Hotel Death Trap

Inspired by 'Tori' and 'aphass' and set around episode 7345, this is a one-shot covering Chris finding out about the hotel explosion and returning to help out in the aftermath.

Chris wrung his hands anxiously as he stared out of the window of the plane. It was the middle of the night and he should have been asleep, but his mind was still active, trying to process everything that had happened over the last few hours. He recalled earlier that day having an argument with Jem, which had been happening more frequently in recent weeks. The topic of living arrangements had come up several times between them over the past year, but it just kept going round in circles and eventually Jem had grown tired of Chris' indecisiveness. Chris couldn't help being confused about what the future held for their relationship, so Jem had suggested that they take a break from each other so that they could figure out what they wanted individually. Chris had reluctantly agreed before trudging home so that he could whinge to Lucy about what a terrible day he'd had.

However, when he returned home and saw Lucy's tear-stained face, Chris forgot about his troubles and was worried for his friend.

"What's wrong?" he asked apprehensively

Lucy gulped heavily, "There was an explosion at the Lassiter's in Erinsborough" she revealed shakily

Chris was aghast, "Seriously?!" he exclaimed, "When?"

"A couple of hours ago" she replied, "Glen just called me"

Chris was in shock, but took a deep breath and tried to figure out the priorities, "Did everyone get out? Was anyone hurt?"

Lucy glanced away and nodded, "Pretty much everyone's out now, but there were a couple of fatalities"

"Do we know them?" Chris asked hesitantly

Lucy held his gaze for a few moments, "Josh and Doug Willis" she whispered

Chris swore that he felt his heart stop momentarily, "Josh… and Doug?" he repeated

Lucy nodded and Chris stepped backwards absently, "I can't believe it" he murmured, "The Willises must be devastated"

Lucy nodded, "I've tried to contact Paul, but he's not answering" she told him

Chris pulled her into a hug, "I'm sure he's fine" he reassured her before jokingly adding, "He's Paul Robinson, he's indestructible!"

Lucy snorted and Chris rubbed her back before pulling away, "Should we do something to help them?" he asked

Lucy shrugged, "Like what?"

"Anything" Chris replied, "Helping with the repairs, donating money, sorting out alternative accommodation and whatever else we can do"

Lucy nodded, "I'll look into it" she replied

"Maybe I should go over there and see what needs to be done" Chris suggested

"You want to go back to Erinsborough?" Lucy clarified

Chris shrugged, "They might need us, and since we have no idea what's going on, it makes sense for me to find out so that we can help"

Lucy considered this, "What about Anne?"

"I'll try not to be away for too long" Chris assured her, still trying to figure it all out in his head, "You don't mind looking after her on your own for a bit?"

Lucy shrugged, "I guess not" she replied, "But when do you want to go?"

Chris checked his watch, "I'll see when the next flight to Melbourne is"

"That soon?" Lucy questioned

"Why not?" Chris responded, "It takes nearly an entire day to get there, and this is the time where they'll need help the most"

Chris was really lucky that Lucy was so supportive of his idea of returning to Erinsborough. It wasn't the ideal situation, but he knew that he needed to go back there so that he could help out. He managed to book a flight for three hours' time and quickly packed all of the essentials that he would need. Whilst he was booking his flight, Chris contacted Sheila to let her know that he was returning, hoping that he could stay at number 26. Unfortunately, his room (and all of the others in the house) were in use, but luckily there was a spare room at number 28. Chris hesitated, remembering that Nate still lived at number 28, but then realised that he was desperate for a place to stay and couldn't be fussy, so he agreed. Saying goodbye to his daughter was the most difficult thing he had done in a long time and he promised to be back as soon as he could. Lucy assured him that she would take care of things at the Lassiter's in New York and made Chris promise to contact her whenever he could.

xxx

Despite the lack of sleep, Chris was practically bursting with energy when he arrived at Melbourne airport. He decided to have lunch there because he realised that he wouldn't have the opportunity to sit down and eat once he was back in Erinsborough, so he made sure that he'd had a large meal and bought a few snacks to keep him going as well. He managed to get a taxi which dropped him off in Ramsay Street so that he could leave his belongings somewhere safe whilst he helped out. Although Susan was distracted by Sarah's return and her secrecy, she was pleased to see Chris again and greeted him enthusiastically. Ben's head was occupied with thought of Tom Quill's suspected death and what that would mean for the money that he and Xanthe had taken from his room, but he pushed that aside to greet Chris, who he hadn't seen in about two years. Chris was happy to see familiar faces, but wondered where Nate was as he deposited his bags in his room.

