CHAPTER 1

a/n: this is a one shot unless i get good reviews

"Ash!" Stefan angrily shoves the sleeping boy onto his back. Ash blinks at the dim artificial light. "Wake up."

"Five more minutes..." Ash groggily mumbles.

"No, wake up now." Stefan moans. "We're going venue hunting with Chev."

Ash groans and rolls out of his damp mattress he calls a 'bed'. With a tired yawn, he grabs the nearest pair of underwear he can reach. He doesn't care if it's dirty or not. He past caring a month ago after their washing machine broke.

"Dru!" Stefan bangs on the door frame, seeing as there are no doors in the damp flat. "Get out of bed."

Dru curses to himself and rolls off his high bed, landing on the floor with a horrible thud. He lays lifeless for a few seconds before rolling around manically. "OH MY GOD! I'M DEAD! HELP! I'M DEAD!"

"Get a grip, Dru."

"Stef? What are you doing in heaven? Wait, no, this is hell isn't it?" Dru jumps up and starts to frantically kick about in a spastic manner.

"Dru, you're not effing dead!" Stefan shouts, throwing an empty coffee flask at his head. Dru picks it up, shakes it, gasps then rips of the lid, his eyes lighting up at the contents. "Undiscovered dregs!" he says, slurping up the leftovers of Stefan's nightly brew.

Stefan rolls his eyes and walks into the kitchen to sort out their stuff. Chev is going to arrive in five minutes so he didn't have much time. He was really nervous. Their last gig went down really well, but as it was based in their flat they didn't get much buzz for their performance. He grabs the list of venues they were going to visit and shoves it inside a rucksack, along with a bag of promotional stickers and a box of Chev's business cards. He slips it up onto his shoulder as Chevvy arrives at the flat.

"Knocketyfookin'knock." he greets, lifting up the mesh, makeshift door and stepping inside. He wears his usual grubby top and jeans with an oversized farmer jacket hanging onto his skinny, drugged-up body.

"Hey Chev." Stefan says, nodding as a greeting.

"Th'others ready?" he asks, making himself comfortable on a beat up chair across from a stained coffee table that somehow got split in half on its way from Dru's house to their flat.

"Better be." he raises his voice; "Dru, Ash! We're leaving!"

Ash stumbles through into the living/kitchen area wearing a black tank top and a very dirty pair of jeans. He stops and fixes his hair in a cracked mirror then snaps his fingers and clicks his tongue. "Looking good." he muses, smirking. The spins on his heel and snaps his arms down by his side.

"Ash, you'll freeze." Stefan cries, exasperated, throwing his arms up. Bloody hell, these guys are thick as. he thinks to himself, rolling his eyes back.

"Venues get hot," he shrugs, as if it isn't an important day to their career at all.

"Ya not actually playin', mate," Chevvy says, slapping his knee. "We're lookin' for places where youse could play. But if dats th'image ya goin' fo'... I say go fo' it."

Stefan rolls his eyes again. "Well I don't. Where's Dru!"

"I'M COMING FOR FUC- OWW!"

"So you want to book a gig?" the manager of a club named x-men says, eyeing up the three dishevelled boys and their druggie manager with concern for his precious club. They've looked at fifteen different nightclubs and cafes and being turned down at all of them.

"Yeah. I mean, if that's OK with you?" Stefan says hopefully, biting his lip. At the start of the day, he seemed the only one who was worried about the band and determined to land a gig.

The manager slowly nods. "Do you have a demo and a phone number?"

Chevvy ruffles around in his pockets for a bit, then his hand withdraws a purple CD with the band's logo printed on the sleeve. "Her's on'."

The manager takes it from him and puts it in his pocket. "I'll catch up with you. Now scram, I have an inspector due to come in a few minutes."

With a smile on their faces, they leave the nightclub. Something catches Stef's eye, but he chooses to ignore it out of his happiness. They submerge into the cold night air and Chev high fives the boys. Ash is smiling widely, but he turns back to the club and his grin fades. Stefan raises an eyebrow but Ash doesn't notice.

"We actually booked a gig!" Dru punches the air. He was so nervous when they were negotiating with the manager he barely said anything. He breathes these words with relief.

"Technically, no. We might've booked a gig," Stefan points out, bringing him back to reality.

Ash traces his finger along the metal gate that leads to x-men. "Why is it so tucked away like that?" he queries. "I mean, a good club would surely be more...open for the public?"

Stefan walks up next to Ashley, their hands brush against eachother briefly and Stef does his best to ignore the blatant electricity between the contact. Stefan has always had feelings for Ashley and only recently had he told Dru how he felt. He made Andrew swear that he wouldn't tell anyone. Not even Chev. Yes, he had Zoe, but things had been a bit distant between them. Stef was thinking about breaking up with her. Ashley was completely oblivious to Stefan's crush and considered the two very good friends. One day, Stefan would reveal his true feelings to Ash. God knows how poor Ashley will react.

"Maybe they're a private club?"

"Well that's not gonna do us any favours is it?" Ash says, suddenly exasperated. He kicks a loose rock into the metal mesh, making a noise.

"It's really cold, guys, can we go back home?" Dru says. The others turn to him, his face is pale and he's biting a purple lip. "Please?"

"What's wrong Dru?" Ash asks. He's worried now, as well. Dru has such an ashen look about him, something isn't right.

"Where's Chev?"

Something makes a horrible snapping sound and the three and plunged into a dark pit beneath them.