Chapter 10 - I Still Remember… Aren

Jack looked at the picture of Aren in his hands and sighed, "Who's that?"

Jack looked up at Ellie standing at the door and sighed again.

Ellie walked over to Jack and took the picture away, "Who is he?" She asked siting down on the bed beside Jack and looked at the picture again.

Jack turned the picture around, it read:

'Aren, 1999'

"Aren, huh, who's that, your brother?" She asked looking at Jack.

"No." Jack said looking at the picture again, "He was my friend."

"Was…?" Ellie looked at Jack oddly.

"Aren was Jack's friend, he died in a fire in a building near Eagle Mountain."

Ellie turned to see Dal, "Aren huh?" She turned to look at Jack, "He was your best friend?"

Jack shook his head and looked at Ellie sadly.

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Ellie asked looking over at Dal again.

"Well, that's why Jack's closed into himself." Dal pointed out, "They were lovers." Dal added.

"Lovers." Ellie turned back to Jack and sighed, "Well Jack, you better change your attitude soon, do you think Aren would want you doing this to yourself?" Ellie asked looking at the picture and handed it to Jack.

Jack looked down at the picture in his hand and sighed, he slumped his shoulders and looked at Dal, asking with his eyes for some advice.

"Oh no you don't, I'm not going to treat you with delicacy, like Aren did, and I defiantly won't give advice to a person who's closed into themselves and given up all hope." Dal said looking at Jack angrily.

Jack looked down at the picture and started crying.

"Are you guys picking on Jack again!?" Amber yelled pushing Dal out of the way and walked over to Jack, she crouched down in front of Jack and sighed, she placed her hand under Jack's chin and lifted his face to look at her, 'Oh, Jack, they didn't mean it." She said pulling Jack into her arms.

Jack leaned in and began crying into Amber's shoulder.

