Title: Since You're Gone
Author: TWBasketCase
Rated: T for language, violence, substance use, and sexuality
Chapter Summary: Allison and Andy get together and talk; and Brian starts asking questions that Bender doesn't want to listen to.
A/N: It's been freaking forever, feel free to shoot me. I think once I get past this chapter things will definitely look up. Next chapter is where I want to be, damnit! But anyways, if you still like this story (and are still even reading it), I hope that you enjoy this. More freaking character development. Whoopee. ;)

Also, I'm probably really teetering on the rating with this chapter, so please be prepared for that. I'm not going to write anything too racy because I don't want to have to rate this fic M…so just consider this a warning.

Chapter 14 - Don't You Ever Shut Up?

"So then I asked her why she would even want to go with that measurement because it doesn't even make sense…in that formulaic scientific sense. I never even thought there would be a scientific way to arrange decorations…but when you get into symmetry, and angles, and algebra and all that good stuff…it just…the whole thing doesn't make sense to me."

John stared across the table at Brian with a glare. "Who the fuck cares about all that stuff!?"

Brian smiled and picked up a new card from the top of the pile that sat between them. "Lots of people do. Even you do as a mechanic, and you don't even realize it."

"Because I don't give a shit."

Brian just stared at him. "Well, I hope that you never fix my brakes."

John growled and picked up a card. "I need a six."

"I can't help you with that," Brian laughed at him. "Do you ever even consider that maybe someday it could be you having to deal with this problem? It's a very important event you know. I know that Claire would be really happy, you know, and I think that maybe you should think about it." Brian paused and stared at his cards. "Ten?"

John shook his head. "No, I don't ever consider myself in your stupid situation. You're arranging fucking flowers, you fag."

Brian perked an eyebrow and picked up another card. "You're cranky today."

"King?" John asked, and grinned when Brian handed it over. "I'm not fucking cranky, dweebie. I just don't want to talk about the freaking Newton law of triangle decimal fuck."

"John, that's not even a law," Brian pointed out. "It's not even the flowers that I was referring to. I was referring to getting married to Claire."

John sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; the conversation topic came up way more fucking times than he wanted it to. His mom nagged the shit out of him for knocking up a girl out of wedlock, and Claire's parents were no better; he was also pretty aware of the conversations that Claire had with her damn friends too. They pretty much fucking pitied her for not being married. Why the hell was it so important anyways? It was just two stupid rings and a stupid pact stating that your life was officially over: you were owned. He was perfectly content with the way things were already going.

"I know what you were referring to," John spat, and slid an ace across the table. "And no, I don't consider it."

"But how come?" Brian asked him with a friendly tone. "I'm not trying to pressure you, you know. You seem to have a lot on your plate, and I was beginning to wonder if maybe you were just a little bothered by all of the wedding talk with everyone."

John just stared at him and laughed. Leave it up to Brian to worry about the funniest shit; as annoyed as John tried to act, the younger boy always ended up making him laugh. "Why would you even think that was the reason I was bitchy, dork?"

"What else would it be?" Brian asked, rolling his eyes. "I know that I get pretty annoyed with it. It's all babies, weddings, babies, weddings, love, and kisses."

"I thought you loved that?" John deadpanned and grabbed another card. "You're all up in that shit like Oprah."

Brian shrugged. "I just want to keep people happy, that's all. There's nothing wrong with that. But the girls are a bit much, you know. All they ever do is squeal and try on new outfits and buy shoes, and stuff. But you just seem like something is really bothering you lately."

"I got a lot of work to do," John huffed, and asked Brian for another six - to which he again said no to. "I have to work twelve's, and get this baby shit straightened out. I don't fucking care about wedding crap and other people's bullshit."

"If you're stressed John sometimes some activities might help. Maybe you can try yoga? They offered this free class at Columbia last February and it really did relieve a lot of stress. I did pull a muscle in my back though…" Brian trailed off and put down a set of doubles. He had no cards left, and shot John a triumphant grin. "I win."

"Why would I do yoga!?" John nearly screeched and threw his cards down. "And why the hell were we playing 'Go Fish'?"

"I kept beating you at poker?" Brian suggested. "And yoga is good for your health. Maybe you wouldn't be so bunged up all the time if you relieved your stress and did something healthy instead of smoke and drink beer."

John glared. "I wouldn't be caught dead doing that crap. That's almost as gay as drinking green tea and eating tofu."

"That's not gay, that's a choice of diet," Brian stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the whole world. John snorted at that, but the blonde haired boy gave him a serious look. "I'm your friend, okay? You might think this is all just a big joke, but I'm being serious. You really do need to relax a bit."

As much as John wanted to wedgie him at that moment for being a nerd, he kept his mouth shut. "Look, I'm not the one that you need to worry about, so don't worry about me, okay?"

