Hello again! I was so surprised to see the amount of feedback this thing got on the first day. Happily surprised, but nonetheless... Hope you all are having a marvelous summer and that you enjoy this next chapter.

~77

2D scowled and stuck his hands in his pockets. He was doing an awful lot of that these days. He paced around his room a few more times, not really sure of what to do with himself. He didn't feel like listening to music. He also didn't want to drag out his keyboards. Everything related to Gorillaz reminded him of her. Her and her boyfriend. He shook his head, fiancé. That git was her fiancé now. He reached for his pack of smokes. Another thing he had been doing an awful lot of lately. He must have gone through an entire pack in five hours. He loosened one from its mates and looked around for a lighter. He stuck the cigarette between his lips and got down on all fours, looking for one.

"Perfect… jist perfect." He said viciously, out loud. There were no lighters to be found. 2D looked up. "Care teh throw anyfin' else my way? Maybe dump all my knickers in the ocean? Make me go to the dentist?" He took the cigarette out and threw it against the far wall. He took to pacing again. What could he do? Could he get out of the wedding? For some reason, even though 2D didn't want to be a part of this dreadful wedding in any shape or form, he still wanted to be there. He reasoned with himself that it was only to size up the bloke… but he also acknowledged that he very much wanted to see Noodle in her wedding dress. 2D hadn't been to many weddings but he knew that she would be the prettiest bride he had ever seen. A stab of pain shot through him at the mental image of Noodle hanging off someone else's arm. He gripped the fabric of his shirt over his heart. He fought for breath as he calmed down. This was something he would have to deal with and sulking down in his bedroom wasn't working anymore. He groaned and got up to walk to the lift. At least if he surfaced, he could get something to eat.

Up in the kitchen, 2D found Russel seated at the table, reading a newspaper and eating a bowl of cereal. 2D glanced at the clock hanging lopsided by the stove. Three in the afternoon, the singer shook his head. He sat across from Russel and put his head on the table. The large drummer looked up.

"Hey, man. Where ya been? Haven't seen ya in a while." 2D looked up blearily.

"I've been in me room."

"Yeh been down there a long time."

"Yep."

"Yeh wanna talk about it?"

"Nope."

"… you ain't been down there smokin' some weird shit again, have yeh? You know I don't like that with baby-girl in the house." A sigh was heard from the lump that was 2D. He sat up and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"No, Russ. I 'aven't been smoking… and I wouldn't 'ave anyplace to get it if I was." Russel stirred his Lucky Charms.

"Man, what's gotten into you lately? Noodle told me you've pretty much ignored her since she told you about the wedding." Everything broke down for 2D then. He slammed his fist on the table and ducked his head.

"I dunno wot's wrong wiv me, Russ! I'm tryna be 'appy fo' Noodle, promise! But, it jist makes me so…" He trailed off and looked around the room lost for words. Russel could see how tangled 2D emotions were and the effect it was having on the poor singer. Russel hesitated before speaking.

"'D, man… do yeh love her?" He obstinately shook his head, but Russel could see it was a complete and utter lie. The drummer sighed. "Then I guess I don't understand why you're so upset about this. What the hell is wrong with yeh, man?" 2D gritted his teeth.

"She shouldn't be frowin' 'er life away for some deadbeat... she's got 'er 'ole life ahead of 'er!" Russel stared at the blue-haired man calmly.

"But that's not your problem, is it?"

"Wull... it should be! She's my best friend! The least I could do is try to make her see wot a 'orrible mistake she's making!" Russel knew how to get a confession out of him, he kept up the charade a bit longer.

"It's not your right! She can marry whoever she wants!" 2D's eyes were murderous.

"But, she's choosing wrong! That git is not 'oo she's supposed to be wiv!"

"How do you know? You've never met him."

"I dun' 'ave to. 'E's a git. 'E's a jerk and 'e's all wrong for 'er. 'E'd sooner walk out on 'er than marry 'er. Ih's jist a bad idea."

"I think he's alright. Pretty upbeat dude." 2D pointed his finger accusingly at Russel.

"Thah's another fing! 'Ow could yeh jist let 'er get married? Yeh'r supposed to be the parent 'ere!" Russel rolled his eyes. 2D was descending into hysterics now.

"What do you care?" 2D slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"I care because I-" He stopped and stared at Russel. He only nodded with a condescending little grin on his face.

"Now... I'm going to ask yeh one more time... do yeh love her, man?"2D glanced at him guiltily and nodded. Russel nodded in understanding.

"'Ow could yeh tell?" Russel smiled at 2D.

"Man, you even got over Paula faster than this and you said you thought you loved her. Just figured this was the real deal." 2D put his head back in his hands.

