Ok guys, here's another story for you:) More Boondocks, yay:D but please review this guys, and my other story, cos they're not long and reviews keep me going. No reviews=no more story. So keep that in mind folks! And I hope you enjoy!

Forces of Nature

London, Huey Freeman found, was an extremely refreshing city. Sure, the black population was seriously undermined by the Caucasian, but there was something different about the city that made him fall in love with it every time he glanced out of his bedroom window. He was now just twenty-three years of age, and had learnt so much about the world around him, yet still felt there was more to digest. At that particular moment, he was leaning against the cool glass that stretched from ceiling to gleaming floor, gazing out at the world below.

For such early hours in the morning, London was surprisingly busy. The streets were teeming with life, both humans and machines mixing into life and finding their place in the world, each safe and secure within their own little niche. Huey had often felt, growing up, that he didn't belong in the modern world. No one could understand his way of thinking; he could see too many mistakes before they happened and could never understand just why people seemed to lack even the basic foundations of common sense that he had built upon as a child.

Nevertheless, he wasn't afraid to admit that his place in the world had finally arrived, and he viewed himself much like the missing piece to a jigsaw puzzle. Huey had found he had "grown out" of the idealistic neighbourhood that was Woodcrest…or so he liked to believe. He never wished to dwell much on the subject, and would only mention Chicago, if asked where he had emigrated from. Just thinking about the subtle neighbourhood and its residents made the man feel uncomfortable; he often tried not to focus on the matter.

The metallic radio on the kitchen worktop glinted slyly in the sunlight, the newsreader announcing that is was currently the time of 6:37am. This didn't give Huey much time to prepare himself for work, but he couldn't quite tear his gaze away from the clockwork mechanism of life bustling outside. Just over a year ago, still living in Woodcrest, Huey had been called up by his boss, about an urgent case. He was a detective, one of the best of their kind, and was responsible for catching many of the leading terrorists, not just the bog-standard criminals heard about most on the news.

But going back to that call…his boss had informed him of an urgent source of information that had arisen within the early hours of that morning, linking to serious suspicions of a potential terrorist attack in London. Detectives rarely were sent overseas, but the British agency was suffering considerably (two of their best detectives had been seriously injured and were recovering in hospital, another killed) and Huey was their next best bet. The "downside" was that the placement was for at least nine months, but the revolutionist literally jumped at the chance, desperate to leave the secluded neighbourhood and it's secrets as soon as physically possible.

He had started to pack immediately, only bothering to take a few objects with him as the apartment he was granted was already fully furnished, his boss noted down the phone. He had been so engrossed in the arrangements to the United Kingdom, he hadn't even thought of communicating with his close friends to explain what was going to be a sudden disappearance. His heart had sunk several metres at having to break the news of his leaving America, and he took a while to actually summon the courage to do so. Courage was an asset that naturally came to Huey Freeman…but even in circumstances like this, he felt a little like the rug had been pulled from his feet. Moving state was one thing…moving country was another.

His boss had politely asked if there was anyone Huey was going to be bringing with him, and the mocha skinned man had to repress a sigh when his answer was of a simple no. he had no girlfriend or partner in his life, and after his first and only time...well, he decided he simply wasn't cut out for it, and that focusing on his work and saving the world was far more important.

If only his heart would listen to his head.

Breaking his news to his grandfather was not all that difficult. Robert Freeman was eighty-something years old (Huey had lost count of the missed birthdays) and was having the time of his life with as many women he could get hold of in the time he had left. Huey had moved out of the house several years previously, and the grandfather had seen this big change in lifestyle approaching; all he asked of his grandson was a regular phone-call, of which Huey kept up perfectly.

Cindy was not someone Huey attempted to keep contact with, and he did not at all care when the thought of leaving meant not seeing her. He would gladly never see her again, even if he occasionally missed their love/hate relationship. Caesar and Jazmine, however, were a totally different matter. Both of the young adults had been best friends with the African-American since he was the ten year old newbie in Woodcrest, and had been there for him all the way. More than they often needed to be, actually, a situation which though he often acted exasperated about, he was grateful for honestly.

Michael Caesar, the dreadlocked Brooklyn boy, had been Huey's rock since moving from the Chicagoan suburbs to the retirement-heaven that was Woodcrest. He had seen past all the sceptical remarks and raging scowl to see the boy buried beneath all the hatred, and Huey could never have asked for anything more in a best friend. Jazmine Dubois, the lovely Jazmine Dubois, had latched onto Huey like a leech as soon as he had arrived in the sleepy neighbourhood, and he had soon become accustomed to her naïve company.

She was the one Huey would miss more than anyone else, because he knew that deep, deep down…he still loved her. He still ached for her skin against his, his lips caressed against hers. But that was just a fantasy world, a beautiful dream of what had once been. And what could have been, if it had not been for the accident. Huey never liked to ponder much over the accident at Woodcrest, but he could easily see it as the cause for the breakdown of their previously close relationship.

