The air was damp that night, making the cobble stones that lead to the front door much more slippery then normal. My jacket open did little to keep the wet out but we'd be home soon enough. Erik pulled on my shoulder bringing me back into the real world and out of my head.

"Please, never talk me into another fundraiser with your colleges." He tried as hard as he could to keep the sloshed tone out of his voice, but his need for psychical suport wasn't helping his smoke and mirrors.

"Don't let their backgrounds make you feel less- then Erik, everyone is a trust fund baby. You've earned everything you have."

"Haha! What do I have? A collection of turtle necks?"

I had suddenly realized Eric was the drunkest I had ever seen him. I couldn't help but laugh as I made sure my grip around his waist was snug enough to aid him in each step he attempted to take.

"They're all of very high quality, and match your slacks and jackets extremely well." I encouraged, hoping to smooth Eric's quickly shifting feelings.

His mood could flip quickly enough sober, now with his gears lubed with scotch, I couldn't help but dread the rest of the night. He pulled away from me, taking several baby deer steps backwards onto the lawn. He chuckled for a moment putting his hands on his hips looking up at the grand house in front of him.

"I'm not any of this Charles." He said gesturing towards the house. I couldn't help but feel something inside of me sink. He constantly doubted his self worth, while everyone around him saw a strong willed, confident person.

He would never fully see his own intelligence, hear his confident laugh, or admire everything he had accomplished and endured. That small tortured boy would always be whispering in his ear. I'd lead Eric two steps forward and he would take four steps back.

As I stepped onto the grass I couldn't help but notice the top floor bathroom light switch on.

"It's late Eric, we can talk inside..." I pleaded

"I don't want to "talk" inside Charles!" He snapped in a tone I had never heard from him before.

"I need you." I didn't know what else to say. He laughed at my response as if it was too good to be true.

"Stop it Charles."

"Stop what?" I snapped falling into the trap that was Eric's drunken argument. He flashed a grin, but it was only mocking me, at times I felt as if there was two of him. A softer, quick witted person and a tortured monster that constantly strived to sabotage the other.

"What are we doing? Why do we keep playing these games?"

I took Eric's wrist in a desperate attempt to prevent him from making a fool out of himself. His feelings were like water going through a broken lawn hose; it came out in all the wrong places at the wrong times.

He turned the tables on me taking my own wrist in his hand, his free hand coming up to my face. I could smell his breath, I could feel his distress.

"You've had too much to drink, tomorrow morning you'll ask me why I didn't stop you." I said as patiently as I could.

"I can't be near you and not be with you Charles."

I felt my teeth grid and my mouth press into a very thin line as my chest burned. He killed me anytime he played this cat and mouse game.

"Stop it Eric." He now had me saying it, one of the world's greatest minds and I'd fallen into a high school argument.

"No Charles..."

"No Eric!" I shouted letting him light a fire under me. "You say that now! You say it at night! But, but- but come morning you're a man of stone again! I can't play be your rules!"

"My rules? Oh! My rules! All I do is play by your rules! I dress for you, I wake for you, I go where you want me to go and behave myself at stupid parties filled with people who have no idea what the world is really like, but they sure seem to enjoy talking as if they do! I live for you Charles! Would it kill you to do the same for me?"

We had been yelling on the front lawn for quite some time before the children made their spying known in order to break up the argument.

Eric was lead into the house by Hank who had taken the role of guiding him in.

Raven, now at my side as I collected my thoughts and waited for my heart to slow down.

"What were you two arguing about?" She asked walking along side of me into the house.

"Oh just... bills." I said with a shrug knowing very well my answer was a poor lie, but she knew better to press me.

Inside I stood in the doorway watching Hank dump Eric onto his bed, pulling off the older man's leather boots.

"I gotta say, I've never seen him like this." Hank said as he caught Eric's foot, avoiding a pointless kick to the chest.

"I need to lay down... the room is spinning."

"You are laying down... Thank you for your help Hank."

With a shrug and a wave, Hank left the room to go back to his. With a heavy sigh I slipped out of my shoes crawling onto the mattress along side of the human headache.

"Go to sleep Eric." I said shutting my eyes pulling his back into my stomach, at last I had tamed the beast and would live to fight another day and...

"Charles... I'm going to be sick."

The speed I jumped away from the other man was electric. "Go! Away from me!" I shouted in terror standing on the bed pointing towards the bathroom. In a flash he was in the bathroom, the dreadful sound of vomit hitting the back of the toilet rang in my ears.

To Be Continued