A/N: I hope you don't mind the quick update but I wanted this posted prior to my week going to hell.

Accolades:

McCurdy: What's better than Chad channeling Paige? Oh yeah, Paige herself. I might just have to bring her back. Thanks for the review.

Mandy: Wow! The best! I'm flattered, thank you so much.

ReRe04: Thank you so much again for appreciating the realism. I'm rather fond of it myself.

Shadow-seraph: Thanks for the review…I hope you continue to read and review.

Sagittarius Sage: Isn't it great that I can leave suspense without a cliffy. I myself was rather impressed with it.

Spider-man-fan: Good to see you're back. Thanks for all the props.

DegrassiLuver4Ever11: Okay, we'll work on a program for you to wean yourself off my stories. Wait, no I don't want that. I like the readers and reviews. I don't want to lose you. Be patient, real life doesn't have the ease of what I could write. They'll have to overcome a few things. I couldn't have the infidelity of Marco and Dylan together intimately. I'll make it up to you, one day!

Mo-52: Thanks for reviewing. I can't promise who they'll end up with because I don't know for sure myself. So, there's always hope.

Crystal: Thank you so very much for reviewing. Thank you for being so dedicated to reading this. It really helps to know I've got faithful readers like you. I don't feel as though I'm wasting my time.

Lizzy: Thank you so very much. Your reviews are always great. I like the "younger audience" because you've got some interesting ideas and valid points that most adults don't hone in on. I love to hear them. I love Chad too…the real one and the fictitious one.

Carrie: Violence rarely solves anything, however there are days that I want to smash their skulls together to knock some sense into them. Thank you for the compliments and good luck with your story.

Lucy: I am so floored by your continuing praise. You too are an amazing and talented person. You've done an outstanding job with your story. Thanks so much for everything you've said, it's rather inspiring.

Kate: My love, I can't say enough for you. You are a truly amazing person. Short and sweet, I love you dearly. Thank you for all the advice.

Chapter Eight

Marco woke up Wednesday morning, with the feeling that something wasn't right. His brain cleared enough for him to realize he was lying on a warm male chest. He adjusted his position so he could see Dylan clearly.

What happened last night and when did we take off our shirts? Probably the best night sleep I've had in a while. Oh God, James' class starts in a little over an hour. Guess I should wake him up.

Marco sat up and straddled Dylan's hips. He started to lightly tickle Dylan's ribs but got progressively harder with it until Dylan was screaming with laughter.

"Marco, stop that." Dylan cried out. He bolted upright and looked at the person on his lap. He visibly relaxed when he saw the person straddling him was indeed Marco.

"Thought you screwed up, didn't you?" asked Marco, a little too cheerfully.

Dylan nodded, shamefully, "Yeah, I thought you might be Scott. This would be hard to explain."

Marco didn't know why but he found it immensely funny.

"Don't laugh, it's not funny. When did the shirts go missing?" asked Dylan. "Did I do that?" asked Dylan pointing to a deep purple bruise/bite mark on Marco's left shoulder.

Marco got up and stood in front of the mirror over the fireplace, "I'd venture a guess of yes. Seeing as you're the only person who's been that close to me."

Dylan stayed prone on the couch but covered his face with his hands, "Guess old habits die hard?"

Marco laughed in spite of himself, "Yeah, never understood why you liked to bite me. I can't believe you just made this into a joke. It's so not funny." Marco said sitting on Dylan's chest.

"I'll be the judge of what's funny, what's not funny?" asked Chad as he stumbled into the room.

Marco looked up, "I'm so sorry for waking you up."

Chad waved him off and then started laughing, "Dude, did you know…"

Marco noticed he was pointing to his shoulder. He slapped a hand over the mark, "Yeah, discovered that, thanks. It's not funny."

This caused the two to laugh even harder.

Marco smacked Dylan on the chest, "Still not funny. Go take a shower, I've got some of your clothes in the bottom drawer of my dresser...from before."

Dylan smiled, "You go take one first and then I can sleep for another ten minutes."

Marco rolled his eyes and went to take a very cold shower. The effect Dylan had on him was still evident. In fact, Marco was beginning to wonder if the effect wasn't getting worse.

