((A/N: Thank you all for the nice reviews, and I apologize for taking so long. As for the one who complained about how this isn't true and Morgan was fine... that's why this is called fan FICTION not fan re-writes of the author's original work. That's all... now just enjoy, alright? ))

Morgan sighed, tugging down the sleek black overcoat. He knew coming here was a mistake. He already looked like an idiot, and he hadn't even seen Meg yet. 'Maybe she won't come...' he told himself, actually praying it as he did. The last thing he wanted was to be confronted with the girl. Half-lies through the postal service were one thing. Totally lying to her face... or even telling her the truth would be at least a thousand times worse.
"I look like a dumbass." he grumbled under his breath, smoothing back his nearly shoulder-length chestnut hair. He stared at the ground, still tugging at the suit. It was too small on him. The entire thing was tight and could barely be buttoned, and beyond that, the sleeves rode a few inches up his wrists.
"You look fine." Eric assured him, squirming around in his own suit. It was a little small as well, but neither looked incredibly bad.
"That's what you get for not showing up to get fitted." Josh said, combing his hair for what had to be the hundreth time.
"You're lucky I showed up at all." Morgan said with a slight anger in his throat. He'd rather be back at the ranch, or better yet, at the rodeo than here. He was missing most of the competitions, and this was set to be his return after the two years he spent doing little more than sulking around the ranch.
"If you don't want to be here...why did you come?" Jeff piped in. His small build let for a good fit on his outfit. It was even a little loose on him, giving him the appearance of a young boy trying to make himself look alot more important than he really was.
"..." he didn't speak, staring at the ground. Eric grinned, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Because he has a thing for Meg." Eric piped up, laughing a little. Josh gave him a sidelong glance, silently wondering what on earth he could see in that girl. She was cute, sure...but definately not beautiful. She was a little pudgy too...of course, he never got the best look at her. He just never thought that Morgan would go for a girl like that. He imagined the rugged looking cowboy having anything on his mind besides just how beautiful his girl was.
"Shove it. I don't give a damn about any of the people here, really. I mean... I barely know any of you. I'm doing this because... I need to talk to the girl, and I don't write." Jeff smirked at this comment, "never learned how?" he asked with a snicker.
"Shut up..." Morgan whispered, trudging toward the mirror and fixing his hair back. "...you really don't have any idea." he said quietly, his arms shaking as he clenched his fists hard. He pushed aside the sudden terror that cast itself over him. Just a little shake like this...was it the begining of the end? "What the hell do you know? What's wrong with you, Morgan? You gonna get yourself killed playing with your horses? What do you know about living in constant danger of dying!?" Jeff suddenly shouted. 'where the hell did that come from?' Morgan scowled silently, glaring upwards at the teenager. "I don't think there's one of here who DOESN'T know about that, Jeff...." Josh said carefully, trying only to halt the conversation. "All of us have been hurt or sick or come really close to losing one thing or another...so don't be attacking someone. In a few hours none of you will ever have to see eachother again." Josh said softly, and everyone seemed pleased with this.
"Fine..let's just get this over with." Jeff said with a low growl and left the room. Eric and Morgan followed shortly after. "I'm not staying...I need to get all of this over with..." Morgan said to himself, looking down. Struggling through what he knew would be the longest hour of his life wasn't something he was ready to do. Not if Meg was there... not if she still thought he was okay. He closed his eyes as he slowly slid back against the paneled wall, coming to a halt in a sitting position at the bottom. What the hell was he going to tell that girl?
"Yo...Morgan...are you alright?" Eric dropped down to the ground next to him. He knew that he wasn't already, and was sure that his answer would be a simple 'I'm fine' or 'Leave me alone'. That was the cowboy's nature. Eric smirked as he thought of him as a sort of lone ranger...he definately fit the bill.
"Do I look like it?" he asked quietly, opening his cloudy blue eyes and staring at the hard oak floor of the Jenny House chapel. He never wanted to come here. Showing up was a mistake. He should be at home in Colarado with Maggie and Don...not in South Carolina going to some guy's wedding just to see a girl. A girl he didn't even love.
He couldn't love her. He turned the idea over in his head so many times, he could bring up any point of the foolishness of ever feeling such a way towards her and explain it. There were too many things wrong with caring about her. First off, they were two completely different people. Meg had dreams...she was going to be a doctor, a damn good one he already decided for her.
