Hey, y'all! Thanks for all you lovely reviews!

Nothing to garble on about before we start this one so let's get going! Just sorry it took a few extra days to get out.

So, without further ado, jackrabbit!

Play For Me, Jack

Chapter 18

After about forty-five minutes – or maybe it was longer - Jack began to wonder as he sat leaning against Bunny's chest, who was running the rehearsal downstairs. Normally if there were no conductor to look after them it would be the concertmaster's job to lead them but he was rather thankful he didn't have to get up there in front of all of them and flail about ungracefully. He figured someone must have gone to take care of things though considering their regular conductor was currently detained by him and to be honest he didn't care. He needed Bunny's comfort right now since he knew things were happening around him and he was highly aware that he could unknowingly be in for nasty surprise any minute. The waiting had quickly set in after North had finished his call with Sandy and now as he sat with Bunny in his office doing just that, he wondered when this was all going to be over and he could put all this grief behind him. He was so sick of feeling worried and unhappy. He just wanted some light in his life and sitting there with Bunny seemed like the best place to find that at the moment.

From what he could tell, North had drawn the other managers together – excluding Pitch, of course – and was now laying out what had happened before them. Jack wouldn't have cared all that much to stay had he been invited to and above all he just wished he could be downstairs playing. It seemed as if it had been so long since he could just come into work and do what he loved to do and he felt sort of cheated that his short tenure as concertmaster had been overshadowed by fear and worry. He loved his job and he considered himself so lucky to do what he loved to do for a living and, bar being cuddled up with Bunny as he was now, that's all he wanted to do. After all, sitting amongst the other players was always a place he could escape from the world's troubles and just enjoy himself. It had always been that way for him and it was strange to realise how much he yearned to be there now.

Still, conflicted feelings aside, it was nice to be cuddling Bunny. How fortunate it was that he only had one other chair in his office and had ended up sitting on top of him as he held him close. In this position he laid his head against Bunny's neck under his chin and nuzzled gently at his skin which was clearly showing well-established five o'clock shadow. It looked pretty good on him and gave him a more rugged look that was very much at home. Of course, it grazed against his own lily-white, baby-soft skin but he didn't really mind. Just to be here was a blessing, especially considering they'd only been on a couple of dates – and hell, the second one wasn't even official. He lamented the fact he'd been such a sad sack recently and he desperately hoped Bunny did think of him as such.

Well, no more. From now on he'd show him the real, fun-time Jack that he knew he had been failing to represent.

"Bunny?" he said softly without looking up.

"Yeah?"

"I haven't been…well, what I mean is...we've been going out pretty much since the same time Pitch started all this business"

"Okay…?"

"Well, I haven't been as fun as I should have been. Usually I'm much more fun to be with"

"Aw, Jacky. You are fun to be around"

"But recently I've been tired and moody and…well, that's not me. Not at all. I just want you to know that things are gonna get better"

"Well, they haven't been bad" Bunny said as he nuzzled into Jack's hair.

"Well, all I know is I haven't been the guy I usually am and I want you to know I'm gonna be the real me from now on. And the real me is so much better"

"Is it really?" Bunny chuckled.

"Yeah. And you should probably know you won't really be able to get rid of me. I'm gonna be spending a lot more time with you"

"Well, I can certainly get along with that" he said with a smile as he turned Jack's head to face his. Slowly, he reached forward and kissed those sweet, rosy lips that stood out so vibrantly against Jack's skin. Taking care not to make him wince again, he delicately reached a hand up and stroked his cheek with his fingertips and in that silent, amorous moment he seemed to feel a whole lot of tension that had been built up in his boyfriend disappear.

When they parted, the warm glow that surrounded them was suddenly halted when the phone rang on Bunny's desk. Carefully pushing himself around Jack, Bunny got up from the chair they shared and went to answer. Jack waited patiently as he listened to the unrevealing "Yeahs" and "Okays" Bunny said into the handset and then sat up expectantly as Bunny placed it back down. Turning to him, he reached out his hands for Jack to take and pulled him to his feet.

"They need you to go tell it in your own words"

Jack groaned, "Again?"

"They can't hear it from anyone else and have anything solid to go on. Apparently they've heard Sandy confirm all the stories from before but they need something a little more definite to go on"

"And that's what Pitch did to me, huh?"

