AN: When you get to the cell phone part, let's assume it's set to just the time, not the date when you flip it open.
The Path to…
Death…Devastation…
He woke up with a feeling of contentment.
It quickly left.
The hand resting on his chest, just below his neck, was not the perfect mocha that he loved. The color he often found himself duplicating on long nights at the PCU Library, slowly adding a stream of cream until he found her perfect shade, giving him just a moment with her instead of his text books.
He couldn't think as his stomach rose up to his throat. He wasn't in his room. He wasn't anywhere in the mansion and he was pretty damn sure he wasn't wearing any clothing. He couldn't remember what happened, but he didn't need to be a rocket scientist to piece it together. He also knew an act he couldn't remember would destroy the one thing he wanted more than anything, a future with Keesha.
He slid slowly away from the stranger, who he could now see had brown hair to go with her fair skin. She curled into his pillow as she lost her human one.
He tried to piece together the night as he quickly slid into what he assumed was his clothing, though when he had changed eluded him. The jacket that he scooped up definitely wasn't his, but wasn't about to go out in December without one, he'd fulfilled his quota of stupid acts for his life with this one.
No, he thought as he hustled out of the room, repressing a groan as he realized he was in a family house. Sex with a stranger while her family slept in the nearby rooms, he had seen AJ get drunk enough to lose all common sense, it was why he avoided it, but that…
He didn't pause to look at anything, he only saw the door, the shining beacon of his freedom. Only paying enough attention to avoid the toys in his path.
'Freedom!' He thought as he turned the handle. 'Not so,' he realized as he didn't see his car, then frowned even further as he nearly sprinted off the porch, the houses looked familiar, but the cars…
Where was the snow?
It had just snowed hadn't it?
His head hurt.
He needed AJ or actually he needed to kill AJ. He lifted a hand to cradle the side of his head, he didn't know if it was the sunlight, his actions or the incredible amount alcohol he must have consumed the night before, but his head throbbed.
He literally groaned as he reached the street corner and realized he was a half hour walk easily from his house. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, grateful at least he still had his wallet. His hand fingered something else as well, at first assuming it was his cell phone, but ten minutes in as his mind had run through enough ways to kill his brother to satisfy him for the moment and trying to figure out when the confusion would finally leave his mind; when AJ was actually sober enough to move he normally became lucid quickly. Figured he'd be lucky enough to apparently lose all sanity when it came to drinking, even the day after. As that passed though and his hands returned to his, or whomever he had borrowed the coat from, he went for his phone. Expecting to turn it on to find a dozen panicked voicemails from AJ.
"Holy shit," he muttered and stopped in his tracks as he pulled out the sleek little black cell phone. He flipped it open, amazed at the smoothness of the action, it felt nothing like what was suddenly his clunky Motorola, the battery lay smooth, not jutting out.
He started walking again as he flipped it open. It had to be from Europe. Then he stopped and once more looked around at the cars, or he really was going crazy. The phone at least was easy enough to figure out, though he it did stop him in his tracks as the web option came up. There was no name emblazoned across the front screen as was on his own, so he started to scroll through the contacts. Happy for a moment to see Brenda's name, until entirely too many numbers came up and he realized it couldn't be her. He continued scrolling as he mentally debated calling Reginald or Ned to come pick him up because he definitely wasn't getting into a car with AJ. If he called Ned though, there would be questions, then worse than questions would be Brenda knowing before he even talked to Keesha. He sighed thinking of Keesha and flipped the phone shut, shoving it back into his pocket.
He stepped up his walk, grateful the cold weather seemed to have passed and decided to forget everything else, until he talked to AJ. Praying he had been drugged and therefore forgiven, it was after all the only solution that made sense.
He got back faster than he expected as he was so caught up in trying to figure out what was going on and quickly realized the keys also in his pocket did not belong to him. So with his head ducked down to avoid any incriminating looks he knocked on the kitchen door, preferring Cook to Reginald this morning and hopefully a quick retreat up the back stairs avoiding anyone who had already come down.
"Jason," he heard the surprise in her voice, but he kept his head down.
"Morning," he muttered and nearly ran towards the stairs.
The jacket was off before he hit the sanctity of his room, grateful beyond measure that no one was wondering about the hallways.
He had to get HER off of him. He felt dirty, disgusting. There was no way he could even attempt a conversation with AJ, while he smelled like her…His shoes and shirt were off as he grabbed a pair of sweats and a tee shirt and headed into the bathroom.
-x-X-x-
The shower, he nearly dove for and had left his skin raw from the heat and violent scrubbing, was over entirely too soon. His hand had lifted to the fogged mirror and laid flat on it after quickly drying off, until he realized he wasn't ready to face himself.
With sweats pulled on though he once more sighed as his hand laid on the door knob, not at all ready to face his brother, but knowing he eventually he had no choice, but to face AJ and Keesha, the sooner he got answers, the sooner he could figure out how to make her forgive the unforgivable.
