A/N: Another long chapter! Enjoy it!

I'll take a little longer to post next chapter (as usual) because my school things to do are increasing...

The Day Before

Kevin had just calm down because the contrary was no use since that house was full of guards who could easily stop him.

And because Plank threatened to dope him.

Even though he was more calm about his uncle, it was hard to ignore the messages Edd was sending. Kevin knew that the boy would be worried, but Plank said it would be better if he didn't answer, and given the situation, Kevin agreed.

The redhead checked the clock. 12:30am. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall behind him.

Kevin's startled when Plank shook him: he had fallen asleep without realizing it.

Kevin ran his hands over his face. "What time is it?"

"Two pm."

"What?!" Kevin picked up the phone to check. "I slept 14 hours?"

Plank nodded ascending a cigarette.

"You doped me, huh?"

"Man, that was no need. You were so exhausted that only your tiredness was already enough to dope you."

Kevin leaned his head back against the wall and ran a hand over his face. "How's Francis?" Asked with his eyes closed, worried about what would be the answer.

"He's out of danger. The problem now is to find out who did this to him. "

Kevin sighed deeply. "Can I see him?"

"I need to check with the ..." Plank stopped talking. "What was that noise?" He stood up quickly.

"Sounds like..."

The noise again.

"That' shot." One more shot. "Shit!"

Kevin's cellphone started ringing. He saw five missed calls from Nazz. He decided to take this.

"Hey Nazz!"

"Don't hey me! Kevin, what's happening? I'm worried about you."

"I… I know!"

Plank pulled a gun with one hand and with the other held Kevin's wrist making him run behind a wall.

"Kevin, what's happening?"

The redhead sighed trying to calm his breathing. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"No!" Nazz increased her voice. She calmwd down."No Kevin! I am getting seriously worried, and I'll have to do something if you don't tell me what's going on with you."

He sighed again. "Nazz, I promise you I'm fine, but I can't tell you everything now."

It was the turn of Nazz sigh. "All right. But I'll see you today. Double D told me what happened yesterday."

"How's Edd?"

"Worried! How could you not answer his messages nor answer his calls?"

"If I had called him ..."

"What are you doing? Turn offthis shit." Plank yelled at Kevin.

"What?" Nazz continued.

"Nothing. I just don't want to worry. "

"But it was just what you did!"

"I know Nazz, but I need you to trust me when I say I'm fine. And if you want to help me, comfort the Edd. I don't want him to worry. And if anyone else knows, tell them I'm fine. "

Nazz sighed. "Fine, but..."

More shots.

"I gotta go."

"KEVIN!"

"Trust me." Kevin turned and stuck his phone in his pants pocket. "What's going on?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Plank grabbed his cellphone. "Melwin, who are they?"

"It's Roger, sir."

More shots.

Plank turned off. "That son of a bitch!"

"I know what's going on. But what's really going on?"

"We just found out who did thatto Francis." Plank lifted the hem of his pants and pulled another gun from a holster on his leg. "Can you shoot?"

"I'm not going to get involved in this."

Plank frowned and pushed the gun into Kevin's chest for him to hold. "You're already involved."

Plank headed for the lobby which was where the shots were coming, with Kevin right behind him. Near the room the sound of gunfire was much higher and the intensity of the firefight made the atmosphere more tense. Plank took cover behind the wall, parallel to which a man was also protected, pulling Kevin so he wouldn't get shot accidentally. Plank spun his body to be able to shoot and took the opportunity to make a quick analysis of the situation. He counted ten men downstairs, but he was sure that there were more hidden.

"I can't believe that motherfucker betrayed us." Plank spoke to the man.

The man moved to the side and shot. A shot whizzed by his ear, forcing him to protect himself again. He pressed his ears with the palms of his hands doing the hum to dissipate.

"Argh! And he came well supported." He responded when recovering.

"Who is he?" Kevin wanted to know.

"Why don't you take a look?" Plank replied while shooting.

Kevin walked to the other side to close the window and looked out of the corner to the floor below, with the gun on guard. The movement, the shots and the position he was made it difficulty identifying the man who hid regularly behind a pillar. A bullet smashed the window and he returned to near Plank.

"Don't tell me that it's that bastard that threatened my uncle days ago."