Chris didn't want to waste any time whilst he was back in Erinsborough, and since it was the middle of the afternoon he decided to head to Lassiter's so that he could see the damage. Once he'd entered the complex, he was taken aback at the sight of the hotel. After Chris had learnt about the explosion, he'd had an idea in his head of what it would look like, but it was nothing compared to the reality. It was also more overwhelming seeing the rescue teams and police force dotted around the complex, engrossed in their responsibilities. Sensing someone nearby, Chris glanced over to his right and noticed a young policeman staring at him strangely.

Chris smiled at him politely and tentatively approached him, "Hey" he greeted politely, "How's everything going here?"

The policeman was suspicious, "Are you involved in the clean-up?" he asked

Chris shook his head, "I work at the Lassiter's in New York and I heard about the explosion" he replied, "So I'm back to help out however I can"

The man nodded, "That's good of you"

Chris smiled his thanks but shrugged, "So, how's the investigation going?" he asked, "Do you know what caused the explosion?"

The policeman glanced away, "Well, I can't go into any detail but someone's been arrested for tampering with the boiler room" he responded, "Though they're adamant that they're innocent"

Chris wasn't surprised; after all, who would admit to being responsible for something like this? "Are there many suspects?" he asked

The man nodded, "A few, but the person we brought in has the biggest motive and no alibi, so we're focusing on them at the moment"

Chris nodded, "Thanks for letting me know" he murmured, "I'll have to keep everyone else updated"

The policeman gazed up and down at Chris, "How long are you in town for?"

Chris shrugged, "Well I still have responsibilities back home, but I'm prepared to stay as long as I'm needed" he told him, "So, do you know how the clean-up is going?"

The policeman pulled a face, "That's the SES' job, and as far as I'm aware they're making some progress, but it's going to take a long time for things to return to the way they used to be"

Chris frowned, "For some people, it never will" he muttered, thinking about the Willises. As if on cue, he noticed Terese on the other side of the complex and stared at her sadly.

The policeman nodded sombrely in agreement before glancing at him again, "I'm Ryan, by the way" he told him, extending his hand

Chris shook his hand, "I'm Chris" he replied, still distracted by Terese, "Look, I've got some stuff I need to sort out, and I don't want to keep you from your job, but thanks for letting me know what's going on"

Ryan shrugged, slightly disappointed, "It was no problem" he replied, "I'll see you around, hopefully"

Chris nodded, "Yeah, hopefully" he responded distantly before heading over to Terese.

The woman was surprised to see Chris, "Hey" she greeted weakly, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about the explosion, so I came to help out" Chris began before hesitating and gently adding, "I am so sorry for your losses"

Terese nodded, "Thanks" she whispered before clearing her throat, "We need as much help as we can get, but Sonya's dealing with everything at the moment so it might be a good idea to talk to her and see what she needs you to do"

"Thanks for letting me know" Chris replied, "Please pass my condolences on to the rest of your family"

Terese shrugged, "After everything that happened between you and Josh, I didn't think you-"

Chris predicted what Terese was going to say and interrupted her, "That's not important anymore, it's all in the past" he assured her, "Just focus on taking care of yourself, ok?"

Terese smiled gratefully and Chris squeezed her arm gently before leaving the complex. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Josh's death: obviously he was upset by the idea of a young man losing his life, but Josh had almost killed him a year and a half earlier, and Chris didn't know how he was supposed to feel. He tried to push the confusion to one side as he made his way back to Ramsay Street so that he could help Sonya.

xxx

Chris was greeted warmly by Sonya and Toadie, who hadn't been prepared for his arrival. After making compulsory small-talk with them, Chris explained his reasons for being back in Erinsborough and Sonya practically jumped for joy at the prospect of having Chris helping her.

