Summary: When an old friend of Drake's reappears Josh and Walter find themselves learning more about the boy they thought they knew.

One

It wasn't a very well known fact but Drake's father had not been a very kind man. In fact his father had been the most powerful drug lord in the world. Arturo Braga had introduced Drake into what he called the family business at a very young the time he was six years old the boy was very familiar with every aspect of his fathers business and knew each of the elder man's partners, especially Johnathan Verone.

Drake met Johnathan Verone when he was five years old. The Argentine drug lord was not only his fathers most powerful partner, he was also the mans best friend. He was a handsome man with long dark curls and deep blue eyes that sparkled with laughter whether the situation called for it or not. The man was immediately enamored with Drake's shyness and soon became like an uncle to the child. Through him the boy met the love of his life, Carter Verone.

Carter had been nine years old when they met during one of their fathers' meetings. Drake had been wondering the halls of his fathers large LA mansion, lonely since his mom had gone shopping with one year old Megan. As he walked, he read through the latest stock reports of his fathers more legal businesses. Due to the rather large binder the tiny boy bumped into someone. Falling to the ground with a soft 'oomph' the child looked up only to find himself starting at a kid almost three years older than him.

The older boy had cropped black curls and sapphire blue eyes, that clashed beautifully with his bronzed skin. The scowl he wore did nothing to detract from his handsome face.

Pouting up at the elder, the six year old stood unsteadily. "Sorry. I wasn' lookin' where I was going." He apologized shyly, bending to pick up his report. The other boy gave him a blink as if he hadn't expected the apology. Then his scowl melted into a soft smile.

"It's 's that?"

"The 'ports. Papi says I have to rwead all dem by tomorrow. He said I gonna be da boss one day when I get real big."

"You're uncle's kid?"

Before Drake could respond his father entered the room, Johnathan close behind him.

" Good morning, Drake. I see you've met my son, Carter."

"Sí Papá." Both children shared a tiny smile and Braga he knew that those two would become inseperable.

He was right. After their rather inconvient meeting the two children became best friends. When Carter and his father were in California one boy was never seen without the other. They sat in on their father's meetings and whenever the Verone's were at their home in Miami the two boys exchanged letters. Drake told Carter of the harsh ways of his father, how the man beat him whenever he made a mistake or failed to complete a task while Carter told Drake of how his father allowed him to take over one of the smaller businesses.

Their closeness was a major source of amusement for their parents including their mothers who started planning a wedding for the two , especially when they noticed how overprotective Carter was of the younger. No one could so much as look at Drake wrong without him glaring at them and attacking them with his sharp tongue.

It was when Drake was nine years old that everything began to fall apart.

He and Carter had been sneaking out for almost a year to go to the local races in both of their home towns. They would hotwire a car and race them using the cash to get better cars. They then hid the cars in various locations around the city and raced them in other races.

It was during one of those nights that the race they were at was busted by the cops. It was sudden, no one had time to escape the raid and everyone there was arrested, including Drake and Carter.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

When their parents discovered what had happened the next morning they were shocked,especially Audrey who was still in the dark about her husband's business and her sons involvement in it. She couldn't understand why her baby boy would do something like that.

"Where are they?"

"Los Angles Juvenile Detention center. He and the other boy were amongst the drivers getting ready to race when the race was busted. The sentencing is at noon."

::::::::::::;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Six months.

Drake was sentenced to six months in juvie. Audrey was heartbroken. Her baby boy hadn't even flinched when the sentence was delivered. He merely gazed at the judge as if the entire thing bored him. She whimpered watching as he was led from the room in cuffs. Why would he do something like that? How the hell did he learn to drive anyways he was only nine years old! She froze. He wouldn't be leaving until his tenth birthday. Her husband wrapped an arm around her sharing a look with the elder could actually be a good time for the boys to form their own connections.

Carter was led in, a tiny smirk playing on his lips. As the hearing began his smirk never fell not even when he was sentenced to a year in juvie. As he passed by his father he bent down and whispered, "Make sure me and Dray stay together."

Verone nodded knowing that of he didn't there would be a catastrophe. As he went about making arrangements he couldn't held but wonder if his and Braga's boys were ready for this.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:::::::::::::::::::

The six months Drake spent in juvie with Verone were the best and worst days of his life. On one end him and Carter's relationship progressed from friend to something more. They shared a cell and a bed, especially on the nights when their cell was freezing cold and their blankets didn't seem to be held hands and exchanged chaste kisses with such familiarity that it felt like they had been doing so forever.

It was also during this time that Drake discovered music. Carter had been in solitary for beating up some guys who attacked Drake so he was alone when he was let out of his cell for rec. When he arrived in the rec room there was only two other people in the room. One was a girl around Carter's age. She sat in a corner by her self with a battered acoustic guitar. The other was a mute boy named Jeice who had been arrested with him and Carter at the race. Jeice waved to him and Drake returned it with a wave of his own before turning curiously to the girl who seemed to be struggling with something.

She played a short melody on her guitar then groaned.

"What's wrong?" She started than sighed.

"I'm trying to figure out a good melody for a song I wrote."

"Can I see the song?" The girl hesitated then handed him a thick leather bound book opened to a page.

This world will never be

What I expected

And if I don't belong

Who would've guessed it

As he read the words he felt as if he could hear the music for it in his mind. Hesitantly he began to hum the melody he heard in his mind. The girl stared at him shocked but quickly figured out how to play the tune he was humming. Once he finished he glanced at her not noticing Jeice's glance in their direction.

"D-do you think you can sing it while I play it? Just to test the lyrics with the music."

A shy smile crossed his lips and he nodded, ducking his head as he began to sing. As he sung the girl played the melody they had worked out all the while gazing at him in shock.

