Really short and not so sweet chappy here! Warning: Contains (not very graphic) but still possibly disturbing scenes involving young children. I won't say any more here, but heads up. Thanks for the kind reviews, you guys are awesome.
Again, soz but my internet is about to be turned off so no time to proof read :(.
I'm aiming high, 200 reviews for this story AT LEAST BY THE END. You think I can do it? ;-)
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Chapter Twenty Four #Maria#
"You wanna meet my friends?" Sara nearly choked on her dinner.
Her dad nodded sincerely. "I want to take an interest, Sara, to be a proper dad. Invite them over for tea tomorrow."
"What do you want me to cook?" Laura asked softly.
"How about we make a lasagne?" James asked wistfully. "Like we used to when the kids were little..."
"Really?" Laura asked, and Sara watched, astounded as her father nodded, before sighing.
"On the course I went to... Well, I met men who'd driven their families away. Men who had hurt their families beyond repair. I even met a man who killed his wife, and I... I guess I had an epiphany." James said solemnly. "I know it will be hard, but I font want to lose you, either of you. Or Tyler. And that wasn't your fault, Sara. It was mine. I'm so, so sorry."
"Let's just start again." Sara announced. "From scratch."
"Deal." James grinned gratefully.
Shocked but happy, Laura smiled. "I'm in."
"No more alcohol. No more hitting. No more swearing, yelling." James raised his glass of lemonade. "To us."
The Sidle family raised their glasses. "To us."
"Sara? Are we allowed to come in or do you want us to wait out in the doorway the whole evening?" Morgan asked, snapping Sara out of her memory.
Not daydream, she thought, a memory.
"Sorry." She grinned sheepishly, pushing open the door. "Mom, Dad, we're home."
She heard laughing coming from the kitchen and smiled even more.
Her parents came into the hall. "Hi everyone." Sara's mom laughed, regaining her composure.
"Hi..." They all responded politely.
"I'm James, this is Laura." Sara's dad smiled.
"I'm Greg, this is Morgan, Tali, Archie, Ryan, Warrick and Nick." Greg smiled. "I think you've met Nick."
Laura nodded. "Come in, come in. You can leave your shoes and bags by the door if you like."
"So are you alright, after the...the crash." James asked Greg, who nodded at the floor.
"Yes thanks."
"I'm sorry about what happened."
Greg met Sara's dad's eyes, and an understanding passed between them.
"If you all wanna go upstairs or into the living room dinner will be ready in about ten minutes." Laura added.
Sara led the large group of people upstairs. "This is my room."
"Wow..." Morgan breathed. The walls of Sara's room were painted blue, not that you could tell. Every last inch was covered in posters – revision posters, film posters, book posters, musical posters – not to mention various things like bus tickets and business cards. A small, neat desk was in one corner with a hard chair. Along the opposite wall was a simple but comfortable single bed and a window.
"It's a little small..." Sara trailed off, biting her lip.
"It's amazing..." Ryan touched one of the posters. "How long did it take?"
"Work in progress." Sara's mouth twitched. "I add a little more every now and again.
"So what brought this about? You know, all of a sudden everyone come for dinner?" Warrick asked curiously. "I mean, not that I mind, free food and all, but y'know..."
Sara shrugged. "My parents wanted to meet you all. My dad saw a lot of things in LA and he said that he wanted to be more involved as a family."
"Cool." Nick shrugged.
Half an hour later, Sara knew it was a dream. It had to be... her parents and her friends all squeezed around the table, laughing and eating. Even when they left, the mood didn't stop.
Her dad had completely changed, and that had had a knock on effect on her mother and herself.
When she went to bed that night, she didn't want to go to sleep; she was afraid that she might wake up.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Nick walked down the hall with a very happy Sara. "What's up with you?"
"Oh, nothing." She smiled. "Everything's fine."
He rolled his eyes. "Well I wasn't suggesting that something was wrong."
Sara elbowed him.
"Hey, Nick, come see who's here!" Ethan called suddenly. Nick followed his brother to an outside table where Greg was talking animatedly to a young woman. "She's workin' here as a sub."
Nick froze as the woman looked up at him.
"Uh, Nick, you're staring." Sara muttered out of the corner of her mouth, inspecting the woman's long black hair and athlete's frame.
"Greg, get away from her!" Nick shouted, shocking everyone.
Greg frowned. "What?"
"Just come here!" Nick ordered.
When Greg didn't move, Nick lurched forward and grabbed his arm, dragging the younger boy away and pointing angrily at the woman.
"Nick, what are you-"
"You stay away from me and my friends! Just stay away!" he yelled, still pulling Greg away. "Stay the hell away!"
As the woman blushed and started to talk Nick rounded the corner.
"Nick, get off!"
Nick ignored Greg, unconsciously tightening his grip.
"Ow, Nick!" At Greg's exclamation of pain, Nick let go.
"I'm sorry."
"What the hell was that about?" Greg rubbed his arm absently.
"None of your business." Nick replied, turning away.
Sara and the others frowned, forming a protective barrier around the two boys from the gathering crowd.
"What? Nick just tell me what's wrong. I'm your friend, I'm not gonna-"
"Just, shut up Greg!" Nick snapped, going bright red, running a hand over his jaw.
Greg looked stunned. "What have you got against Miss. Mitchell?"
"Drop it, Greg." Nick warned.
"The hell I will!" Greg shouted, causing everyone to look at him. "You're my friend, Nick and I thought I was yours. I want to know what's wrong! If you don't wanna tell everyone then-"
"What makes you think I would want to tell you?" Nick snarled angrily.
