(First Chapter. More to come, might get yaoi-ish in later chapters. I don't own Jesse or Jaden. If I did, they would have broken the bed the first episode they were together. Read and Review please.)

Jesse paused as he stared out at the view of the Virginia countryside. The balcony he poised himself on was breathtaking in its position; perched on the east side of the magnificent antebellum manor that Jesse's family had called home since the late 1870's. He sighed happily as he studied the forest that surrounded the mansion. He lost himself in it. The cold December wind spiraled around him. He made note of the dark storm clouds that were sluggishly advancing on the house.

"Ain't that pretty." Jesse muttered to himself in his honey-drenched accent.

His unbuttoned dress shirt fluttered lightly under his familiar blue vest. He fiddled with his white belt, trying to even the buckle. He did so until he felt his cell phone vibrate. He retrieved it from the pocket of his jeans. He flipped it open and read the text message.

"Look down and to the left."

Jesse raised an eyebrow. He turned. He smiled at what he saw.

"Hey, bro!" Jaden called out, waving.

"Well, Jaden Yuki. What brings you down to Dixie?" Jesse asked aloud.

"You invited me, remember?" Jaden answered.

"That's right. I did, didn't I?" Jesse joked, scratching the back of his head. "Be down in a second."

Jesse retreated from the balcony and moved through the opulent manor, a happy bounce in his step as he buttoned his shirt. He almost ran down the stairs. He had been alone in the large house for several weeks, not exactly a recipe for a good time for a fun loving 17-year old like Jesse Anderson. He flung open the front door to find Jaden waiting a few yards away.

"Hey, Jay!" Jesse said, reaching to high-five his best friend. "How's it hangin?"

"Great." Jaden said, slapping Jesse's hand. He seemed surprised. "Jess…you live here?"

Jesse blinked. "Yeah. Why?" He asked through a small giggle.

Jaden simply shook his head, amazed his friend lived in such luxury.

"Lemme get your bags." Jesse drawled as he grabbed the two suitcases. "Follow me." He chirped, leading Jaden into the large house. "How was your flight?" Jesse asked.

Jaden groaned. "Boring. Of course, any flight from Anaheim to Richmond is bound to be somewhat annoying, right?" The brunette said through a grin.

Jesse laughed. "Right. And rooming with you for a year taught me one thing. You're always hungry. There's a bucket of fried chicken on the kitchen table." Jesse said as he pointed to the left.

No sooner had Jesse finished his sentence then Jaden was rushing toward the kitchen. Jesse shook his head with a laugh. He lugged Jaden's suitcases up the red-carpeted stairs and laid them in the guest bedroom. He let out a happy sigh. Finally, he wasn't stuck in the big house by himself. As he sat down on the bed, a familiar thought entered his head.

"I wanna tell him I love him." Jesse whispered to himself. It was something he thought often, but he never acted on it. He had managed to convince himself he was happy being a best friend and getting occasional one-armed hugs. With a weak shrug, Jesse pulled himself off of the bed and wandered back downstairs. He formed a smile when he saw the half empty bucket on the table.

"Good Lord, Jay! That's a 20 piece bucket!" Jesse chuckled.

Jaden looked up with a sheepish grin, fried chicken crumbs about his mouth. "Mmph!" He grunted with a full mouth. Jaden eventually swallowed and let out a laugh. "Sorry, bro. All they had on the flight was those little bags of peanuts. I couldn't even get in to mine."

Jesse laughed. "Jay, that really isn't hard for me to imagine." He teased.

Jaden rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever." He said in a mock scoff. "Bro, you've gotta tell me about this house. It's huge!"

Jesse scratched the back of his head. "It's just a house, Jay."

Jaden lowered his gaze, as if to say "Yeah, right."

"Well, I've lived here all of my life. The house has been in my family for years. Like I said, Jay. It's just a house." Jesse explained with a wink. "I suppose I could give you a tour."

"A tour? What is this, Better Homes and Gardens?" Jaden quipped, jokingly punching Jesse's shoulder.

Jesse chuckled. "More like a feed magazine judging by how you eat." He retorted. "All right, follow me." The teal haired beau said as he pulled Jaden by the shoulder and started the impromptu tour.

