A/N: So, in case you hadn't guess (or don't know it), this fic is based off of a song by Garth Brooks; it's the extended version. It's a little different than my norm but I hope you guys like it all the same. Please R&R.
PS: Let's see if you can guess who the 'lover' is. I'm pretty sure I've got a good chance of surprising at least a few of you.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Tyson Granger gripped the wheel hard as he tried his best to keep on the road, fighting against the occasional gust of wind blowing his car sideways, and the scattered raindrops obscuring his view.
"I knew I should have left earlier!" He grumbled in annoyance. But his temper quickly cooled when he remembered the reason he hadn't.
-;-
Soft, skilled hands caressing him. Tender, warm lips lighting every inch of flesh on fire. And those eyes. Those beautiful, captivating eyes.
The blunette shivered as he remembered the sensations he'd felt in his lovers embrace. He never felt so alive, so fulfilled, so... complete, as he felt in this person's arms.
They were meant to be.
But it was complicated.
In their world, things were better the way it was, things were easier this way. They had no choice.
Tyson bit his lip as he remembered the feeling of his lover's hot breath sweeping past his ear while they made love.
"She doesn't deserve you Tyson..." The voice had whispered lovingly. "She can't love you like I can, she can't give you what I can; I can give you the world! Stay with me... why leave and go back to being unhappy when I can make you happy all the time? I know you don't want to leave... Just stay."
The whispered, almost desperate words had been accompanied by a nibble at his ear; and combined with the feelings he was already experiencing, it was enough to send Tyson over the edge. The blunette screamed out as his fingertips dug into the soft flesh of his lovers back. When the stars had finally diminished as he'd come down from his high, Tyson pulled his lover close and kissed the rose petal soft, tender lips deeply and hungrily. When he finally pulled away, he placed a few fleeting kisses on the beautiful face and ran his fingers through soft, silky strands.
"You know I can't stay with you..." He'd whispered back regretfully. "I have to go back to her... Things are easier this way, you know they are. I-I have a wife, and-"
The blunette stopped and winced against the stabbing pain that seared through him upon seeing the tortured, pleading look in the dewy eyes staring up at him.
"Oh, baby!" He pleaded. "Please don't do this! Please! I wish I could stay, but I'm married for God sake! I shouldn't even be here at all!"
"But you don't love her, you love me!"
Tyson swallowed against the raw emotion constricting his throat, nearly spilling his own tears over the tortured pain in his lovers voice and face.
"Yes, I do..." He choked hoarsely. "And I would do anything to be with you, but I can't! I just can't! We should both be thankful to have what we have! Do you want to lose that?"
The eyes opposite him glossed over and gathered pools of tears threatening to fall. Tyson resisted a shiver as a delicate kiss was placed on his tanned chest.
"No... of course not... I'm thankful to have you as much as I do... It's just so bittersweet."
Tyson frowned and leaned down to press a loving kiss to the lips so dangerously close to his. The kiss was returned lovingly, passionately, and this lead to something he knew he really shouldn't let happen. But he also knew he couldn't have stopped it if he'd tried - he didn't want to.
-;-
The blunette jerked the wheel to the side, nearly having gone off the road from not paying attention. Why should he return? Why should he want to? He'd settled for this woman, this person he called 'wife' thinking he could forget his past love. But they'd both fooled themselves and proved this to be impossible. It wasn't long before the blunette found his way back into the arms he seemed unable to avoid. His wife was just an excuse, just a distraction and cover-up for his real love, his real reason for living. Sure, he liked his wife, he appreciated her, he even loved her - just not in the way a husband should love his wife.
So if he didn't want to be with her, why not leave her and go be with the one he really loved? Why string the woman along and let the resentment hiding under the surface grow and fester?
Because they lived in two completely different words, him and his lover. Because their worlds and the people in it would never allow a relationship like theirs. Because, although he knew his lover - the love of his life - would willingly and gladly make the colossal sacrifices required for them to have any sort of relationship, and do it in a heartbeat without so much as batting a pretty little eyelash, Tyson couldn't allow that, he'd never be able to live with himself.
Releasing a heavy, aggravated sigh, a deep frown came to the blunette's face and he threw his head back against the headrest in frustration as he glared ahead into the now driving rain.
Three thirty in the morning,
Not a soul in sight,
The city's lookin' like a ghost town
On a moonless summer night.
Raindrops on the windshield,
There's a storm moving in.
He's headin' back from somewhere
That he never should have been.
And the thunder rolls.
And the thunder rolls.
