DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters from Hollyoaks. I'm really sorry this update has took so long; my laptop broke and it's only just been fixed. Hope it was worth the wait! I'll try and post much more often now though. Enjoy and, if you wouldn't mind, please review. Comments. critisism & ideas are all welcome. I want to thank everyone who's reading for putting up with my inconsistant posts!

P.S sorry it's short!

Ste

I hadn't seen Alex in two days. I'd told him that I'd try to help him and I would. Unfortunately, it was going to be harder than I'd thought. If Warren weren't in prison, I might've asked him. I'd tried some people I used to know but I either couldn't get in touch with them or they couldn't help me. I was running out of ideas and running out of them fast. There was, of course, someone else I could go to: Brendan Brady. However, both my common sense and my pride wouldn't allow me to ask him for anything, especially not a favor for a friend. It was more than likely that, if Alex did mix with Brendan, Brendan's jealously would get the better of him and Alex would end up in deep trouble. Also, Ste hated to admit it but a small part of him didn't want Alex to have a relationship, any sort of relationship, with Brendan. He was going to have to speak to Alex, tell him he couldn't help him after all.

I sat on the bench in the park, phone in hand, preparing to tell Alex the news. Before I could select his number someone sat down next to me.

"Hello Stephen." the familiar voice sent shivers down my spine.

"What d'ya want Brendan?" I said, frustrated, without looking up - I knew it was him, I'd know that voice anywhere.

"I want alot of things." He said, mysteriously.

"Who doesn't?" I sighed.

"But, right now, I want to know why ya trying to help your friend," he said the word with distaste, "sell drugs and why ya didn't come to me for help."

I laughed without humor; I should have known he'd find out. "Dunno what ya talkin' 'bout."

" 'Course ya don't. That's why ya were talking to him in the alley."

"So what if I was?" I growled.

"I just want to help." He said innocently.

"Like hell ya do. You help no one but yourself."

"Now that's not true." He pretended to look shocked but ending up looking menacing.

"You must have forgotten, Brendan. But I know you; know what you're like. You look after number one - everyone else is just pawns, toys that can be used. You won't help me and you certainly won't help Alex." I was getting tired of the act - I wish he would just tell me what he wanted instead of playing these games.

"Okay. Fine. So maybe I wouldn't have helped Alex but you...I would've helped you." His face portrayed no emotion.

"Yeah, because we're such good friends." I replied sarcastically.

"We were once." He said, defensive.

"We've been alot of things Bren, but we've never been friends." I silently cursed myself for accidently using the old, affectionate nick-name. Old habbits die hard, I guess.

"Fine. I get it. You don't trust me." He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't!" I spat.

"Look Stephen, you and me aren't on great terms right now; I get that, I do. But do ya know what you're getting yourself into?"

"I'm helping a mate. I owe Alex." I didn't know why I was even explaining anything to him.

"What d'ya owe him? Where d'ya even know 'im from?" Brendan continued, unrelenting.

"I met him in Juvie, alright? He was my best friend, my only proper friend. Alex was the only one I trusted in there. I met him on my first day. I'd gotten into a fight with some lads - they thought they were proper hard cases. It was three against one and Alex evened it out."

"Who won?" Brendan asked.

"We did." I smiled, "After that, he showed me around and we grew close. He was a right arragant son-of-a-bitch but he was funny and we got along. Any scraps we got into, we looked out for each other."

"How...nice." He said, though it sounded like he thought it was anything but nice.

Brendan

I was jealous and I hated it. I wasn't even sure why I was jealous; if it was because Alex was from Stephen's past - something I wasn't part of; or because Stephen still cared about him when he didn't care about me; or maybe it was because I'd always considered me and him a team, looking out for each other and no one else (family not included). It sounded pathetic but it stung, knowing Alex and Stephen had been close. It was obvious that Ste was loyal to Alex and I didn't like it. Stephen was mine. I'd do anything for him, I'd crossed lines for him that I'd never thought I'd cross - I'd killed for him. It doesn't get much more loyal than that. I wasn't about to lose him now, especially not to some kid from juvie. It didn't matter that he hadn't came to prison, it didn't even matter that he'd believed I'd killed them girls. It didn't matter that I didn't want to love him. All that mattered was that I did love him and I couldn't lose him, not now. I'd come too far with Stephen. It was like an obsession: a passionate, crazy, possive, completely out-of-this-world obsession otherwise known as being madly in love.

I wondered what Stephen had been like, back then. I could imagine what he would've been like- cockier, more violent, more defensive, more of a temper. All of them traits that Stephen still possessed but they were mellowed; he was more in control of himself. However, I knew that, when pushed, he was capable of lashing out and using manipulation to get what he wants, alot like me. I still remembered the time he hit me over the head and I'd ended up in hospital. I'd gotten a glimpse of bad-boy-turned-good Ste's dark past and the person he used to be. Not the caring father and all-around nice guy persona he hid behind but the messed-up, distrustful person he was inside. Which Stephen did Alex know? Or did he know them both, like me? Does Alex know Stephen as well as I do? That worried me. I'd always thought me and Stephen had an understanding; we knew each other better than anyone else; we were loyal to each other over anyone else; we loved each other more than anyone else; and we hurt each other more than anyone else because we didn't do anything half way. He was mine, I was his. When we kissed, it was like nothing else on Earth. When we fucked, it was indescribable. But when we fought, we tore each other to pieces. We knew each others strengths and each others weaknesses. We were a part of something seperate from the rest of the world, we were a team. The thought of Alex having anything even remotely close to what me and Stephen had made me sick, physically sick. I didn't care if I was over-reacting. I didn't know if Alex was gay or if he and Stephen were anything more than friends. I didn't care. Alex could fuck off because I was Brendan Brady and no one, no one, takes what's mine.

Rachey Ayy xx