"I guess so" Bunny said before hugging him and carrying on, "You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah. Telling North was the hardest part. I don't really care about telling them"

"North means more to you, eh?"

"Yeah. He's always been so supportive and…fatherly I guess"

"Haha. Yeah, he seems to be the type"

"Okay, let's do this" Jack said as he pulled away from Bunny and turned for the door. Bunny simply followed on as he made his way down the hall and then closed the door behind him as he followed Jack back into North's office.

It seemed he had been right in saying that he didn't have a problem with telling the other managers what had happened and it almost seemed as if he were a little too frank in telling them how Pitch had cornered him and knocked him six ways from Sunday. Almost as quickly as it began, a few pictures were taken of his bruises and it was over and Jack and Bunny were left waiting for the verdict.

"So, Jack" North began as he stepped towards him, "We have come to a decision about Pitch. Only question that remains is how far you want to take this"

Jack looked around at the faces pointed at him a little unsurely. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"Pitch is going to go, that much is certain"

"Okay, good" he responded feeling a little more sure of himself.

"But we are wondering if you want to take this up with the police?"

"Well, I think so" Bunny said as he stepped forward and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I mean, look at those marks. That's gotta be worth a lawsuit, right?"

"Jack?" North said as he too reached for him.

Jack thought for a second and found he wasn't really sure. He hated Pitch more than ever but did he have a strong enough case to have him convicted?

"Do you really think I can get the police to believe me?" he eventually said a little nervously.

"Well, there is the problem. It is not the police we must worry about, it is the court. There's no knowing if jury will convict him since it is your word against his"

"And a whole bunch of testimonial!" Bunny piped up, "Are you seriously saying we shouldn't try to get him locked up?!"

Jack tried to keep a clear head. "Are you saying there's a good chance he'll get off scot-free?"

"Possibly" North said begrudgingly, "Unless there's evidence"

"And what about those?" Bunny said as he pointed to Jack's face, "I saw him do it"

"That's right, he did" said Jack.

"But in court they will say you have vested interest"

"Vested interest?! I can't believe this!" Bunny said frustratedly, "So are we just gonna leave it and let him go?"

"Well, as I said, it is down to Jack" the big man said looking down at him. Jack didn't know what to do. He really didn't want to have to go through the whole mess of criminal proceedings that might follow if he were to make a report. Then again, was it really right to let Pitch get away with it? Although, he wouldn't really be getting away with it, would he? He was being fired after all and would probably not be given any good recommendation. He'd probably have to go far away before he could get another job and that filled Jack with some kind of assurance that justice would be served. To be honest though, the only thing he could really think of that would serve proper justice would be to let Bunny rip him to pieces but that would most likely come back to bite him. With a sigh, he made his decision and looked up at North to proclaim it.

"Just get him out of here. I don't want to have to see him again"

"What about the police, Jack?"

"Threaten him with it. If anything it'll make sure he goes without a fuss"

"Jack, are you bloody serious?!" he heard Bunny say as he turned him around. Jack just gave him a solemn look.

"Look, let's just get rid of him. Then everything can go back to normal and we won't have to go to court or anything like that. Let's just get him out"

"But Jack, he has to pay"

"And he will with his job, right?" Jack asked as he looked back to North.

"No question"

"There you are then. By Monday he'll be gone and we can forget about the whole thing"

"Jack…" Bunny said almost painfully, "…are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

Jack looked down briefly and then back up. "No. But it's the right thing for now. I just wanna get him away from here so I can do my job and enjoy it. And be with you."

Bunny gave him a soft smile and then nodded gently after a few moments.

"Well, I don't wanna force you into anything"

"Thanks"

"I still don't think it's right though"

"I know. But for now, let's just play it safe."

"Fine" Bunny said as he hugged him again. When they parted, Jack turned back and simply said,

"Are we finished?"

"Yes, thank you, Jack." North said warmly and without waiting, Jack pulled Bunny out of the room and away from the managers as they continued to discuss the situation. Out in the hall, Jack pulled Bunny around a few corners before stopping abruptly and spinning so they bumped into each other. Wrapping his arms around his man, Jack pulled his head down to his level and kissed him hard on the lips before parting with an impish smile.

"So. Been going out for five minutes and already I'm a grumpy, snapping wreck that needs to be dragged through a crisis. Don't think I've got too much baggage, do ya?"