Chad got up from the chair he was sitting in and sat on the coffee table. "Any thoughts, feelings, general regrets you might want to share this morning?"

Dylan grinned half-heartedly, "Yeah, that I'm not in there with him."

Dylan started to lever himself off the couch but was brought back down forcefully when Chad sat on his chest.

"Get off…" Dylan groaned.

Chad slid down to sit on his abs and patted Dylan's chest, "Dude, this is for your own good."

Dylan frowned at him, "I can't believe you are physically restraining me. I won't make an ass out of myself."

Chad patted him again, "I just want to make sure. You're with Scott, he's with Braden and as much as I want you two together, I can't have this on my conscience. I'm Catholic too and the guilt might kill me."

Dylan laughed, "Yeah, and premarital sex is bad…"

Chad smiled, "That's a whole different story and you know it."

"While I'm anxiously wanting to talk about my sister's sex life with you, I hear Marco in his room. You can get up now." Dylan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I know you love it when I talk about Paige but I'm going to find something in the kitchen." Chad said, moving off of Dylan.

Dylan breathed, "Oh thank god I can breathe again."

Chad rolled his eyes and laughed as he walked into the kitchen.

Marco finished his shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He went to get Dylan up again.

"Time for your shower. James' class starts in forty five minutes."

"No, I kinda like the view from here." Dylan said looking at Marco's towel.

"You know, I was a little shocked that I stayed alone. You seem to have gained more control, I'm impressed."

"Don't be, Chad was sitting on my stomach up until he heard the bedroom door open again." Dylan answered honestly.

Marco laughed, "Go take your shower. I'll get dressed and make breakfast."

Dylan grinned slyly, "I get to sleep with a cute guy, bite him and he still makes me breakfast. I could get used to this."

Marco smacked him on the butt, "You already did, once. No time to do it now."

Marco finished getting dressed and pulled out Dylan's clothes. He laid them on the bed and smiled. This brought back some interesting memories.

Marco shook his head, these weren't memories he needed to revisit right now. He left the room and walked past the bathroom. He heard Dylan's horrible off key version of 'Margaritaville' and laughed. Some things just never change.

More memories started to assail Marco's mind as he entered the kitchen. Thankfully, Chad was there to take his mind off of everything.

Chad was about to prove him wrong however. "So, you and Dylan, huh?"

"Chad…don't start. It was innocent." Marco said taking out a pan.

Chad laughed softly, "Marco, with you and Dylan it's never innocent. There's something there that I'm envious of."
Marco turned to look at Chad, "What in the hell are you talking about?"

"You two love each other so much. You just can't see the forest for the trees. You belong together and as soon as you realize it the better off you'll be." Chad said simply.

"What do you mean that you're envious?" asked a confused Marco.

"I love Paige but what you have with Dylan is so much more. I wish you could see an outsider's view on this. You're perfect together."

Marco slammed his hands on the counter, "Chad, it is over. As much as I'd prefer that it wasn't but he moved on."

"Surely you jest, look at that mark on your shoulder. Hell, he held you all night long. Do you have any idea of the last guy he actually let sleep in his bed all night long?" Chad asked. He didn't expect an answer, so he answered it, "You were the last one before last night to spend an entire night with him. He hasn't let anyone that close again."

Marco looked stunned. He'd assumed that because they were intimate that Scott had stayed the night. Looks like he was mistaken.

Dylan had entered the kitchen as the silence was becoming deafening. "What's wrong?"

Marco shook his head, "Nothing. Here's breakfast." He set a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of him. He did the same for Chad.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Dylan.

"No, for some reason I've lost my appetite." Marco responded looking at Chad.

Chad was waiting for Marco when he got home from class. "I think we need to talk."
Marco laughed bitterly, "Yeah and that's an understatement."

"Look, I'm sorry I sprung that on you this morning but you two are acting stupid. Someone had to intervene. I'm talking to Dylan in an hour." Chad explained.

"Chad, leave it alone. Dylan's with someone else and I've met someone interesting." Marco said, almost pleadingly.

"Listen to yourself. You've found someone interesting but not someone you could love. You love Dylan and you know no one else could ever make you feel like that. I'm almost positive he feels the same way." Chad said with some exasperation.