By the time it had ended, the sun had set and the storm Jesse had earlier observed was moving in. Jaden was clearly tired, he yawned repeatedly. His eyes fluttered.

"I think someone is up past their bedtime." Jesse said as he ruffled Jaden's hair.

Jaden sighed. "Guess you're right, bro. Where's my luggage?"

"In your room." Jesse replied. He guided Jaden up the stairs, draping an arm around Jaden's shoulder. He tried to find just the right words. "Jay…. I, um, I'm really glad you decided to come all the way out here." Jesse said warmly.

"Me too, Jess. It didn't seem fair for you to spend Christmas by yourself." Jaden said, winking.

Jesse tried to say those three little words, but he couldn't. "Goodnight, Jaden." Jesse finally said, smiling.

"Night, Jess." Jaden replied, giving Jesse a pat on the back. Jaden wandered into his room and shrugged out of his clothes and into a pair of pajama pants. He was still astounded by the size and lavishness of the house. He settled into the bed with a smile and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Jesse Anderson didn't have it so easy. No sooner had he gotten into bed then he began to toss and turn. Normally, he slept like a baby, nodding off almost instantly. But, this time, he rolled endlessly. Perhaps it was the cold, perhaps it was the new sheets he put on his large bed. Whatever it was, it was doing a great job of ruining his night. The teal haired young man finally managed to enter something that passed for slumber, but his rolling didn't stop.

As the two drifted through various sleep stages, the large storm moved over the manor. A cold rain pelted the windows; thunder rumbled. Great streaks of white filled the sky. Gusts of wind pushed against the house, causing a few eerie creaks to abound. And yet, despite the ballet of nature, the interior of the house stayed more or less quiet. That was until a fierce bolt of lightning struck at a large pine tree, causing a deafening crack.

"AHHH!!" Jesse gasped as he shot awake at the noise. He sat up on the bed and noticed it was wet. "Oh, God… I didn't…." Jesse mumbled. As he felt around, he realized it was sweat. His entire body was covered in it, and it was cold. "Jesus, it's freezing in here." Jesse said, shivering. He pulled the covers around him only to discover that it didn't help.

The mansion's insulation was not capable of dealing with sudden drops in temperature, as brought on by this storm. Jesse curled into the sheets, still shivering.

However, his scream had not gone unnoticed. Down the hall, Jaden worried something may have happened. Maybe Jesse rolled out of bed, Jaden thought. I'll go check on him. Jaden fumbled for the lamp, only to discover that the power was out. "Crap." Jaden lamented as moved slowly to his feet, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Moonlight lit the hallway as Jaden moved slowly. This place is creepy, Jaden realized. It was no wonder Jesse didn't like to be alone. He finally managed to get to Jesse's room, though he couldn't see much. Jaden was taken aback by how much colder it was than his room.

"Jesse?" Jaden softly called out.

"J-Jaden?" Jesse answered, lighting a candle. "That you?"

Jaden gave a small smile as soft light meagerly filled the room. "Are you okay? I heard you scream, I think." Jaden explained,

Jesse sat up and shook his head. "Oh, it was just the, ugh, lightening. It kinda scar- startled me." Jesse said.

"Oh, okay. I'll let you get back to sleep." Jaden said slowly as he noticed the candlelight dwindle.

Jesse nodded and eased back down. No sooner had he hit the bed then his shivering returned. "Dammit." Jesse swore softly, pulling the covers around him.

From the doorway, Jaden smiled sadly. "Jess." He said in a whisper, looking at his trembling friend. He made up his mind instantly. He wasn't going to let Jesse spend the night like this. He moved slowly to the bed and with a minimum of effort, he slid under the damp sheets, behind Jesse.

Jesse, still hazy, turned his head slightly. "Ja..den?" He slurred.

"Shh. Go to sleep, bro." Jaden said, slowly wrapping his arms around his freezing friend. He ran his hands down Jesse's icy shoulders, trying to get some sort of warmth going. "Just try and get some sleep." Jaden said, flashing that boy-next-door smile of his. Whenever Jesse shook, Jaden simply hugged a little bit firmer.

Jesse nodded, feeling spots of warmth wash over his body. As he closed his eyes, he placed his hands over Jaden's. The last thing he felt was Jaden's gentle embrace.