May Roses in Cold December

By: Yhu

Ratings: Anywhere from Pg-13 to R.

This Chapter: PG-13

Warnings: Slash, bad poetry and a rather odd unconventional romance up ahead!

Pairing: Jericho/Mystery

Disclaimer: Don't own them

Genre: Romance

A/N: Hey guys, I just want to say thank you for loving this story like you have been. This is FINAL FINAL FINAL chapter of May Roses in Cold December. Thanks for staying with this, it's been fun. I hope you'll check out my two other stories, 1971, and I'll Return to You. I have a Matt/Shannon fic I'd like to write, which would prelude to something huge.

Love ya'll! :) ))

~

Chris woke up in a haze. He was in a hospital room, wearing a paper gown. Everything hurt so badly that he could barely breathe. He remembered what happened and instantly started to tear up. Some one had grabbed his hand, squeezing it. Chris turned his head, blinking up at Ric.

The older man had such a blank expression on his face that it shocked Chris for a moment. He gave him a pained look, opening his arms to the younger man.

Chris climbed off the bed into Flair's lap and started sobbing into his shoulder.

Ric wrapped his arms around him tightly, stroking Chris's hair gently. He said nothing, just rocked him back and forth. He cried along, hating himself for not telling Chris, this was all his fault.

About an hour later Chris calmed down, looking to Flair. "Why? Why would someone do that to me? I don't understand, Ric..."

"I don't understand either... Some people are just insane, Chris. That's all you can say about them some times."

Chris gave a shakey sigh as he reached over and took a tissue to whipe his nose with. "Where's Jay? And Eddie?"

"Jay's okay... He has a minor concusion. They released him earlier this morning. Eddie brought you both here. He called me and spent the night by your side. I came as soon as I heard. Shawn was here this morning. Came to take Jay back to the hotel. Said he'd be back later, as soon as Jay was settled in..."

"Okay... I... I want to see Eddie, Ric... He came to save me last night, I want to thank him." Chris began to tear up again, Flair whiping the tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sure he'll be back. He said he had something very important to do." Ric helped Chris back into the bed, then poured him a glass of water. "They said you can go after the police come in to interview you later. Up until then, rest up. You want me to get you some of those Rolling Stones magazines you're so fanatical about?"

"Yeah... And MAD too." Chris smiled up at him. "Thank you Ric."

"No problem babe." Ric squeezed his hand then left for the magazine stand on the street.

Chris let out a long sigh, stareing up at the ceiling. The door opened up, Chris glancing to see who had come in. "Shawn!"

The older man gave him a sad little smile. He walked over to the bed sitting down on the side. "Hey..."

"Hi Shawn..."

Shawn let out a long sigh, casting his eyes down to the floor. "I'm so sorry... Oh god Chris, I'm sorry. I should have went with you. If I did maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, oh god, I'm sorry..." He whispered to Chris kissing him on the cheek. "I never would have thought Bischoff could've... I'm going to kill the little weasel when I get my hands on him again!"

Chris looked off toward the window, a distant gaze in his blue eyes. "I don't want... to talk about it."

"Okay. I understand." Shawn said softly. "Guess what? Vince is going to give you two weeks paid vacation. I'm going to try to get you a month." He knew he could get Chris a whole year paid, a yacht, several man servants, and quite possibily an executive position on the board. He had Vince by the balls with the amount of dirt he had on him, and now ESPECIALLY after what had happened to Chris.

"That'd be nice." Chris smiled at him then turned back to staring out the window.

'This is what I wanted, for Chris to be quiet. To shut up.' Shawn thought as he watched the silent blonde. 'God damn it, this isn't what I want!' "Chris please say something. Say things like you used to. Jabber on and on about nothing, please! Your silence is killing me!"

"I can't Shawn. I just can't anymore..." Chris whispered looking up to him with watery eyes. "I'm sorry..."

"No it's okay Chris." Shawn murmured kissing him on the cheek again. He removed himself sitting down on the chair by the bed. "Just sleep..."

~

It was chrome .45 gun, complete with silencer. It was bought to protect him when he would go out to by various drugs years ago. He never used it. Not once. Not until now. It was also an illegal gun, but there was nothing llegal about what he was going to do anyway. Witnessing Chris's rape was way too much for him. Eddie's anger broiled over the top last night. Bischoff... Had to pay for it.