"I didn't know he was THAT sensitive about 'Aren'." Ellie said walking out of the room, Dal following closely behind.

~~~~~ A Little Later ~~~~~

Ellie walked into Jack's room and looked at Amber sitting beside the bed watching Jack as he slept.

"He's very delicate, isn't he?" Ellie said sitting in the computer seat.

"Yeah, especially after… Aren." Amber said running her hand down Jack's cheek and sighed, "But that's why I'm here. I'm the only one who knows what he's feeling right now." She said running her through Jack's hair.

"Whys that? He was your boyfriend too!?" Ellie asked lifting an eyebrow.

"No, he's my older brother." Amber said giggling and lowered her face; "I also was there when it happened, the fire. I stopped Jack from going in the building, I knew just then that we'd had already lost him, and that nothing was ever gonna be the same." Amber said wiping a tear away from her cheek.

"That's sad." Ellie said walking over to Amber, "So how did Jack take it?"

"Not that well." Amber said looking over at the sleeping devotion, "Lets just put it this way, Jack use to be a chatter box, he enjoyed fame, attention, going outside and talking, of course he built and invented and researched, but he had a lot more time for other things, like fun and romance. He was happy with Aren."

"Romance?" Ellie asked looking a little puzzled.

"Him and Aren go back a long way, they knew each other since they were kids, grew up together, fell in love, preferably the wrong people, Jack was madly in love with Aren and Aren, well Aren just had the urge to jump Jack at any time." Amber said giggling.

"He sounds like a fun guy to know." Ellie said laughing with Amber.

"He was, funny, anxious, Jack knows what Aren would've wished if it came to this, but he can't bare it, he doesn't know where he stands now and he's scared." Amber said touching Jack's lips.

"He doesn't act scared." Ellie said looking down at Jack.

"That's because he doesn't know how to feel." Amber said pulling her arm back, "I just can't help feeling love for him." Amber said looking at Jack, "He reminds me so much of Aren that I feel like crying sometimes."

"I wonder what Aren was like." Ellie said looking at Jack, "I mean Jack isn't Aren and I feel left out when y'all talk about him, kind of like I was born yesterday."

Amber looked at Ellie and sighed, "You wouldn't want to know Aren, cuz' if you did then you'd be slouching around, feeling sorry for yourself, like me and Jack." She said laying a kiss on Jack's lips, "Well lets leave him to his sleeping." She said getting up.

"Ok." Ellie said and they walked out of the room.

"How's he doing?" Dal asked walking up to Ellie and Amber.

"Well…He's asleep, I'm glad I came as soon as I did or else he'd have tried to pull a stunt like before." Amber sighed out.

"What did he do before?" Ellie asked looking at Amber and then at Dal.

"He tried to jump off the roof." Dal said looking at Jade walking over to them.

"That's right." Jade said looking at Ellie, "I think his exact words were, 'I'm gonna end my life, there's nothing left for me in this world, no one needs me' and something like, 'I hate being here without Aren'." Jade quoted taking a sip from a cup in his hand.

"Gosh." Ellie said looking at Amber, "That really happened?"

"Yeah, Jade got him down with some good advice of his own, huh Jade?" Amber said looking over at Jade.

"I did didn't I?" Jade said smiling and taking another sip from his cup.

**FLASH BACK**

Jack ran to the edge put his hands on the ridge and climbed up.

"Before you jump…" Jade stood up holding his stomach in pain, "Hear me out." He demanded.

Jack stopped and turned to Jade.

"I lost… a lot of people… people… I loved dear… I… I watched them die… my mom, my dad, my sister and my brother… all in the same month." Jade walked over to Jack, "And you want to end your life after losing Aren?! I... I have lost everything that I loved… now… I can't remember them much, because… I fell one day and hit my head hard… I don't remember them that much… but I know that… I loved them and what they were like… so I've lost my memories… BIG STEP!" Jade said as tears fell down his cheeks.

"A… A lot of pain… has… has come from losing those memories… but I'm not gonna throw my life away for… for something I can do again… I'm not saying I can ever replace all those memories and my family… I'm just saying that… that I can make new memories and… and start another family… here…now… It's the only life I'll ever be able to remember and… the only life that I'll know… but if I did throw away my life… if I just chucked away everything and said… 'Hell I just don't care anymore'… than I'd be worse than ZOOT… FOR TURNING ON THE LIFE AND MEMORIES HE KNEW AND HE HELD!"

Jack looked at Jade, the tears still fresh on his cheek.

"Sure…it wasn't his choice… but I guess that's what's so bad about it… he lost it… his family… his brother… his wife… and his… his beautiful… beautiful child…" Jade said turning to Trudy and Bray, "You want a child don't you Jack… You want to be a father?"

Jack looked at Jade and then down at his feet.

"Then why? Why do this… sure… you've had some hard times… but why quit now?" Jade asked looking at Jack.

"He's gone… that's why." Jack said as he wiped away some of his tears.

"Well… You… You have Dal… You have Amber… You have a lot of people that love you and care for you." Jade said walking closer to Jack.

"Then why are you the only one that tries to stop me?" Jack asked looking at Jade.

"Because… I'm the only one with the example of losing something that I love." Jade said looking into Jack's eyes.

"Do you care for me? Do… Do you l… love me?" Jack asked as tears continued to flow down his cheeks.

**End of FLASH BACK**

"Jade?" Amber asked looking at Jade and waving her hand in front of his eyes, "Are you ok?"

"Hey are you in there?" Dal asked looking at Jade oddly, "JADE!" He yelled.

Jade blinked and looked at Dal and Amber, "Sorry… I was just thinking about what I said to Jack… that day when he tried to jump off of the mall roof." Jade said looking uncomfortably at Ellie.

"Oh, ok then." Amber said dropping her hands, "We all need to get back to work on the streets.

"RIGHT!" Everyone yelled and they walked off, leaving Jade there to question his thoughts.

**THE NEXT DAY**

It was 6:00AM in the mall and Jade still wasn't asleep, he couldn't stop thinking about Jack and the fight they had.

A tear fell down his cheek as he thought of what he had said to Jack.