Chris was impressed by how organised everything appeared, "Wow, I don't know how you've managed to be this organised considering what's happened"

Sonya chuckled, "Actually, that wasn't me" she admitted, "My old assistant, Aaron Brennan, organised all of this"

"Oh, well done Aaron" Chris muttered before looking confused, "Hang on, 'Brennan'?" he repeated

"Yeah, he's Mark's younger brother and Tyler's older brother" she replied casually

"What happened to him?" Chris asked

He sensed Sonya's hesitation, "Our priorities changed, you know how it is" she responded slowly, and Chris could tell that she was lying. Instead of enquiring further, however, he decided to just focus on the tasks that were a priority.

Within a few hours, Chris and Sonya had finished the urgent business, so they decide to call it a night. She thanked him for his help and they arranged to meet again the following morning to carry on with the rest of the list of tasks. As Chris made his way to the house next door, the gravity of the situation – including the day-long journey from New York to Melbourne – suddenly hit him, and he felt completely drained.

xxx

Nate and Aaron were sitting in close proximity on the sofa, and they were in the middle of their conversation about Tom Quill and his suspected death when Chris suddenly entered. Neither of the men on the sofa were expecting to see him and were shocked when he walked in, Nate in particular. They all stared at each other for a few moments before Nate stood up.

"Uh, hi" Chris breathed

"Hey" he greeted awkwardly, "I didn't know you were back"

Chris nodded distantly, "Yeah, I got back a few hours ago and Susan's letting me stay here" he replied, "I heard about the explosion and wanted to help out"

"That's awesome" Nate responded gently before taking a step towards him, "It's great to see you"

"You too" Chris replied softly before pulling him into a lingering hug. Noticing Aaron staring at them, Chris pulled away and approached him, "Hey, I'm Chris Pappas"

Aaron nodded slowly as he stood up to shake his hand, "It's good to meet you, I'm Aaron Brennan"

Chris looked pleasantly surprised, "Oh, you're Aaron" he realised, "Sonya told me you used to be her assistant, you did a good job by the looks of it"

Aaron shrugged, "Thanks, but it wasn't really for me" he muttered before standing up, "Look, you two probably have a lot to catch up on, so I'll leave you to it"

Before either Chris or Nate had the opportunity to stop him, Aaron had fled the house. Despite still being bitter about everything that had happened between him and Nate, seeing him with Chris – even for a few moments – made Aaron feel uncomfortable, maybe even jealous. He didn't want to hang around whilst they caught up on the past year and built up a connection again. Aaron had his own issues, and the state of his relationship wasn't one that he wanted to think about. Aaron's exit caused a long silence as the remaining men stood facing each other uncomfortably.

Chris pulled a face, "Sorry if I interrupted something important"

Nate shrugged, "It's nothing that we can't talk about another time" he replied dismissively

"It looked quite intense" Chris pointed out, "Are you and he…?" he didn't know how to finish the sentence, not wanting to make assumptions about whether Nate and Aaron were in a relationship.

Nate exhaled, "I don't know" he admitted, "We were together a while ago, but things are strained between us and I don't know where we stand with each other anymore"

"You'll figure it out" Chris assured him, trying to sound convincing

"I'm not so sure about that" Nate murmured before clearing his throat, "Anyway, how have you been?"

"Good, thanks" Chris replied, "It's been a busy year and a lot's changed. What about you?"

"Alright" Nate responded hesitantly, "I had a bit of a rough patch a few months ago, and I'm still trying to sort it all out"

Chris nodded in understanding, assuming that Nate was referring to his PTSD, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Nate shook his head, "I don't want to burden you, not with everything else you've got going on"

"You'll never burden me" Chris insisted, "If you ever want to talk, I'm here"

"For how long though?" Nate asked

"However long it takes" Chris replied, "Obviously I'd like to go back home at some point, but there's a lot around here that needs doing and that's my priority"

"Exactly, you have other stuff to focus on" Nate pointed out, "Talking to your ex about his problems shouldn't be on that list"

"Well 'reconnecting with my friends' is on that list, and I think this counts" Chris argued, "It's not like many of my friends are still around anyway, what with Kyle, Georgia, Amber and Naomi gone"

