Chapter 4

*Author's Note: Hello Just continuing the story. Just for a bit of background information for the beginning here…the SSL is a really big recording board! It's used a lot in music recording and mixing. Okie dokie…just wanted to explain! Thanks! Oh…and Murdoc is going to be just a touch out of character for a wee bit. I'm making him a little out of it for a while.*

"Hey, what's up?" Russel greeted as he popped up behind the Satanist. It was Christmas day and the studio was closed, but they had stopped by to restart their SSL. It was healthy to restart it every so often since the electronics in it tended to get a little funky sometimes.

The bassist jumped a bit, startled at Russel's sudden entrance in the room. He had been leaning over the electronics in the closet they'd designated for the SSL setup.

"Christ, ya scared me!" he growled, standing up right and trying to compose himself.

"Sorry, sorry," Russel laughed, somewhat tickled at the fact that he'd made him jump, "I jus' wanted to go ahead and give you this," he explained as he pulled a small package out from behind his back. It was wrapped up in sparkly red rapping paper with a little skull tied to the top with green ribbon.

"Wot? Why?" Murdoc asked, completely oblivious to the fact that it was a Holiday gift.

"It's Christmas," Russel urged, pushing it towards the bassist.

"I don't celebrate Christmas, Russ," he muttered, reluctantly taking the package.

"I know…just think of it as a house warming present or something then. A welcoming gift to you."

Murdoc raised his eyebrows as he started to unwrap it, "I've been witcha a couple a weeks now…but…awright, I'll do that I s'ppose."

He tore at the paper, though not overly eager. He was just trying to be polite at this point. He felt a little stupid actually…all of this fluff.

"Oh, shit…" he murmered, realizing it was actually a gift he enjoyed. It was a DI box for his bass. DI boxes were absolutely spectacular for recording bass lines…it really brought out that punch, "wow, well…fuck, thanks Russ," he said, a hint of surprise creeping into his voice.

"Aw, it's no biggie. I thought you would like that."

"I didn't git you nuffin'," Murdoc admitted, a glimpse of shame appearing on his face.

"Oh, shit, don't worry about that!" Russel said, a very genuine tone to his voice, "I know you don't do this whole Holiday thing. I just really wanted to get that for you. Honestly, I happened upon it by chance when I was looking for some gear for the studio."

Murdoc nodded his head, looking down at the floor. He really felt shitty that he hadn't gotten Russel something. It would've been a nice gesture since he'd been letting him stay with him and all.

"Hey, seriously, don't worry about it," Russel urged, "now let's get the fuck out of this studio…we here all the time! I was thinking we could go out and get us some drinks, huh?"

Murdoc nodded once more, balling up the wrapping paper, carefully making sure to collect the skull. He really didn't want to appear as though he were ungrateful, because he most definitely wasn't. Russel noticed how uncomfortable the gift giving had made him and felt a little guilty about it. It had never crossed his mind that Murdoc would feel bad about not having gotten him something. He honestly figured that the gift giving would've went down with a little less gratitude. The Murdoc he knew would've just growled and called him stupid and went on as though nothing had even happened. He was different than he'd remembered him.

Russel opened the door for the two of them, stepping out into the cold. The relaxing sound of waves crashing down on the beach sand instantly greeted the two of them, and both of them felt it's soothing effects greatly. It always felt nice to get out of the studio.

Not that the two of them didn't enjoy working there. Murdoc especially did, to be frank. He got to work with music and get paid under the table so as not to be noticed. It would've been a lot more difficult for him to stay in America had it not been for Russel's generosity. He was letting him help with tracking the artists (if that's what you could call them…most of it was shit) and he had let him have his own room in his apartment, which wasn't very big to begin with. Especially not considering the man's size.

The two of them walked along the beach, heading towards an atheist-owned bar that Russel knew about a few blocks away. The only place around open on Christmas! They must've been very committed.

"So, have you been thinking at all about what you want to do, Man?" Russel asked, breaking the silence between them. He figured that probably had something to do with Murdoc's laid-back demeanor.

"Erm…well…ta be honest I'm finkin' maybe I should jus' let it go. I want my band back an' all, but…I gotta good fing goin', ya know? I'm not in debt to that fucker Satan anymore and…well…I dunno…America's kinda nice," he admitted.

He was walking with his hands in the pockets of his old Vietnam-style jacket. Russel couldn't help but feel his heart sink a bit. That was the last thing he'd expected to hear out of Murdoc's mouth; The Gorillaz had meant everything to him. Fuck, that band was his entire life. They were his entire life. As much as he knew Murdoc would never admit it (even in the rather subdued state he was in) the members meant just as much as the "band". This must've been about 2D.

"Here we are," Russel announced as they walked up to a small, run down looking bar. It was all rotting out wood and the sign, which read "Hell Hole", was tilted off to one side.