Hilary Tatibana-Granger was usually a sound sleeper, but this night a loud boom in the distance awoke her from her deep slumber. She rolled over to wrap her arms around her husband but was met only with thin air. Her brows furrowed and big, brown eyes blinked open in confusion.
Where was Tyson?
Looking over at the clock beside the bed, a frown etched onto her face as she noted the time. The blunette should have been back hours ago, he was only supposed to have gone out on a short business venture.
Another loud boom sounded in the distance and Hilary threw back the covers and bolted out of their room, ran down the hall, and barely touched a step as she all but flew down the stairs.
When she'd reached the living room, the brunette rushed over to the end table by the couch and checked the caller ID. Nope, no phone calls. A sickening feeling began to build in her stomach as yet another rumble of thunder was heard, this time not so far away.
"Where is he?" She whispered to herself fearfully. "It shouldn't have taken him this long..."
A thought took hold of her mind and she gasped loudly. She pictured Tyson's blue Chevy Camaro bottom up in some ditch, top and sides all crushed and wheels still turning after being thrown harshly upside down.
Hilary shook her head vigorously. No, she was being silly and jumping to conclusions again; Tyson often reprimanded her for that. He was fine, Tyson was fine, she was sure of it. In fact, he was on his way home to her at that very moment.
Nodding in satisfaction, Hilary forced herself to relax. Moments later however, her frown returned and she looked down at the phone. Maybe he got stuck somewhere? Maybe he still had his cell phone on? Maybe she should call him?
The brunette took a deep breath and picked up the phone. After dialling the correct number with a shaky hand, she put the receiver to her ear and waited.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings...
Hilary waited for four or five rings until Tyson's answering machine finally cut in, telling her he wasn't available. With a frustrated sigh, she replaced the receiver back on it's stand and began pacing, her arms hugging herself tightly.
Perhaps Tyson had no service from the storm. Perhaps his business took longer then he'd expected and he'd simply had no time to call her; after all, when Tyson put his mind to something, he didn't stop until he was satisfied. Or perhaps he had tried to call her but he couldn't get a hold of her... for some reason... even though there were no calls on the caller ID...
Hilary sighed heavily and plopped down on the couch, clutching her stomach tightly as the sickening feeling grew to an almost unbearable level. If all those things weren't true, then that only left one other thing that she could think of, something she'd been desperately denying for quite a while - Tyson was seeing someone else.
Brown eyes blurred instantly. The brunette had suspected such a thing for a very long time and until now she'd been able to come up with fool-proof excuses against it. But now, now she couldn't think of anything else. Sure, there probably were other reasons, but something deep down told her she'd denied the truth for too long, and she'd better finally accept it because this time something was approaching, and it wasn't just her husband.
One thought came to mind as the sickening truth finally began to sink in. Suppose Tyson really was cheating on her, with whom? Was it a woman she knew or someone she didn't? Was it a close friend of hers or someone she'd never met before? Was it someone close to Tyson or just someone he'd taken to just for the soul purpose of.. well, having someone else? Hilary pictured and discarded countless images in her head, trying to avoid a particular something nagging at the back of her mind. Finally the brunette was forced to admit that she had absolutely no idea who this woman could be.
Suddenly another thought occurred to her; what if it wasn't a woman at all? Wouldn't that be the ultimate slap in the face! It wasn't bad enough that he'd be cheating on her, but to rub a little extra salt in the wound, the whole world could torture her over the fact that she'd been such a terrible wife, she'd turned the mighty and proud Tyson Granger gay!
Her stomach threatening to empty its contents right there on the living room floor, Hilary tried her damnedest not to entertain this thought, but it was too late, the nuisance had already wormed its way into her brain.
If this was true, then who in the world would this man be?! Max, Ray, Kai... Daichi?!
Her stomach heaved again but this time for an entirely different reason, and this time it was easy to push the disturbing thought away.
Then who?!
Her thoughts drifted back to the Russian blunette and couldn't help linger there.
She wasn't the only one who suspected it; others had subtly suggested it to her before as well but she'd merely brushed it aside claiming it to be barely friendship or brotherly love and nothing more. She refused to believe that Tyson would do such a thing, let alone with another man. No, it simply wasn't possible; Tyson Granger couldn't possibly be gay.
But the more she considered, actually embracing the thought and thinking it over, past memories of the two flashed through her mind. Kai and Tyson had always been a little closer then the others, or so it seemed; Tyson had been close with the others as well, but it was shone more openly with these two. With the others it was just friendship, she could see that.