Beyond that, she just wasn't what he wanted in a girl. She was the little rich girl he always avoided on the ranch. The snobby doctor's kid who got whatever she want. Who lived in a huge house with an indoor pool and maids. Someone who didn't do a single chore in her entire life, and never planned on it. Then there was Anne. He loved Anne. Always...and though he never conciously did, he promised to himself that he would never love anyone the same way again. He knew even if he tried he couldn't. And that wasn't fair to Meg...to anyone. Of course, there was the other bit of unfairness he brought to the table.
Huntingtons Chorea.
He would never let the same thing that happened to his parents happen to him. He wouldn't get married, never make the mistake of possibly passing down this gene, and never ever take the chance of tearing apart the family the way it did his.
"What's goin' on with you, man?" Eric asked quietly. He always thought Morgan the solemn type...not the kind to just break down like this. Something wasn't right. He could tell that much easily enough.
"I've just got alot of things on my mind, alright?" His voice was thick, and he suddenly felt like crying. Crying like he hadn't since he was twelve years old. He felt like bawling his eyes out until he couldn't breathe..until there were no more tears left. He didn't want to die...and he wanted to die alone even less.
She was there.
No matter how much he had prayed and wished and hoped, she was still there. Standing in the perfect row of perfect bridesmaids was the perfect Meg. And around her neck was the ribbon. That goddamned ribbon.
His lies were tied to her like a trophy. Like she was telling the whole world, "I have a thing for a guy and he told me a lie. A terrible, TERRIBLE lie." He cringed when he first saw her, but the smile on her face said she didn't notice. At least there was one thing to be thankful for.
Well, two things.
In only a few more minutes Katie and Josh would be saying "I do" and this whole thing would be over. With no plans to attend the reception or even stick around to congratulate the couple, he would be gone. Packing his bags and a few hours after that on his way back home. For the first time in a very long time, he would be glad to be going back to the ranch. Back to what was familiar to him. Back to his normal life, for as long as it could be considered that.
"Morgan!" He was almost to his car when he heard the voice of Megan Charnell calling to him. He ignored it and quickened his pace. Maybe she would just think he hadn't heard her. She would write to him, he would ignore the letters, and finally she might leave him alone. "Morgan Lancaster, you stop right this minute!" she yelled in a commanding tone. He gritted his teeth and continued towards his car.
He stopped at red Mustang, a rental from the local agency, and shoved the key in. She was running to him now, holding her spike-heel pumps in one hand and holding up her long bridesmaid's gown in the other. He was sitting in the car when her hand dropped the dress and clamped on to the car door.
"What on EARTH is wrong with you? I've been trying to catch you all day!" she exclaimed, putting her body in front of the door so he wouldn't be able to shut her out. Not the way he did on all the other things.
"I know... and I've been avoiding you, if you haven't noticed." The bluntness surprised Meg. She was sure that he was avoiding her, but she was shocked to hear him admit it. She wouldn't have expected something like that from Morgan.
"Why!?" she demanded, her hands on her hips now. He looked her over. Meg was pretty. Maybe not by culture's normal standards, seeing as how she didn't look as though she hadn't eaten in months. She wasn't always dressed like a tramp, and her makeup didn't remind him of a rodeo clown. But she was still beautiful. There was no denying that. Her sparkling eyes and beatiful smile caught his eye the most, though neither was too apealing right now. "You said..." he started slowly, "that if I contacted you, and I told you how I was... you wouldn't force me to have anything to do with you ever again." he looked up at her, "I thought I could trust your word, Miss Charnell, but I seem to have been mistaken."
Now she was upset. Morgan was the number one reason she'd even attended this wedding, and now he was avoiding her like the plauge. What was wrong with him? Everything about him seemed a little different. Something clicked in her mind, and she spoke it aloud,
"What? Is this about the test results?"
His eyes caught hers and he glared at her in a frenzy. Did she know? Had she figured it out?
When he didn't speak she continued.
"Are you upset that you're not dying or something!?" she asked. She had stood back from the door inadvertently, the digging of the metal hurting her back.
"Who said I'm not?" he hissed before slamming the door and skidding out of the parking lot.
Meg stood in awe. A dark puddle splashed onto her dress when he zoomed away, her shoes had dropped and were now beyond repair, and everything seemed to be falling apart.
He lied to her. He said he was okay, but he wasn't. He was going to die.
She stood that way for a long time. It was hours before anyone found her... collapsed and unconcious in the parking lot.

((A/N: This was originally meant to be two chapters, but both were too short... please continue with the kind reviews!))