Hello :) 2nd chapter's up. I just thought I could explain that this is one of my old stories that I wrote in German and am now translating. I'm noticing now as well that...things happen very quickly and people deal with their problems very quickly...which isn't all that good.I might edit bits of it if I get the time...;) But yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review so I know what I'm doin wrong or what I'm doin right! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything...though I wish I owned Max*sighs*

Chapter 2:

The first thing Leo decided to do after the phone call with Max, was to take a long shower and then warm some of Ulla's food up. He went to get some towels and new clothes and then slowly made his way to the bathroom. Once he was standing in the shower and the hot water was running down his body he realized how strange it was for Ulla to go shopping at that time of day.

"Well, I'm sure there's a reason for that." he told himself and slowly started to relax.

Half an hour later he stepped out of the shower and dried himself. By mere coincidence he happened to look outside the window and there he saw Ulla with another man, who was holding her hand and kissing her.

"You have to go now." he heard her say "otherwise Leo might see you."

A numbing pain shot through his body. Mechanically he started to get dressed and went back to his room where he packed all of Ulla's clothes, waiting for her to enter the room.

"Hey, what happened?" she asked.

"I'm sure you know very well what's happening. If you hurry up you can still catch your friend. I will file for divorce…"

"Leo, please..I'm sorry."

"It's ok…I just…I wouldn't be able to trust you anymore."

Once she had left he felt miserable, almost as bad as he had felt after the fight with Max. The fight…it was probably his own fault that she was cheating on him.. after all he had been so preoccupied with Max that he had hardly spent any time with her. But still Leo refused to cry… he wasn't that weak boy he used to be, no…Max had made him stronger. The hunger he had felt earlier on was now completely gone again, so Leo tried to keep himself busy. But around 5 in the morning when he still hadn't been able to sleep, he decided to call Max, after all it had to be around 11 in London now.

"Hello?" Max answered.

"Hi Max, I..um.."

"Oh Leo , this really isn't a good time right now. I've got a visitor…" Max interrupted him and in the background Leo could hear the soft chuckle of a woman.

"Maxy? What are you doing?I'm waiting!"

"I'm sorry that I bothered you." Leo said in a monotone voice "Ulla cheated on me and I will get a divorce." And with that he hung up. He suddenly felt overcome by such a strong wave of sickness that he feared he might have to vomit soon...he had counted on Max… counted on him to make things right again, like he always did…

But now he just had to keep himself busy…so in order to do that he went downstairs to make some coffee. Once he had finished one cup he started to brush and mop the floors, clean the windows and hoover the carpets and soon he needed more coffee. Coffee became his addiction…although he despised drinking it on an empty stomach because it made his exhausted body shake and tremble.

Some point in the evening Leo had sat down on his bed again, head resting against the cool glass of the window when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Carefully he got up and staggered downstairs to answer the door…thinking that if it was Ulla he'd close the door straight away. One hand resting on the wall to keep him stable he opened the door. But nothing had prepared him for the sight of the familiar smaller man standing there, wrapped in his black long coat, in front of him.

"Max?" he asked eyeing him incredulously.

"I hope this isn't a bad time." the older man replied smiling.

"I…no…of course not. Come on in." Leo replied still confused "would you like some coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks. That'd be great. I'm really tired… I had to book a flight and pack my stuff and yeah.. didn't really have a lot of time to do that… didn't even manage to put gel into my hair and part it to one side…"

"Oh, I thought you might be trying out a new look." Leo mumbled and started up the stairs.

As Max followed him he couldn't help but notice how incredibly tidy the apartment looked, evidence of Leo's desperate attempt to keep his mind off Ulla. Max knew that it was only a matter of time before Leo would break down. He had also noticed how awful his younger partner looked: his hair was disheveled, he hadn't shaved and he had dark rings under his eyes. Once they had reached Leo's room, Max closed the door behind him and sat down next to Leo on the bed.

"Hey kid, you sure you're ok?" he asked gently and put a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"I dunno Max. I'm kinda…I'm confused and I'm hurt and sad. But then again I'm also just happy that you're here with me now." And suddenly he burst into tears. It hurt Max to see the other man like this…knowing very well that he couldn't change much or make it better. He carefully put an arm around Leo and pulled him closer. "I don't ever wanna fight with you like this again." Leo managed between sobs and Max's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, but what about Ulla?"

"No, don't get me wrong…that's bad too. But at least I'm not alone anymore…coz you're not going anywhere."

Max, feeling touched by Leo's reply, pulled him into a tight embrace and noticed how thin the young man had become. Leo,on the other hand, felt like a little kid again hiding in the safety and comfort of Max's arms… Max had always had that impact on him, making him feel secure and at ease, which was something he had never experienced before. When Max finally let go of him Leo felt alone and cold again.

"Ok, kid?" Max asked softly taking Leo's face in his hands "I think you should try and get some sleep."

"But you can't leave me!" Leo begged.

"No, I'm staying, don't worry." Max assured him, "go on, lie down."

Leo followed his instruction and Max gently covered his body with a blanket.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Leo suddenly asked.

"Well, I guess I'll have to sleep on the floor." he replied matter-of-factly.

"No way, Max. You travelled all the way from London, come on sit back down on the bed. " Leo said and moved to make more space.

Max sat down next to him and thoughtfully looked out of the window. "Sleep tight, Leo." After a while he watched the sleeping Leo, saw his chest rise and fall and his breathing become regular. So much seemed to have changed in the last couple of weeks, the fight with Leo just being the tip of the iceberg. He had begun to feel extremely confused: he had been hurt by Leo's and Ulla's relationship and not knowing why ,he had decided to find a girlfriend of his own and that was how he had eneded up with Hillary.

Max nearly jumped when he felt Leo cuddling up against him but then he just felt overcome by warmth and had to fight the urge to run a hand through Leo's hair. So many things had happened since Leo had come to his defense in court.

"Then I felt his magic and my heart began to dance." Max sighed "You should stop thinking about it." Why had Leo even returned from Rio? Surely he had had everything he needed.

"Max…" Leo was mumbling in his sleep.

"I'm here ,kid." he whispered softly and closed his eyes.