Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Okay, a cat and a car, except I'm still paying on the car.

Warning: Language

Author's Note: I've had several requests for this sesquel to The Choice of a Lifetime - it took me this long to find the inspiration for Hyde's choice! But I'm definitely inspired now, so I present Hyde's (Vetri's) side of the story. You'll notice the title is quite a bit less romantic than Jackie/Love's title. The story, too, is told differently. It has to be. Hyde and Jackie are different, and needed to be taught differently. I think you'll understand as you read. :) I will be posting a chapter every Monday. (If I happen to become speedy, I'll post more often, but just count on the Monday posts.) If you haven't read The Choice of a Lifetime, it is essential that you do so. I don't think you'll understand this one is you don't, and there is interplay between the two stories. Those who have read it but not recently may want to refresh their memories. Anyway, thank you so much to those of you who read my stories, and especially those who review, and especially especially to those who requested this story! I hope you enjoy! (Imagine WILL be posted in the next few days!)

The Lesser of Two Evils

Introduction

Long before a human being comes to exist on earth, a soul is created. And somewhere above the earth, deep in the blue of the sky, among the clouds, that soul waits patiently for their turn to be born into life. After all, a body is a human being. But a body, a human being, requires a soul to be a person.

That's what God or whoever told me when I was thought up. Don't know if its true or not. Just 'cause the guy's in charge doesn't mean he knows everything. That's my opinion, anyway. Leon agrees. Says you can't trust the man on earth, so I guess you probably can't trust the man up here, either.

So I'm waiting to be born. Been waiting a damned long time – this line is fricking ridiculous. The other UBS' around me are all chattering away, especially Love, about how cool its gonna be to be born. Wondering what they'll be, male, female, famous, infamous, all that kind of crap. I think I'd rather just stay here. Earth really doesn't sound all that amazing to me. A bunch of people with a bunch of problems that never get solved. From what I've seen of it – and I have, I've got connections, man – earth looks like a close cousin to hell.

Sometimes I wish God or the man or whoever would second thought me.

Love is pretty cool, when she's not jibbering all the time. I know she's gonna be a chick. She's pink. She's gonna be hot, too. Her pink is deeper than the other to-be chicks, and that means hot. Yeah, I've got a guide connection, a dude named Leon. He's a new guide guy, and a little weird; always going on about film whatever the hell that is. But he's cool, and he sneaks me out of line to show me stuff.

He taught me lots of fun words, too.

Love wonders how I know stuff. Its all about connections, man. I would tell her, but she's too enamoured with the surroundings to pay attention. She likes the birds that come around sometimes, and I bet there's one somewhere close by now.

I don't tell her she's gonna be hot. I just tell her she's gonna be a chick.

She calls me Vetri. She's the only one who does, really. She's the only one I let, and for the love of God or whoever, I don't know why I let her.

I'm gonna be a guy. My outline is blue, and plus, Leon told me. He also showed me some earth magazines with pictures of nude women. Nice. Very nice.

Love's looking around again, the top of her pink outline rising and rolling, not paying any attention to the line moving in front of her.

"The line is moving," I say.

And then it happens. I'm pulled out of line and moving faster until I can't see anything but silver and gold. Then it goes black. Black is cool. Leon told me about getting high on earth, how you want to laugh all the time, and I kind of feel that way now. My head is all light and I guess I'm dizzy because the black seems to be rotating. Its cool.

Damn, I hope Love is okay. She can be a little clingy. Once, I snuck off while she was sleeping and when I came back she was all panicked. I had to trick her into believing that she'd been sleeping until the second I got back and she'd just woken up. Think she believed me.

Then it all stops, the movement, the black. Its done. The white foggy stuff we've been standing in, or on, whatever, is back. Its all the same except I'm alone with some angel dude. I've seen him before. Leon pointed him out to me, told me he was a pretty cool dude. I look at him, and he's giving me a look with a raised eyebrow.

"You shouldn't swear, UBS Vetri," he says.

"You shouldn't read my mind, man," I answer.

He grins and nods. "Fair enough. I'm Paul, your..."

"My guide, right?"

Again, he raises that eyebrow. "Yes. You catch on quick."

If I was in human form, I'd be smirking. "I'm cool that way."

He chuckles. "So, do you want to know whats in store for you?"

I lift what will eventually become my shoulders in what I guess is a shrug. "I guess. If I must."

Truth is, I don't care where I end up. What does it matter?

"You must. Your name is to be Steven J. Hyde."

I frown. "J? Doesn't it stand for anything?"

Paul smiles. "No, actually. Just J."

Weird, but whatever. "Fine, so I'm a male, Steven J. Hyde." I look around, and all I see is the white stuff. You know, I'm a bit bored with the white. Its just...white. And in line, the UBS' weren't developed enough for the colors to be much fun to look at. Except Love. Her pink was kind of cool.

"I've got some things to show you, so I need you to take my hand."

I glare at him, I think. "I'm not holding your hand, man."

Leon told me there are men on earth that hold other men's hands. Yeah. That's not gonna be me. Boy on boy action sounds like a dream some guy who should have been pink would have about his best friend.

Paul doesn't say anything but grabs the flap where my hand will eventually be.

I'd tell you about what happened, but its boring. Except I will admit that it was pretty cool to watch my outline double in thickness, and the laser-like lines all over me all headed towards the center of me. Leon told me about lasers. Gotta say, I hope I get to them for real. Because sometimes Leon exaggerates, or just doesn't know what he's talking about, I think. He says some weird stuff.

Paul clears his throat and I sigh and look at him. This dude doesn't like being ignored, obviously.

"You have a choice to make, Vetri. A choice between two women."

Hey, that sounds pretty cool. I take a step towards him, I think. I know I moved closer to him.

"Keep in mind that the choice you make will impact your life in incredible ways. The choice you make here will define the love you give and are given in return, and nothing is more important on earth than love."

I get the feeling he says that to every UBS he guides, so I just cross my arm things.

He waits for a reaction, but I just stand there. What in the hell does he want me to say? Oops. I grin when he lifts that eyebrow.

He sighs. "Don't you want to ask me how you'll make your decision?"

I shake my head, or whatever. "Nah, man. I know. You're gonna show me some stuff about my choices and then I'm gonna pick."

He looks a bit shocked, then frowns. "Have you met Leon, by any chance?"

I grin.

He rolls his eyes and starts muttering some crap about talking to God about the new guy. Poor Leon. Crap, I probably got him in trouble. But hell, if God is really all-forgiving like he's supposed to be, Leon'll get off easy.

He comes closer to me and puts his hand on my form, just about six inches below my chin. I glare, but for some reason, can't move back. I look down. His hand is moving, up and down, up and down. Something inside me is pounding.

Its weird.

"That's a heart, Vetri."

Huh. A heart.

"The way you feel right here after you've seen your choices is how you'll know what to do."

You know, Paul sounds like a chick.

"Lets just get this over with," I say.

He turns me around and directs me to the opening in this room. "Look," he says after we're just centimeters from the familiar white fog out there.

"I don't see anything." Just rolls of fog. Sure. I suppose my choices are just going to magically appear out there.

"You will. Now. Your first choice."

So then the fog starts to part, and there's blue.

Paul pushes me. Damn, he pushed me! Yeah, is that really how someone who's supposed to be helping me should treat me? Then again it takes too much energy to fight it, so I don't.

I'm falling, and again, its kind of fun. I float out into the blue. Can't really see anything except the blue.

"Your first choice, Steven J. Hyde, is in Naperville, Illinois...."