Nate considered this, "Well thanks for the offer" he muttered, "Look, I was thinking about making dinner, are you hungry?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Chris chuckled

"Good point" Nate laughed as he made his way to the kitchen. Chris watched after him with mixed feelings. Considering everything that had happened with Jem and finding out that Nate was in a fractured relationship, Chris wasn't sure where his head was at. He knew that he had more important things to focus on while he was in Erinsborough, but Chris figured that these relationship issues needed to be sorted out before more damage was caused.

xxx

Chris was still half asleep as he stared at a menu. Sitting at a table in Harold's, he barely noticed any of the obvious refurbishments due to his tiredness. The previous evening had been a blur once the jetlag had set in. Over dinner, he had been filled in on most of the important gossip from the past year, and it was overwhelming as Chris reflected on it in the coffee shop. He was pulled out of his trance by a cup of coffee being placed down in front of him.

"Did I order this?" he asked himself quietly

"Uh, no" a familiar voice replied hesitantly, "But I did, if that's ok"

Chris glanced up to spot Ryan smiling down at him softly, "I don't know what kind of drinks you like" he continued, "But you looked kind of tired so I ordered you the strongest coffee they had"

"Wow, way to flatter a guy" Chris quipped drowsily

Ryan cringed, "Yeah, my pick-up lines need some work" he replied

"Well thanks for the coffee, I'll pay you back" Chris muttered as he reached for his wallet

Ryan shook his head, "Don't worry about it, it's on me" he responded

Chris smiled his thanks before grabbing a packet of sugar, then glanced at the policeman who was watching him hesitantly, "Do you want to join me?"

Ryan's face lit up as he sat down opposite Chris, "Thanks"

Chris smiled back before tearing open the packet. Despite it having been over a year since his attack, it still surprised Chris how much progress he had made in his recovery. There were barely any signs of his injuries as a result of the coward-punch, though the memories of the ordeal would always be with him. Thinking about Josh still unnerved Chris, so he put his conflicted thoughts aside to focus on the friendly man across the table.

"I don't want to keep asking you about the explosion" Chris began cautiously, "But has anything happened since yesterday?"

Ryan shook his head, "Not that I can really tell you about, and I'm sorry that doesn't help you much" he replied regretfully, "But don't worry about asking me about the explosion, you have a right to know what's going on"

Chris smiled slightly before sipping his drink. Ryan watched him for a few moments before asking, "What about you? How's it all going?"

Chris shrugged, "The Mayor and I got quite a lot done yesterday, but there's still quite a bit left to do, which should keep us busy"

"Ah, I see" Ryan smirked, "So you're here psyching yourself up before you have to go back there again?"

"Something like that, yeah" Chris chuckled coyly

"Don't be embarrassed, that's pretty much what I'm doing" Ryan admitted

"Really?" Chris questioned

"Yeah, the choice between going to work or having a drink with you is a no-brainer" Ryan responded

Chris glanced away awkwardly and Ryan sighed, "Look, if I've got the wrong end of the stick, just tell me and I'll back off"

Chris glanced at him, "It's not that" he assured him, "It's just… it's complicated"

Ryan nodded, "That's what they all say" he replied flippantly

Chris shook his head, "Well, I was in a serious relationship with a guy in New York, but we had a major difference of opinion so we're kind of taking a break from each other until we've sorted it out" he explained, "And while I'm here, I'm living with my ex-boyfriend who's having his own relationship problems"

Ryan sat back slightly, "Yeah, I guess that does sound pretty complicated"

Chris pulled a face, "Sorry, I didn't mean to unload on you like that"

Ryan chuckled, "It's not a problem" he assured him, "I'm no therapist but I'm happy to lend an ear"

Chris smiled slightly before sighing, "And I really miss my daughter"

Ryan looked surprised, "You have a daughter?"

Chris nodded, "Her name's Anne"

"How old is she?" Ryan asked

"Nearly 6 months" Chris replied, scrolling through his phone for a photo of her. He came across a photograph of Anne being held by Lucy, with Jem sitting next to them. It was one of his favourites, so he showed it to Ryan.