There was nothing else for it; if Tyson had been with anyone else this night, it would have been Kai, she was sure of it.
Deciding she'd worried herself too much already, Hilary took a deep breath, dried her tears and walked to the window. She parted the curtains slightly with as steady a hand as she could manage and stared into the abnormal blackness as she waited.
"Please God..." She whispered softly. "I know I'm not exactly the next in line for a promotion to angel, and I probably haven't earned too many favours... but please bring him home safely... Safe if nothing else."
Every light is burnin'
In a house across town
She's pacin' by the telephone
In her faded flannel gown
Askin' for miracle
Hopin' she's not right
Prayin' it's the weather
That's kept him out all night
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls
The thunder rolls
And the lightnin' strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night
As the storm blows on
Out of control
Deep in her heart
The thunder rolls
The frown adorning Tyson's face deepened as he noted what seemed to be every single light in his house lit up like a beacon. When he finally pulled into the driveway his heart sank and the sickening feeling in his stomach intensified when he saw Hilary staring out the living room window with a swirl of emotions on his face.
He turned the car off and opened the door before reluctantly getting out, only deftly noticing that the hard rain hadn't reached his home just yet; though he wasn't sure if he was yet grateful for the fact or not. Before he even got the chance to shut the car door, the brunette was bolting down the front steps towards him. He swallowed hard and weakly lifted his arms to meet her embrace, but to his surprise Hilary halted abruptly and her eyes widened. Tyson stared at her in confusion as she stared back at him, a blank look on her face as the rain he'd been trying to keep ahead of finally caught up and burst from the clouds to instantly drench them both. Finally a flash of lightning lit the sky and illuminated the brunette's face, and in that instant Tyson knew that she was fully aware of why he'd been so late in returning home.
She's waitin' by the window
When he pulls into the drive
She rushes out to hold him
Thankful he's alive
But on the wind and rain
A strange new perfume blows
And the lightnin' flashes in her eyes
And he knows that she knows
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls
"Was it him?" She choked out, her voice just barely audible over the thunder and harsh rain.
For a moment, Tyson was genuinely confused and it showed in his face when he gave his wife a bewildered look.
"What?" He asked loudly over the sound of the storm. "Him? Him who, what in the world-?
"Don't play dumb with me Tyson, I'm not stupid!" She yelled angrily, though her voice was strained and cracked slightly. "Kai! You were with Kai weren't you?! Tell me, damn it! Was it him or not?!"
For a moment, Tyson blinked at his wife in extreme bewilderment.
"What the- Why on earth would I be with Kai this late in-"
Suddenly something clicked in his head and a mix of emotions flashed across the blunette's face as he gawked at the brunette, unable to decide whether to be amused or offended.
"Hang on a sec! You thought- Hilary, come on! What the hell did I ever do to make you think I was gay?!"
Her heart jumping hopefully at that, the brunette allowed herself just a moment to believe that she'd been wrong about his whereabouts - she didn't even bother to take the time to be relieved or amused about her major miss on his preferences.
"Fine!" She yelled again, her voice thick and heavy with emotion now. "But I know you weren't gone on a business trip and I know you were with someone else! Tell me who you were with, Tyson! You at least own me that!"
Tyson's throat constricted painfully now and his heartbeat began to rival the thunder in his ears. He swallowed hard and he blinked rapidly, trying to see through the mixture of tears building up and rain obscuring his vision.
"I-... Hilary I'm sorry..." The blunette choked painfully. "... I'm so, so sor-"
"Don't you dare!" The brunette screamed savagely. "I don't want to hear it! I don't give a damn about you and your sorries Tyson Granger! I want to know exactly who it is you go to damn-near every night! Exactly who it is that's so much better then me, and why it is I'm not good enough for you!"
Tyson's heart lurched at those words and he took a step towards the woman, noting the absolute agony in her face and voice.
"Hil..." He said softly, not sure if she could hear him over the rage of the weather. "It's not like that... it's got nothing to do with you... I never wanted to hurt you, I swear, it's just.. I-"
"TELL ME!"
Tyson stopped his advance and stared at the woman before him helplessly. Finally he let out a shaky breath and opened his mouth; but before he could speak, he found himself enveloped in a familiar tight embrace that was decidedly not his wife.
"He's been coming to ME!"
Tyson's wide eyes matched Hilary's shocked face as they both looked at the person clinging tightly to the blunette, tears blurring and dulling the usually bright and happy eyes.
