys. I finally had my chance to return back to my husband. As I frantically gathered what I had I noticed the knife Ruka had sitting on the dresser. I grabbed it and snuck out the door towards the back door. As I ran down the hallway I began to hear shouting.

"Hannibal this has gone long enough. You can't let someone control you. Leslie has gotten out of control. You have to stop her before she makes another big mistake like kidnapping someone else. Why the hell does she even want us anyways?"

"Look I don't need a simpleton like you telling me what to do," Hannibal said and stormed out of the room. He stopped and stared right at me, "And where do you think you're going missy?

"Hannibal you should know that I can't be here. This is not a proper environment for someone who is with child."

"Look 13," he said grabbing my shoulders, "It was never my idea to bring you here in the first place. But as soon as I told…her…about you, she just had to do what she did."

"What are you…"

"Look you better get out of here. I'm on your side. Please get out of here before she can…"

"Well, well, well, look at what the cat dragged in," Leslie said, "And where do you think you are heading off to?"

"Leslie, stop doing this."

"You shut up. This woman has destroyed my life since the day she backstabbed me after I came back from Ireland."

"Leslie what are you talking about?" I said stepping back behind Hannibal.

"You little bitch. You don't remember do you? I had to reinvent who I was… My name isn't Leslie Sharpe," she paused for a minute and then said in a natural Irish accent, "I'm Lisa Powers. I was your best friend in High School when I moved there from Ireland. That was until you moved on to the popular kids in the twelfth grade. You mocked me and treated me like some second hand piece of trash."

"Lisa…I didn't, I didn't mean to. They had me…brainwashed."

"Oh save it. I moved to England and called myself Liana Powers out of embarrassment, and then got a job at a little coffee shop. I was happy there with my new best friend Paula Cracker. That was until you showed up, with your perky smile and peppy attitude. You managed to get me fired after you had accused me for stealing, when it was that two faced Paula. I soon fell into debt and was evicted from my apartment."

"Lisa you know I didn't mean…'

"Did I stutter before," she said pulling a gun out, "Sit down all of you and shut the fuck up," she said as I noticed Cory and the others standing right behind us, "I decided to start a new life. So I did. I called myself Liana Sharpe and decided to look for a new job modeling. That was when I ran into Murdoc Niccals, the beloved bassist of your little band. The two of us hooked up, and then I found out that he was starting a band. We've been together ever since he first started the band. Once I found a picture of you all partying I was upset. Then just three years ago I gave birth. Yes gave birth to his son Nathanial. Of course he had to keep us a secret and told me that Hannibal was out to destroy our family. I knew he was lying so I hired people to set up camera's without him knowing…I had them set up on his little plastic island,"

"Plastic Beach," I said quietly.

"What was that?" yelled Lisa as she put the gun up against my temple.

"I said it was called a Plastic Beach,"

"You better zip it or your family won't exist anymore," she said brushing the gun across my face. "Now as I was saying I set up cameras and caught him sleazing around with a mysterious French woman one day. Eliza Smith I think she was called. Then I learned that the little Frenchie slut Eliza was you in a disguise. That was the last straw. Once again I changed my name calling myself Leslie Sharpe. I got myself a job as a different model as well as a preschool teacher. I vowed to take you down and get rid of you for good. No matter where I was you were always there to take me down. So I figured with you gone for good I can finally live my life with a happy ending. When I first learned that you were in the band I started this little organization and gathered top gunmen and fighters running from the law. Right, Tory? I gathered them up to kill you. But when they seemed to fail the first time, it didn't bother me so much. I mean you of all people would survive a floating windmill being attacked by pilots. So I tried again, a minor attack on the little island. Then I learned that you weren't even there. That's when I decided to take matters into my own hands. I met your brother Jacob. I decided to get attached to him to get to you. Soon after I met a better connection… Hannibal. Well then you know the whole story from there. But now it's time to end this story with my happy ending."

She had the gun pointed right at me. I had no clue what to do. She was mentally unstable and laughing uncontrollably. That's when I heard Cory shout from behind me.

"Ruka, the gun!"

Out of nowhere, Ruka came running along the wall and kicked Lisa in the face. Tory attempted to grab the gun as Cory grabbed me. Lisa managed to kick the gun away from Tory straight to Danica. As Danica grabbed the gun Lisa's other employers came in to help her. They grabbed Danica and smashed her face into the wall. Cory and Hannibal kept trying to get me away from the scene, but I refused. I pulled away and grabbed the gun which had skidded in our direction. Without even looking I fired the gun. When I opened my eyes, everyone had stopped. Lisa's hands where placed on her stomach as blood trickled through her delicate fingers.

"Some happy ending," she said as she collapsed on the stone floor.