Huey had always suspected that Caesar had a crush on Jazmine, but that had all it seemed. A crush. Until that fateful day, when Huey had made one unavoidable mistake, and Caesar had sunk his claws into the girl faster than lightning. And then she was gone, the only girl the coffee-coloured man could ever confide in, could ever love. It was no crime, what Caesar had committed. He was still Huey's best friend, the same old Michael Caesar, who tossed Yo Mama jokes around like a baseball. But every time Huey saw the two together, he couldn't help but to feel a surge of anger in his chest, like the roaring of some unforgotten, injured creature.

These feelings had, eventually, diminished, and had been forgotten by the revolutionist until the previous night.

Huey had leapt on the first plane that arrived in his state, and was on his way to London without a second thought. He could finally leave all his problems behind, and start afresh in a new country, with new people, new surroundings, and possibly, a new Huey Freeman. His placement turned out to for exactly ten months, but the man soon found himself falling in love with the totally different atmosphere that came with London, and decided to take up a permanent place in the city. It had taken a while, but he had finally settled into a steady routine, one that saw him consistently working, calling his grandfather and, more often than he had first anticipated, speaking with his two close friends over the webcam.

That had been the reason for the screeching cries of the undisturbed creature to rise once again in the pit of his stomach. It had all started with a simple phone call.

"Mornin' Granddad."

Huey said into the phone distantly, leaning against the bedroom wall of his apartment lazily.

"Godammit boy, do you realise what time it is? You can't be ringin' all hours of the morning whenever you please, I'm an old man!"

"It's ten am in Woodcrest, Granddad."

Huey replied patiently, fiddling with the lone stationary items that littered his desk. He often tried hard not to feel so exasperated with his grandfather, mostly due to the fact that he had taken him for granted when they shared the same home, and dare the young man admit it, he did miss his granddad.

"So what? Me and my cutie pie have had hardly any sleep. I tell you boy, she's-"

And that was when Huey stopped listening. His grandfather was only going to give him a far too detailed, in depth description of his latest "cutie pie" and their previous misadventures, and the mocha skinned man hardly could be bothered to listen to the same speech that was given to him almost every phone call. He just wished his grandfather could find something new to announce to him.

"Which is why I think you ought to speak to them, boy."

"Sorry?"

Huey blinked back to reality, confused as to who would he ought to speak to that afternoon.

"Don't you ever pay attention Huey? Caesar and that cutie Jazmine. They've got something to tell you, best go and call them now boy!"
A rustle and a murmur could be heard faintly down the phone line, and Huey could only roll his eyes at the prospect of his grandfather still being in bed,

"Yep, I think you should call them right now, Huey. Best go, see ya soon boy."

His grandfather gabbled into the phone before hanging up, and Huey sighed, having been unable to tell his grandfather about the possibility of him staying in London for, maybe, forever. Curious as to what his two best friends had to announce to him, the African-American padded to his luring laptop and attempted to tidy his workspace as the aged machine powered up steadily. He scowled and cursed his computer for being most definitely the slowest of its kind, and stretched out behind his chair as it flared feebly to life.

It took him several moments to log in to his account (he had to use several ridiculous passwords, both a fingerprint and eye recognition test and finally enter his full name to be able to enter his bog-standard computer), and even more to start up his most reliable messaging service. When, finally, these small tasks had been completed and his laptop was able to work with slight ease, Huey noticed that surprisingly, Caesar was logged in and waiting for him in America, presumably meaning that Jazmine was with him.

Preparing himself mentally for whatever was about to come, Huey took a deep breath and opened a webcam chat with his best friend, leaning on his elbows. After several more tedious moments, the webcam image popped up and there on his screen, was Jazmine Dubois in all her glory. God, she was beautiful. And it pained Huey to not be able to have her as his own…but there was no going back now.

"Huey!"

Her light voice chimed into the empty apartment sent shivers along his spine. How long had it been since they had last spoken?

"Hey Jazmine. How are you?"

He had wanted to bluntly get straight to the point, but decided that this approach was better for the situation they were in. he didn't realise how much he had missed the mixed-race girl.

"Ohmigosh we're brilliant, thank you! I just got my big break in the fashion industry, it's fantastic! And Caesar's just got promoted! But we've got something even better than that to tell you, but Caesar made me promise to wait until he was out of the shower. What's life like in London?"

"Oh, you know," Huey shrugged nonchalantly, making the call out to not being that much of a big deal, "Same old."

He paused for a moment, thinking over his words carefully, before adding quietly,

"Glad you got your big break though. It'll be great for you, I'm sure."

Jazmine beamed, her cinnamon curls shaking in their bands as she hopped up and down on the faded cornflower sofa,

"I'm so excited! I can hardly wait, it's going to be so amazing Huey!"

