This is a little longer but not very long by any stretch of the imagination. It's a little morbid, but I'm a morbid person (souless actually). It's obviously from a different point of view (Marik's) and is very important to the plot (which I'm not sure of at this point, you probably have a better idea than I do). Enjoy.

The blond rolled over, as sunlight streamed through the window, too early waking him up. He looked at the picture on his bedside table, put it down then placed it back up again. He looked at both the smiling faces and just wished he was the boy in the picture. He wished he was the boy he was 6 weeks ago. He pushed away all the memories good, bad, and horrible. This was always hard, the getting up. After waking up to the same person for 4 years it wasn't easy to wake up and have reality jamming a knife in your heart. Marik placed both feet on the floor and stood up, heading to the kitchen for coffee. As he sat, and the table he remembered dinner parties, fights, make-up's, but mornings just drinking coffee, eating before they headed off in the morning. The last morning was always on his mind.

"You ready to go honey?" Malik asked standing by the door as Marik tore down the hallway pulling a shirt on.

"Yes, yes let's go." He tripped over a shoe and was sent tumbling into Malik's arms. He stood up, opened the door and walked out.

They had just arrived at Marik's office before Malik passed out. His head hit the ground so hard it shattered his skull on impact into 6 pieces. Marik started screaming for someone to call paramedics. In the ten minutes it took for an ambulance to arrive the part of Malik's brain that controlled movement was destroyed, in the forty it took for him to get into surgery his brain was almost completely destroyed. He died on the operating table. The doctors were forced to ask Marik for permission to resuscitate him because he would have been brain dead for the rest of his life. Marik refused. Three days later he was forced to bury the person he had spent six short years with, who he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He started to feel sick, dizzy. His world was spiralling out of control. He shut his eyes against the images that were blurring before him. Bit his tongue until he tasted blood, dug his fingernails into his palms until he gained some control. He breathed in, and then had to remind himself to breathe out. His coffee had grown cold in front of him. He stood up and changed into jeans and a button down shirt. Marik took a different path to his office, and went in through the back door. His desk offered a little comfort; he placed the picture he had of Malik down. His secretary Anzu came in after a few minutes and told him about the new listings and which homes he had showings in that day. She gave him a business card which read:

Mirage Counselling

Certified Therapists & Psychiatrists

Y618-380-5472

"One of the guys who plays at my club owns the place. You might want to call them, I think they could help."

"Great Anzu, could you just stop trying to help with my life and start putting together some information on these new listings."

"I'm just trying to help. I'm worri..."

"Get out now if you still want a job."

Anzu left. Marik placed the card in his wallet. He looked at his first showing it was for a lovely little apartment down by Anzu's club it wasn't a far walk from here and walking seemed to keep him a little more normal. He left by the back door. He had reached the door of the apartment building when he heard screeching tires, and a terrible crunching noise.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. Hmn I wonder what could be crunching? Bones perhaps? Or mabye Marik's hearing things? Then again someone could be eating cereal very loudly from their apartment. But the bones would be your best bet. Anywho more soon.

xo-Fayre