"Don't care too much ta upkeep this dump, do they?" Murdoc snickered.

"Fuck no they don't!" Russel laughed as he opened the door and stood aside, allowing Murdoc to go in ahead of him.

The bassist was instantly greeted with a rush of warmth. Despite the rough exterior, the inside wasn't all that horrible. There were little white Christmas lights all over the place and the juke box in the left corner of the bar was currently playing, of all things, "Clint Eastwood", which made Murdoc feel a little sick to his stomach. It made him think of how things used to be…

…

"Oh, Muds…I jus' dunno 'bout this…" D whined.

"Quit yer whinin' dullard and hold that bat like yer gonna use it!" The bassist growled, irritated.

The angelic singer did as he was told. They were both hiding behind the large Gargoyle statue in the graveyard of Kong Studios. There were zombies literally everywhere…right in the Satanist's way. He had somehow managed to get the Geep stuck in the mud behind the graves during a little bit of "off-roading" he'd suckered D into partaking in.

"Can't we jus' hide somewhere until morning?" D begged. He was down on his knees shivering. The rain had drenched him and he was literally starting to sink down into the mud. His blue hair was matted all over his face, falling into his empty eyes. He looked absolutely adorable. Of course, the Satanist didn't have time to marvel at his, er, beauty at the moment.

"No! Fuck! D'ya wanta fuckin' sleep out in this sodding rain? We'd both git sick. Now grow a fuckin' pair er I'm gonna start beatin' the fuck outta ya!" He shouted.

D winced at his angered tone. He didn't mean to upset him, but he was really scared.

"Okay, okay," he said, straightening his shoulders and squinting his eyes. He struggled to look as though he were being manly and tough so as to impress the bassist. Of course, he just looked completely ridiculous.

Murdoc rolled his eyes before leaning forward a bit and peaking out from around the grave. His brown boots were beginning to sink into the mud as well, which was starting to make him nervous. Nonetheless, he had to remain focused. He looked out at the ocean of zombies that were slowly trudging towards them. Fuck…how were they going to get around all of those mother fuckers? It really did seem hopeless.

D watched as Murdoc struggled to make his plan. His black hair was flattened out and his skin was at least two shades lighter seeing as the rain had washed off a few layers of filth. This was probably the closest thing he'd had to a bath in weeks. He was holding a crowbar that they'd had inside of the Geep, which was shaking in his hands. He was trembling…this made D nervous.

"I wish we'd had a gun in the Geep," the singer suggested, trying to lighten the mood, though in all fairness genuine.

Murdoc just shot him a nasty glance. This was no time for jokes. He opened his mouth to scold the dullard when suddenly…

FWOOSH!

He'd disappeared.

"Murdoc? Muds! Oh God…Muds!" The singer pleaded, utterly confused. Where had he gone?

"FUCK!" he heard the Satanist's voice ring out. It sounded as though it were coming from beneath him. Just as he started to put it together, he felt the ground beneath him start to give. They were on top of a grave!

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" D screamed as he, too, fell down into the ground, "Mudsie…oh no, Mudsie we're in a grave!" he whined, not in any mood to be trapped in someone else's…oh shit…was there someone buried here?

"It's just us," Murdoc explained, somehow knowing what the singer was thinking.

Rain continued to pour down on them in sheets as a wave of relief washed itself over the singer's face.

"Oh…" he mumbled, leaning against the muddy wall of the grave. They were a good 20 feet down in the ground. It was quite a predicament.

"Well," Murdoc began, "I guess they're gonna fuckin' eat our brains out down here."

The singer's eyes widened. It would've been comical had his statement not been true. This was D's absolute worst nightmare.

"Oh God, Muds we're gonna git eaten!" he sobbed, sliding down the side of the wall and balling himself up in the corner.

The bassist stared at him for a moment, irritated at just how quickly he was willing to give up.

"I always knew I would go this way, Muds," he continued, burying his head into his arms. The Satanist rolled his eyes in response.

"Uuuuuuhhhhnnnn," he heard a moan from above them.

"FUCK!" he shouted, jumping back into the wall opposite D. The zombies…they were surrounding the grave. Fuck…maybe they really were going to die this way. Shit…this was NOT the way he wanted to go. He watched quietly for a moment, struggling to swallow the panic squeezing his throat. This went on for a few moments before the bassist, much to his amusement, realized the mother fuckers couldn't get into the grave. They were all just standing there, like dumb asses, moaning and looking down at them.

"Hey…hey D! They can't fuckin' git down here!" he laughed, attempting to mock them as well as inform the singer that he was safe.

"But they live in tha ground…whadda ya mean they can't git down here?" D asked, lifting his head up a bit to look at his friend.

"Look…look up! I dunno why they can't git down here, but they can't!" he laughed, pointing up at the undead monsters, really trying to piss them off. They seemed frustrated.