Bunny chuckled through his nose. "Well, I figured someone as cute as you had to be majorly messed up on the inside"

"Gonna toss me out with the garbage then?"

Bunny blinked slowly as he held his smirk and then simply leaned down once more to kiss him.

"Not on your life"

Slowly they made their way down to the studio and neither one of them expected what was waiting for them. As they pushed open the door, all eyes turned to them and gawped silently at the pair as they stood frozen holding one another's hands. It seemed as if no one had come to lead them after all and as much as could be expected with that morning's gossip theme, the answers they had been looking for were provided in the image they were presented with then.

Staring in silence for a few moments, Jack quickly decided he'd been through more than enough emotional turmoil for one day. Rolling his eyes, he turned to Bunny and grabbed his collar before saying, "C'mere" and planting a big, wet kiss on him. Pushing him off, he turned back to the orchestra and asking "Happy now?"

His response was a chorus of laughter and wolf whistles that surprisingly did not make him turn red for once. With joyful abandon, he proceeded to skip over to his seat, pull out his violin as the rest of the orchestra found their places and sat ready as Bunny stood at the front looking rather embarrassed over what had just happened.

As Bunny readied himself to make use of what little rehearsal time they had left, Jack stopped him just as he was about to talk to them and then turned to rest on his knees facing backwards on his chair to address his section.

"Guys. I know you all think I've been sucking up in the past couple of weeks but I swear it's not my fault. Sure, me and Bunny may now be messing around inside each other's underwear…" a small rumble of laughter emanated from around him as he paused, "…but I'm not getting any special treatment. Right, Mr. Bunnymund?"

"Right" he replied

"See? Everything is still the same and I really hope you guys don't hate me. I didn't mean to be all high and mighty if that's what you think so…sorry if I made look that way. I'm the same guy I always was, you'll see"

With that, he smiled and turned back around. He didn't know if his admission would help his reputation at all but at least he managed to say what was necessary to all of them at the same time and they had listened. Maybe in time things would get better. At least he hoped they would. That didn't matter right now though. What did matter, as he sat there and began to play, was that things felt right again and for the first time in weeks he actually felt like the same old playful, fun guy he had always been. He had a great boyfriend and a great job and to be allowed to be himself again was all that he wanted. Everything was coming up roses and his happiness just grew and grew as he played on.

Later on, as it was getting closer to letting out time, things seemed to be feeling pretty good for Jack. They hadn't really had time to do any of the characteristic stopping and starting that usually came with rehearsals and as such had simply played through the pieces they had recently been practicing. For Jack, it was so nice just to play through for once. It made him feel free and artistic and since he felt so liberated the proper form and passion required of a concertmaster just seemed to flow from him. Sandy had been watching them for a while now after coming to see them having been called in by North and his presence seemed to make everyone perk up quite a lot. Jack had felt a little uneasy when he'd first appeared but there was something about the man that quickly allayed all of his worries and made him feel remarkably good about himself. The looks of praise the smaller man gave him when he looked over were incredibly reassuring and it was so nice to know he was proud of him. Jack had never thought he'd be able to live up to Sandy's role but to see him looking so pleased filled Jack with joy. Everything seemed to be turning around now that his binds had been cut and the feeling of freedom was greater than he had ever imagined it might be.

Just before lunch was when things came to their final crescendo of the recent series of distasteful events. As the clock hit 12:25PM, the orchestra was just finishing the final few bars of Mercury from The Planets and Jack, along with the rest of the strings, was holding his last, extended harmonic as the piece came to its close. It was a quiet moment and the whole room was still as the seconds counted down and as everyone waited patiently for it to end, they were all suddenly startled by a colossal bang that echoed around the room as the door was thrown open. All eyes turned to see a livid Pitch storm in and straight away the atmosphere soured. He looked so immensely angry that it almost appeared as if a raging storm followed him in his wake. As soon as the music stopped and Jack turned to look, he jumped up and stepped towards Bunny nervously as the clearly now jobless man locked his fiery eyes on him and glared with such rage that Jack thought his skin should have seared off. As he began to storm over, Jack began to panic as he wondered what he was going to do and knew that there was no reason he would need to hold back anymore. Backing into Bunny, he felt his hands land on him and hold on firmly as they awaited whatever Pitch had in store and trying not to drop his violin, he fixed Pitch with the blankest expression he could muster.

