Hey, beautiful people! (:

I'm really, really sorry, if anyone of you felt offended by my last author's note, that wasn't my intention at all! I appreciate every single of your reviews and by explaining the message I tried to convey, I didn't mean that it's wrong to express unsympaty towards any characters. It's just, that lately I have felt like my life doesn't make any sense and now I'm trying to find it, which is a very complicated process and one of the ways I have thought out was, trying to make a change. I didn't want to bother you guys with my personal life, but I had to explain myself somehow, so yeah, that's it and thanks for understanding.

By the way, if you would like to help me, you can tell me your opinion, about who you would like to see as a protagonist (main character) "next" to Rocky and Gunther: Tinka, CeCe, Deuce or Ty? You can choose two, if you want.

And please, don't you ever think the way Gunther did, he was just overwhelmed with the death of his parents and Tinka's behavior, I don't think he was actually going to do what he thought he would do.

Replies to reviews

fortheloveofchocolate : Judging Justin Bieber for this, lol. (: Thank you very much, I try my best. *le giving you a chocolate chip cookie* :D

beauty behind the words : Thanks a lot! Wonderful pen name, by the way (:

YrCaJc : You'll find out soon enough (; Yeah, I thought it was time, hope, it wasn't too soon!

BackBecky : I didn't really understand, what you were surprised about, but thanks for complimenting (:

golddragonriderkira : Yay, fluff lover alarm! :D

rocky9870 : Thanks a lot! There sure will be Runther romance and I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story (:

DarkNight18 : About Tinka: Possibly? :D But even if, there's more to it, than catches the eye at first (; About Ty: There is a chance, but I'm not sure yet. He's definitely going to appear again, as well as the other antagonists. / There's no need to thank, I love getting questions. Thanks a lot for complimenting, too! (:

Love990 : You didn't sound crazy at all! And even if, I don't mind crazy, as long as it's not creepy :D On the contrary, it makes me happy knowing that someone can feel with the characters in my fic, it's one of, if not the highest stage of complimenting a story. I guess, we both misunderstood each other and I hope, now everything's fine and you'll keep reading. (:

NightWolfMoon : Thank you very much for your amazing review! I'm reading one of your stories right now and it's a big honour for me, that you are liking a story of mine, since I think you are very talented. No worries, I'm going to review, but I want to read to an end and that may could take its time. (: Thanks again and I hope, you'll keep reading!

Chapter X

Gunther didn't go to school the next morning, but decided to pay a visit to his cousin Klaus, who surely knew, where the Hessenheffers had moved to.

He knocked twice and held his breath, waiting for the door to open. Heidi, Klaus' big sister, opened it and looked at the guest impatiently. After recognizing him, her face became deathly white and she bit her lip hardly.

"In case you are searching for your parents... they are dead," she said then and closed the door the very next second.

Gunther stayed there in front of the door, hoping this all was a dream and he would knock again to see the tall blonde girl smiling at him friendly and gesturing to enter, giving him his parents' address in the end.

He fell on his knees because of the pain building up in his chest and traveling up his throat.

Just don't cry, don't cry, he told himself, silence surrounding him and as if comforting him in the way being silent.

Maybe it's a joke.

Maybe it's not true.

But maybe, he lost his beloved parents forever.

Rocky nodded in understanding, after listening to Gunther's words.

"Gunther..." she touched his shoulder gently, "maybe she isn't telling the truth. Maybe Tinka told her to, or they are in trouble and don't want anyone around them."

"I'm their son, for God's sake!" Gunther yelled out, "How can it be, that they don't want me back?"

A rhetoric question it was, because Rocky didn't know the answer and he didn't, as well. It was almost like it was black around them and they were trying to make their way in the blind darkness.

She stroked his arm shyly, even if she wasn't sure, if she should, but she couldn't just sit here and watching her only friend being hurt.

"What about Tinka, she's your sister, after all," Rocky questioned after a while.

"There's no way I'm going to talk to her," Gunther replied quickly in a tone called 'no-disscusion-I-am-not-doing-this-anyway'.

"Fine, but you want to find your parents, don't you? Then you either talk to Tinka or you go to school and listen to the rumours."

Gunther looked at the girl next to him with a little smile.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

But he wasn't going to answer, at least not to answer with the truth.

Three words it was, not that much, not a long speech with explanations and arguments that he was so bad at.

Three words. But was she able to say the same to him back? What did she feel while their conversations? Did she feel this warmth, when their hands touched accidentally? Did she think of him at home? Could she give up for him as much as he could for her?

The only thought, that she could find his strong feelings for her ridiculous or gross made him a thousand times sadder, than anything else that had ever happened to him. He wouldn't be able to take the rejection, no, that would destroy all that he had right now.

His hopes, his heart and their friendship.

