He sat quiet, motionless, devastated.

"Did you hear me, Eric?! Marshall is gone!" A few more moments passed by, still Eric said nothing. Jack peered into the living room from his wheelchair in the bedroom, holding his breath, listening.

"Eric, it's not their fault," Rachel's voiced trembled as she spoke, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

"Where did they go?" Eric finally looked up at her, dreading the answer.

"I don't know. They didn't even know. They said they didn't know a lot of things, and I believe them."

"I don't believe this. It's like a bad mafia movie... who's their father running from?" He continued to look perplexed.

"FBI, DEA... your guess is as good as mine." Rachel wiped her tear-stained face as she continued to explain why Marshall and David had to leave the country with their folks, "All I know is that they won't be coming back for a long, long time."

Eric stood up abruptly, "It's okay, things happen for a reason and it can't be helped. So what if we were dating the sons of the leader of a major underground drug cartel... coulda happened to anyone..." Rachel reached out and took Eric's hand to offer comfort. He pulled away.

"No really, it's no big deal. Shit happens. What're the odds?" Seeing him deeply rooted in denial, Rachel wanted to hug Eric, to take his pain away. Or at least bury her pain in his. She decided to change the subject.

"So are you planning a trip somewhere?" she motioned to the suitcase sitting on the floor by the door. Eric glanced over to the suitcase and thought a moment.

"No, that's Jack's suitcase. He's home."

"What? You mean, right now?" Eric nodded slowly, still lost in thought. Jack, however, didn't want to be caught listening to their conversation. He quickly wheeled himself across the carpet to his bed and forced himself up, struggling to resume the position Eric last saw him in. He was almost standing when he heard creaking from the makeshift ramp. He panicked and threw himself on to his bed. In his mind, he could see Rachel making her way to the bedroom door, panicking him even more. She walked in seconds after Jack threw himself onto the bed. Jack lay there, sweat beading on his forehead. He quickly wiped the sweat away and resisted his urges to pant as best he could.

"Hey, Rachel. How've you been?" He sat up and smiled, trying to act as casual as he could.

"I've been better, how are you? You look good." She crossed the room to sit next to him on the bed, staring into his eyes. "I've missed you."

"Me too." Jack reached out to hug Rachel and she reciprocated the embrace. They held each other for a moment. Eric suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I think I'm gonna take a walk," Eric interrupted as he crossed the bedroom floor to pick up his wallet from the nightstand. Rachel and Jack broke the embrace and looked at him.

"Eric, I have to get goin' anyway, can I walk you out." He stared at her vacantly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine here by myself, just don't leave me alone for too long," Jack interjected. Eric looked down at Jack. He thought Eric looked like he was about to cry, the news of Marshall finally hitting home.

"Yeah, you know... I'm just gonna go. Bye Eric, Jack." She kissed Jack on the cheek and stood to hug Eric before seeing herself out. The two men stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Eric remained on the brink of a breakdown. Jack felt the frustration and anguish from his own situation roiling inside of him. He patted a spot on the bed next to him, motioning for Eric to sit down.

"Naw, I'm fine," he said shakily. He put his wallet back on the nightstand. "I better stay here though. You shouldn't be left alone."

"Eric. C'mere." Jack's voice mirrored Eric's unsteady tone. He crossed over to Jack and sat on the bed, about a foot away from him, hands clasped tightly in his lap. He stared at the floor, eyes brimming with tears. Jack reached over and pulled Eric to him, crying himself. He held Eric tightly; both of them slowly fell back on the bed into each other's arms. Eric clutched at Jack's shirt as he sobbed. Jack kissed the crown of his head and held him close.

"I'm so sorry, Jack. I know you've been through so much..."

"I'm sorry too. I know you must feel awful right now." They cried and held each other until they couldn't cry any longer. Eric looked up into Jack's swollen brown eyes and stared at him.

"You know... I never stopped... loving you." Jack smiled gently and brushed Eric's bangs from his forehead lightly.

"I know." Eric sat up. He leaned over Jack and kissed him on the cheek. Jack opened his eyes, a little surprised that it hadn't been more but grateful for it nonetheless. Eric stood up.

"You want anything? Thirsty or hungry?"

"No, thanks. Maybe we could watch some TV?" Jack suggested hopefully.

