Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Cherub series.

Hello, this is my first fanfiction so I'm just seeing how it goes. I hope you all enjoy it!

CHERUB

The Last Chance

by

Arcus Pluvius

Chapter One

First Impressions

The sound of slot machines and the smell of cheap alcohol filled the air. James's frame was hunched over the bar, clasping a beer in his right and a cigarette in his left. Wiping the sweat off his brow James slipped off the stool, beer sloshing over his hand. A wave of dizziness passed over him as he stumbled forward, crashing into the neighbouring table. James cursed under his breath. Spying his jacket he bent down to scoop it up off the floor. Bashing his head on the wooden bar, he laughed to himself.

From the other side of the room a loud clatter erupted from the entrance of the casino. Five rowdy boys about the same age as James tumbled through the doors and into the masses of noisy people. James peered at them over his beer. They would be no match for him, if he could get them to play.

James plonked his beer down and sauntered over to the boys. The first to notice his approach was a tall thin boy with black hair which curved around his chin. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked as if he had not slept for weeks. The boy nudged his friend in the ribs and the four others fell silent.

'So…' James said rocking back and forth on his heels.

'So…' said the first boy, mimicking James slurred voice. The boy's friends laughed to themselves obviously finding their leader's joke extremely funny. James ignored the boy's cronies and continued.

'Any good at poker?' he asked, his eyebrow raised.

'Who's asking,' questioned the second boy stepping forward from the group. James smiled and stubbed out his cigarette in the ash tray on the table by his side.

'The name's Jake,' he lied. 'And you are…?'

'Bartholomew. And this is Rick,' he answered as he pointed to a stout boy on his right. 'And over here is Tom, this is Joey and this little chappy is Kevin.'

James gave Kevin the once over with a suspicious eye. Kevin looked distinctly uneasy around the rest of the boys. He had handsome features and thick blonde hair which he was subconsciously running his long fingers through. James threw him a sly grin and turned back to face Bartholomew.

'You haven't answered my question… Are you any good at poker?' He repeated the question slowly, as if talking to an infant.

Bartholomew's eyes narrowed and he turned to his friends who all nodded, encouraging him to take the offer of a game.

'Yeah, not bad. Why? Do you fancy a game? I should warn you… my boys and I are pretty good.'

'I think I'll take my chances,' replied James smoothly.

Bartholomew snapped his fingers. 'All right, boys. To the table.'

The four sidekicks scanned the room, finding an empty table tucked away in the far corner. The group stalked over and James slid into one of the chairs. Bartholomew followed suit, sitting opposite. James hunched his shoulders, placing his hands on the table and twiddling his thumbs. He could not help but feel slightly vulnerable as he glared up at the four boys that remained standing, surrounding their leader. He once again noticed that Kevin was standing back from the group. Kevin glanced down at his watch and scratched the back of his head.

'Guys, I think I'm going to call it a night,' he said sheepishly. 'Anyone comin'?'

'No, man. You're staying right here,' growled Bartholomew.

Kevin paled and stayed where he was.

'Let's get this started, shall we?' suggested James.

Bartholomew nodded. 'Rick, you're the dealer. Let's go.' He clicked his fingers and pointed at his friend.

The game began. At first Bartholomew was winning and became cocky, but that was all part of James's plan. A few minutes later Bartholomew was losing drastically but he would not give up. He was determined to win. James could see the look of panic over his face. He had planned it all. Bartholomew would at first be gaining money fast; giving him a false sense of security. Then bit by bit James would win the money back which would make Bartholomew more reckless.

'Come on dude, you're losing,' exclaimed Rick, 'Don't let this tosser beat you!'

'Shut up, I'm trying to think!' snapped Bartholomew.

James could see the look of contemplation on his face. He smirked behind his cards. He looked up to see Kevin biting his lip, but his mind seemed to be on something other than the game.

The game lasted about half an hour and by the end James had gained around two thousand pounds and was much chuffed. He quickly got up from the table. Bartholomew, looking dazed, slowly followed James with his eyes.

'I think it's time to love you and leave you, boys. Nice game,' James said slyly.

'Wait a second.' Bartholomew peered at James and got up from his chair. 'How did you do that?'

'Do what?' James asked.

'Beat us,' Bartholomew said. 'I was winning and then you skinned me alive!'

'Well maybe you aren't as good as you thought,' James teased.

'You little…' Bartholomew bellowed as he dived towards James. James backed out of the way, leaving Bartholomew to fall on his knees. James laughed hard, clutching his stomach. Bartholomew's face turned red and he quickly got to his feet. His friends surrounded him like a shield. 'You better shut your mouth you little prick, or else!'

'Or else what? You'll hit me. Very original,' James replied. He had heard this line so many times that it did not bother him in the slightest.

Bartholomew charged towards James, his friends in tow. A fist hit James square in the jaw and another in his torso. He stood his ground and took the punches which were constant but they had no power behind them.