Ryan gazed at it in admiration, "She's cute" he murmured before looking sombre, "I'm guessing he's the guy you were with in New York" he added, referring to Jem.

Chris nodded slowly as he returned his mobile to the table.

"Do you still want to be with him?" Ryan asked carefully

Chris nodded immediately, "I love him, and I thought we had a future together" he told him, "But we hit a road-block, and I'm not sure how to get past it"

"Was it to do with Anne?" he asked

Chris shook his head, "No, he's great with her" he assured him, "We're just trying to figure out where the relationship's going"

"Well, in my non-expert opinion, I'd say that if you really want something to happen, you have to make the effort" Ryan replied, "If you want that future with him, you'll find a way to get past that road-block"

"Maybe you should be a therapist" Chris chuckled, "Or perhaps a relationship counsellor"

"I don't know if I'd trust a relationship counsellor who isn't in a relationship" Ryan retorted, "I wouldn't know how good my advice is"

"So you're the kind of person who'll give someone else advice, but you'd never use it yourself?" Chris clarified

Ryan shrugged, "I guess so, but I reckon most people are guilty of that"

Chris nodded in agreement and they tapped their mugs together. Unbeknownst to them, Nate had entered a few moments earlier and was watching them thoughtfully. Instead of buying a drink – which was his original plan – Nate quickly escaped from Harold's, feeling a twinge of jealousy. He shook his head in annoyance: he loved Aaron and wanted to make amends with him, so Chris drinking coffee with a random guy shouldn't upset him so much. The thought of Aaron made Nate realise that they hadn't finished their conversation about Tom, so Nate decided to track him down and find somewhere private to talk properly.

xxx

Nate's head was full of conflicted thoughts as he paced his living room. Unsurprisingly, Aaron hadn't wanted to talk to him about Tom, or talk to him at all. Nate understood that Aaron was still upset about him leaving, and after everything that had happened with Tom it was no wonder that Aaron wanted to be left alone. He really wished things could be simple again, the two of them mucking about and having fun, before Dennis Dimato, Tom Quill and the explosion happened; but Nate knew that there was very little chance of that. However, he hadn't expected Aaron to snap at him the way that he had, claiming that he didn't need him and that it was Nate's fault that he was in this mess.

"I didn't force you to sleep with someone else!" Nate had retorted after the accusation

"No, but you were the one who didn't bother contacting me – your own boyfriend – for over ten weeks" Aaron had yelled in response, "What else was I supposed to think apart from you wanting nothing to do with me?"

"That's not true!" Nate had insisted

"How was I supposed to know that if you never got in touch?" Aaron pointed out, "You didn't want me and Tom did, so what did you expect to happen?"

Nate let out a humourless laugh, "I didn't expect any of this"

"Me neither" Aaron agreed sombrely, "But I don't understand what went on in your head while you were away, so maybe it would be for the best if you kept your distance for a while"

Nate couldn't put up a fight with him; they'd fought enough over the past nine months to last a lifetime, so instead he had reluctantly turned around and headed home. Fortunately, nobody was in the house, which gave Nate the space to think about what he wanted to do. He could try to salvage his relationship with Aaron, but the fact that the older man was in no hurry to forgive him made that idea near-impossible. Having Chris around didn't make things any easier either: about five months earlier, Nate had claimed that he didn't have feelings for his ex-boyfriend anymore, but seeing him again and living in the same house as him brought back all of those feelings. Nate was feeling more conflicted than ever, and had no idea how he was supposed to get things back on track.

Chris was also having a stressful day. His conversation with Ryan had helped him put things in perspective, but he still felt like there was quite a lot of unfinished business – both personally and professionally – which he still needed to sort out. He and Sonya had made some more progress with their tasks, so Chris took the opportunity to call Lucy and check up on what was going on back home. Unsurprisingly, Lucy was totally in control despite juggling the responsibilities of running a hotel and looking after an infant. Chris desperately wanted to go back to New York, but he couldn't make any promises on when that would be, so instead he gave his love to Lucy, Anne and Jem. He knew that Jem adored his daughter, and Lucy had told him that Jem had been helping out by looking after Anne when she wasn't able to, which Chris was really grateful for. As he hung up, there was a knock on the front door, and Chris opened it to reveal Aaron on the other side with a large folder in his hands.

