This is indeed the sequel to Aftermath, which depite the ending which
served well enough, I felt it could use a sequel to expand on what I'd
done to the relationships. Thus, here it is. Oh, and the songs that
appear later on in the fic, they aren't mine. My song writing sucks,
and they are the lovely Sarah McLachlans. So, enjoy.
Chapter 1- Reflection
Lucas stood over Marshall who sat on the end of his own bed, looking directly into his eyes. They were alone in the room; the only light was from the lamps on the bedside tables.
"I have something to tell you," Lucas said quietly. "It's really important."
Marshall swallowed hard. "Are you sure? I mean, it mightn't be that important."
Lucas shook his head, and chuckled slightly. "I... I really don't know how to say this..."
"Just say it," Marshall said edging him on. "Let the words flow. Like a, uh, river."
He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. "I love you."
Lucas frowned. "I don't think that sounded convincing."
Marshall stood up from the bed and grabbed the script book. "Who cares if it sounded convincing. We're going to look stupid anyway," he complained flipping through it. "See here—you left out a line!"
"Would you have rather worked with Corrine?" Lucas asked knowing the answer and ignoring Marshall.
Marshall bit his tongue.
"The simple fact is we have to do this scene together or we fail drama," Lucas reminded him. "Despite it sounding all movie-of-the-week."
"I know. 'Like a river?' That is so tacky," Marshall concurred. "And on an entirely unrelated note, we're having the first science club meeting in a while. Remember?"
Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion. "Is Z back?"
"No, we decided we should try and get it all back to normal. At least as normal as it is here."
"Oh. Right," Lucas said. "But, that's the thing, nothing will be the same. First with the Mirror-selves and then with Josie taking off. Then there's the drama of you and Corrine and Vaughn's constant griefy-poor-me-mood swings. So, so tired of it.
"I think you and Vaughn have adequate drama," Marshall snapped. "What is this? A character study?"
They sat in silence for the next few minutes, something that had been happening a lot lately. They didn't know where they stood with each other anymore. It had been that way since the mind trip.
"We should probably go," Marshall said breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Lucas nodded in response.
The sooner the better. I just want it done.
Corrine paced back and forth in front of Stew, anger burning in her eyes. He had a cocky smile covering his face as his arm shot out and grabbed her pulling her close.
"Don't touch me," she snarled. He moved his head in close. "Or what? You'll scream? That'll just make it more fun. And then I can... um, erm, uh... line?"
She pulled away from him exasperatedly. "Look, Stew, if you're not going to do this properly, just leave. And I'll find someone capable of learning seven lines. Seven! It's not that many."
"Corrine, I've got practice soon. So, I've got to go," Stew said uninterested. "We'll do this another time."
She gave in. I don't need this now. "Good. Hopefully you'll have learned your lines by then."
Pushing him out the door, she glanced at her watch. It was time for the meeting.
Soon. I'll give into faux happiness.
The four members met each other in the science lab awkwardly. Closeness had been lacking lately between them. They'd been letting the distance grow and had no way of stopping it.
"Hey," Vaughn said to Lucas.
Corrine and Marshall looked at each other wordlessly.
"Alright, as fun as this is I think it's too soon," Lucas said looking at everyone else through the tension. "Let's do this again sometime."
"I'm all for that," Corrine said. "I'm meeting someone to go to the movies."
'Who?" Marshall asked.
She shot him a look. "It doesn't concern you."
"So, he's another new guy?" Lucas asked. "That makes four in a month and a half."
She shrugged. "And?"
With that, she walked off quickly, leaving the boys alone.
"Ouch," Vaughn murmured. "When are you to going to make up?"
"Looks like never," Marshall replied. "I guess we head back to the room, huh, Lucas?"
"Actually, could I talk to Lucas alone?" Vaughn asked.
Marshall arched his eyebrow and looked at Lucas.
"Sure, I guess," Lucas replied glaring at Marshall. "I'll see you back at the room."
Vaughn waited until Marshall was completely out of sight before he closed the door to the lab and pulled up a chair.
"This isn't going to end with drunk-ness and the aftertaste of a bad night of badness is it?" Lucas asked worried. "Because I've had nightmares like that. And... and remember when you got sick?"
Vaughn's eyes went wide with surprise. "You said you'd never bring that up again! You're not very good as keeping those sort of promises are you?"
"It's not like I brought it up in front of everyone," Lucas muttered to the side.
"Yeah, yeah," Vaughn conceded. "And no it will not end with a drunken night of sweatiness."
"Then what's it about?" Lucas asked, eager to leave.
The taller boy pulled an envelope from his side pocket. "This."
Lucas could tell by the writing. It was from Josie.
"It's addressed to me on the envelope, but the actual letter is dressed to both of us. Despite what she said before she left," Vaughn explained. "There's not return address or mention of a guest appearance on there either," he added seeing the look on Lucas's face.
He snatched the letter from Vaughn and opened it slowly.
"I'll leave you to it," Vaughn said getting up to leave.
"Thank you," Lucas whispered, quieter than he wanted.
Lucas/Vaughn
This is just to let you know that I'm alive. I miss you all. Don't tell anyone about this letter. And thank you. For everything. Even for trying to stop me from catching the bus. I'm sorry I didn't do anything.
Josie Trent.
He stared at the letter for a while, the words blurring into a large blob of ink as his eyes were filled with tears. He leaned down, scrunching the letter in his hands slightly.