Eddie grabbed his leather jacket and gloves, putting the gun in his holster. He adjusted the collar of his coat, walking down from the hotel room and into the street. He had heard that Eric was going down town that day, running various errands for Vince.

Eddie was a walking time bomb. His eyes were so darkened with justified rage they were black. He waited out in front of a local bank-- one of the places he had heard Bischoff needed to go to. Sure enough, the dark haired man left the building not too long after Eddie had arrived.

Eric looked pleased, his beedy eyes almost gleeful. Eddie breathed in sharply, breathing out through his nose slowly. If it was possible, he was even more pissed than before. He followed Bischoff down the side walk, keeping his hands in his pockets, his eyes locked on his target.

What Eric had done to Chris was unspeakable. It was the last straw. Eddie loved Chris. He loved him since the moment he had seen him years ago when the man had first started out in Japan. That night, Christmas night... The time they shared, the sex they had. Chris was so beautiful, just as he had imagined. His hair, his eyes, his body, his heart, his laugh... The things he said, and just watching Chris was amazing. Eric violated... decimated... destroyed him... He could never ruin Chris for him, never. No matter what he did, Eddie loved Chris way too much. That's why he had to do this.

Eric turned the corner of an alleyway, between two large factories. There was a parking lot at the end, Eddie figuring that's where Bischoff must have parked. Alleyways were Eddie's friend, especially for his task at hand. He pulled out his gun, pointing it straight at Bischoff.

"Turn around, Bischoff." Eddie said his voice deadly calm.

Eric's eyes widdened, his face instantly paleing. "Eddie... Put that down..."

"Nah, esevato! I don't think so. You raped my lover! You crossed the line."

"Eddie think about it.... If you kill me, you can't ever be with Chris!"

"I may not be able to be with him anymore, but I wasn't going to be able to anyway. I lost, he loves Shawn. Not me. But that doesn't mean what I saw you do last night better..."

There was no wait out for him. Eric noted this. He knew he was going to die right here. Well... maybe he could get out of it. Eddie wasn't a smart man. A mind game or two may just get him out off it. "Well at least I'll die after getting laid, eh homes? I fucked him hard and long... I made him bleed so bad it probably stained that desk to the point of no repair! So go ahead Eddie! Shoot me. I dare ya."

"Okay." Eddie said with a shrug, firing one bullet right into the thigh of Bischoff. The bullet shattered right through the bone the scream echoing loudly in the alleyway, but silenced by the hum of droning machinery.

"You shot me..." Eric whimpered clutching his leg.

"Yep." Eddie nodded and fired again this time striking Eric in the side. He didn't stop this time. He kept firing enjoying watching Bischoff screaming and writhing around in pain. And that didn't stop. Even after Eric had died, he kept going until all bullets in the cartriage were gone.

Eddie strolled over to Eric's corpse, kicking him hard in the ribs. He felt no remorse. Eric deserved none.

-

"Last question... Who else was in the room with you, Mr. Jericho?"

"Eddie Gurerro and Jay Reso. Jay was in the closet and Eric..." Chris paused for a bit, taking in a deep breath before he continued. Shawn squeezed his hand gently. "Had me tie Eddie to the chair. He made me get on the desk... And then... then he raped me."

The police officer scribbled that down on the pad of paper. "We've got a warrent for his arrest out, would you like a police man to accompany you back to your hotel room?"

Ric frowned at the officer. "I think he's fine. We've got him pretty well covered." He said putting an arm around Chris's shoulders. Jail time wasn't enough for Bischoff in Flair's opinion. He's be out in five, ten years tops! He wasn't about to tell that to Chris however. There was no need to upset him more than he was already.

Shawn drove back to the hotel fron the hospital. It was a quiet ride, all too quiet for Shawn's liking. After working so closely with Chris the past year he had grown accustomed to his banter and was finding himself missing it greatly. In fact, every time he even gazed over to the blonde in the passenger's side he felt his heart wrenching.

Chris was so silent, not even a smile on his face. His hair was loose around his face, hanging in tendrils around his cheeks. His eyes were a dull blue, sad and mornful. Shawn tore his eyes away from the sight and kept his eyes but not his mind on the road.

He pulled up in the hotel parking lot, helping Chris out of the car. Ric followed behind chasing away any photographers he saw. Together they got Chris up to the room and onto the couch. Jay had just come out of the bathroom, instantly wrapping his arms around him. Chris didn't cry that time, and just let Jay hold him.