Eventually the punches stopped and the tired, sweaty boys stood back to admire their work. What they did not expect to see though was their victim to be unscathed. James grinned at them and a second later Bartholomew was on the floor, grasping his bloody nose.

Rick bent down to his friend and tried to help him up. Bartholomew rejected his help and sat up, cursing James aloud.

James looked around at Bartholomew's pals and gave them a questioning glare. The four boys slowly backed away from him. James resisted the temptation to knock them all out when he heard the sound of police sirens.

Bartholomew got up stiffly and turned to his boys.

'Let's get out of here. Now!' he demanded. He led the way to the door, followed by Rick, Tom and Joey. Within moments they were gone. James and Kevin stood in silence for a while.

'I should really go…….sorry about my friends.' He turned to leave but James grabbed his arm.

'No you come with me.' He dragged Kevin to the men's toilets and looked in the cracked mirror.

'You took quite a few punches,' Kevin noted.

'Hmmmm,' James agreed, 'don't I know it.' He rubbed his swollen jaw and laughed. 'At least I made a profit,' he said, patting his full pocket. James looked at Kevin who was eyeing the pocket in which he had just indicated. 'Here.' James pulled a twenty pound note out of his pocket and handed it to Kevin. 'Buy me a drink.'

They waited until the police sirens had passed and then made their way back to the bar. There were not many people left in the casino now. It was after midnight and most of the people had either got so drunk their friends had taken them home or they had got fed up of losing their money to a stupid slot machine.

James slid onto one of the stools and pounded his fist on the bar.

'Beer!' he called slapping a ten pound note down in front of him. 'You want one right?' he asked Kevin who was still standing about a metre away from him.

'Um…no thanks, I'm good.' Kevin replied quickly. 'I should really go now.'

'No!' James reached out to Kevin and pulled him towards him. He could see that Kevin's face had dropped and he was expecting a blow. James let go of his arm and brushed the creases out of Kevin's jacket. 'Come…please sit.'

Kevin hoisted himself onto one of the high stools and looked at James.

'What?' James asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Kevin quickly looked away and ran his hands along his jeans. James felt bad.

'So…' he said. 'It's Kevin right'.

'Right,' Kevin said slowly. 'And you're Jake.'

'Ha! You wish. No, I'm James, James Adams.' James thrust his hand towards Kevin. Kevin took it gingerly and shook it. Kevin held on to his hand for a moment too long, causing awkwardness between them.

'Ahem…um right.' James pretended to cough, tugged his hand back and continued to drink his beer. 'Tell me about yourself Kevin…Kevin…?' James tailed off.

'Oh Starler, Kevin Starler.'

'OK then Kevin Starler. What's your story?' James asked. Kevin looked down again and did not answer. Amused by Kevin's unwilling behaviour James said, 'OK. Well why don't I start? I'm James Adams, like I said, and I'm seventeen years old. How about you?'

'What?' Kevin asked, startled. James raised his eyebrows and shook his head, laughing.

'You don't talk much do you? Well…' he looked at Kevin again. 'Well, come on, get on with it.'

James pounded his fist on the table again and ordered another beer.

'I'm seventeen years old and I live near by.' Kevin replied.

'Great! Where about?'

'About five minutes away down Belsize Road. I live with my mum…….' Kevin tailed off. He looked upset so James took over.

'I don't really live anywhere in particular, but…well, I…I…left school at sixteen, brought a Harley Davison and spend most of my time beating losers like your friend Bartholomew at poker.' He stopped and stared at his drink.

James had had to lie to many people about who he was when he was at Cherub but now that he had left it annoyed him that he had to keep it all a secret. What annoyed him more was that what he had told Kevin was basically the truth. His life was all about gambling these days. James had wanted to go to college but he had never done anything about it.

'Don't you live with your parents?'

James was surprised that Kevin had uttered a word without being asked and turned to him. Kevin seemed naturally interested in what James had to say so he answered.

'No, they're dead.' James glanced at Kevin who looked embarrassed for asking. James laughed. 'It don't matter much. I can't remember Dad and my Mum, well, I think I'd rather forget, so……never mind.'

Kevin rubbed his neck and said, 'Well, my Dad walked out on my mum, and I when I told them that I …' He stopped again and quickly changed the subject. 'Where have you come from?'

'Here and there, you know?'

'OK so if you don't live anywhere, where are going to stay tonight?' Kevin questioned James, eyeing the bottle of beer in his hand. Before he realised what he was doing he said, 'You should really stop drinking so much.'

'What? How is it any of your business how much I drink' James hiccupped as he got another beer.

A few beers later and after some random rambling from James, the two boys left the casino. Kevin had had to drag James off his stool and outside because he was so intoxicated he could hardly stand.

'Well that was fun!' James spluttered, laughing insanely to himself. 'Hi Kevin, nice to see you.' James looked up at Kevin and waved to him.

Kevin sighed and tried to heave James's arm back over his shoulder when James collapsed on the ground.

'Oh man!' Kevin exclaimed. 'What the hell do I do now?' The question rang out into the cold night air. The only thing Kevin could hear was the sound of cars on the road. He stared down at James and cursed.

Kevin decided that he could not just leave a drunken James on the ground so he pulled him up under his arms and began to drag him home.

'Oh God, this is so lame. Why me?'

* * *

James awoke to the sound of shouting. His head throbbed painfully as he tried to sit up. He yawned, clasping his aching jaw as pain exploded down his face. The shouting continued. He could not make out who it was that was shouting but he did not really care. He just wondered where he was.

He was lying on an old sofa in a small messy room full of CD's and magazines. He picked up a CD and examined it. The Rolling Stones. Good choice. A minute later a tall figure entered the room. James quickly put down the CD and sat up, moaning as he did.

'Morning' said the figure. The boy was dressed T-shirt and jeans and he was holding a chipped coffee cup. 'Want something to eat? Coffee?' He gestured the cup but James shook his head.

'Where am I and who are you?' James was confused and slightly concerned about this perfect stranger.

The boy laughed and sat down on the arm of the sofa, sipping his coffee.

'Your hero,' he joked. 'We met at the casino last night and got talking. But, when you passed out, I had no choice but to drag your sorry ass back to my place!' He smiled at James's look of confusion and said, 'I'm Kevin, remember.'

'Oh yeah,' James racked his brain for more information which he had somehow lost due to drinking. 'Kevin Starler, right?'

'Right.' Kevin grinned.

'Yes I remember, I beat your dumb ass friend at poker and he didn't exactly take it well did he?...No…well…' James tailed off and patted his lower torso where a large bruise had formed. 'Ha!' James laughed. 'Look at that! They left their mark alright.'

James suddenly remembered something. 'Who was shouting?'

'Oh umm…' Kevin looked embarrassed. 'It was nothing... just my Mum and I…we had a disagreement.'

James looked up at Kevin who was watching him carefully.

James felt uneasy and said, 'Well, you're more talkative now, aren't you? It must be those so called friends of yours. The cowards!'

Kevin put his coffee down on the table in front of the sofa.

'Do you want to borrow some clean clothes, because yours are all covered with beer.'

James examined his shirt and wiped it.

'Um, yeah, I guess. Thanks.' He peered at Kevin who was watching him from the doorway.

'OK, back in a sec.' He disappeared from view and James slumped back down into the hard sofa.

An hour later James had showered and got dressed in some of Kevin's tracksuit bottoms and a clean white T-shirt while Kevin had got him some breakfast of toast and a cup of tea.

'We need to get as much water in you as possible and get you hydrated,' Kevin told James as he searched for the butter in his mess of a fridge.

James laughed. 'Why do you care? You don't even know who I am.'

'Yes, but I can't let you leave without being fed.' Kevin replied cheerfully.

James sipped his tea as he spotted a motor bike magazine on the breakfast table.

'I love motor bikes! I have a Harley Davison, you know,' he said, mainly to himself as a reassurance that he at least had that to call his own. He suddenly remembered, however, that he had left his Harley Davison at the casino the night before. He quickly rose from the table, knocking over his half full cup of tea. 'I need to go back!'

Kevin was completely unaware of James's distress and continued buttering his toast. 'Go back where?' he asked, not really interested in what James was talking about.

'The casino!' James exclaimed.

'What? Why do you want to go back there?'

'My bike, my bike,' James told him. 'I left it there last night. I have to go back and get it.'

'OK, fine. But eat your toast first,' Kevin said, slipping a plate with two pieces of toast on it in front of him.

'No, I need to go back now or…..'

'James sit down and eat your toast!' Kevin shouted so loudly that James fell silent and did as he was told. 'Look I'm sorry,' Kevin continued, 'but you don't need to go right now. It will still be there after you have had your breakfast. OK?'

James looked up at Kevin and nodded. Kevin was a lot different than he was last night and James could not tell if he could trust him or not.

After they had eaten they walked back to the casino together to retrieve James's bike. When they got there they found that the bike had been keyed along one side and the words 'Ass Hole' had been etched onto the left mudguard.

'What the hell!' James pounded the air with his fists, 'Who did this. Oh it was that little friend of yours, wasn't it?' He turned to Kevin who just shrugged. 'It's gonna cost at least three hundred pounds to get this repainted! Urght!'

Kevin chuckled as James pulled at his blonde hair, cursing Bartholomew loudly. James spun around to glare at Kevin.

'You think this is funny? What the hell? This is crap!'

'Oh, well, maybe next time this will make you think twice about getting completely hammered!'

James glowered at him. 'Shut up,' he said. He leaned against his bike and looked at Kevin and asked, 'Now what?'

Kevin shrugged. 'Coffee?'

I hope you like the chapter. There will more soon. Please R&R to let me know what you think!

Arcus Pluvius