-x-X-x-
He wanted to fling the door open, but once more who else could he face, but his brother. He did pause as he had during his walk in fear that AJ had allowed him to make such a grave mistake. He knew his brother loved him, but could he have done something like this in a moment of desperation, trying to prove that the 'good son,' the 'perfect son' wasn't so His stomach clenched in fear, then another thought crossed his mind…What if AJ wasn't there? He assumed his brother was fine, but…
The door quickly opened as a fear greater than losing Keesha entered his mind, his brother…
The door opened and he just stared. It was blank. Empty. Not in contents, but in character. AJ's things, the furniture, everything. It was like walking into a guest room…
He shook his head as he crossed the room, still expecting to find AJ's belongings in the closet…Empty.
Then his panic suddenly went into a fury as he remembered past grandiose plans of his drunken brother that he had been sucked into and he remembered nearly pulling his back out trying to move the heavy desks in their dorm.
He stalked out of the room, ready to hunt down his prey before he realized he wanted to pulverize him instantaneously, not an hour later. "He better run," Jason muttered, just before softly knocking on Emily's door. Sure their little sister had been involved in the move their brother had initiated while he should have been trying to track his younger brother down and stopping him from making the biggest mistake of his life.
No answer. He knocked again. Then closed his eyes feeling guilty, but having no other option seeing as while he was sure Reggie would know where AJ was, he wasn't quite ready to explain his whereabouts to his grandmother. "Emily," he said softly as he opened the door.
He frowned and swallowed hard as he realized while her furniture was the same, her bedding wasn't and only a few distinctly Emily items littered the room neatly. A doll on her bed, a bear on her chair, but no pictures. "Em!" he called out. He couldn't take this anymore. "AJ," he turned and screamed suddenly not caring if everyone in the house came rushing him.
"A giant fuckin joke," he cursed, sure that was going on, he crossed the room to her bathroom, "you better be dressed," he threatened and was surprised to feel the unlocked handle turn easily. The bathroom too. He realized seeing the bathroom un-littered with girly products. Had his bathroom been different? The tiles had been the same, one of the maids that changed as often as Edward's moods, stocked the towels and toiletries. Had his toothbrush been there? That hadn't been on his list of priorities before yelling and crying to AJ.
He shook his head as he moved a few feet down, ready to rattle his sister's neck, who had to be hiding in the closet.
Once more empty.
He turned expecting to hear his siblings laughing behind him in the doorway, enjoying their joke, but once more no. He turned back and stared at the mostly empty closet. The clothing looked more likely to belong to Brenda then Emily.
"This is not funny!" he screamed as he left the room. Though a smart of him almost wanted to smile, he felt relieved realizing AJ must have thought him fine and probably pulling this joke the ensure his little brother never touched a drop of booze again, which he wouldn't for sure. He probably ran into someone from school, AJ had probably gotten a cab home…
"Guys!" he screamed again.
"Emily," he tried as he started down the hall, sure Emily would cave first, AJ knew him better, knew he wouldn't actually disown him over a joke.
"Jason," his mother's hushed whisper came from behind him.
She was wearing a robe, he had obviously just woken her.
It was her face.
He didn't know what it was, but he knew it wasn't good. Worse then when she had cancer, but he knew it. It hit him slowly as she looked at him in horror, it was how she looked at Dawn's picture. Lost in thought by unfeasibility of her being no more.
"No," he shook his head slowly. "No," he repeated.
"Oh Jason," she took a step towards him.
"AJ," he screamed without thought, just need.
Then his breath stopped as she froze and tears that had previously glistened in her eyes started to fall.
"No," he commanded and violently shook his head. "AJ," he screamed again and ran towards his room. He repeated the name as he heard his mother gently cry his name as he ran into the room, "No," he ordered as he turned in the soulless room, to face her sorrowful face, he could feel the tears on his face. "No," he repeated, but his mind started to force its way past his heart. He would drink, do drugs, would do anything to bury that pain, a reality without his brother, an entire life together suddenly over, and his little sister with her whole future ahead of her? No…He couldn't face that, he couldn't live with it, move past it.
"You're lying," he told his mother point blank. They couldn't be dead if he was still alive, their rooms couldn't be empty while his was untouched.
"Oh sweetheart," she said raising her fingers to her lips, then began to take another tentative step towards him.
"I don't believe you," he was filled with a hatred he had never felt before, looking at the person who had taken away his family with a single look. He went te ocouldn't face that, he couldn't live with it, he couldn't move past it, ever. o rush past her, ready to push her if she even dared touch him.
He was barely out in the hall two seconds, trying to figure out what direction to head in when he heard, "What in God's name is going on out here?"
He turned to Edward in his navy silk robe and without a second's worth of reprieve he was hit with it again, only this time with finality as Edward looked at him as he normally looked at AJ, "Oh it's you."
That's when it hit Jason Quartermaine, his life was over, there was nothing that could fix this.
Thanks for reading!!
I have got to cave and reinstall my OS. Random words in weird places sooo not my fault.
And yes, he realizes his enviroment is wrong before he gets to the house, but everything is wrong. He's a boy, boys know cars. :-P