Runaway Love

Hey guys, it's hot here and we're roasting but oh well I'll just have to deal with it. Um I just got back from dance and I don't hurt all that bad so that's a plus for the day. I'll probably be able to write this then get a Mysterious Darkness update in as well, at least that's what I'm hoping for.

Last chapter, Chase and Andie were both injured in the car crash but not seriously. Uh, Blake is having one hell of a night and Alex just showed up at the hospital. That basically sums it all up so in this chapter, um, I not really sure what's gonna happen but I hope you all enjoy.

A/N-This is named after Ludacris's "Runaway Love" featuring Mary J. Blige.

Disclaimer-Don't own Step Up 2, if I did Rob Hoffman would be mine.

Alex walked slowly and tiredly over to Chase's bed, he knew that every eye in the room was on him but he didn't care. His head hurt too bad for him to even form the thought of caring. His body felt like lead and he was pretty sure he stunk, but he needed to be here for Chase and Andie. Sitting on the end of Chase's bed, Alex pulled his feet up to sit Indian style and buried his face in his hands.

"I wish you all would stop staring at me." He muttered.

Blake raised an eyebrow at his littlest brother.

"You still didn't answer my question." He said. "What are you doing here?"

Alex looked up at Blake, his older brother could see how glassy and tired looking his green eyes were.

"Chase is hurt," Alex glanced at Andie. "So is Andie, enough said."

"How did you get here?" Brandy asked.

"Snuck out," He replied. "I'm quite good at it and Shane was sleep,"

"But still," Andie said. "Did you walk?"

Alex shook his head,

"I rode—well I attempted to ride my bike." He said.

"And how did that go?" Chase asked. "Aren't you drunk?"

Alex shrugged,

"My bike has an engine remember?" He asked rubbing his eyes. "All I had to do was stay sitting, no pedaling required."

"You didn't fall?" Brandy asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh trust me," Alex raised his sleeve to reveal and very bruised and slightly bloody arm. "I fell, loads of times."

Blake and Chase looked at each other as Alex re-buried his face in his hands.

"Alex," Blake said gently. "We've got to talk."

Alex didn't lift his face from his hands. He knew what they wanted to talk about and in all honesty he wasn't in the mood for it. But Alex supposed it was better to get it over with now instead of waiting.

"Why did you sneak out?" Chase asked.

Alex considered not answering him, pretending that he was too drunk to comprehend what his older brother was saying. But in truth, Alex was quite ashamed at himself for sneaking out and drinking so much. He was only going to have a glass, and that glass turned into two glasses, then three, then four until finally the whole bottle was gone and he was starting another one.

"I snuck out because I needed to get away."

They all frowned.

"Away from what?" Blake tilted his head.

"Everything," Alex replied. "Mom and Dad, school, you guys, just everything."

Andie looked at Alex, there was something there. That he wasn't telling them.

"And why did you get drunk?" Chase asked softly.

"Because it made me forget." Alex answered. "It made me forget everything and it made me not so crazy and worthless."

"But that's just it," Blake said. "You're not crazy and you're not worthless."

Alex snorted,

"It's not just that." He said quietly. "It made me forget about my parents giving up custody of me."

Andie, Chase and Blake all looked at each other. Brandy who had taken a seat in the corner of the room decided to stay quiet, this didn't involve her.

"How did you find that out?" Chase asked.

"Dad told me." Alex replied. "Yesterday, he and mom."

"But they don't know where we live or where Brandy lives." Blake said. "How did they find out?"

"They didn't." Alex replied. "I didn't stay at Brandy's yesterday, I was out with...a friend and they saw me."

Andie took a seat next to Alex, putting her hand on his back gently she saw his eyes peek at her.

"What did they say to you?" She asked. "Did it have anything to do with the friend you were with?"

Alex's head snapped up and he stared at Andie with wide scared eyes.

"You've been to see them." He said quietly. "You went and talked to my parents."

Andie nodded, not breaking eye contact with the boy.

"What did they tell you?" He asked quietly.

Both Chase and Blake opened their mouths but Andie shook her head ever so slightly, she had this.

"Your father told us that they were sending you to Colorado." Andie said quietly. "And that they were only doing it because of your anger problem and because they saw you kissing another boy."

Andie watched Alex's eyes turn to saucers.

"They told you that?" He nearly squeaked.

Andie nodded slowly and Alex jumped from the bed. He began to pace back and forth, his green eyes filling with tears.

"Oh god now you guys are gonna wanna send me away too! I asked Dad not to tell you but what does he do? He tells you! He has to go and open his big mouth and now you all are gonna hate me, you're going to agree with my parents and help send me away! I was gonna tell you guys I really was but I kept getting distracted! Aydan and Camille know and they're perfectly fine with it so why can't you guys be? I was gonna let you guys meet my friend but my Dad said if he ever saw me with him again I'd regret the day I was born! But now it's to late to even try to explain myself because I'm being sent away! Then once I'm all the way in Colorado you'll write me nearly everyday but soon the letters will start to come less frequently until I'll never hear from you again! I'll come back one day when I'm eighteen and you'll all still hate me so I'll have no where to live and I'll have to live on the streets and I'll brought be murdered cause I know nothing about the streets and—."

"Alex!" Andie nearly yelled.

He stopped in the middle of his pacing to face her. Somewhere in his monologue the tears had start to fall from his eyes.

"Calm down." Chase said gently. "We're not going to hate you and you're not going to Colorado."

Blake stood up and moved to stand in front of his little brother. He took hold of his shoulders gently and stared down at him for a moment.

"Alex," He said gently. "You're our brother, we love you no matter what."

"But they're my parents!" Alex yelled wiping at his eye furiously. "Shouldn't they love me?"