After what she said to him, after the mind trip, after how close him and Vaughn had gotten since she disappeared, he didn't want to love her anymore, he knew that it wasn't really him—not at the core of it—he wanted to be able to forget her.
But, he knew he couldn't. He knew he wouldn't.
Chapter 1- Reflection
Lucas stood over Marshall who sat on the end of his own bed, looking directly into his eyes. They were alone in the room; the only light was from the lamps on the bedside tables.
"I have something to tell you," Lucas said quietly. "It's really important."
Marshall swallowed hard. "Are you sure? I mean, it mightn't be that important."
Lucas shook his head, and chuckled slightly. "I... I really don't know how to say this..."
"Just say it," Marshall said edging him on. "Let the words flow. Like a, uh, river."
He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. "I love you."
Lucas frowned. "I don't think that sounded convincing."
Marshall stood up from the bed and grabbed the script book. "Who cares if it sounded convincing. We're going to look stupid anyway," he complained flipping through it. "See here—you left out a line!"
"Would you have rather worked with Corrine?" Lucas asked knowing the answer and ignoring Marshall.
Marshall bit his tongue.
"The simple fact is we have to do this scene together or we fail drama," Lucas reminded him. "Despite it sounding all movie-of-the-week."
"I know. 'Like a river?' That is so tacky," Marshall concurred. "And on an entirely unrelated note, we're having the first science club meeting in a while. Remember?"
Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion. "Is Z back?"
"No, we decided we should try and get it all back to normal. At least as normal as it is here."
"Oh. Right," Lucas said. "But, that's the thing, nothing will be the same. First with the Mirror-selves and then with Josie taking off. Then there's the drama of you and Corrine and Vaughn's constant griefy-poor-me-mood swings. So, so tired of it.
"I think you and Vaughn have adequate drama," Marshall snapped. "What is this? A character study?"
They sat in silence for the next few minutes, something that had been happening a lot lately. They didn't know where they stood with each other anymore. It had been that way since the mind trip.
"We should probably go," Marshall said breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Lucas nodded in response.
The sooner the better. I just want it done.
Corrine paced back and forth in front of Stew, anger burning in her eyes. He had a cocky smile covering his face as his arm shot out and grabbed her pulling her close.
"Don't touch me," she snarled. He moved his head in close. "Or what? You'll scream? That'll just make it more fun. And then I can... um, erm, uh... line?"
She pulled away from him exasperatedly. "Look, Stew, if you're not going to do this properly, just leave. And I'll find someone capable of learning seven lines. Seven! It's not that many."
"Corrine, I've got practice soon. So, I've got to go," Stew said uninterested. "We'll do this another time."
She gave in. I don't need this now. "Good. Hopefully you'll have learned your lines by then."
Pushing him out the door, she glanced at her watch. It was time for the meeting.
Soon. I'll give into faux happiness.
The four members met each other in the science lab awkwardly. Closeness had been lacking lately between them. They'd been letting the distance grow and had no way of stopping it.
"Hey," Vaughn said to Lucas.
Corrine and Marshall looked at each other wordlessly.
"Alright, as fun as this is I think it's too soon," Lucas said looking at everyone else through the tension. "Let's do this again sometime."
"I'm all for that," Corrine said. "I'm meeting someone to go to the movies."
'Who?" Marshall asked.
She shot him a look. "It doesn't concern you."
"So, he's another new guy?" Lucas asked. "That makes four in a month and a half."
She shrugged. "And?"
With that, she walked off quickly, leaving the boys alone.
"Ouch," Vaughn murmured. "When are you to going to make up?"
"Looks like never," Marshall replied. "I guess we head back to the room, huh, Lucas?"
"Actually, could I talk to Lucas alone?" Vaughn asked.
Marshall arched his eyebrow and looked at Lucas.
"Sure, I guess," Lucas replied glaring at Marshall. "I'll see you back at the room."
Vaughn waited until Marshall was completely out of sight before he closed the door to the lab and pulled up a chair.
"This isn't going to end with drunk-ness and the aftertaste of a bad night of badness is it?" Lucas asked worried. "Because I've had nightmares like that. And... and remember when you got sick?"
Vaughn's eyes went wide with surprise. "You said you'd never bring that up again! You're not very good as keeping those sort of promises are you?"
"It's not like I brought it up in front of everyone," Lucas muttered to the side.
"Yeah, yeah," Vaughn conceded. "And no it will not end with a drunken night of sweatiness."
"Then what's it about?" Lucas asked, eager to leave.
The taller boy pulled an envelope from his side pocket. "This."
Lucas could tell by the writing. It was from Josie.
"It's addressed to me on the envelope, but the actual letter is dressed to both of us. Despite what she said before she left," Vaughn explained. "There's not return address or mention of a guest appearance on there either," he added seeing the look on Lucas's face.
He snatched the letter from Vaughn and opened it slowly.
"I'll leave you to it," Vaughn said getting up to leave.
"Thank you," Lucas whispered, quieter than he wanted.
Lucas/Vaughn
This is just to let you know that I'm alive. I miss you all. Don't tell anyone about this letter. And thank you. For everything. Even for trying to stop me from catching the bus. I'm sorry I didn't do anything.
Josie Trent.
He stared at the letter for a while, the words blurring into a large blob of ink as his eyes were filled with tears. He leaned down, scrunching the letter in his hands slightly.
After what she said to him, after the mind trip, after how close him and Vaughn had gotten since she disappeared, he didn't want to love her anymore, he knew that it wasn't really him—not at the core of it—he wanted to be able to forget her.
But, he knew he couldn't. He knew he wouldn't.