There was a low conversation occurring in the back ground, and assuming it was Caesar, Huey wondered why he was the only one alone that day,

"Yeah I've got him here Caesar! Come on, I can't wait to tell him!...If you don't hurry up, I'll do it by myself and you'll never get the moment back again!"

The one-sided conversation bamboozled Huey, and the mystery surrounding the very conversation was quickly irritating him, but he couldn't help to feel his spirits raised when his best friend plonked his sopping self down onto the sofa alongside Jazmine, dreadlocks and all.

"Hey Big Huey! How've ya been man?"

"Great. Just great. Time of my life."

Huey replied, letting slip a tiny white lie to prove to himself, more than anyone, that he didn't need someone by his side to be happy in the world. Caesar mumbled a distorted reply beneath the towel (which was bright pink and supposedly Jazmine's) he was using to dry his hair with.

"Caesar come on! We have to tell Huey the news, it's not fair to make him wait!"

"Okay, okay, keep your knickers on Jazzy."

The Brooklyn man dropped the towel over one shoulder and Huey felt his stomach clench in anticipation as the couple leant forward to break the news. He watched their contrasted hands lace together almost automatically, like it was as natural as breathing, and tried to ignore the niggling voice in the depths of his head that wished he could be in Caesar's place.

"Guess what, Big Huey?"

Caesar switched on his trademark, casual grin, the one to win Jazmine's heart in the first place. Rolling his eyes, the young man on the other end of the laptop shrugged in a twinge of annoyance,

"What Caez?"

The anticipation was building now, so much that Huey could feel it stroking across him like a fine mist, caressing his skin and tugging playfully at his clothes. He could see the excitement in Jazmine's shimmering emerald eyes, boring into his own maroon before she burst forth with the answer, unable to contain herself any longer.

"We're getting married!"

She squealed excitedly, and Huey froze. He could feel his heart breaking in two, knowing for certain that now, there was no hope for the dreams he had prayed for with himself and the mulatto girl. Jazmine was still beaming, looking radiant next to Caesar, who tossed a stray, damp dreadlock from his vision and seemed rather proud with himself. It was just then, that Huey noticed the engagement ring on the young woman's finger, the single diamond casting rays of light around the room of their apartment, and he wondered how he could have missed it in the first place.

Though he felt like his world was disintegrating beneath his feet, Huey forced himself to haul back together, if just for the wellbeing of his friends. After all, they deserved the happiness. Not him. He never had.

"That's…"He hesitated, wondering what word could ever possibly fill the gap that was the true thought in his mind, "That's brilliant guys."

"Isn't it just?" Jazmine laughed, lapping up every word of Huey's response and far too excited to see the sadness that lurked behind his eyes. Huey didn't min though; no one seemed to realise he still loved the mixed-race girl apart from himself. He was just glad he wasn't with them, in Woodcrest, to see the happy couple every day of their lives. It would break him.

"I was hoping you'd be my best man, Huey?" Caesar interrupted his lonesome thoughts, and Huey nodded automatically.

"Of course I will."

The two young adults burst forth with ideas for the wedding, unable to contain themselves, and Huey realised they must have been planning this occasion for quite a fair length of time. How long had it taken them to tell him?

"It's gonna be in just two weeks Huey," Jazmine burst his bubble once more, "So you'd have to fly out on Friday, at the latest. If that's ok with you, I mean. Everyone wants to see you again. Especially us, talking to you through the computer just isn't the same as seeing you face to face!"

Huey nodded, writing down the details of the flight his friends had already bought him in advance (though he insisted in paying them back as soon as he reached Woodcrest), not allowing himself to say any more in the worry that he may come out with too much too late. The three friends had said their goodbyes and the mocha skinned man had closed his laptop, leaning back in his office chair as the creature growled in the pit of his stomach, hungry for more.

Choosing to ignore the anger that swooped in his gut, Huey chose to crash onto his bed, gazing longingly out of the bedroom windows that looked down upon the river Thames. He had left Woodcrest for many reasons when he was in his early twenties, but mostly it was because of the accident. If that had not occurred, then he possibly would have still been together with Jazmine, and he would still be in America. Heck, he could've have been the one to marry her, that was what was causing him the most pain. Seeing his best friend and the only love of his life fall in love, and not even realise how much the situation was hurting him. He almost felt guilty, because they weren't doing it out of spite. Caesar and Jazmine were simply in love.

He was often asked, he noted as he stared at the gaggle of geese that swarmed past his window, why he had left Woodcrest in the first place. He only used one excuse, the accident, and would leave it at that. No more questions were answered, and no more was said. Huey couldn't bear it. He had never thought of the accident once in the past few years, and he wasn't going to start now. He couldn't face that, on top of this new dilemma. He couldn't fall into the trap of thinking about the accident again, of wishing he could have done things differently. The accident had changed him.

The accident that killed his