"I feel terrible, Russ. I- it's jist… I know I can't be with her, and it's tearin' me up inside. And she wants me to walk her down the aisle to the stupid git." Russel tried not to feel too taken aback by this, he had always assumed he would be the one to give his baby-girl away. But 2D was her best friend, Russel could understand why she would want him to do it.

"You've never told her how yeh feel?" 2D shook his head miserably, staring down into his bowl. "Well, then you're in the clear, man!" 2D looked up, very confused.

"Russel, I dun' understand wot yeh'r goin' on about."

"Well, think about it! If she doesn't know you love her, she can't feel guilty about spending time with you! She can hang out with you as long as you both want and her fiancé never has to worry." 2D thought this through. Russel had a point. If Noodle knew she had an admirer, she would be quick to distance herself in favor of her fiancé. But, if she knew they were just friends, 2D would never really have to lose her.

"That's brilliant, Russ!" The drummer pointed a finger at 2D, sternly.

"But, you hafta figure out what yer gonna do, too." The singer tilted his head in confusion.

"If ya try to survive lovin' her while she's married, yer never gonna make it. I'd suggest tryna get over it, soon as possible." 2D nodded.

"Yeah… I dunno wot I'm gonna do, Russ." Russel waved his hand.

"Ya got months to worry about it, not now. And what are you doin' here, talking to me? You best go apologize for the way you've been acting and go be her best friend." 2D's good mood deflated a bit more.

"Wot if she doesn' accept my apology? I was pretty awful to 'er. Wot if she won' see me?" Russel clapped him on the back.

"I have a feeling she'd accept your apology, no matter what you did, man. You and her… you just have one of those bonds." 2D smiled and got up, ready to head to Noodle's room. He paused in the doorway and looked back.

"Fanks, Russ." The drummer smiled and watched 2D walk off. He grabbed 2D's milk-less bowl and added it to his own. He shook his head. He wondered how the world got along without him, sometimes.

…

Noodle sat in her bedroom strumming her Fender Stratocaster. It was by far her favorite guitar. She turned and faced her mirror across the room. She hit an e minor chord and let her hand fall away. Her reflection stared back at her with a hollow expression. She felt very much alone. Her fiancé could never stay more than a few days, due to his business with his father, and Russel was downstairs doing whatever. Murdoc was holed up in his secret room and she knew 2D was still mad at her. Noodle couldn't quite figure out why she felt so bad. She had done the right thing and told him first that she was going to get married. It wasn't like she ran off with the guy and left him to wonder where she was. Yet, she couldn't get the image of 2D's face out of her head. The image of his face when she told him and his features crumpled and twisted in pain that he could not hide. It broke her heart and made her feel guilty. Was he sad that she was leaving? Her eyebrow quirked, he certainly didn't seem happy to see her at all anymore, perhaps he was glad she was leaving.

Noodle gritted her teeth and started strumming random chords. She didn't know if she could deal with 2D wanting her gone. He was practically her family and it hurt her to see him this indifferent. In some part of Noodle's mind, she knew she shouldn't be over thinking this. She was going to marry the man she loved. She did love Darren. Darren was one of the sweetest guys she had ever met, behind 2D. He was respectful and loved that she could play so many instruments. She felt safe with him. A small grin played on her face, Darren was also one of the most innocent men she had ever met. On their first date, Darren had blushed furiously when he tried to hold her hand. To Noodle, used to Murdoc's pervertedness and 2D's slight womanizing issues, this had been a nice change.

A knock on the door alerted her to the presence of someone else in her room. She looked up and saw 2D's lanky form standing in her doorway in the mirror. She turned and set her guitar on the bed. She got up and slowly made her way towards the singer. Wordlessly, she reached for his hand and pulled him to her bed. She sat down and patted the space next to her. She took his hands in hers and stared at them for a moment before speaking.

"I'm sorry…" They said at the same time. 2D's lip quirked and continued.

"I'm sorry I've been such a dick about this… yew deserve to be 'appy, wotever that takes and with… whoever that may be." He looked down and waited, agonizingly. He felt her squeeze his hands between her.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I did sort of drop it on you all at once. I'm sorry if I upset you." They smiled at each other for a moment before ducking their heads nervously.

"Yew wanna go for a walk? Clear yeh'r 'ead?" She nodded and picked up her guitar to place it on the stand near her bed. The pair slipped out of Noodle's room and down the hall to the front foyer. 2D saluted Russel as they passed, making him smile and shake his head. 'Those two', he thought to himself, 'inseparable, no matter what.'

Noodle and 2D walked arm in arm around the shore of the filthy beach. The wind was stirring up their hair and the clouds cast their gray shades over everything. 2D considered it his version of paradise.

"So, yew made any plans for the… wedding, yet?"