Plank smirked and just turned the body to shoot.

"Shit! What are we going to do?"

Plank laid the gun on his forehead to think. He smirked.

"Melwin, let's do that training." Plank nodded in the direction Roger was. Melwin also smiled and disappeared in the nest room.

"What...?" Kevin was going to ask, but Plank wasn't listening.

The blonde took the phone. "Hey J.P. How many are they?" Plank fit the cell phone between his shoulder and head to be able to stay with his hands free to shoot.

"Fifteen."

Plank wanted to laugh. "Fifteen? How boldness."

"He was counting with the surprise attack."

"Pathetic! How many are we? "

"Nine more sir; J.J. got shot."

Plank shot. "Remember the dance-in-the-dark?"

J.P. laughed. "You're fucking kidding me, right?"

"You know what the signal is. Stay tuned."

"You're an idiot." J.P. laughed more and hung up.

"Kevin. Pay attention. Stay by my side all the time, otherwise one of our might shoot you."

"What's going to happen?"

Plank mocked. "Relax. It's just a child's game. "

Melwin returned and threw to Plank a small light and sound grenade, another of smoke and two pairs of earplugs.

The blonde put on the earplugs and gave a pair to Kevin. He laughed. "Let's play."

Saying this, he threw the grenade of light and sound that caught his opponents off guard. The others also threw their grenades and even with the earplugs the help of the hands were needed to soften the sound.

"Plank you son of a bitch." Plank heard Roger screaming. The man knew what Plank was doing, he just didn't expect that he would actually do this. It was something trivial, but definitely effective.

Plank threw the smoke grenade, the others also threw. They had numerical advantage, and knew where the enemies were and to where they could possibly runaway. Roger and the others were blinded by the light and now by the smoke, and they were deaf. The perfect plan.

The "dance-in-the-dark" was just a simple training that Plank and others used to do to be able to shoot not listening or watching the opponent.

Plank pulled the sleeve of Kevin making him following him. He ran to where Roger was. The enemies were firing like crazy and this facilitated their locations, but Roger wouldn't do that and Plank knew.

Roger was smart, but Plank was more.

"You're a fucking loser, you know?"

Roger found himself immobilized when Plank, by behind, put the gun to his head and a knife in his abdomen.

"Drop the gun."

Roger obeyed.

Plank aimed the knife on Roger's jugular and put the gun away grabbing his cell phone. "How's it going?"

J.P. laughed. "They fell on this stupid plan. But one escaped."

"No problem. Take the others to the room B." He hung up. "Hey! Pumpkin?" Plank looked around searching for Kevin, but the smoke was still a bit dense.

Kevin came walking slowly toward him holding the right forearm. Blood oozed hand below.

Plank sighed. "You bloody fool, what happened?" He escorted Roger toward Room B.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kevin scoffed scowling.

"Didn't I tell you to stay close to me?"

"As if that were possible."

Plank snorted and didn't say anything else while taking Roger to the room combined. When they arrived, the others were already there, properly bound and gagged. Plank pushed Roger onto an empty chair, and this almost fell backwards, but regained a balance in time. He was also properly bound and gagged.

Plank came so close to Roger that their noses nearly touch. He pointed the gun at his head. "What were you thinking you would get doing this?"

Roger could only frown.

Plank turned away. "I always knew you were pathetic, but not to this point." The punk snorted and turned to face Kevin. He grabbed his arm and raised sharply the jacket sleeve making Kevin grunting. He sighed. "J.P. can you take care of this for me? And please call the doctor to care of J.J."

"No problem." J.P. placed a hand on Kevin's back guiding him out of the room.

"What about you?" Kevin turned to talk to Plank.

The punk pointed the gun at Roger, still looking at Kevin. "I don't let unfinished issues. When you are done taking care of this arm J.P. will take you home."

"But..."

"Once Francis gets better, the first thing I'm going to do is send him home. You need to go and..."

"How do you think I can go quietly back home knowing someone still want to kill my uncle?" Kevin shouted and J.P. had to hold him.

"Who tried to kill him has been captured."

Kevin broke loose of J.P. "From what I know he was one of yours, it doesn't make a fucking difference knowing that he was captured."