Greg's face went blank. "Nick, what's wrong?"
"Stop asking me that!" Nick yelled, breaking. He shoved Greg out of the way and broke through the crowd.
"Nick!" Greg called after him, but Nick began to run.
"NICKY!" Ethan roared after him.
"Oh no..." a soft voice sighed.
Greg turned to face Maria Johnson, the sub. "What did you do to him?"
"I probably shouldn't say anything..." The lady bit her pretty lip. "I babysat him once and there was an incident, involving some bats and a small shed. It was all accidental, but Nick was young and a bit traumatised."
"Yeah, I'd say." Warrick didn't buy it for a minute as Nick's retreating figure jumped over a fence. "I'll talk to him."
As people began to whisper, spreading the new scandal around the school, Maria walked up to Greg. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Sanders. I suppose I just bring up bad memories for Nick."
Greg nodded, not looking at her. "It's okay."
"Do you think there's anything I can do to help him?"
"I'm not sure..." Greg stared into space.
"Did you hurt him?" Tali asked quietly.
Maria shook her head in earnest. "Oh, god no. He was just the cutest little kid. Adorable, really."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"Yo! Nick, wait up!"
"Leave me alone, Warrick!"
"Are you crying?" Warrick stopped short.
"Just leave me the hell alone!" Nick cried, turning around. His eyes were wild and searching, but rimmed with red and full of tears.
"Nick, what the hell did she do?" Warrick stammered.
"Nothing!" Nick responded.
"What did Greg do?"
"Nothing..." Nick moaned. He wiped his eyes and sat down at a nearby bus-stop. "Don't...don't tell anyone I..."
"What sort of friends do you think you have?"
Nick remained silent.
"Greg was just being Greg. Trying to help. If you don't wanna talk I won't make you."
Nick just shook his head, wiping his eyes. "You wouldn't understand. Nobody would. Not you, not Greg, not nobody."
"Sara would say that that doesn't make sense." Warrick pointed out, but Nick couldn't smile. "Nick..."
"Nick?"
"Uh huh?"
"You wanna play a game?"
Nine year old Nick rubbed his eyes. "No thanks Maria. I'm real sleepy."
"Well I didn't say you could go to bed." Maria put her hands on her hips.
Nick frowned. He was never not allowed to go to bed. "But I-"
"Don't be so rude!"
Nick was very confused. "I don't understand."
"Come with me." Maria took him by the hand and led him into his bedroom.
She took off his clothes.
"Stop it, please! I don't want to!" Nick cried out as she began touching him. "Stop it, it hurts! Please, stop, please!"
"Nick?"
"Go away!" Nick insisted angrily.
Warrick shook his head. "Not until you tell me what's going on."
"What's going on?"
"Who's that?" Nick sobbed as an unfamiliar young man loomed in his doorway.
"My boyfriend." Maria purred. "Jason. Jason Johnson."
"Help me!" Nick begged the stranger. "I don't like it!"
"Oh, bless!" the man crooned. "Maybe he's a fag."
Then the man started.
"STOP, PLEASE!" Nick screamed. "MOMMY! MOOOOOOOMMY!"
Nick threw his head back against the back of the bus-stop, tears flowing uncontrollably down his face. "I can't do this..."
"Do what, Nick?"
Nick took a deep breath. He could tell Warrick. He could get Maria and Jason, her boyfriend, thrown away for good. But that would mean admitting...admitting...
A hooded figure joined them at the bus-stop but Nick took no notice. At least not until he spoke.
"You know I missed you, Nicky boy."
Nick looked up in horror as Jason Johnson grinned at him.
"Who the hell is this?" Warrick frowned, but before he could look at the man's face a gun was smashed into the side of his head.
"'RICK!" Nick screamed as his friend slumped to the floor.
Jason grabbed Nick by the collar and dragged him into the bushes behind the bus-stop.
"Help me, SOMEONE HELP ME!" Nick wailed.
"Shut up, asshole, or I'll shoot your little buddy, then I'll have fun with you then dump your body in the woods."
Terrified, Nick closed his mouth.
"Now, you tell anybody," Jason punched Nick in the stomach, forcing a cry from his lips. "I mean anyone," he hit him harder. "And I will kill you," another blow. "Your family." Another blow. "And your friends."
Nick felt himself be shoved to the floor and kicked repeatedly. "I won't..." he sobbed.
"Wimp." Jason spat. "You tell them the two of you were mugged, by an armed robber."
Nick winced as Jason eased his cell phone put of his pocket, his hands lingering where they shouldn't.
"Might as well make it realistic, but we wouldn't want to stop you from playing ball, now would we?"
"Wh...what?" Nick stammered. Jason picked him up from under his arms and dragged him to the bus stop, lining his gun up to Nick's cheek.
Nick screamed as the bullet scraped through the skin of his cheek, leaving a large, long gash.
Jason thrust his foot into Nick's groin before running off.
Nick painfully extended his arm. "Warrick? Warrick? Wake up, man..."
Warrick groaned. "Nick..." his eyes opened. "Wha' happened? Holy shit, you're bleeding!"
It was too much. Too much. They were back, they were back.
No, no, no, no, no!
TOO MUCH! His heart screamed, so his body responded in the only way he knew how.
Nick fainted.
Okay, most of you probably know what's going on, but this will take us on another twist. This chapter may seem random being placed here but for once I have an ulterior motive, lol!
Oh, BTW, anyone who got the film 'The Lost Boys' for the song, congrats because that's where I heard it!
Please review, it makes quick updates! Next chapter will be longer, I promise.
Go on, review. I dare you :P