The kid's voice was amazing!

"Have you ever thought about a musical career?"

She asked once they finished and he shook his head ruefully. His father wouldn't allow that because it wouldn't be beneficial to the family business. However it would make a good hobby.

"No. My papa won't allow that."

His companion gave him an understanding look and extended her arm showing off the black scorpion tattooed gasped. That was the symbol of the Salazar family. A cartel second only to his fathers empire. He smiled. "Drake Braga." He introduced blinked then smiled.

"Nice to meet you Drake. The names Celeste Salazar."

Learning to play guitar from Celeste quickly became one of the highs of his time in lockdown. During Carter's isolation in solitary he often went to the older girl when the other kids and teens there nearly broke him several times and she taught him how to play guitar. By the time his love left solitary he could play nearly as well as she could.

The worst part about Juvie for Drake, however was the other people there. Allot of the older teens seemed especially fond of his slim small stature and his soft feminine features and while his father had taught him to fight and how to kill a person with his bear hands but his regard for human life was still a bit high so he hesitated and was often over powered. It wasn't until one of the attacks went too far that his regard shattered completely.

After that attack he fought back with a renewed vigor that had Carter questioning what exactly they had done to him but he refused to say what had been done out loud and the older boy was left to wonder.

::::::::::::::::;;;;;;;;;;;::::::::::::::;;;;;;;;;;;;::::::::

Five months into Drake's sentence Celeste was released. The night before the girl had explained that she had been arrested while doing a run for her father but had only been given two years since she hadn't completed the transaction nor had she planned to. She had planned to sabotage the deal and run, to try and leave behind her fathers nodded and explained how even though his father had introduced him to the more unsavory sides of business he also did a great job keeping those things from his mom and from his little sister. They talked long into the night until a guard came too lead him back to his cell. As he was leaving the room the elder handed him her guitar.

"Use it well."

"Thank you."

:;;::::::::;;:::::::::;;:::::::::;;:::::::;;:::::::;;::::::;;

"You're going home tomorrow."

Drake nodded at his love's words clutching the fourteen year old tight. He didn't want to leave. He loved Carter too much to want to leave him in this place alone. The older male embraced him tighter pressing a light kiss on his forehead.

"You worry too much, corazón. I'll be fine. Its only six months."

"I know but we'll be apart for six months, Carter. I can't help but worry."

A soft smirk crossed the older boy's lips and he slid a hand into Drake's pants and underwear to squeeze his ass. "Allow me to relieve you of those worries."

Drake moaned and pushed into the hand, whimpering quietly as one of his lovers fingers entered him.

"Please."

His mate gave him a grin full of dark promise.

"Of course, beloved."

:::::::;;;:::::;;;:::::::;;;::::::::;;;:::::

"Drake!"

Audrey cried embracing her ten year old son as he slid into the car beside her. He returned the embrace with a slight smile before hugging his baby sister. It felt so good to be out of that hellish place and yet- he glanced back at the Juvenile center- he wouldn't feel whole until Carter was home.

::;;::::;;:::::;;:::::;;

For two years after he was released from juvie things seemed to go back to normal. Carter was released after serving his six months and they went back to helping their father's run their empires and their relationship continued to flourish, their parents not the wiser. Things seemed to be fine. Then his mother found out what his father truly was...

:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;:::;

"Have you read over todays reports, Drake?"

The slender twelve year old nodded his soft features twisted into a frown.

"Yes and I've found a few discrepancies in Leo's file. There's money and product missing and his numbers even taking that into account don't add up."

Braga leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, inwardly smirking at his son perceptions. The boy was entirely to intelligent.

"What do you propose is happening then, dragon?"

His son scowled.

"He's stealing from us, Papi. And from the look of his reports he's been doing it for a while, at least two months."

"Exactly and do you know what we do to traitors like him?"

"Get rid of them?"

"Bingo. Now come along he's-"

The door to the study open cutting him off and his wife entered the room carrying a folder, her eyes full of tears.

"Audrey?"

"How could you- how could you get our son involved in something like this?! Why?!" She yelled tossing the folder on his desk before grabbing Drake by his arm.

"Go pack your things honey we're leaving."

"But mom-"

"NOW DRAKE!"

He flinched and glanced sadly at his father before rushing from the room tearfully. When he entered his bedroom he did as his mother had told him and began to throw his clothes in a suitcase, making sure to grab every gift he had ever recieved from Carter.

Once he finished that he reached under his bed and grabbed his guitar , the same one gifted to him by Celeste while he was in juvie.

His bedroom door flew open and his lover rushed into the room frantic.

"Don't leave!"

"I have no choice, Carter! She called the police! You have to get you and your dad out of here!" He urged and his lover nodded sadly and pulled him into a sweet kiss.

"I love you. I'll find you."

"I love you too.I'll be waiting."

They young couple shared one more kiss before Carter left the room. Drake stared after him, his heart heavy, knowing it would be years before him and his lover found each other again.

::::::;;;;;:::::;::::;:::;;:::;;;;;;;:::::;";;::;;::;:;;;;;::

His mother had called the police on his father, who luckily had escaped before they arrived. Afterwards they left California all together and she had their last names changed to keep him and his old colleagues from finding them unknowingly breaking her son's heart further. For five years they hid successfully.

He hid his pain at not being able to contact his mate and almost a year after the entire fiasco his mother remarried to a man named Walter Nichols. Megan, oblivious to why their mother had left their dad and barely able to remember him anyways accepted their newest family members easily. However for him that meant giving up on his father and his Uncle Johnny he didn't want to do that to either man. It meant locking Carter away in his heart. It took him a year to accept them and once he did he found it slightly easier to breath. However he knew that he wouldn't truly know peace until he was finally back I'm Carter's arms.

TBC...