The hug lasted awhile, Jay letting out a heavy sigh as he nuzzled Chris's soft hair. "Hey, I know... Let's watch those DVDs I bought you for Christmas." He offered trying to cheer up the blonde in his embrace.

Chris nodded and gave him a smile. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

"I'm hungry guys, I'm gonna order a pizza for us." Ric said as he walked over to the phone. "Anyone a vegetarian?"

They all shook their heads no, Shawn settling down on the couch next Chris. Jay popped in the dvd, sitting back in a chair. The four of them watched tv, ate pizza, and just plain relaxed for the rest of the eveing. It must have been one o'clock in the morning when there came a knock upon the door.

"I got it." Chris said getting up. "I was just on my way to get a drink anyway."

The knock at the door came again, this time sounding urgent.

"Hang on, hang on..." Chris muttered as he turned the knob. There was Eddie, looking a mess. His hair was messy and rain soaked, his coat hanging off his shoulders, his wife beater shirt bloodied. "Eddie! What the hell happened?! You're all bloody!"

"Mami... I came to say good bye." He whispered stepping into the room, shutting the door over.

Chris blinked dumbly. "...What? Why?"

Eddie reached over and pulled Chris to him. "Because I love you so much, I do anything for you... And I did something very illegal."

He frowned to Eddie, as the other man began to toy with the material on his shirt. He let Eddie reach up and run his fingers through the long blonde hair. Eddie's dark eyes stared back into Chris's with such a mix of emotion that it confused Chris.

"It hurts because I love you, Chris... And I know you don't love me. You love Shawn." He whispered touching his cheek gently. "It's okay, I won't stand in your way... But I will always love you so much, so much so I can't even comprehend it."

Chris wrapped his arms around Eddie, as the man began to cry softly into his shoulder. His arm brushed up against Eddie's holster... And more importantly, Eddie's gun. His eyes widdened looking at Eddie in shock.

Eddie swallowed hard before speaking, pulling away from Chris so he could look him in the eyes. "I killed him Mami. I killed him for you."

"Eddie..." Chris gaped. "You killed Bischoff?"

He nodded slowly stepping up against the wall. "If they had arrested him he'd be back on the streets again in five to ten years... He'd hurt you and Jay again, Mami... I couldn't let that happen. I would never put you in that danger if I could help it. I love you, Chris. My one true honest love, I'll never forget you Mami... You will never see me again after this night. You stay here with Shawn. He can give you everything."

"Where will you go?" Chris asked grabbing to Eddie's arms. He was crying now, but that didn't stop him from clutching tighter to him.

"I can't tell you, Chris. I don't want you to follow..." He whispered quietly kissing him softly on the cheek. "It's too dangerous. Will you allow me one thing before I leave?"

"Kiss me one more time."

Chris wrapped his arms around his neck kissing Eddie hotly, melting into his embrace, tears streaming down his face. Eddie broke away, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I love you, Mama Cita. Good bye."

Chris was too choked up to speak, sobbing and falling down to the ground. Eddie touched Chris's hair and face one more time before he left down the hallway. Shawn came up from behind, pulling the blonde to his feet. He hugged Chris tightly, letting him sob and cry. Eddie had done him one up. One that he never would be able to top. When Eddie left... He took Chris with him.

~Shawn's Point of View~

It's been six months since the murder. I've moved Chris into my San Antonio home with me. We spend quiet nights together out on the porch watching the sky, riding horses, and once in a great while hit the night spots. I think after what happened in the King Cobra, Chris lost his taste for clubbing forever.

That's fine with me. I'm just happy having him beside me. He's finally starting to go back to how he was. He's laughing more, talking alot, forgetting slowly. The scar that Eric gave him was still as fresh as the day he got it. It... It... Just won't go away.

And Eddie hasn't left either. I see Chris once in awhile look up into the sky with this weird look in his eyes... I wonder if he thinks about him. He must. When we make love... I wonder if he thinks of Eddie too. I know when I lay awake some nights I hear him mumbling softly. Sometimes it's my name... The other time it's Eddie.

After that night six months ago, I'll never have Chris completely. If only I had gone with him that night... None of this would have happened. And every time Chris gets that distant look or whimpers Eddie's name, I know that Eddie won.

Fin.