"Someone call an ambulance…" I said. When no one moved I yelled it out again.

I had just shot someone. No, not just a someone. She was Lisa Powers, an old best friend of mine, and a mother of a young child. I dropped the gun and stood there frozen. Everyone scattered except for Cory.

"An ambulance is on their way," Cory said as he put his arm around me.

I turned around and held onto him tightly and cried. I kept crying until we heard a faint sound. We both stopped and listened to the sound. We decided to find out what was making it. As we got closer and closer, we heard the sound of sirens. We stepped outside and saw that almost every single car that was there was now gone. There remained only two cars, Cory and Danica's. We stood there and watched the paramedics pulling out Lisa's body. They told me that she wasn't dead but was going to be in the hospital for a while. Just as they were about to leave a police officer came up with blankets in his arm.

"I found him in a small basket underneath a desk," he said handing a baby to me.

"This must be Nathanial Niccals. Thank you officer"

"Lisa is in no condition to take care of a baby."

"Ya neither is Murdoc. I mean have you seen the way he behaves. As soon as the twins are born I'm leaving the band. Maybe even sooner."

"What, you, you can't leave the band!"

"It's what's best for the family. So what are we going to do with him?"

"I guess I can take him. Go back to my wife Maria. We've always wanted a kid. That's was until I met Cheryl who was one of Lisa's employees… But he should be with his real father at some point in his life."

"Look Cory. We should probably leave here…for good. Return to our lives."

"Of course, can I at least give you a lift to your place?"

"Sure."

"Where do you live?"

"212 Wobble Street…London."

10

We all have to Do our Thing

I had finally returned to my happy family. When I walked in through that door on 212 Wobble Street, everyone was thrilled to see me. Noodle gave me a hug, Murdoc gave me a pat on the back, and of course a big old smooch from 2-D. It was nice to be back with them all. I sat down with them and told them everything that had happen. I told them how I knew about Murdoc, Lisa, and Nathanial; I told them about how I found Cory. I told them everything that went on. The looks on their faces was that of shock. I think that for once I was the one to come back with an interesting story. I soon found out that they had been evicted from their…interesting new flat. I said that I could talk to some people and see what I could do. So far, all I had to do was just make a few phone calls.

I have to admit that this will be my final chapter. It is going to be my final chapter because I have decided to leave the band. When I said I would leave the band, I mean that I would leave the band, but still be able to participate. I have to think about the future of the family. I didn't want to end up like Murdoc's family. Once again I brought everyone around together and began to have a serious conversation with them. I explained to them that I wanted to leave the band and not be on stage anymore.

"What do you mean you want to leave the band?" Murdoc yelled as he smashed his glass to the ground.

"You must be joking! Hey it is April Fool's day, so you must be joking!" Noodle said grabbing my hands.

"This is no April Fool's joke. I'm sorry guys, but I don't think I can do this anymore. I mean for crying out loud I was kidnapped for just being in the band. I've gotten amnesia from running away from Murdoc. I mean come on, not to mention falling off of a windmill that was on fire. I have gone through so much being in this band; I just don't think I should risk it anymore with the babies on the way. Now understand this, just because I won't be a member of the band, doesn't mean I don't want to take part in any other way that I can."

"Cleo is right. There is no way she can be able to handle going through something like that again. Not while risking the lives of our children,"

"I'm going to miss you Cleo," Noodle said grabbing me in a hug.

"I'm not really going to go anywhere Noodle. I'm still a part of the Gorillaz, just not the same way as I am now. Please everyone just forgive me, but I really think that this is the best thing for me right now."

"I agree with you Cleo. You should do what is best for yourself and your future. I just hope that you will always remain a part of us." Murdoc said.

"Of course I will, you area all like a family to me no matter what."

"Girl, you truly are something. Just remember to come say hi when you can," Russel said poking his head out of the window.

At that moment I stood up from the table and walked into the bedroom. I grabbed what things I had and the things 2-D had packed. We said our goodbyes and promised that we would always be a part of the band no matter what. I wanted to live my life with Stuart and the twins. Stuart had agreed that when an important band project came up with the band he would be with them.

April 1st 2012.

This is my last ever entry to my Gorillaz experience. I 13, Cleo Pot, the rhythm guitarist and a singer to the Gorillaz, married to the lead singer Stuart Pot, once again have gone through some stuff that I have never would have imagined. I once again give this warning to whoever is reading this. Please just be careful about what you get yourself into. Always think before you act. Don't risk your life by making stupid mistakes. For now I must leave the Gorillaz and continue my life. Who knows, I may return in the future. No matter what, the Gorillaz will be a part of me, and in my heart will be the Gorillaz Forever.