Blake nodded, pulling his little brother to him.

"They should Alex," He told him quietly. "But since they don't that's all the more reason to let someone like Andie love you."

Alex didn't say anything.

"But she's not my mother." He finally replied.

"No I'm not." Andie said. "And I don't think I should try to be either, but I'm sure that I could love you like a mother should, well me and Brandy could figure it out between the two of us."

Brandy nodded when she and Andie met eyes.

"But, you'll hate me." Alex muttered.

"Why?" Chase asked. "Why would we ever hate you? How could we hate you?"

"Because," Alex muttered something in Blake's chest.

"What was that?" Andie asked. "Come on Alex, we won't hate you."

Alex didn't say anything and Chase sat up in his bed with a wince.

"Alex," Blake muttered, his lips pressed against his hair line. "Tell us."

"Because!" Alex snapped, losing his temper all of the sudden. "Because I'm into dudes man! I'm fucking into guys and dad says that I'm a faggot and there's not way in hell that I could be his child because he would never have a faggot for a son!"

That was what Andie had been waiting for. She wanted to hear it come out of Alex's mouth because the more she thought about it the more it would have made sense if Alex preferred boys to girls. She had figured it out about twenty minutes ago but wouldn't let it fully settle in her mind until she heard it come from the green eyed Collins boys' mouth.

"Alex," Chase said quietly. "You're not a faggot, don't ever let any one call you a faggot."

"But I am," Alex said burying his face in his hands. "I'm a fucking orphaned faggot."

"Don't say that." Chase said shaking his head. "You're not an orphan and you're not a faggot. Blake is going to adopt you and just because you like boys does not make you a faggot."

"What does it make me then?" Alex challenged glaring at his older brother.

"An even cooler little brother than you were before." Chase replied with a shrug.

Andie held back a smile as she watched Alex search for something to say.

"Alex," Brandy said quietly. "I think Chase has got you there."

The two teenagers and adults grinned at the small boy as he let out a loud sigh and fell to the ground.

"You guys have no idea how good it feels to get that out." He said as Blake picked him up and sat him on Chase's bed.

Andie smiled and ruffled the little boys head.

"We're just glad you're finally telling us." She said.

Alex curled up into a little ball at the end of Chase's bed and closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I'm so tired." He muttered. "And my head is killing me."

"You feel like shit huh?" Blake asked rubbing his face.

Alex nodded.

"Join the club." The entire room replied.

Andie curled in Chase's side with her arm draped over his stomach. He held her close and kissed the top of her head.

"Ow," Andie muttered. "Watch the head, it's the most sensitive thing on me at the moment."

Chase smiled and rested his cheek on her forehead.

"Go to sleep you two." Brandy said as Blake laid across a chair with his head in her lap. "Blake and I will still be here when you wake up."

Andie closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Chase, all she wanted to do was sleep.

However when the street dancer woke up about two hours later she found Alex's head in her lap. His face was screwed up slightly and looked as if he was having a bad dream. Running her fingers through his hair, Andie pressed her lips together in thought. She need a ballet to sing, something smooth and slow. That would chase the nightmares away.

But only sad songs were coming to mind. Sighing in defeat of her own mind, Andie picked the first that she'd thought of. Pulling Alex up more into her lap, despite the protest that the bruises on her legs gave. She cradled Alex like a baby and pressed her lips to his hair line, murmuring against his sweaty skin. Andie did not notice Chase open his large brown eyes to watch her.

Where once was light

Now darkness falls

Where once was love

Love is no more

Don't say -- goodbye

Don't say -- I didn't try...

Andie almost jumped out of her skin when Chase's hand slipped into hers. She turned to look at him and he gave her a small smile.

"Don't stop," He muttered. "I want to hear the rest of the song."

Andie nodded and thought for a moment, remembering the rest of it.

These tears we cry

Are falling rain

For all the lies

You told us

The hurt, the blame!

And we will weep

To be so alone

We are lost!

We can never go home

She'd not heard this song in forever. In fact she couldn't remember where she'd heard it or who sang it. But it had been one of her favorite songs. Her mother had played it for her, once when she was really sad about something or other.

Andie must have given too long of a pause because Chase's thumb ran over the back of her hand gently. She looked down at their intertwined hands before looking at her crushed one, she gave him a tiny smile before taking another breath.

So in the end

I will be -- what I will be

No loyal friend

Was ever there for me

Now we say -- goodbye

We say -- you didn't try...

These tears you cry

Have come too late

Take back the lies

The hurt, the blame!

When Andie finished, she pressed her lips against Alex's forehead before lying her head on Chase's shoulder.

"It's a pretty song."

Looking over Chase's chest, Andie met eyes with Blake.

"Where did you hear it?" He asked.

"My mother use to play it for me." Andie replied. "Whenever I was sad."

Chase smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Now I'm going back to sleep." Andie muttered. "Two hours wasn't near enough sleep."

Andie was just about to fall back asleep when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Pulling it out of her pocket, Andie squinted at the name and realized it was a number she didn't know.

"Hello?" Andie answered.

"You're still alive?"

Andie frowned, she didn't know that voice.

"Who is this?" She asked.

Chase looked down and watched Andie's eyebrows make a deep V.

"I was sure the car crash would kill you or at least do some serious brain damage."

"Who is this?" Andie repeated.

"We've never met but a sibling of mine said to call and see if you were still alive." The voice paused. "I guess we'll just have to try harder next time."

Before Andie could say anything, the person hung up.

Okay this is short, yes I know but I was drawing a blank on what to write. So I ended it early. I hope you guys enjoyed it none the less.

A/N-Yea Alex came out! Lol.

Reviews keep my fingers typing chapters!

Danyi