"Do you think you've won, Frost?!" Pitch spat as he stomped forward. "Do you dare to think that you've got the upper hand?!"

Jack gulped as he forced his face to remain strong and steely and desperately tried to reawaken the courage he had used earlier to confront him the first time.

"Just leave me alone, Pitch" he managed to say quietly but firmly. He was still afraid of him but it was neither as strong nor in the same manner as before. Somehow it was easier to stand his ground, although to be fair he did have Bunny behind him giving him strength.

"Oh, this isn't over, you dirty little whore!" Pitch spat. "You just go on being that moron's slut for now! I've been here for a long time and you can mark my words when I say I know how I'm going to make you pay! You will not win, you dirty, talentless little freak! I will see you crushed into the dust for this!"

Jack felt Bunny getting ready to defend him again and almost protested at the tightness of his fingers as they dug through his hoodie. Turning around, he interrupted Bunny as he was clearly just about to retaliate and thrust his violin at him before turning back and squaring up with the man before him. With a deep, powerful breath, he fixed Pitch with the fiercest look he could manage and growled at him in return.

"You can't get away with trying to rape someone and get away with it, you dick! Now get the fuck out of here before I knock the shit out of you! Just like you did to me yesterday at the member's party!"

Several gasps emanated from the orchestra as the truth came to light and Jack watched as they distracted Pitch from his determined, hell-bent quest for revenge. Turning to them, he could see the shock and disgust seeping in as they learned of his actions and suddenly knew he had to get out lest they decide to gang up. Glaring at them, he began to back away.

"Don't be too pleased with yourselves. You haven't seen the last of me. Although perhaps it's a blessing that I'm relieved of working with you slacking, over-hyped arseholes for now! To hell with all of you!"

With that he was gone. Disappearing out of the door, that was the last most of the players saw of Pitch as an employee of the West Penn Philharmonic and to be honest, his leaving came with a breath of fresh air and relief. Turning back to his stunned colleagues, Jack felt a little pang of embarrassment arise from their staring eyes but it was muted by the empathy that flowed from most. With a shrug to them, he turned to Bunny and said with a smile "He's gone"

"Well done, Jacky" he said as he stepped forward to hug him.

The rehearsal ended there and before even a minute had gone by everyone was set atwitter by the news of Pitch's dismissal. Needless to say, Jack and Bunny were swamped for details and not wishing to disappoint Jack gave them what they wanted – albeit less explicitly. They all seemed to be satisfied with his little story and it was surprising to see just how many congratulations he got for getting Pitch fired. Not that he had ever really had that intention but it was nice to know they all supported him through what had happened. It seemed perhaps that maybe he wasn't such an ass in their eyes after all and he even got to a point when he was able to laugh with them again. It still hurt his cheeks to smile but he didn't care. To feel accepted was extremely gratifying and when he was finally able to get away, he moved towards Bunny and Tooth who were waiting patiently for him to finish soaking up the glory surrounding him.

"Look who's Mr. Popular again" Bunny said with his characteristic smirk.

"Well done, Jack" said Tooth as she wrapped him up in her arms

"For what?" he said with a smaller, less painful smile than before.

"For ending it. I mean, you're still stupid for letting him do everything he did in the first place but well done for having the sense to make it stop"

"Well, I don't think it was my sense" he said turning to Bunny. "Thanks, Bun Bun"

"Hey! If I can't call you Jacky, you can't call me Bun Bun"

"But you do call me Jacky"

"Yeah, well, that's different" he said as he placed an arm around each of them and began to coax them towards the door.

"So what are you two gonna do now?" Tooth asked as she reciprocated with an arm around Bunny's waist.

"Maybe we should celebrate" Jack suggested

"What? Pitch getting fired?"

"No, that would be mean. Although we probably should to be honest"

"Yeah"

"But, instead of that, I guess…a fresh start?"

"Already?" Bunny asked. "Things aren't that bad?"

"No, but you know. Now there's nothing in the way of…us having fun"

"Okay, sure."

The three of them chatted and laughed jovially as they made their way down the hall and as they passed through the outside doors and into the surprisingly bright light, things simply seemed good. Little did they know that good would soon become excellent, but that was for the months that followed to reveal.