Plank raised an eyebrow, Kevin was right. He looked at Roger. "J.P. do what I asked you."

"Hey ..." Kevin screamed and J.P. had to hold him again.

Plank faced Kevin coldly, this caused the redhead stop. He calmed down and faced him too, but he closed his eyes and sighed. Kevin gave up. He would trust Plank.

Present

"What you really feel about me?"

Derek had gone to the kitchen and sat on the edge of the table. He waited until Edd appear and served him a glass of iced tea. Then he sat next to Derek, his heart was extremely fast.

Derek had always been a sincere kind of person, who liked to look in people's eyes while talking, but this one was now Edd, and he doesn't expect to have to ask him that. For this reason he lacked with courage and rather than face Edd, he was playing with the ice in the cup.

"Hmm..." Edd opened his mouth to answer, but the words just didn't come out. What kind of question was that? And why so suddenly? Edd started to breathe faster trying to soothe the discomfort on his stomach. "What do...?"

Derek sighed. "Would you have the courage not to lie to me?" He said finally facing Edd.

Double D stirring nervously in the sweater he was wearing. Edd would never be able to lie to Derek, but what he really felt? Perhaps, from the beginning he was lying to himself.

A tear trickled down his face.

Derek supported his head in one hand and with the other hand he wiped away the tear of Edd's face. He smiled, but the pain that plagued his heart was almost unbearable.

"I think we'd better finish." Derek made a tremendous effort to get those words out.

Edd's eyes widened and a tear trickled down by the other eye.

Derek bit his lips, closed his eyes and sighed. See Edd like that was painful. He looked deep into Edd's eyes. "Don't make this harder for me than it already is." With the hand that the head was leaning he passed over his face, repressing the urge to cry. "Since the beginning, I think that deep down, I expected this would happen." He gave a shy smile. "From the beginning I made you accept my feelings. I wanted so much that you'd accept them that I didn't consider what you really wanted..."

"I... I never thought you forced your feeling on me..." Now the tears were rolling down Edd's face without stopping. "I... I accepted... You never forced me nothing. "

Derek was happy to hear that, but that wasn't the whole truth. He gave a sad smile and with one hand he caressed one cheek of Edd. "I might not have forced you. You may have accepted, but this feeling that I feel for you has never been mutual."

Edd shook his head slightly.

"You can even like me Edd, might even like me much, but you don't love me..." He looked sad for the side and then to Edd again. "And think you'll never going to love."

That was the truth and Edd knew, but he really wanted to be able to say that everything was a lie because he wanted from the bottom of his heart he could love Derek, but he couldn't.

Edd couldn't stop the tears.

"I'm… I'm sorry Derek..." Edd hid his face between his hands.

Derek wasn't looking for apologies, all the times alongside Edd were wonderful. "Hey babe, what are you apologizing for?" He embraced Edd aside. "It was so bad to be with me?"

Edd lifted his head quickly. "No... Of course not! That's not what I meant."

Derek smiled. "So there's to apologize about. I loved every second I spent with you." His heart ached. "We just weren't fated to be together."

Edd cried more. He clung to Derek's neck. "I'm apologizing because I wish I could have been different... have given you what you deserve. I swear... I swear I tried. But..."

"If you had been different I wouldn't have fallen for you." Derek looked up to not cry, patted Edd's head supported on his chest.

Derek allowed himself to be with Edd in his arms for a few more minutes. "I need to go Edd."

Double D tightened the hug a little longer, he was afraid to let Derek go.

Derek sighed and hugged Edd as hard as he could, but he didn't want to wait much longer. "I really need to go." Only then Edd set him free, slowly. Derek involved Edd's face with his hands and kissed his forehead. "I'll still always be by your side."

In saying this, Derek turned around and left. He refused to look back; if he looked he would see his weakness and he couldn't be weak now.

Edd didn't follow him. It was weird not say goodbye to Derek with a kiss. He was already used to the shape of his lips, with the taste of his mouth, with Derek.

Edd felt empty.

He cried.

Double D cried for Derek, for not being enough, for have hurt him, for not being able to give all the care and love that had been given to him. However at the bottom, Edd wasn't sad about letting Derek go. It was a cruel thing to feel, but he knew it was better that it happened now than to let the relationship liger and he won't be able to let someone he didn't love go. That would have been bad for both Derek and for himself.