Marco shrugged, "I don't know about him but last night felt great. I do love him and he knows it. I want to see where this goes with Braden though. I want to know that if Dylan and I get back together it's because we do love each other and not because he was my first."

Chad nodded, "Now that I can understand. Just please don't wait too long. Dylan might be in love but he won't wait forever. He's going places in hockey and you can't expect him to put his life on hold."

Marco nodded, "I understand all of that. Don't worry Chad, if we were meant to be together, it'll happen."

Chad didn't look happy but he dropped the subject.

Chad cornered Dylan at his apartment that afternoon.

"What's so important that you just had to see me alone today?" asked Dylan curiously.

"We need to talk about Marco." Chad said gravely.

"What's wrong with Marco?" a worried Dylan inquired.

"Nothing. You need to get back together. He loves you and I know you love him. I don't see what the problem is with you two. You need each other." Chad explained.

"Chad, I do love Marco but I don't think he's ready for me again." Dylan said sadly.

"That's what he said, too." Chad said.

Dylan gave him an odd look, "He said the same thing?"

Chad nodded, "Yep. He wants to see where things go with Braden before he gives it another shot with you. He wants to be sure your relationship is real."

Dylan seemed to think this over for a minute. "I can see that. I'm the first guy he dated. I'd want to be sure too if I were him. Now I wonder how long he'll need to realize we belong together."

Dylan was surprised when a knock sounded on his door. He and Chad had been playing a video game and weren't expecting anyone. He was even more surprised to see who was standing on the other side.

"What are you doing here? Wait, how did you get here?" asked Dylan as he let the person in.

"You know there is this big thing, it's metal with wings…called an airplane. I came to see you boys, it sounded like you need some help," responded Paige. "Also, I told Mom you screwed up again and needed some help out of this mess. That got me on the first flight out this morning."

Chad jumped up at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, "I've missed you, hun." He swung her into a huge hug and kissed her soundly before setting her back down.

Paige patted him on the chest, "Okay, now down to business. I missed you too. Dylan," said the feisty blonde as she turned back to her brother. "What in the hell am I hearing about you and Marco sleeping together, yet you both are dating other guys?"

Dylan tossed Chad an irritated look over her shoulder, "That should've never been mentioned. I fell asleep on Marco's couch last night…he happened to be lying on my chest?" suggested Dylan weakly.

Chad tossed out, "Yeah but you didn't see the hickey and bite mark on his shoulder this morning…" upon seeing Dylan's look, "maybe I shouldn't have said that."

Dylan glared at his best friend, "Ya think? Chad, there are some things my little sister doesn't need to know. For instance, who I sleep with, what I do with them, and who I still love. It's none of her concern."

Paige held up a hand, "Excuse me, you slept with Marco, again…I already know what you've done and I'm well aware you still love him. Chad didn't need to divulge any of that. You were heartsick all summer because he left."

Dylan was about to say something but there was another knock on the door. Dylan threw the door open in irritation. He didn't say anything but stepped back to let Scott inside.

"Scott, this is my little sister, Paige. Paige, this is my boyfriend, Scott. Say it's nice to meet you, then leave." Dylan said threateningly to the meddlesome little brat.

Scott laughed nervously, "Hi, Paige. It's nice to finally meet you."

Paige looked Scott up and down but wouldn't smile at him, "So, you're Scott. It's an interesting pleasure meeting you."

"Paige, be nice." Dylan warned.

Paige did her perfect hair flip and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, hun. Let's go to Marco's so I can settle in. I'd love a hot shower."

Chad gave Dylan a tense grin, "Whatever you say. Dyl, I'll call you later."

Dylan nodded and watched his best friend steer his sister out the door.

"She's not very friendly." Scott said after the door closed.

Dylan shook his head, "I'd apologize for her but I'm not sure if I could. Paige has concrete ideas and it takes an act of God to change her mind."

Scott looked at Dylan funny, "What ideas does she have? What's it got to do with me?"

"She wants to see me with Marco. She helped get us together in the first place and firmly believes we should still be together." Dylan explained.

Scott half-laughed, "You don't agree with her, do you?"

Dylan looked at Scott with tears in his eyes, "I think there's something I need to tell you."

Scott got a scared look on his face, "I guess I should sit for this one, huh?"