"Hey" Aaron greeted quietly

"Oh, hi Aaron" Chris replied, "What's up?"

"I've got a few things for Sonya" Aaron responded slowly, lifting the folder up.

"Right, come in" Chris instructed before stepping aside.

Sonya smiled as Aaron entered, despite the fact that Aaron was bringing more work to do. Aaron explained that he was still receiving calls and letters despite not working for her anymore, and although he had taken care of some of them, the majority needed to be completed by the Mayor herself.

"I can give you a hand if you'd like" Aaron offered as he noticed the stacks of paperwork on the table.

Sonya sighed in relief, "Thanks, that would be great"

Chris nodded, "Yeah, we're not exactly going to turn down volunteers" he added, secretly looking forward to working with Aaron and hoping he might be able to help him and Nate.

With Aaron's help, the three of them managed to complete the jobs on Sonya's list of priorities in a matter of hours. However, to Chris' disappointment, he barely had an opportunity to talk to Aaron about Nate due to Sonya's presence, but he definitely got the impression that things were still tense between them. Aaron's distant demeanour suggested that he was thinking deeply about something, which Chris guessed was to do with Nate. Although Chris knew that it wasn't really his place to get involved, he could see that Nate and Aaron needed some sort of intervention and he wanted to help.

With that mind-set, Chris was surprised when he returned to number 28 and found himself receiving a passionate kiss from Nate before he even had a chance to greet him.

After a few moments, Chris pushed him away, "What are you doing?" he gasped

Nate froze, "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that"

"No, you shouldn't have" Chris replied coldly, feeling a sense of guilt for technically cheating on Jem, "I thought you were in a relationship"

Nate sighed, "I have no idea what's going on" he admitted, "Aaron won't speak to me and now suddenly you're back, and I'm just so confused right now"

"Trust me, I'm confused as well" Chris assured him, "This whole situation is weird, but you can't avoid it and you definitely can't kiss me, hoping that it will work itself out"

"I'm sorry" Nate apologised softly, and there was a tense pause.

Eventually Chris made his way over to the table and broke the silence, "Look, Aaron came over to number 30 earlier to help out" he began, "We didn't get to talk about you, but I can tell that he's just as affected by this as you are"

"Really?" Nate asked quietly

Chris nodded, "I don't know anything about what's going on" he continued as he leant back against a chair, "You know, why things ended between you guys, and I want to help"

Nate nodded slowly, "A few months ago, my PTSD flared up really badly and I hurt someone" he admitted, "I had to flee the country, and while I was away I never got into contact with Aaron, so he moved on with someone else but that got all messed up and now things are strained between us"

"Why didn't you contact Aaron while you were away?" Chris asked, remembering how hurt he felt a few years earlier after Hudson completely cut him out of his life when he was sent to prison

Nate shrugged, "It's complicated"
Chris nodded, "I get that, and you don't have to explain it to me" he assured him, "But you do need to explain it to Aaron, hopefully he'll understand and will be able to forgive you"

"And what if he doesn't?" Nate asked

"Then at least you were honest with him" Chris replied, "You'll hopefully both get some sort of closure, and it's better than leaving things unresolved"

Nate considered this and Chris squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, "You need to do it sooner rather than later" he suggested before heading to his bedroom, leaving Nate to decide on his next move.

xxx

Following their argument, Aaron wasn't pleased to receive a text from Nate, asking him to meet him at number 28. However, he decided to go, even if it was just to placate him. Aaron was surprised when Nate admitted that he needed to explain what happened whilst he was away and why he never contacted him over the ten weeks.

"I left thinking that you'd be safer if I wasn't around, but every time I tried to contact you I kept thinking 'what if I was wrong and you're in deeper trouble?'" Nate began, "And I was finally getting proper treatment for my PTSD while I was away, so whenever I thought about what was going on here, I'd freak out and have a setback. I was putting my mental health at risk, so instead I turned off my phone to cut off all contact with people here and tried to just focus on getting better, but I'm sorry I never got in touch with you, that was totally wrong of me"

Aaron sighed and shook his head, "Look, I should have realised how much you were struggling" he muttered, then looked confused, "Hold on, if you were having those problems then how come you managed to contact Karl and Susan and Sheila when you went to stay with your parents?"