However the emptiness that the lack of Derek would cause in his life no one would be able to fill. Derek was special and always would be.

Edd had nowhere to hang on.

He cried the whole night.

Kevin was in his garage staring at his bike.

He ran a hand through its accent. "Long time I don't drive this baby." He smirked.

It was 7:30am. Kevin fucking care if he'd get late to school, he certainly would make the long way. He put the helmet on and turned the key giving life to the engine. He enjoyed the snoring that the bike did and relaxed with its vibrations. He left and, even if the injured arm hurts when he forced it, he accelerated gradually until he was sliding on the asphalt feeling the cold wind reinvigorating him.

Today would be a great day, he was feeling it.

Even leaving home late, Kevin arrived at school on time. "Maybe I drove too fast." He shrugged turning off the bike.

Kevin walked toward his locker. The hall was full of people, full of wheezing of parallel chitchat. People running and monitors after those. Despite all the distractions, Kevin didn't pay attention to anything, he was automatically walking to his locker.

Derek also was lost in his thoughts, but he noticed Kevin coming toward him.

Kevin felt himself being watched and his eyes instinctively met with Derek's. When they get closer, Derek averted his eyes, looking forward, he raised his hand and supported it on the redhead' shoulder, and kept walking.

Kevin turned, frowning, to face Derek moving away, as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell was that?" Kevin stayed for a few more seconds watching astonished at what had just happened.

"Casanova Kevin boy!?"

Kevin startled when he was abruptly removed from his thoughts.

"Rol..." Before he could return the greetings, Rolf grabbed Kevin in a suffocating hug, being removed from the ground.

"Kevin boy, you've worried everyone."

Troy punched on the shoulder of Kevin before he could answer. "Bitch!"

"You didn't have to worry." Kevin said giving Troy a first bump. Despite the words, the redhead was happy for his friend being there and because they have been worried.

Troy noticed the bandage on Kevin's arm when it was still hovering in the air. "I hope this doesn't spoil the game next week."

Kevin had forgotten arm, not because I wasn't hurt, but because he was too anesthetized by being in the company of his friends. He gently lowered the sleeve of the varsity he was wearing. "'course not." The redhead tried to sound confident, but actually he wasn't sure if he could play.

The others noticed.

"I don't even want to know how this happened, just do me a favor and don't get more involved with whatever-it-is." Troy smiled and walked away toward his classroom.

"Rolf wants to know what happened when you feel you must speak. Rolf just wants to help." Rolf also smiled and squeezed affectionately Kevin's shoulder with one hand, going to his classroom.

Nazz hugged Kevin strongly, who also embraced her, a little surprised because the girl had already seen him.

"I didn't say anything yesterday, but I have to ask you something."

Kevin walked away from his friend, getting silent giving freedom to the girl to continue.

"When I was talking to you on the phone yesterday I could have sworn that... that I had heard shooting sounds." Nazz took a strand of hair away from her face.

Kevin sighed, that situation was getting harder and harder to hide. "I think we better go to the classroom."

He passed Nazz, and she held the wrist of his unharmed arm. "Kevin, it's it, wasn't it?"

The redhead turned and stared at the blondie in the eye. "I'm not going to involve you in it Nazz."

The girl released Kevin and sighed. "I'm already somehow involved Kev. I'm your best friend, and I'm worried about you. "

Kevin knew Nazz was really worried, but he was managing not to get annoyed at her insistence. All he wanted was her safety. He couldn't just tell her everything and she didn't understand it.

"Nazz…" Kevin took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I don't want you involved in this situation."

Nazz held the injured arm of Kevin and lifted the sleeve of his jacket. "I want to know how this hap..."

"Nazz, enough already!" Kevin pulled away abruptly. Soon after its expression was sad. "There are things that I can't tell you... for your own good." He paused and Nazz finally gave up. "Just... please... understand that."

Nazz hugged Kevin again and whispered. "But I'll still nag you."

Kevin smiled and knew that the girl wouldn't do any more questions.

I can stop listening to "Pages", 3 Doors Down, and feel sad about Derek, and about the whole story... :'(