The show is far too normal and un-warped for me to own it.


Chan: here I am again, updating at 1pm lol.

Chazz: I wish she'd just give up trying to write this and go to bed. No more Chazz-abuse

Chan: Sorry Chazzie! Oh, an extra warning for this chapter: a very, very, VERY small hint of yaoi towards the end. Will develop as the story goes by. Defiantly not incest. Enjoy! Coconut!


Chapter One
Beep

Normal P.O.V.

Chazz looked out of the helicopter as the water below rushed past. He hadn't said anything since they had left the academy, just stared out of the window, shivering slightly.

"You cold?" asked Jagger, breaking the silence.

"A bit." That was probably the understatement of the year. The two boys had been in such a hurry to go and see Slade that Chazz had just thrown on the nearest clothes to him, which turned out to be thin, made for summer. Jaden and the rest of his group of friends were coming to the hospital later, and had yelled after him that they'd bring him clothes then. He wished he'd thought to get something warmer. It was icy in the helicopter. He was shocked when a pair of arms wrapped round him from behind and pulled him close.

"Come here…" Jagger whispered pulling the smaller boy closer. Chazz rested his head against Jagger's chest and let a few tears run down his face. He thought that he'd be able to stop himself but the tears continued to flow and his shoulders began to shake.

"Shh." His older brother soothed. "He'll be fine, he's a Princeton. Tough as nails." Chazz smiled slightly and giggled through his tears. Slade had always said how Princetons were tougher than anyone else. Chazz just hoped that he was right.


The heart rate monitor beeped slowly and steadily. In some, odd way, to Chazz it was sort of comforting. It was the only way of him knowing that Slade was still hanging on.

The helicopter ride had been the slowest and longest ever, in Chazz's opinion, and once they got to the hospital they had to wait around even longer for what seemed like ages. Eventually they had been allowed in to see their eldest brother. It was awful seeing him like that. There were so many wires and tubes sticking into his skin that it looked like some demented science fiction movie was attacking him. A drip was slowly easing red, life giving liquid back into him, a breathing mask was placed over his mouth. A blanket was pulled up to his chin, hiding his wounds from view but Jagger knew exactly where they were. He'd spent so long pressing his hand to those wounds to stem the flow of blood until help arrived that he was sure that those images would be burned in his mind for life. The heart monitor beeped.

Chazz was curled up like a cat at the foot of the bed, staring blankly at plain white hospital sheets. Jagger was slowly stroking his hand through Chazz's hair. He was whispering under his breath, but he wasn't sure to which of the boys the words were intended for. Either way, one of them could not, and the other would not, answer him. They'd been in the room for quite some time when there was a soft knocking on the door.

"Chazz? The nurse said Slade would be in here so we-" Jaden's voice cut off as he poked his head round the door and spotted his friend. "Oh, is he asleep?"

Jagger shook his head and sighed, leaning back in his chair. Chazz followed the others as they entered the room with his eyes without getting up. Jagger watched too.

"Shut the door…" he mumbled to Syrus who was last in. his voice was thick with tears that he knew were not just because of Slade. They were years' worth of suppressed sadness and emotion. He shut his eyes firmly, teeth gritted. That is until he felt someone grip his shoulder. He turned and looked up at…Zane!?

They locked eyes, the millionaire and the academy's star pupil. They'd never spoken to each other, never even properly looked directly at each other. But now, by some weird twist of fate, they had one thing in common. They both knew what it felt like to have a brother that you would give the whole universe for. Well, brothers in Jagger's case. There was a chance no one would ever know what silent words passed between those two just then, but whatever it was, it must have been the right thing. They looked away and the tears were no longer so close to the surface of Jagger's eyes.

"It's late." He announced. "You should all be asleep."

"You can't tell me what to do." But Jaden yawned even as he said it. Jagger just got up and knelt beside his smallest brother.

"Are you going to sleep now?" there was no answer. "Your friends brought you clothes if you wanna get changed." Still no answer but Jagger nodded anyway. He unzipped Chazz's jacket and removed the smaller boy's shoes before covering him in a spare blanket.

"He's tired. He doesn't want to get changed he just wants to sleep." Jaden opened his mouth to ask how Jagger knew this only to have his foot trodden on by Zane.


Time Passes (an hour or so)
Only two people in the room were awake. The others were sprawled on chairs or the floor (or the bed in the case of Slade and Chazz).

"You should get some sleep too." Zane suggested, as gently as he could, retaking the seat opposite Jagger. "You'll be doing no one any good if you faint from exhaustion."

"I know." The other replied. "But I can't sleep, not like this….not here…" if Jagger had any more 'nots' in his head then they were cut off when Zane reached across the bed and offered him a can of drink.

"Not near the medical equipment!" he hissed as he took it from the outstretched hand and held it out of view.

"Bet you haven't drunk anything all day either." Zane chuckled, but only out of sympathy. There wasn't a reply which Zane knew meant no.

Jagger's eyelids started to droop after only having a few mouthfuls of the drink. His head leant forwards until his chin was resting on his chest. He took another sip, but far from waking himself up, he felt more tired than ever. Zane grabbed the drink seconds before Jagger would have dropped it. Something clicked inside of Jagger's head.

"You…You tricked me!" he half yelped, half yawned. "What did you put in there!?"

"Relax. It was only a sleeping pill. You'll thank me in the morning." The Obelisk student's voice was deep and calming. "Just sit there and let yourself sleep."

"Like I have an option." These were the last words spoken before the middle child of the Princeton family fell into what both himself and Zane hopped would be a dreamless sleep. Zane drifted off, watching the young man's face.

The Heart rate monitor beeped, slowly but steadily……for now.


End Chapter


Chan: here we go, sorry if it took so long for this update.

Slade: ….I don't like the sound of that last sentence much.

Chazz: -sigh- you're not meant to, it's a cliff hanger. If people review a lot, she'll update quicker.

Slade: hmm….now how to block people from leaving reviews….