~~~~~~~~~~FLASH BACK~~~~~~~~~~

Jade rubbed his hand up and down Jack's arm and sighed, he leaned down and kissed Jack's lips, "I love you." He said in a dreamy voice.

Jack turned over and looked up at Jade, "I love you too," He said and pulled Jade into a deep kiss.

Jade wrapped his arms around Jack's small body and pulled him close, deepening the kiss.

**DIFFERENT FLASH BACK**

"I miss Aren." Jack said pushing away from Jade.

"Jack…" Jade walked over to Jack and kissed his neck and Jack pushed away.

"No! Jade I don't want to." Jack said turning to Jade, "Gosh! Is sex all you think about?!" Jack asked narrowing his eyebrows.

"Of course not Jack! I love you… It-it's just that… well… I've moved on… you need to move on too." Jade said looking at Jack and trying to pull him into his arms.

"So you want me to forget about Aren?" Jack asked pushing away again.

"No of course not!" Jade said nipping Jack's nose, "I just think that you should try to move on! Is that so hard to ask of you!?" Jade asked pulling away.

"Well maybe I'm not as heartless as you, I can't forget things, like Aren, that easily!" Jack said pushing away.

"I'M NOT HEARTLESS! I HAVE FEELINGS! YOUR GONNA JUST HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO BE A MAN! AND STAND UP TO THINGS LIKE THIS!" Aren yelled looking at Jack.

"WELL I CAN'T!" Jack said turning away.

"DON'T YOU DARE TURN AWAY FROM ME!" He yelled grabbing Jack's shoulder and spinning him around and held him there, "YOUR GONNA HEAR ME OUT!" He spat out, "GOT IT!?"

Jack looked up at Jade as a tear fell down his cheek.

"I'M TIRED OF FEELING ALL OF THIS GUILT THAT'S NOT EVEN MINE!" Jade yelled, his hands baring bruises on Jack's arms, "I HATE FEELING LIKE THIS! AND YOU'RE THE ONE CAUSING ALL THIS GUILT! STOP IT! FORGET WHAT HAPPENED! YOU NEED TO MOVE ON! AND STOP POUTING LIKE A CHILD THAT'S LOST IT'S LOLLIPOP!" He yelled pushing Jack away.

It was so much force that Jack was thrown back to fast, he didn't have time to gain balance and he hit the ground… hard.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Jade sat up in his bed and wiped away the tears that escaped from his eyes.

//I guess Amber and Dal kept the real reason why Jack hardly talked a secret… I'm glad they did… or Ellie'd want to kill me… for what I did\\

He lifted up out of his bed and walked out of his room, he walked down the stairs of the mall.

//I'm so sorry Jack… for everything I've done\\

Jade walked into Jack's bedroom and looked at his bed, Jack looked up at Jade and sighed, "What do you want?" He asked and a painful voice.

"Jack, I…" Jade stopped and walked over to Jack, "I… I want to say…" Jade looked at Jack and then at the ground.

"What?" Jack sighed and turned to Jade, he watched Jade's hands and they shook, "Are… Are you ok?"

Jade looked up at Jack as a tear fell freely down his cheek, "No…" Jade looked down at his hands, "Jack… I… I'm sorry." He said looking at Jack again, "I didn't mean what I said and I'm sorry."

Jack sat up in his bed, "All these nights…" He began.

"Don't… Jack." Jade said pulling Jack into his arms.

Jack looked up at Jade and kissed him on his lips.

Jade looked down at Jack, "Cou… Could I sleep with you for the rest of the night?" He asked kissing Jack.

"Of course you can." Jack said pulling Jade into his arms and bringing him down as he laid down.

Jade looked at Jack he leaned down and brushed his lips against Jack's.

Jack lifted up placing his lips over Jade's and closed his eyes tightly.

Jade opened his mouth and kissed Jack back.

After Jack pulled away, he pulled Jade into a hug, "Let's sleep now." He said and Jade laid his head on Jack's chest and slowly… fell asleep.

!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!

LLLOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGG chapter huh? Told you the big one was coming… I tried ^.~ hope you enjoyed that one!

~J-G-S-N-T