"That's cryptic," Brian scoffed and stood from his chair to stretch his limbs. "But not completely unlike you to switch the focus off of yourself. But whatever, you suit yourself. I'm sick of playing cards."

John stared at his pile of doubles and briefly wondered if 'go fish' was even considered a card game at his age. "Wanna get drunk?"

Brian sighed. "I have to be up early in the morning."

"So?" John asked; he sure as hell didn't think that was a good excuse. "What does that have to do with anything? You get all pissy and want me to feel better, but you won't do what I want!"

"You sound like a four year old," Brian laughed and walked toward the kitchen of John's shared apartment. "And that's saying something about you."

"Whatever," John muttered and threw himself on the sofa lazily.

"Why don't we give Andy a call?" Brian's voice carried from the kitchen.

"Let's not and pretend we did!" John snapped. "Unless you have a secret plan to abduct him and go drop him off in Wisconsin."

Brian appeared back in the living room with a frown on his face and a glass of water in his hand. "That wouldn't be very nice, I don't think."

"Of course not," John snapped as he turned on the television. "We wouldn't want to ever do that to him."

Brian shoved John's legs off of the couch and sat down next to him. "He's my friend, but I didn't think you were being serious in the first place." John watched as Brian scratched his head and gave him a serious look. "You know, I haven't seen you guys do this alpha male thing in a long time. Don't you think you're being just a little immature?"

John stared hard at the blonde haired boy. "No."

"But why are you doing it? Are things bothering you that much?" Brian nearly looked exasperated by that point.

John didn't want to get all sentimental and have a mushy conversation, but at the same time he felt kind of bad for acting like a jack ass. Brian didn't get to come down and see them all that often, and it wasn't right that they were all fighting while he did. "Look, I'm just fucking tired, alright? I work too much."

Brian snorted. "You're supposed to be at work right now."

"And your point?"

Brian just gave him a small smile. "You'll never change."

John couldn't help but grin at the fact that Brian was trying to mother him. The younger man had always put the well being of his friends first and foremost, and it was something that John both appreciated and hated. He couldn't for the life of him understand how Brian could be so caring and all that other garbage. But if the kid had one thing going for him, it was the fact that he would never become a lying shit eater; Brian was a good friend who was as equally as good for getting John's mind off of stressful things.

"So you wanna get drunk or not?" John offered one last time.

Andrew watched Allison intently as she finished off her soup. He had managed to get her over to his apartment after a long day at work so that he could get her fed and spend the night with her…and give her the ring he had bought.

It hurt his heart to watch her sit there so innocently and unaware of the guilt that was piling on him at an alarming rate. He was trying his hardest to show her how much he really did love her, and how much she really meant to him, before he took her out for dinner the following night and broke the news to her about his misdeeds with Alex in Vancouver. The thought of Allison ever thinking other wise about his feelings was nearly too much pain to bear.

It was the farthest thing from the truth.

"What are you thinking about?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Just how beautiful I think you are."

A slight blush colored her cheeks. "Well I'm glad to know that you think me slurping soup out of a bowl is attractive."

Andy smiled at her bluntness. "It doesn't matter what you're doing; it won't change my mind."

"I'm sure I could challenge that theory," she gave him a toothy grin from her spot on the couch. "But seriously, your head has been in the clouds all afternoon. What's wrong?"

He just blinked. "Have you ever…done something that didn't make any sense to you?"

"What do you mean?" Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Like if you thought really strongly about something, but then did something that was the total opposite?" he paused and raked a hand through his hair. "Like just pure confusion drowns out any rationality or logic in your mind…and you're just left wondering what in the world came over you?"

She bit her lower lip. "That was deep."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm just…mumbling, or something."

She shuffled over from her place on the couch and sat closely beside him. He watched her carefully as she rested her head lightly on his shoulder and snaked her arm around his waist in - what he guessed - was an attempt of comfort. "It sounds important to me…" she murmured.

He turned his head to the side and brushed his lips against her hair. "It is…it's just…"

She lifted her head to look into his eyes. "You can tell me. I won't think any differently of you. We've come this far."

"I know," Andy whispered, but broke eye contact. "I just want you to know that whatever happens I love you - no matter what." He could sense all of the emotion brewing in her eyes, and suddenly the seriousness of the situation really came into fruition in his mind; he had to tell her how he felt before it was too late. "Allison, I would travel to the end of the world and back for you…I'd die for you."

If it was anyone else but Allison he was talking to, he probably would've freaked them out.

"And I feel the same way," she mumbled. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to it though?"

Andy bit his lip. "There is, but we won't get into that until tomorrow, okay? I have something else I want to do right now."