"2D, we don't have to talk about it if it upsets you." 2D shook his head.

"No, no. Ih's awright. Yew know yew wanna talk about it, awl females love talking about their weddings." She grinned.

"Yes… it's going to be beautiful."

"Wouldn't expect anyfing less of yew, love."

"I want to have it outside, on the beach. Not too many flowers, though, since I know you're allergic." 2D looked around. He couldn't figure out why she would want to have what was supposed to be the most magical day of her life happen on this trash pit. He asked her. She just grinned and didn't answer.

"Oh, look!" 2D couldn't care what she was pointing at, he was more concerned with the giant diamond on her finger. It caught the dim sunlight and sparkled. He felt his heart being ripped out again. It was official now. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, she was getting married. And not to him. He had never really thought about marriage. Settling down and raising kids and all that. He had kids, sure. But he didn't really know them the way a real father would. He didn't get to push them on the swings or walk down the street with them on the way to the corner store. He couldn't even picture what his kids looked like. 2D couldn't picture his future wife either. Not anymore.

Noodle ran ahead of him and stopped to pick up something off the beach. When she ran back, she swiped her bangs out of her face and held it out to him. A purple clamshell laid in her hand. It's resident had long ago fled, leaving the shell as the only proof of his existence. 2D picked it up gingerly and observed it.

"I've never seen one of those here." 2D shook his head.

"It seems like everyfing ends up here, eventually."

"It's really cool!" 2D nodded. He was still preoccupied with Noodle's ring. He took Noodle's left hand in his and carefully held it to see the band encircling her finger like a leech.

"Did he pick this out or did yew?" Noodle's gaze flicked to the ring and back up to his face, a bit uneasy.

"He did. I was in favor of something smaller… but he insisted."

"'E must be pretty rich, then?" Noodle shrugged.

"He's a lawyer. So, yeah… I guess."

"… I was gonna be a lawyer… before, the- the thing, yeh know." He gestured vaguely to his face to make his point. Noodle smiled warmly up at him.

"You would have made a fine lawyer, Toochi… but I like you better as a singer." He grinned back down at her. They stood facing each other with the chilly breeze whipping around them. Without thinking, 2D reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Is he good to yew? This… Darren bloke. I mean… e's not an arse to yeh or anyfin?" Noodle shook her head.

"No… no, he's perfectly lovely. He's very shy and quiet… but he's safe." Though the pain tore through him, 2D quirked his lip.

"Quiet, eh? If 'e's so quiet, 'ow did he end up wiv yew?" Noodle smirked at his teasing.

"He's a good guy, 2D. You don't have to worry. It took him a whole two months to work up the nerve to kiss me."

"It took 'im two months teh plant one on yeh? … is he gay?" Noodle rolled her eyes and playfully shoved 2D in the chest. He caught her hands and held her there.

"Really, love. I'm jist tryin' to convince myself yew'll be ok. I dunno if I could live with meself if yew ran off with this bloke and somefing bad 'append to yeh." Noodle swallowed loudly. She wasn't used to 2D sounding so… sentimental.

"Well… if it did, he'd have Murdoc and Russel to answer to." 2D's expression turned stormy.

"If anyfing bad 'append to yeh, Muds and Russ would 'afta dig the boy up first if they wanted to talk to 'im. He'd be dead before either of them could get on a plane."

"2D, don't- don't talk like that… Darren really is a good guy. Besides, I'd like to think you wouldn't do anything stupid if something, God forbid, were to… occur."

"Love, without yew… I dunno wot I'd do. Fall apart, I guess. Kinda like the El Mañana fing." Noodle shivered and 2D drew her close. Her shudders weren't from the cold, but she let him wrap his arms around the her frame. She gripped the edge of his jacket and whispered in his chest.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, promise." He laid his head on top of hers and ran his long fingers through her hair. She looked up at him and was almost rendered speechless by the emotion in his eyes. A strange sort of hunger was there, along with concern and a bit of sadness. It frightened Noodle, but in a way she did not understand. 2D felt like the most logical thing in the world would be to lean down and press his lips against hers. He could feel the magnetism between them begin to work on his self control. He would have sworn she had reached up a few inches and waited, hesitated. A thousand scenarios ran through his head. Some to do with the sense of victory he would feel if he kissed her and she kissed him back, many to do with the sense of loss he would feel if she did not. The clouds parted then and caught the ring sparkling on her hand that was clenched in his jacket's front. He released her.

"Er… we should go… back up to the 'ouse… Dun' wont Murdoc and Russ lookin' fer yeh."

"Right- yeah, um… yeah." She released his jacket and rubbed her arm awkwardly. "So… let's go… then." 2D was sure to keep his hands in his pockets and away from her as they began the path back up to the house.

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