One hour later, Gunther was sitting in the kitchen and hitting his head against the table. He didn't know, what to do, he felt useless and unnecessary. Every reason for staying here, in this apartment, in this city, in this country, on this planet was fading away. He was wrong: he hadn't changed, he just had built up a wall around himself and learned the brutality of the war, not more. His two only wishes, all the years along, had been finding his family and getting back in his old life, including having two annoying frenemies and dancing on Shake It Up, Chicago. He hadn't even wasted a thought about the possibility, that his wishes would never come true, because that had been his only key to survive and who would give up all his hopes intentionally?

Don't you need a reason to live, something, that makes you happy and gets you through the day, whatever happens?

This reason for Gunther stopped existing, because the last thing that he could count as it, were his feelings for Rocky and he knew he couldn't tell her.

Why don't just end this not living, just existing -?

Why not, if no one is going to care, anyway?

Gunther swallowed and touched the cold window with his fingertips.

This was his rescue - and his end.

She couldn't tell, why her forehead was sweaty and hot, as if she had a fever, or why this strange feeling in her stomach was there, as if she had forgotten something, but she listened to her instincts or her sixth sense, whatever this was and stood up, leaving the apartment, without making any sound.

She was running, running fast and breathing hard, but if her instincts hadn't deceived her, it was more than worth it.

Rocky rushed up the stairs and knocked on the door loudly and impatiently. How stupid. She leaned against the door and, much to her surprise, it flew open.

The vision, that had been there like a thought, all of a sudden and not wanting to leave her mind.

The fever, the pounding heart, the scar.

It all was there, she could see it with her own eyes.

Gunther was standing at the window-still, ready to jump.

Ready to die.

She held her breath and tip-toed to the window, as careful and quiet she could.

In the last moment she grabbed him by the shoulders and carried inside, feeling her arms getting numb because of his weight.

When Gunther was laying safely at the ground and she was sitting next to him, he felt pain in his cheek, a thousand of knives cutting his face, but not deep enough to reach the flesh.

Rocky had slapped him.

He didn't make a sound, but it hurt.

After a while, he whispered tired, "Why?"

First, it seemed, like Rocky didn't have a real answer, but then words flowed out of her mouth like water, fast and without control. "You are not, what I thought you would be. You are weak, weaker than I am. Do you think, I haven't tried to do it? It would be all over: no pain, nothing. But what reason do you have to die? You can start a new life, you are like an empty sheet of paper and nothing is in your way to start all over. You are so ungrateful, it's almost like you want to repeat the same mistakes that I did."

She shook her head, either in anger or in shame because of her behavior.

Gunther tried to process this all; he was feeling depressive, almost jumped out of the window, Rocky held him back, slapped him and called him weak.

He didn't know, what to think, to do, to say.

Silence filled the room along with the night's darkness and made everything seem stupid and senseless. They tried not to look in each other's direction, just sit here on the ground and listen to the chirping of the birds outside.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you," Gunther replied finally, "but I am just a human, like you, and I felt, that there ain't a reason to... live on. It was a really stupid decision and all of the things you said are true, and..."

He didn't get to finish his answer, because Rocky interrupted him with throwing herself on him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He blinked a few times in surprise and pulled her closer then, feeling instinctively, that she was about to cry.

"Gunther," she whispered and started sobbing quietly, therefore she couldn't speak on. He just stroked her back like his mother used to in the first grade, when one of the older guys threw his backpack in the toilet. "Gunther," she repeated.

It seemed like all the feelings, that had been inside her, came out and she couldn't control them anymore. She was crying, because she was still angry at Gunther for trying to commit suicide, because she was scared to lose him forever, because she was sad and had enough of her useless life, because she remembered, how her father had beaten her yesterday, because of everything.

"Shh," Gunther whispered and let Rocky change her position, so now her head was laying on his chest, "everything will be alright, I'm an idiot, I'm not going to leave you again," he said, because he just realized, that she wouldn't have anyone who was nice to her, if he'd left her.

After an endless while Rocky seemed to stop crying. Gunther kissed her hair carefully, hoping she wouldn't notice. Either way, she stood up and wiped the last tears away, walking up to the window and standing there, watching the night panorama. Then, as if she was speaking to herself and not to him, she started speaking.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you..." she turned around and saw the red print on his cheek,"... and slapping you. I just, I just didn't want you to leave. I don't know, what would happen with me then - maybe I'd go crazy or would really start murdering people, I don't know," she made a break there. "But that doesn't mean, that you will have me around for the rest of your life, no. As I said, you'll be able to start all over again, just don't go to this school, or, if you want, even move to an other city, I just..."

"Rocky," Gunther interrupted her and stood up to walk to the window, as well, "I'm not going to leave, until you'll be able to live normally again and not after that, as well. We will find all about Flynn's murder, I promise."

"Don't make promises, if you are going to break them," Rocky replied sadly.

"I don't break any of my promises," he said seriously and took her right hand, making her turn around. "I promise with my life, that nobody in this country will ever think about Rocky Blue as a murderer," he squeezed her hand gently.

She looked at him with a little, really little smile and in her eyes was hope.

He knew, if he wouldn't be able to make her free, he would be guilty in disappointing her. But right now, he didn't think about it.

He wanted to make his angel happy.