D looked up and jumped a bit. He was terrified of them. Murdoc tilted his head a bit and narrowed his eyes at his band mate, somewhat charmed by his fear. He wasn't sure why, but he found it endearing.

"They're going away," the singer whispered, leaning forward a bit. He was on his hands and knees looking up.

Murdoc also turned his attention upwards again to see that he was correct. They'd given up.

"Well fuck," he announced, "that was a helluva lot easier than trying to beat our way through that mess, eh?" he laughed walking over next to his mate and having a seat in the mud.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before they started to chuckle together, relieved to be alive.

"Hey…so…uh…I guess we're stuck 'ere until the sun comes up then, huh?" D asked, realizing that they were going to have to either sleep or stay awake in this muddy hell hole.

"Erm…ye I guess," he sighed leaning himself back into the wall. They were both filthy.

"I'm cold," 2D whined, shivering. He was sitting again with his arms around his legs, burying his face in them.

Murdoc was going to snap at him, but as he looked him over he really could see that he was cold. Fuck…it was going to be a long night, may as well make it as pleasant as it could be.

"'ere," he said softly, pulling off his old Vietnam jacket and wrapping it around the singer.

D smiled as he the bassist held his embrace and laid his head into the singer's shoulder, sighing heavily.

"Ta," he said graciously, sniffling a bit.

Rain continued to pour down on the two of them for a few minutes before Murdoc lifted his head, causing the singer to make eye contact with him.

They looked at each other very briefly before they began to kiss. Neither of them was really sure why, but, at that moment in time, it just seemed right to fuck. And they did…

…

"What's up?" Russel urged causing the bassist to snap back into reality, noting that he was wearing the same Vietnam jack he'd worn that night. He shuddered a bit.

"Nuffin'…jus' tired."

Russel eyed him for a moment.

"It's D, isn't it?"

Murdoc sighed and rolled his eyes. He had on that silly Captain's hat he'd bought a few days ago. He was suddenly obsessed with pirate shit after his trip.

"Fuck, I don't wanna talk about it. Can't we jus' 'ave a fuckin' drink without talkin' like a couple a girls? You goddamned fat sonovabitch…" he grumbled, leaning his head onto his hand, which was propped up on the table.

Russel smiled to himself. There we go…that was familiar.

"A'ight, whatever you say," he replied, taking a swig of the beer he'd just ordered.

…

"Soooo…what didja think?" Lily cooed as she nuzzled up with D on the couch. They were under a fuzzy, warm blanket watching old 'Seinfeld' reruns. There were cinnamon and apple scented candles lit on the coffee table before them, giving the nice aroma of Christmas to their apartment. He smiled at the warmth he was experiencing not only physically, but emotionally as well.

"I fink this is the best Christmas eva!" he replied, a beaming smile on his face.

"Did you like your gift?" She asked, eager to get a read out on their first Christmas together.

"I did," he smiled, looking at the giant stuffed panda bear beside the coach. It was huge…Literally the size of the singer. As much as it seemed inappropriate to give to a boyfriend, he quite enjoyed the over-sized stuffed bear.

Lily began to fidget…she still hadn't received her gift. Had he forgotten? No way! He must've had something really good. She didn't want to ask him for her but…

"Well…" she began.

"Yes?" he asked, pretending to be oblivious of the fact that she hadn't gotten her gift yet. He was dying to give it to her, but felt a little tease would be fun.

"Did you get me anything?" she asked, about to explode with curiosity. She was adorable.

"Oh right…yes…I'd almost forgotten," he said casually as he got up from the couch and reached into his pocket, taking great care to keep the gift hidden behind his back.

"Ooooh!" she squealed, realizing that he'd had it that whole time. She was so excited, "Can I open it?" she asked, tilting her head and putting her hands together.

"Hmmmm," he said as though he wasn't sure, looking up at the roof and tapping his foot.

"Oh please…" she asked, a brilliant smile across her face.

"Maybe…" he continued to taunt.

"I can totally get that from you," she teased.

"Oh yeah? You fink?"

"I know!" she laughed as she lunged forward and started to tickle him.

"Ahhhh ha…" he giggled, still holding the gift behind his back. They wiggled around together, laughing hysterically before she managed to grab it.

"Ah ha!" she shouted victoriously as she held onto a small, grey, velvet box. She gasped as she realized what kind of box it was. They were on the couch, D laying persuasively on top of her, smiling at her softly.

"D…" she whispered as he gently took the box from her hand.

"Lily," he began, opening the box, "would ya do me the honor?"

She felt her heart begin to race as she set her eyes on a small, white gold ring with a square shaped diamond in the center.

"Stuart! Of course I will!" she squealed as she hugged him, a little breathless.

D grinned at her, feeling quite accomplished at the happiness he'd just given her.

"Alright then…'ere ya are, fiancée," he whispered, sliding the ring onto her finger before kissing her tenderly.