A/N: Sorry again about that wait! I'm trying guys, you have to believe me! After sleep, meals, homework, and play practice, you guys are on the top of my list! Well, the boys are back! And maybe if you're lucky, there will be quite a bit of snogging and lovely petting in this chapter...but you'll have to read to find out!

Charlie Dalton picked up the phone and held it tenderly to his ear. It was common knowledge at Wellton Academy that a phone call from home was never good. Any good information could be shared through letters, but the urgency of phone calls carried with it dire undertones.

"Hello?"

"Hello Charles."

Charlie shivered at the cold voice of his father. Charlie and his father had never gotten along. Charlie's father had always wanted Charlie to become everything he was- a doctor, a business school graduated, and an upstanding member of society. Charlie had never wanted any of those things.

"Hello Father. To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"

"Rest assured Charles that this phone call is no pleasure. I'm afraid I have some rather unfortunate news. Very unfortunate, in fact."

Charlie sat down on to his bed and braced himself.

"Well, what is it?"

"Don't take that tone with me Charles. I'm afraid to tell you that there has been quite an accident here at The Manor."

The Manor. Charlie's home. At least, the place Charlie slept during the summer. The Manor was exactly what it sounded like- a refurbished mansion in the hills of Maine. Charlie hated it when people referred to it as The Manor- especially his father. It sounded so arrogant.

"Alright."

"Charles, Guinevere is dead."

Charlie laughed out loud. He didn't know what to do.

"Good one father. For a split second there, I almost thought you were serious. Now tell me, what's the real emergency?"

"Charles, this is not a joking manor."

"Come on, Father. I have to get to class soon. Tell me why you really called. I don't have time for your games."

"Charles, believe me- I do wish that this wasn't the reality. But it is. She was rowing on the lake with Paul when they came across a storm. You know how lousy a swimmer she was. Paul tried his hardest to get her home, but he just wasn't able to. She drowned, Charles. She's gone."

Charlie went pale and dropped his head, cradling it softly in his hands. He felt a ball well immediately in his throat and tears sprang to his eyes.

"I expect you to handle this like a man, Charles. Do not embarrass me with this. You may be two hundred miles away, but I expect you to honor this family and behave in a way that is appropriate. I know that you must be feeling mournful, Charles. You loved Guinevere very much. But your class work must not suffer. You must continue to live up to the Dalton family name. The funeral will be held this weekend. You will receive a pass by Thursday. Good bye, Charles."

Charlie heard the phone click off on the other line and Charlie dropped the phone back in to its cradle. Leave it to his father to glaze over the death of the most important girl in Charlie's life and use it as another speech on honoring the family. Charlie pulled his knees up to his chest and began to cry, hearing the class bell ring somewhere in the distance. Charlie thought of Guinevere, his only sister, imagined seeing her body floating in the huge lake that encompassed most of the back half of their property. He recalled all the times over the years he had tried to teach her to swim, and how aptly she refused, claiming that she would never need it. Charlie thought of the day he had left home for his first day at Wellton, how sad it made him to leave his little sister. He was so scared for her and had been since that day. She wasn't like all the other girls. She was fragile and scared of so much.

When she had met Paul in the eighth grade, Charlie had been very wary of him. Paul was the kind of guy who used and abused women- much like the kind of guy Charlie was. But Paul turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to Guinevere. Paul proposed right after their junior year, and they had planned on getting married after their senior year. The entire family couldn't have been happier for them. But now that was never going to happen. Charlie knew that his sister would never get the chance to be a bride, and that he wouldn't ever get to see her live the full life she had always dreamed of living. And then Charlie felt another feeling boiling in the pit of his stomach- a bitter feeling that he couldn't be rid of.

Charlie hated his father. He hated everything his father stood for. He hated his father for not keeping a better eye on Guinevere, especially when he knew she couldn't' swim. He hated him for letting her go rowing on the river. He hated him for calling his home The Manor and he hated him for never calling him son. He hated his Father for being gone all the time and leaving them to be raised with nannies and maids, especially after his mother died. Charlie hated his father for living, for breathing, and for being a part of Charlie.

