Part 11 (13-11-08) to get over Lee Christian goes on a holiday and comes back very very drunk not knowing that he and Jane have been visited by his mother.

Jane looked out of the chip shop window as a cry came out across the street. She looked up to see her brother stood by a taxi, bottle in hand, singing tunelessly to himself. She laughed and went out to see him leaning herself up against the doorway.

"Good was it?" She asked.

"Ah! You never saw such splendiferous grass." Christian slurred at her with a put on accent.

"Are you drunk?" He laughed at her question and tipped the bottle back for another long drink.

"For the whole holiday! It's been glorious."

"Well keep drinking because the best is yet to come." Jane told him tightly.

"Ah yes." He turned briefly to pay the taxi driver not even looking what note he passed him. "Mystery visitor. So who is it? Is he gorgeous?"

"It's not a he it's a she." Jane explained and watched as Christian's face fell slightly.

"She?" He asked disappointedly. "You mean I'm not going to have sex with them?"

"Oh no I don't think you'd want to do that, no."

"Well, stuff them then! Gotta go see Roxy anyway she's been texting me all morning. Looks like Sean's thrown another moody."

"But there waiting at home. Why don't you just pop in on the way, say hello."

"No." He said resolutely then grinned. "No sex no Christiandadada" he began to sing again.

"Oh really," A voice came from behind him. "…so I don't suppose you'd care to see me then? Its fine I'll just head back to the office…"

"Syed!" Drunkenly Christian swung round narrowly missing hitting Syed and pulled him in for a close cuddle. "And anytime matey boy!" He growled down.

"Missed me then?" Syed giggled against Christian's chest as the older man clasped him in tightly to his torso.

"Like you wouldn't believe!" He confessed a little too seriously then let Syed go brandishing his bag like a madman. "I have prezzies! Come on I gotta dump this stuff before I see Rox. You can try it on." He started to shepherd Syed towards his flat door.

"Oh it's clothes then?" Syed asked turning his head round slightly as he was pushed through the blue door and up the stairs waving a hasty goodbye to Jane.

"Ah no!" Christian looked drunkenly contrite at his friend. "I've gone and ruined it haven't I?" He moaned. Syed smiled so gently at him and allowed him to be further moved along.

"I'll look surprised. I promise." Syed told him seriously before eyeing him up. "So I guess you've been drinking then?"

"Like a fish."

"A fish in a tank of vodka!" Syed sniped good naturedly.

"Does it bother you, Sy?" Christian asked dragging Syed's hands up to his chest to look inebriatedly into those dark eyes he had missed so much. "Cos I can quit. For you." He tried to express his sincerity to his friend but judging by the amused expression he was pulling he wasn't doing a very good job.

"No you're alright." He insisted. "As long as you don't throw up on me it's fine."

"I'll keep that in mind." Once in the flat Christian opened his suitcase and started to fling miscellaneous items out in search of something while Syed watched. Eventually he pulled out a plastic shopping bag and stood up to grandly unveil the contents. In his hands was a white T-shirt showing a picture of a young River Phoenix with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, a picture from 'Stand by me'. Syed looked at him a mixture of soft delight and surprise. Christian watched him swallow a lump in his throat.

"I can't believe you remembered." He whispered.

"Of course I did." Christian locked eyes with Syed trying to silently tell him that he remember every last thing that Syed ever said to him. "Well you gunna try it on or what?" Syed grinned and started to pull at his neat black tie before turning slightly to undo the buttons on his crisp white shirt. He shrugged his way out of it with his back to Christian.

"Syed Masood you dark horse." Christian growled from behind him holding out his new T-shirt as his gaze dipped to the black marking on his left shoulder blade. Syed cursed and tried to turn around but Christian gripped hold of him and forced him to stay put pinning his arms to his side. "No way this I wanna see. Syed Masood the original good boy with a tattoo! Well who would have guessed! Does Zee know about this? No of course not. She would have glared it off by now."

"Please don't tell her. She's been doubly on the war path since Shabs left." He pleaded turning his head around as much as he could whilst still being held tightly.

"Oh believe me I won't be telling your mother. She has a nasty habit of killing the messenger. When exactly did you get this?" He let one finger trace the strange writing carved with ink into Syed's shoulder.

"In Amsterdam." He confessed meekly. "I didn't mean to! It's not like me at all." He protested. "The guy was a Svengali or something. One minuet I was waiting for the guys to come back from getting theirs done the next I was laid face down in a chair with a needle in my back!"

"What is it?"

"It's Arabic for constant traveller." Syed grinned sheepishly at his blank face. "Just something a parrot said about me once."

"Are you even allowed to have this, Mr Masood?" he released Syed and let him slip Christian's present over his chest, covering his shame.

"I don't think so. Not really, you're not supposed to alter what Allah created." Syed confessed to the floor.

"That's a bit hypocritical." Christian muttered the vodka still heavy in his system. "I mean you are circumcised aren't you?" He asked staring right into Syed's eyes, he nearly asked to check for him as the young man stood aghast at him but even through the drunk haze he could tell that probably wasn't a good idea.

"Do you remember before you went we agreed there were certain things you and I do not discuss well my…that is one of them." Syed said making a vague gesture downwards.

"Sore subject is it." Christian teased and watched as Syed's eyes went even wider and a dark blush went over his mortified and deeply agitated face. "Say no more Syed, we all have our inadequacies."

"Christian!"

"Oh come on, you love me really." He shoved Syed's shoulder playfully with his own.

"Yeah, right now I'm forgetting why." Syed replied sharply but he was smiling again.

"Plus I still haven't totally forgiven you for the whole Lee thing." Christian reminded him and watched as outrage turned to guilt instantly; it was nice watching the little play of emotions shift on his face.

"That was Roxy's idea." He said sulkily giving Christian the big puppy dog eyes. "I was an innocent victim like yourself."

"Yeah I know exactly how innocent you are now mate. Come on I have to go see Roxy and you probably need to get back to work. Oh you wouldn't know anything about this surprise visitor that Jane was talking about, would ya?" He asked suspiciously. Syed's mouth turned up slightly at the corners and his eyes shone with mischief.

"Me?" He said with mock sincerity. "I don't know a single thing."