Her curious eyes glowed. "That sounds just a little more optimistic."

"It is," he let a grin stretch across his face and reached into his back pocket. Soft velvet brushed across his finger tips, and he clutched the box tightly in his hand, and produced it to her. "I wanted to be a little more…formal."

She smirked at him. "See, this is more like something you would do."

"Fine, fine," he grinned and stood from the couch so that he could kneel in front of her. He placed his left knee on the carpet, and kept the other leg in a more upright position and propped his arm on it for balance. He gave her one more goofy grin before he held the box out to her. "Allison, will you marry me?"

She snorted and burst into a fit of laughter. Not one to be deterred, he rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand to slide the ring onto her finger. And of course, being the not-so-traditional girl she was, Allison continued to laugh at him.

"Are you done?" Andy asked her.

She smiled at him and held out her hand to check out the ring. "Oooh black!"

"Yes and silver…and expensive," he grinned and crawled up next to her on the couch. "I figured you wouldn't necessarily be into all that white gold shit that's so popular these days."

She scrunched up her face and gazed at him. "No, not really. This is good."

"Good?" he chuckled. "Well, I'm glad to know that my tastes are decent at best."

"Oh you aren't decent, you big baby," She cooed before leaning into him to give him a sweet kiss. "You're wonderful…" she kissed him again. "Handsome…" she laughed softly against his lips, and the hot air made the hairs on his neck stand up. "You're sexy…" she trailed off again.

He slid one hand across her thigh and let it settle on the soft curve of her hip, and slid the other along the backside of her neck. Their lips massaged each other in a very torturously slow rhythm until he began to move along the side of her mouth and up her jaw line until he reached the soft, delicate flesh of her ear lobe. "Is there anything else?" He chuckled before sucking lightly on the tiny lobe.

She moaned softly at the touch and moved closer to him so that she was in his lap. "Umm…talented…" her back arched forward to give him better access to her neck. "Incredible, and…oh…so nice to look at…" she giggled when he nipped at a tender spot on the crook of her neck.

"You make it sound like my looks are the best things going for me…" Andy trailed off as he made his kissing trail turn around back to her mouth. "I don't know if I should be flattered or offended," he joked.

Her heavy lidded eyes twinkled lustfully as she gave him a sultry grin. "Oh, definitely flattered," she trailed off before capturing his lips in another hungry kiss. When their tongues collided, Andy hadn't remembered feeling so ecstatic since their last night in the park together before he left for British Columbia. He loved the fact that he could still feel like a teenager with her when they touched, even after four and a half long years. (1)

Her small, cool hand ran down the side of his cheek and slowly down his neck until it came to a rest on his chest. She was always roaming her hands around all different areas of his body when she wanted him. Playfully, she would tease him by trailing her nails down his back, or softly pinching his sensitive nipples. She always managed to surprise him when they were together. Trailing even lower, her hands came to a stop just below his belly button.

He slowly began to lay back on the couch and brought her down with him. All of the guilt that had plagued his mind all afternoon slowly began to slip away as he became mesmerized with her soft lips and traveling fingers. A soft moan escaped her lips as she slipped her fingers just below the waist line of his pants and slowly stroked the flesh of his stomach. A shiver jumped up his spine and he broke the contact between their lips.

"Allison?"

She opened up her eyes and watched him from behind a thick wall of lashes. "Yeah?"

"I love you," he mumbled and stroked her hair.

"I love you, too," she whispered and kissed the tip of his nose. "Thanks for the ring…I really do love it."

"You deserve it," he whispered and chastely kissed her lips again. "What do you say we go to my room?"

She smirked wordlessly and pushed herself off of him, and no sooner was the warmth of her body gone that she grabbed a handful of his belt and roughly pulled him up toward her.

…but he wasn't going to complain. He wanted to bask in her love and attention before it was too late.

TBC

(1) Chapter 41 of…you guessed, the prequel. Andy and Allison spent one last night together in their favorite meeting spot in Shermer before he left.

A/N 1: A little descriptive, I know, but I wouldn't complain if I were you. In fact, I would ENJOY it while you still can :P and don't be mad at the filler-ness, because there will be none of that next chapter.

A/N 2: And once you marvelous people are done reviewing this story (because we all know you want to!), please please please head on over to the Breakfast Club main page and a read a story called: "Hungry?" by The Brain and The Basketcase. Take one wild guess who the basket case in that situation is? Huh? Huh? Me?! Yeah, you're right! Actually not only did I write half of that story, but my dear friend and fellow Breakfast Club writer MidnightBlue88 wrote the other half! That's right, a collaboration! So if you love AndyAllison (which I know you do if you're reading this story obviously), and you like my work…and hers…THEN READ IT! And review it too while you're at it!

Thanks for reading!