"They actually contacted me" Nate replied sheepishly, "When I was visiting Rachel, Karl and Susan phoned her to let me know that Dimato had been dealt with. So just as I was planning to come back here, my folks called her because it was coming up to dad's birthday and they wanted me to visit for a while. Rachel told Karl and Susan that I was with them, then they told Sheila and they contacted me on the landline, which is how they knew where I was. I should have contacted you then but I'd hardly spoken to my parents since I went travelling and I was so busy catching up with them that it just never occurred to me"

Aaron narrowed his eyes at him, "But I contacted you on your landline too, why didn't you call me back then?"

"Because your message said that you weren't going to wait around for me" Nate murmured, "So I assumed that you considered our relationship to be over and I didn't see the point in calling you back just to break up over the phone"

Aaron let out a deep breath, "No, I just meant that I didn't like being left in the lurch so I was giving you the chance to call me"

Nate nodded slowly in realisation, "Then I'm sorry, I completely misunderstood what you meant"

Aaron put his head in his hands, "This is such a mess" he breathed

"Yeah" Nate nodded, "I should never have left, I should have been here protecting the people I love instead of just protecting myself"

Aaron dropped his hands and shook his head, "No, you did the right thing" he assured him, "Your health comes first and we can look after ourselves"

Unbeknownst to them, Chris was listening to their conversation. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help overhearing them talking from his bedroom and was glad that they had taken the first step forwards. Realising that he had fulfilled his duties in Erinsborough, Chris decided that he had no reason to stick around much longer, so he opened his laptop so that he could book a flight back to New York and fix his own problems back home.

xxx

Passing through Lassiter's complex again, Chris spotted Ryan on his lunch-break and approached him. Ryan was pleased to see him, though he was disappointed when Chris told him that he was leaving again.

"I just wanted to say 'thank you' for all of the work that you and your colleagues have done" Chris began, "And also for just listening to me the other day"

"It's no problem" Ryan assured him, "It was nice getting to know you"

"You too" Chris agreed, "Take care of yourself"

Ryan nodded and watched Chris walk away. The young man didn't get very far before seeing Terese, who was obviously still having a difficult time.

"Hi Terese" he greeted softly

Terese smiled gently at him, "Hey, Sonya told me that you've sorted everything out"

Chris nodded, "I wish none of this had happened at all though, and I hated that these were the circumstances that I came back to"

"Bet you're glad to be heading home then" Terese commented

"Technically this is home" Chris replied, "But yeah, I have unfinished business to take care of in New York"

"Well, good luck with it" Terse whispered

Chris swallowed heavily, "Look, if there's anything else I can do, then just-"

"Tell me how to deal with this" Terese hissed tearfully, "How I'm supposed to cope with losing two family members, someone I love and my job, all whilst trying to keep what's left of my family together"

Chris shrugged helplessly, "I can't tell you how to deal with it, you've got to figure that out yourself, but you will" he murmured, "Try to remember the good things about those you've lost and not get caught up in the 'what ifs', because sometimes acceptance is the only way to move forwards"

Terese nodded, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Chris pulled her into a hug, and let go of all of his confused feelings towards Josh's death.

Nate was upset to learn that Chris was leaving so soon, but understood that his life was in New York now. Chris encouraged Nate to work on his relationship with Aaron before sharing a tender hug and a promise to call each other soon. Chris also gave his thanks to Karl and Susan for letting him stay, and he said his goodbyes to them as he left Ramsay Street for the last time.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to 'Tori' and 'aphass' for the inspiration: a nice little collaborative effort there! This was really difficult to write, especially trying to keep to the continuity of the show thanks to the terrible pacing of the Hotel Death Trap week, but I hope it's made sense in terms of the timeframe. It was also kind of tricky to come up with a decent explanation as to why Nate cut Aaron off when he left, so I hope my attempt made sense. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas for one-shots, then please let me know. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome!