The air tonight was unusually dry, the wind blew softly between the two boys as they stood on top of the bridge overlooking massive highway. Niall's cheeks were a dark pink and his skin was as pale as a piece of paper flowing in the wind. Liam had a stern look on his face when their eyes met and their hands joined together tightly, they seemed inseparable. Their pulses identical, tears flowing down both of their faces, it was if they were both one person. The two boys trembled on the ledge, fearing what was to come.

"Are you sure you want to do this Niall?" he asked softly, balling up his free hand.

"It's the only way we can be together Liam, they don't understand us. What if my parent's found out?" the boy said shakily, his eyes never leaving his lover's. "If they find out about us we'll never be able to see each other again... I don't think I can live that way, not without you. Never without you."

"We can run away together, this doesn't have to be the only way."

"They'll find us, I know they will. I can't risk that -" His voice now breaking between every word. "Promise me you'll stay with me, forever. Promise me that my love."

Liam hesitated before giving his answer.

"I will.. I will always be with you my love. I promise that nothing will keep us apart for any longer." Liam smiled but it quickly faltered.

"Then let's jump.. we can be together in heaven."

The boy nodded and Niall jumped off the ledge pulling Liam down with him.

It seemed to go on forever, falling. It was as if their final moments were in slow motion. They grabbed each other tightly and refused to let go as their bodies crashed into the hard concrete, blood spurted out from their head and soon there was a puddle of the two lover's blood.

Traffic on the highway came to a sudden halt as panicked pedestrians attempted to help the two boys, possibly dead.

As if it were destined to happen an ambulance appeared and the cars on the highway made space for it to just squeeze through. The paramedic's quickly placed the boys on gurney's, fastened them into it, wheeled them back into the ambulance and drove off towards the Saint Mary's Regional Hospital.

Their injuries were life threatening, if the ambulance hadn't arrived when they had the two would have died on that highway, their hands still locked tightly and covered in each other's blood.

Niall had woken up with a searing pain all across his body, he tried to move his limbs but he couldn't. The boy was in a hospital, in a full body cast and he didn't know how he got there or what had even happened. His vision became blurred and his eyes rolled back into his head.

He had fallen unconscious.

When he awoke next, he was surrounded by a group of unfamiliar people, all with grief stricken looks on their faces.

"Oh my baby!" the elderly woman cried out, throwing her arms around the boy and squeezing tightly.

Niall screamed loudly, pain shot throughout his body, it was unbearable. He was at the point of blacking out again when a doctor rushed into the room and gave him some painkillers through his IV drip.

"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to hurt you!" she cried out again, fighting back her tears. The man next to the woman comforted her and wiped her tears, but Niall wondered who these people were and why had they inflicted pain upon him, for he had done nothing wrong.

"W...who are you.. pe.. people?" He asked in a soft voice, the woman burst into tears and began thrashing around. Clearly she had known him but he couldn't remember. All he could remember was waking up and the pain shooting through his body, the horrible pain.

"We're your parents, we've always been." The man said, his cheeks flushed. "...and you're our son... Niall."

"Niall...?" the boy muttered as he tried to remember, but nothing had come to him.

"Yes... you're Niall Horan, and we're your parents.." He replied. " Lily and Brian Horan."

Niall gazed at them, studying their features and hoping that he would see something that would spark his memory.

"If you're my pa...parents then why don't I re.. remember..you?" He stammered.

"You were in a terrible accident Niall, one that was fatal." He told him in a monotone voice. "But you survived, it's a miracle."

Niall couldn't help but smile, the fact the he cheated death brought joy to him.

"There was someone else with you, a boy."

Niall looked over and saw a brown haired boy, he was also in a full body cast but he wasn't conscious like he was.

"Who is he?" Niall asked. "Am I supposed to know who he is?"

The doctor exhaled loudly before continuing.

"We were hoping you could tell us who he was, but since you've seem to have lost your memory that's not going to happen anytime soon."

Niall looked distraught, he wish he could have remembered who the boy was to him. His head pounded as he tried to remember what had happened and who he was but instead he blacked out again.

Who is this mysterious boy, and why was he with him?

The thought lingered through his head as his parent's wheeled him out of the hospital, two months later. All his bones had healed and he was beginning to remember a few things about who he was.

He discovered that his favorite color was blue, like his eyes. He was an excellent guitar player, but he couldn't play or read notes anymore. He was planning to move to Italy after high school so he could study psychology.

What he could remember made him ecstatic. It was as if he was rebuilding himself piece by piece and one day he would be whole.

He still couldn't remember who the boy was though, this was the worst of all. Niall hadn't known what had happened to either of them, the doctor ordered his parents to not speak of his accident, it would be too much for him to know at his current state.

"I am Niall Horan, I am 18 years old, I'm a senior at The Brook Haven School for Boys, my favorite color is blue and I want to move to Italy." he recited.

"I am Niall Horan, I am 18 years old, I'm a senior at The Brook Haven School for Boys, my favorite color is blue and I want to move to Italy." he repeated, trying to etch it into his memory so it wouldn't be forgotten.

"I am Niall Horan, I am 18 years old, I'm a senior at The Brook Haven School for Boys, my favorite color is blue, I want to move to Italy, and I like bo-" He stopped himself from continuing any further.

"I am Niall Horan, I am 18 years old, I'm a senior at The Brook Haven School for Boys, my favorite color is blue and I want to move to Italy." he repeated, trying to forget what he had almost finished saying. It was the devil's temptation he thought to himself.

The Devil's temptation...

A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter of "By Your Side, Forever.". Feedback is greatly appreciated. xoxo Jen