The next few months…

When March rolled around, it was time for Swan Lake to have its opening night. The first night, Jack was extremely nervous about being featured and to have his name at the top of the list of players for once was surprisingly exposing. Still, each and every performance went without a hitch and his whole section were extremely supportive as he led them through. By the end of the run, he felt simply amazing and privileged for having been given such an unexpected opportunity and even though his short time as concertmaster drew to a close with Sandy's return on the first day of rehearsals after the ballet, he really felt special for having had the experience. Sandy was extremely congratulatory and grateful for keeping his role up to such a high standard and it felt so nice to have a friend in him. In a way, Sandy's continued support completed Jack's reacceptance with the rest of his section and by the time he went back to his old seat there was no ill-feeling left whatsoever.

Returning to his seat next to Tooth was like coming home and after only a few days Bunny already regretted sending him back there. Constantly giggling to themselves and having fun when they should have been working made it seem as if he were minding children although he couldn't be too mad since he was now fully acquainted with the inside jokes. That, and Jack's naughty but cute and loveable face always made him smile and he couldn't be mad at him for long. They soon returned to their impassioned and rude banter and many a time their heated exchanges kept the whole orchestra laughing. Their involvement quickly became commonplace in the orchestra's dynamic and pretty soon nobody gave them a second thought.

As concerts came and went, things seemed to keep rolling on wonderfully and to Jack and Bunny it seemed as if they were getting closer and closer to one another by the day. When summer came around, it was time to go on tour and making sure to score a room together, it felt to the pair of them as if they were going on a free, romantic vacation in Europe. Travelling around the continent with Bunny and playing in city after city put Jack in a euphoric, floating daze and every day that passed brought with it new affection for his gorgeous, sexy man. Everything was just perfect and it became even better when the fun of tour finally ended and Bunny took him to Rome for a few days after the rest of the orchestra had returned to Pittsburgh. Tooth had been insanely jealous to hear that Jack was getting to go to Italy and he had made sure to flaunt in front of her every chance he got. Arriving there made him completely forget about everything else and as he was swept up in the romance of the beautiful, ancient city he quickly found his affection for Bunny growing into something much more than liking. He didn't know exactly when it happened during their short trip, but as he woke up on the day they were due to go home, Jack turned to Bunny in bed as he slept and simply thought to himself as he gazed upon the man's sleeping face, "I love you".

Of course, being Jack Frost, he was not very good or timely at expressing such feelings out loud and it took until about a week later when they were lying on the grass in a park back in Pittsburgh for him to suddenly blurt it out. As usual he had felt like a moron for saying something so important so brashly but Bunny, having come to know Jack so well, had dispelled all of his humiliation in an instant. Taking his face in his hands he had kissed him and simply told him he loved him too and that night Jack could not find himself anywhere but floating about a mile off the ground. There was something so special in those words that he had never even considered before and although he couldn't explain it, to know that he had the greatest, deepest inclination for this man that he called his own was unbelievably reassuring and gave him so much warmth. He didn't know why people said they felt whole when they found that perfect someone since he certainly didn't. In some ways though he just felt as if he had added another part to himself and was, for lack of a more appropriate characterization, something more than he had been. Trying to explain his feelings to Bunny proved fruitless as all he could do was trip over his own words and end up in an unintelligible mess. Still, Bunny had understood what he had tried to say and of course managed to put their shared feeling into a few appropriate sentences. That was just Bunny's way though and just another one of those things Jack love him for – and occasionally hated when it helped him to win arguments.

The way Jack saw it, things only got better from then on. He spent most of his time with Bunny, most days from the moment they woke up together to the moment they fell asleep in each other's arms. It was exactly as Jack had wanted it to be the whole time Pitch had enslaved him and to finally be in that place with Bunny was pure magic that run through his entire body for every waking moment. Things had seemed to go so fast when they finally got a chance at a proper beginning but after they'd been through a spring and a summer together, it seemed that everything was where it was supposed to be. Life was simply right and whenever he thought about it, it filled him to the brim with that warm, all-encompassing reminder that he really did have everything.

As all good things do though, natural law seemed to inevitably push the pair of them along to the day when the beginning of the end was signalled. For Jack and Bunny, it took until the beginning of October when the summer was in its final few days of dying and the leaves were taking on their beautiful shades of orange and red. It started lightly at first, with Jack noticing Bunny's usual boldness become slightly muted. As the next couple of weeks passed he became more reserved and quieter than Jack was used to and it was at some point then that Jack knew something was up. Still, he never figured it would be as bad as what he was to hear of in the week leading up to Halloween.