"Sounds good to me." He picked Jack up and carried him to the couch in the living room. Eric turned on the television and sat right next to Jack. Three commercials later, Jack reached over with his left hand and took Eric's right hand. Neither of them looked at one another. They sat holding hands for the rest of the morning.

******

The next two weeks were filled with frustration and sexual tension. Jack still struggled with the slow recuperative process while Eric tried to forget about Marshall. Rachel came by more and more as time passed. Her presence relieved much of the pressure that the guys felt. Some days Jack refused to get out of bed, the therapy caused him such soreness. Eric faithfully watched over him, making sure he ate and slept as much as he needed.

One morning, Eric left Jack alone in the apartment to do some laundry. Jack was determined to take a step by himself, so he swung his legs out of bed and stood up. Standing wasn't nearly has difficult as it had been in the past. He braced himself against the back of a chair as he tried to force his leg to take a step forward. Grimacing and groaning, he forced his leg forward. Now the hard part. He careful shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Before he could bring his back leg forward to stand again, he crumpled to the floor in agony. He lay there crying, frustrated and dejected. Moments later, Eric found him. He wordlessly picked Jack up and lay him back in bed.

"I'm not a rag doll, you know. I can pick myself up off the floor whenever I feel like it." Jack lobbed his pillow as hard as he could at Eric as he turned. The pillow struck Eric full in the face. Eric glared at Jack and picked up the pillow.

"Then stop acting like a rag doll and try to keep yourself on the furniture," Eric chucked the pillow into the bathroom. "There, go fetch, dolly."

"Fuck you! You stupid faggot!" Jack grabbed his alarm clock off the nightstand and threw it at Eric, missing his head by mere inches.

"Look, you bitter, selfish cripple, I know this is difficult for you. It hasn't been a ton of fun for me either, but you better not bite the hand that feeds you or you'll be sorry."

"What are you gonna do, run away? Just like your dumb ass boyfriend?" Jack looked around for something else to throw. Eric approached Jack's bedside, grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the wall.

"What you need to do right now is breath deeply and count to ten before you do or say anything else you might regret," Eric whispered. Jack struggled against his firm hold.

"Fuck you! Fuck you!" Jack spat in Eric's face. Eric released him and walked into the bathroom. He reemerged with Jack's pillow and tossed it on the foot of his bed.

"I hate you, Eric! I HATE YOU, YOU FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!!" Jack screamed as Eric closed the bedroom door behind him. Eric leaned against the closed door, tears streaming down his face. He could hear faint sobs coming from the bedroom. He wished he'd demonstrated more control and empathy towards Jack. But wasn't this his life too? Didn't Jack put himself in the position he was in now? Eric wished that Marshall were here to help him know what to do.

"I'm a grown man for pete's sake, I don't need advice. I know how to handle a pouting brat," Eric said aloud to himself before he headed toward the laundry room.

******

Lunch consisted of chicken quesadillas and chocolate milk. He opened the bedroom door to find Jack reading a book.

"Do you wanna come watch TV while you eat?" Jack looked Eric up and down suspiciously. He looked as if he were about to say something, then stopped.

"Fine, I'll bring your lunch in here," Eric shrugged. He turned to leave when Jack finally spoke.

"Aren't you going to apologize first?" Jack's patronizing tone took Eric by surprise. He turned around and stood there looking at Jack in disbelief. "Well?" Jack folded his arms, waiting for an answer.

"For what?!"

"For your angry outburst earlier, of course." He looked completely serious to Eric.

"Are you on crack?! You blew up at me for helping you!" Eric could feel his anger growing in the pit of his stomach. He could scarcely believe they were having this conversation.

"Fine. Don't apologize. I forgive you anyway." Jack picked his book back up and began to read again. Eric walked over to him and slapped the book out of his hands. The book flew a few feet away from Jack's bed.

"Maybe you don't realize how much work is involved preparing your meals, cleaning your laundry and making sure you're fully stocked on entertainment such as magazines and books. If you don't like it here, maybe you need to call your mother and have her come get you. She can have this thankless job and fawn over your ungrateful ass!"

"Maybe you should call her..." Jack picked up a magazine and opened it. Eric swiped at it sending it to the floor next to the book.

"Maybe I WILL!" Eric yelled.

"Good." Jack picked up another magazine. Eric smacked it out of his hands again.

"GOOD!" Jack sat in bed looking disinterested at Eric.

"Fine."

"FINE!" Eric stormed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. From the bedroom he could hear Jack calling his name.

