Title: I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got.
Summary: All of Craig's concentration seems to be directed at a fair-haired, blue-eyed boy he knows all too well.
Author's Note: Takes place during the episode aired on 16/05/07, and then takes a different route.
Word Count: 1,568
Disclaimer: Neither John Paul McQueen nor Craig Dean belong to me, I'm just playing.
------
Part 10
Two Months Later…
So much had changed for the young lovers in such a short space of time.
For Craig, he'd gone being confused and lost to being at his most confident in all his life and he found himself finally understanding what love was really all about. He found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with his boyfriend that he couldn't bring himself to be apart from the blond haired boy.
Craig had been thrown a surprise 19th birthday by his boyfriend and his sister in the Dog, where there was a gathering of his friends and family – Dean's, Osborne's and McQueen's. – With the obvious avoidance of Sarah and, to his downtrodden heart, Jake. But with Nancy, Hannah and his John Paul there to celebrate the night with him, he couldn't have cared that his brother was an idiot in the slightest.
Frankie, having to play hostess for the evening, alongside Jack, had not only congratulated JP for throwing a successful party, she had also held, what Craig could only call 'an honest to goodness chat', with Myra McQueen.
By the end of the night, Frankie had called for pictures to be taken. One of the Dean/Osborne tribe was taken, one of just John Paul and Craig – bright grins and their arms around their partners' waists – and one of John Paul, Craig, Frankie and Myra.
His gift from John Paul was a CD of a song that JP had himself wrote and played on his guitar in his bedroom the day before. Craig had immediately had Spike play it on this system before grabbing John Paul and bringing him to the centre of the dance floor.
As John Paul's voice began to sing out through the speakers, Craig's eyes became a-wash with tears of purest joy. At that moment, he was at his most content. He pulled John Paul tight against his body and kissed him with all the love he felt for him.
If truth be told, it was the happiest night that Craig could remember in a long time – his soul mate, and his mother in the same room, actually getting along… it was the happiest he had been in a long time.
Two weeks later, they'd celebrated the end of their exams with a vast amount of pints in the Dog. The boys along with Nancy and Hannah had drank and danced and laughed the day away. Their celebrations would've continued well into the night if Melissa had not arrived in the Dog, snapping at Hannah for drinking those 'sugary injections of fat' into her system. She scowled at the others as Hannah gathered her things and was suddenly gone.
After her departure, Jake had arrived to inform Nancy that her mother had arrived and was in getting increasingly annoying. Jake, seething and spitting, called out to Darren to buy the 'gay boys the next round of girly cocktails' before taking grasp of Nancy's hand and marching from the pub.
John Paul and Craig sat quietly at their table for a couple of minutes, trying to comprehend what had just occurred before them. Craig then made the decision that the duo would retire to his bedroom above. Craig interlocked his fingers with his boyfriends and guided him upstairs, ignoring the smirk on Darren's face.
The duo entered the living room to find Jack and Frankie having an afternoon break, two steaming cups of tea before them on the coffee table. The boys said hello, having sobered up quite quickly at the departure of their friends and entered the kitchen. Craig whined at John Paul to make him a cuppa and won out, after making an offer of the sexual kind once they had entered the sanctuary of Craig's bedroom.
Once the tea was made, the duo re-entered the living room where they stopped in their track by Frankie asking the boys what were they were going to do now that their summer was free of the stress of exams.
Craig started saying maybe a summer holiday in Spain or France with John Paul, whilst John Paul said spending time with Craig.
Frankie had given an 'aww' at the comment and allowed the couple to return on their path to Craig's room.
Once secluded in Craig's room, the boys sat side by side on his bed, talking about nothing and everything all at once. Craig got up, chose some soft music on his computer and returned to JP's side.
It still came as a shock to the two of them that Craig's mother had become so understanding so fast. In the beginning, she had been cold to not only John Paul but to Craig also that they feared she would never accept their relationship. But now, it was as if she had accepted that, for her baby boy to be happy, then she would have to get used to the sight of him and his boyfriend holding hands, kissing and doing all that other couple-y stuff right in front of her.
The boys had finished their tea and just lay side by side in the single bed, holding each other in a tight embrace.
And, just yesterday, Craig was getting changed into a suit alongside John Paul in his bedroom for the McQueen double wedding. He had been included in the wedding party; he would be leading Myra down the aisle to her seat and remaining at her side throughout the ceremony.
"Still can't believe your Mercedes is actually getting married!" Craig had joked, throwing a furtive glance at JP as he buttoned his shirt closed.
"Hey, that's my sister you're talking about!" John Paul replied, shoving his shoulder into Craig's as he tied up his tie.
"Well, as far as you mum's concerned, I'm already her son-in-law… "
John Paul blushed at Craig, who was now fully dressed and just about to head downstairs. Suddenly, the door burst open and their stood Mercedes McQueen, her curlers still in her hair and her white bathrobe wrapped tight around her body.
"'Ave ye two seen Russ at all? He's run away!"
Both Craig and JP shook their heads and Mercy ran down the stairs once more.
Craig faced John Paul and shrugged his shoulders.
"I fear it may be a single wedding today." Craig had said, taking hold of John Paul's hand and leading him downstairs to the other family members.
After much searching, Russ had been found, and the two McQueen girls had made it down the aisle. Craig was sitting beside throughout the whole wedding and, despite the constant step backs, whooped cheerfully when both sisters were wed. Myra had hugged Craig tight for some time, saying it was the happiest day of her life. She had a twinkle in her eye as she looked to him and sought out her only son.
"It'll be you two next, won't it? I've never been to a civil partnership."
She watched as Craig missed her comments, his gaze caught on his beautiful blond.
Myra squeezed his hand, drawing his attention. She kissed his cheek and whispered to him.
"Make sure you look after my boy, alright? I know you won't intentionally hurt him… I've been this deep myself… Last time was with JP's dad… and look how that turned out…. Please Craig; don't break my son's heart."
Myra then left a dazed Craig standing in the middle of the church yard, his eyes brimming with tears once more. He had never felt such love for his boyfriend as he did right then.
He knew he had to follow Myra's advice.
Craig interrupted John Paul and Nana McQueen's conversation and dragged his lover to a quiet spot beneath a weeping willow.
Craig was constantly kissing John Paul's lips, cheeks, eye lids; any alabaster skin his mouth could reach was kissed.
JP was giddy with the attention he was receiving that he had held out a hand to stop Craig's onslaught.
"Hey… C…Craig, what's brought this on?" John Paul asked, through fits of laughter.
"I don't know know, the double wedding, all that romance… it all made me think how lucky I am to have you and how much I love you and… I wanted to ask you something before it became too late to change our plans… I was wondering, would you like to come to Dublin with me? If I get the right results and everything, I'd really want to be starting a new life with you in a new city…"Craig rambled, rubbing at the back of his neck.
JP, mouth open and laughter ceased, cleared his throat a number of times before approaching any semblance of an answer.
"I… Yeah, of course I'd love to go!"
Craig's eyes shimmered in joy and he took a nervous step towards John Paul.
"Really?"
"Really!" JP answered, bridging the gap between their two bodies. He gently nipped at Craig's lower lip with his teeth before passionately kissing him. His hands, now lost in Craig's hair, pulled that hot mouth ever closer to his own.
Minutes later, or maybe even months, or possibly years later, Craig broke away and gasped in air. He then kissed JP's cheek before leading him away from the wedding guests as the brides and grooms entered their car's back to the reception at the Dog.
"Let's have our own celebration, in your room!" Craig winked, kissing John Paul's mouth once more.