Dylan nodded and left the room for a minute. He came back in carrying a huge book. He set it down on the coffee table and sat down, close enough for comfort but not close enough to touch.

"This might explain everything. I keep it hidden from everyone because I wasn't sure about anything. Now, I'm sure and it wouldn't be fair to you not to see it." Dylan said cryptically.

Scott was getting more confused by the moment, "What? Dylan, speak English this time…tell me what's going on…please."

Dylan sighed and opened the burgundy cover of the book. Inside were photographs, snapshots really. Some black and white, others in perfect vivid colors. Each capturing almost the same scene…two boys in love.

Scott picked up the book and laid it across his lap. He took a closer look at the pictures displayed before him.

"Did you do all of this?" Scott asked, gesturing at the book.

Dylan shook his head, "No, Paige put it together for me when Marco left before seeing me over the summer. She was trying to make me feel better."

Scott flipped a few pages but kept his thoughts to himself.

After he looked through half of it, he closed it and set it back on the table.

Scott turned to look at Dylan, who still had tears in his eyes. "At least now I know what I'm up against. Before, I was fighting a ghost…a series of memories that I didn't know existed."

Dylan smiled sadly, "Scott, I want you to know what you're dealing with and I'm sorry for everything. I do still love Marco. He was my entire world for a year and I always felt like that wasn't enough."

Scott smiled and started to laugh in disbelief, "I know that now. I knew something was holding you back, I just didn't have a name for it. Now I know every wall that you kept throwing up between has been named Marco. He's a great guy and I can't say that I blame you. I just hoped we might have had a future together."

Dylan shook his head, "I tried, believe me I tried my best to leave him in Degrassi. I just couldn't." Dylan said shrugging.

Scott laughed lightly, "I know the feeling all too well. Back home, I had a boyfriend who I see a lot of him in Marco. He died three weeks after our high school graduation. He was driving home from work and a drunk driver hit him. The paramedics said he never knew what hit him. I'm still in love with him, too. I had an easier time though because I don't have a choice but to move on. You can go back. I can't ever look back."

Dylan was shocked to hear about Scott's past, "I'm so sorry. I never knew. I never asked."

Scott nodded, "We chose not to talk about our pasts and I didn't think bringing up Bryan would be a good thing. I live each day like it's my last in fear that it might be. Bryan taught me how to live. So now, I live for him."

Dylan gave Scott a tight smile, "I guess we're both haunted by our pasts."

Scott nodded, "Yep. I really like you Dylan and in spite of this," Scott between them and the book, "I can't help but notice we have fun, even if we aren't going to last."

"You're right. I still want Marco. To be fair to me and any guy I could date, I should've been upfront with you about him." Dylan said, staring down at his hands.

Scott stood up and pulled Dylan with him. He wrapped Dylan in a tight hug, "Still friends with benefits?"

Dylan nodded, "Yeah, good friends. I don't want to be rude, but I think I need to be alone right now."

"I'll see you at practice tonight," Scott nodded and let himself out of Dylan's apartment. He didn't think Dylan needed to see the tears he felt burning behind his eyelids.

Dylan sat back down on the couch and felt the hot tears fall down his face. He knew he'd be losing a good thing with Scott but he couldn't carry on the charade any longer. At least, Scott now knew the whole truth. Now, he had to survive somewhat on his own until he could be with Marco again.

Dylan picked up the book on his table and smiled. At least he still had the memories to keep him somewhat satisfied.

He opened the book and laughed…the first picture is of Marco sitting on the steps laughing at Spinner, who fell down the steps.

A myriad of pictures of Marco smiling at Dylan and Dylan smiling back. The love reflected in those pictures was breathtaking. It was a flawless kind of love that couldn't be duplicated.

Dylan finally understood what everyone had said about them by looking in this book. He was becoming envious of the lovers in the book. Their love did shine through. Even during the bad times, it was still evident in Marco's eyes. Dylan could see it captured so beautifully in most of these pictures. He missed that look.

Dylan slammed the book shut and put it on the book shelf in the living room. He wanted it in the open, as a reminder of what is still considered great in this world.

Please Review! See, it's only been three days and I updated. They must work better than caffeine. Keep them up and I'll try my hardest to have a chapter up by Thursday.