"Where's my lunch?" Jack sang out lyrically, like a spoiled child that had gotten the best of the parent. A few seconds later a quesadilla came flying through the air and hit the wall behind Jack's right shoulder. It slid down and folded neatly on his shoulder and neck. Soon after, a cup of chocolate milk sailed into the bedroom, exploding on the wall above Jack's nightstand. Chocolate milk ran down the wall and wet the carpet and nightstand. Jack nonchalantly grabbed the quesadilla from his neck and began eating it.

"Thanks... you jackass."

******

For the rest of the afternoon Eric stared at the phone, contemplating the call to Jack's mother. He didn't want Jack to go, he'd miss him so much despite the madness of late. Any more of these insane emotional fits from Jack and Eric would need his mother to come get him. He decided to bluff. He walked into the bedroom and didn't see Jack lying on the bed.

"Jack?"

Eric called out as he began looking around the room for him, "Jack, where are you?" Suddenly the bathroom door slammed shut. Eric listened at the door and could hear what sounded like someone fidgeting with the door handle. He panicked, picturing Jack crawling on the floor, trying to help himself up onto the toilet, or worse, Jack was sick and needed help. Eric burst through the bathroom door and stood there in shock. He couldn't believe what he found. Jack was lying on the bathroom floor with no shirt on and his sweatpants hiked down to his knees. In one hand Jack held a gray tube and the other hand was slick with its contents, wrapped around his erection in mid stroke. Jack blushed and looked away.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't know you were..." Eric was completely aroused by the situation.

"Well? Are you gonna stand there and gawk at me? Can I have a little privacy?" Jack blurted out.

"Go ahead, I won't stop ya." Eric continued to stand in the doorway, lusting after Jack's smooth, mostly bare body. "I thought you needed help... or something... I didn't know..." Jack noticed the huge bulge in Eric's pants and continued what he'd started.

"I do need help." Jack's tone became seductive. "C'mere..." Eric didn't hesitate to kneel down next to Jack on the floor. Their eyes met and Eric leaned in toward Jack. He kissed him gently at first, then more voraciously. They made out like mad, struggling to get Eric's clothes off at the same time. First his shirt, then his pants. When Eric's boxers were off, Jack stopped pleasuring himself and began to grope Eric. Eric straddled him and slowly sat down on Jack's moistened thickness. It'd been so long since he and Jack had been together so intimately, it felt like the first time. Eric groaned as Jack gently pushed into him. Jack dropped the tube of lubricant and ran his hands down his own chest and stomach until he reached Eric's inner thigh. His hand caressed Eric's leg and slowly moved up his pelvis, past his other hand that continued to pump away on Eric's throbbing shaft. It made its way up Eric's abs and chest until he reached the back of Eric's neck, pulling him over on top of him. He leaned forward over Jack and kissed him deeply. He could tell that Jack was having difficulty thrusting himself into Eric.

"Relax, babe. I'll do the work." Eric whispered. He spread his legs wide and remained on all fours, sitting and rising on top of Jack. Jack's hand pumped Eric harder and faster. Both men groaning and kissing as they slowly approached climax. Eric increased his rhythm and Jack followed suit. Both of them cried out loud and long as Jack erupted inside of Eric and Eric all over Jack's abs and pecs. He lay down on Jack, both of them panting, recovering from the heat of the moment. They unconsciously held each other as they slowly came down from their mutual high. Jack kissed Eric's shoulder.

"I'm, I'm so sorry." Jack said affectionately. Eric hugged him tighter.

"It's okay, I'm sorry too." Eric whispered in his ear. Eric looked long and hard into Jack's sensitive brown eyes and smiled. Jack did the same. They kissed passionately again before Eric spoke again.

"Does this mean you aren't gonna go stay with your mom?"

"Nah, I wouldn't have gone even if you'd called her... you... didn't call her, did you?" Eric laughed and shook his head. Jack became serious again and gazed into Eric's strong brown eyes.

"I love you so much."

Eric smiled and gave him a peck on the lips, "I love you so much too."

"So does that mean I can stay?" Jack raised an eyebrow hopefully.

"Yup, as long as you want. I'm not letting you get away that easily."

"How 'bout forever?"

Eric thought for a moment and became very serious, "Forever is a long time... you sure you can take it?"

Jack smiled. "Then it's settled. You're mine forever."

**************************          ******************************

The End

Excuse me while I go take a cold shower...

=P