Charlie curled himself in to a ball and lay on hi bed, sobbing in to his pillow, barely noticing the bell that signified the end of class. Before long, Charlie heard a gentle knock at his door. He ignored it and continued to sob, wondering if the tears would ever end.

"Charlie?"

Charlie took a quick glance at his door to see a tall brunette leaning against the door frame.

"Go away."

"Charlie, you weren't in classes. What happened? Who was on the phone for you?"

News of a phone call from home spread quickly, especially the upper-class.

"I said go away Knox. I don't want to talk right now."

"Charlie...oh Charlie. What happened? Was it bad?"

Charlie sat up on his bed and pulled his knees in to his chest, studying them intently. He nodded. Knox walked slowly across the room, his hands in his pockets, studying the floor as if he'd never seen it before. He pulled out Charlie's desk chair and sat down.

"Was it your dad?"

Charlie nodded. Knox and Neil were the only two people who knew what Charlie's father was, and how ruthless he could be.

"What did he say?"

Charlie shook his head, tears pouring down his face.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Knox sat on the bed beside Charlie, putting his arm around his shoulders and hugging him gently.

"Come on Charlie. Whatever it is, it's gotten you pretty shook up. I haven't seen you cry this hard since Neil died. Is it your grandma?"

Charlie shook his head no. His grandmother had been sick for a long time with lung cancer.

"Then what, Charlie? You know you can tell me, buddy."

Charlie took a deep breath.

"Guinevere's dead."

Charlie heard Knox gasp audibly. Knox was the only Society member who had ever met his sister. They had been introduced the summer that Knox had been living at Charlie's while his parents were settling there divorce. Knox and Gwen had gotten along great, talking all the time about art and movies and their favorite bands. They had a lot in common and Charlie knew that Knox loved Charlie's sister as much as he did.

"Charlie...my God...I'm so sorry."

Charlie glanced at Knox and could see one tear for in the corner of his eyes and roll silently down his cheek. Charlie nodded and leaned his head back up against the wall. He felt another wave of tears come on, and started to sob again. Before he knew what was happening, he felt being enveloped in a bear hug by the brunette next to him. Charlie cried in to Knox's shoulder, noting somewhere in the back of his mind the smell of a wonderful cologne and pipe tobacco. Knox let Charlie cry for hours, wrapping his arms around his true love and wishing more than anything that he could take his pain away. After Charlie's sobs quieted, Knox pulled away and looked Charlie in the face.

The tears continued to streak his flushed cheeks and his eyes were rimmed in red, but Charlie remained the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. Without saying a word, Knox reached up and gingerly wiped away two tears off of Charlie's cheeks. He looked at Charlie as an anxious silence filled the room. Knox looked Charlie in the eyes and found that he was looking in to bright green pools filled of...what? Lust? Passion? Anger and disgust? Knox couldn't tell. But he didn't care. Knox felt a little voice inside him tell him that it was now or never. Taking a deep, silent breath, Knox leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on Charlie's forehead. He heard Charlie gasp shortly. He pulled away immediately and stood up.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't...I mean I...I'm sorry."

Knox leapt up and charged for the door, accidentally knocking Charlie's chair over on his war path.

"Knox, wait!"

Charlie jumped up and raced after Knox, reaching him just before he set foot out in to the hall. Pulling on his hand and flinging him around him, Charlie kicked the door closed with his foot and pushed Knox up against it at the same time. Charlie smiled as Knox looked at him confused.

"You were going to leave before I had the chance to say thank you."

A/N: Ok, ok. So I didn't get around to writing the lovely petting and snogging. But I assure you that it will be in the next chapter- and that there will be lots of it. In fact, look forward to lots of fluff next chapter because I think Charlie and Knox need it after so much drama. As always, reviews are cherished for all eternity!