"No... No, there's no way..." The brunette choked in a mix of disbelief and horror. "Of all the people..."
A horribly sickening silence passed between the three as Hilary stared at the two people across from her, a mix of emotions violently swirling inside her. Finally, just when the other two thought they would explode from the anxiety, Hilary turned on her heels and bolted back into the house as fast as her legs could carry her.
Tyson frowned deeply and made to go after the woman but the arms around him tightened. The blunette looked down into the glossy eyes and his frown deepened.
"What are you doing here, Min?" He said softly, his voice filled with emotion.
Ming-Ming stared up at him, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
"I'm so sick of it, Ty!" She choked painfully. "It's not fair! It's not fair to us, and it's not fair to her. This has to end Tyson, tonight!"
Tyson closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the petite woman, pulling her close as she clenched the front of his shirt tightly in her fists and sobbed into his chest.
"You're right." Tyson said softly. "This ends tonight. I've had enough too... None of us deserves this and it was wrong of me to hurt Hilary this way... I never realised how cruel it was until tonight... I can't believe I've been so heartless!"
Ming-Ming looked up into Tyson's face and reached up to gently brush away a few tears that had escaped his stormy blue eyes.
"It's not just your fault Tyson, it's mine too. We're both to blame here... we'll sit and talk with her and we'll get all this straightened out. It'll all be OK, you'll see."
Tyson's face darkened more then it ever had in his entire life.
"I duno Mini..." He said, his voice cracking slightly. "I have a feeling it's going to be different this time. I think tonight I've finally pushed her too far... I can't shake the feeling that I'm finally going to pay for what I've done to her..."
The thunder rolls
And the lightnin' strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night
As the storm blows on
Out of control
Deep in their hearts
The thunder rolls
-;-
Hilary threw the front door open and hurtled down the hallway, then up the flight of stairs. Only one image loomed in her mind now and it would not go away. She was jealous, she was furious, she was devastated, but most of all, she felt like it was the ultimate betrayal; and not just because of the act itself.
"Why did it have to be her?!" The brunette thought painfully, the tears streaming down her face now. "Of all the people, why did it have to be her?! That ridiculous, pompous, snotty show boat! That colourful fruit-loop floozy! That-"
Her thoughts were cut short as a rebel sob escaped her. Her heart was twisted sickeningly in her chest, and she was sure it would have hurt far less had the blunette physically reached through her and clenched the life out of it with his bare hands.
Tyson wouldn't get away with this, she'd make sure of it. She'd had enough, she didn't deserve what he'd done to her, and she'd be damned if she'd let him off with cheating on her with the one person whom she despised more than another on earth! Tonight she would get justice. Tonight it ended.
She runs back down the hallway
To the bedroom door
She reaches for the pistol
Kept in the dresser drawer
Tells the lady in the mirror
He won't do this again
Cause tonight will be the last time
She'll wonder where he's been
With the small projectile gripped tightly in her hand, Hillary flew back down the stairs and hallway and burst through the still open front door. Her hands shot up in front of her and her teeth clenched furiously as she slipped her finger into the trigger.
No doubt sensing themselves being watched, Tyson and Ming-Ming both looked up. The moments following the incident happened so quickly, no one really registered it had happened until it was too late. Hilary watched Tyson's eyes widen in shock and horror as the loud explosion of the pistol overpowered the thunder. One moment Tyson had been standing holding his partner in crime tightly, the next he was on the ground covered in blood.
Hilary's face was contorted in shock, her finger still on the trigger, but hands shaking violently as a panic rapidly rose in her chest over what she'd done. There had been only one bullet in the gun and finally the projectile slipped from her shaking hands to fall to the ground with a sickening thud. Her world was muted and all she could see was the scene before her. Tyson was on the ground, his face contorted in tortured agony as he cradled Ming-Ming's limp body, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood caused by the bullet meant for him. Both were drenched in blood and the ground around them swirled with the crimson fluid as the petite blunette's life force was silently draining away.
Suddenly everything hit Hilary like a freight train and she was instantly assaulted with the sounds around her; the sound of the raging storm whipping rain and debris about like a chaotic dance, seemingly yelling at her for her awful deed, and the sound of Tyson's ear-piercing screams as he endured more physical agony then a bullet could ever have caused him. If nothing else had come from the atrocious act, at least Hillary had her justice; never again would Tyson go behind her back to the woman now bleeding in his arms.
The thunder rolls
And the lightnin' strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night
As the storm blows on
Out of control
Deep in their hearts
The thunder rolls