The last week of October…

On one fateful Sunday afternoon, Jack found himself walking in the park with Bunny by his side and a strange kind of whimsical smile on his face at his fascination with his own attire. Somehow Bunny had gotten him to wear a coat and scarf and it felt weird to be kept so warm as it got colder. Bunny, of course, was wrapped up far more than he was and it was funny to see him looking so cold even then in October long before the winter set in. Jack figured it must have been the Australian blood in him and as he watched him huddle in on himself he chuckled and took his hand in his. The tables had really turned from when they had been in Rome together where Bunny had been right at home in the baking heat and he himself had nearly burst into flames. In a way it was pretty funny to see him so out of place in the cold.

He never supposed his closed-natured, muteness might be due to anything like what was to come and, being blind to the looming revelation Bunny held for the right moment - if indeed there was one - he merrily skipped along at Bunny's side and chatted to him chirpily in an effort to distract him from the supposed cold.

"Ya know, we can get cocoa if you want. I mean, it might be a little far off to Christmas but I'm sure we can find some somewhere. You look like you could use something warm and comforting"

"Hmm" Bunny responded quietly with a clearly forced smile.

Jack just pressed on. "Or, you know, whatever. I guess we could always go somewhere warmer instead. Hard to think you managed to get through last winter without running home to throw another shrimp on the barbie" he said in the worst Australian accent imaginable. Usually his attempt at producing one put Bunny in stitches but not today, such as what could expected with his recent muted demeanour.

Watching Bunny continue to look forward, he finally decided enough was enough. Thinking back to when Pitch had been screwing him around, he remembered how Bunny hadn't wasted any time in trying to talk to him. Maybe that's what he needed now and so, realizing he had to be the one to help Bunny out of his jam, decided not to put off asking him any longer. It was a decision he'd soon regret.

Stopping Bunny on a small hill where several trees hung over them and the slowly setting sun shone across the open grass, Jack turned to his man and put his arms around him. Looking up with a warm and understanding smile, he sighed lightly and looked deep into his troubled green eyes.

"Now look, Bun. What's going on?"

Bunny just sighed and looked down. Whatever it was looked hard.

"I…don't really know how to tell you"

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be okay"

Bunny shook his head slowly, "I don't think so. At least, I don't know how just yet"

"Well, maybe I can help" Jack said as he tilted Bunny's head up again, "Two minds are better than one, right?"

With a sigh, Bunny simply brought his hands up to Jack's shoulders and looked down at him sadly. There was no easy way to tell him this and to think of putting him through this kind of stress just seemed unfair. There was no way around it though and he couldn't in all good conscience put this off to the last minute.

Pausing only to steady his breath, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Jack…" he said quietly, "…I…my time here is nearly over"

"W-…What?" Jack said confused and suddenly a little uneasy.

"My contract with the orchestra. It was only ever for a year"

"Oh…" Jack said disappointedly. He assumed he knew what this meant. "Well, is there no way of extending it? Or staying on permanently?"

"I met with the managers a couple of weeks ago to see if it was possible. Turns out it's not"

"But why?"

"They've already got another guest conductor lined up for next year. And the place left by Pitch is taken by the new lady"

"You mean she's permanent?"

"Apparently so"

"But she's a hack compared to you!" Jack groaned as he considered the woman the orchestra had employed to fill Pitch's space. Did they really choose her over Bunny?

"Jack, come on, she's pretty good"

"But not as good as you"

"Well, you're sweet" he said with a gentle smile.

"Well, it's true! Can't they find a place for you at all?"

"No. I did ask and North really tried but…there just isn't space in the budget or something like that. I can't remember what they said exactly but the fact is a contract's a contract and mine's…well…it's not forever"

"Oh…" Jack said glumly as he tried to understand how hard this must have been for Bunny. In his mind, he figured it was going to be a tough couple of months as he tried to find a new job and he never even considered he would say what he did next.

"I'm sorry, Jack"

"Oh, hey. Don't worry. We'll figure this out. Don't worry about a thing, you can live with me until you find something else and if you need to go out of state then so be it. We'll work it out somehow"

Bunny sighed as he saw Jacks encouraging smile and as he looked away for a moment Jack started to realise that what he had assumed wasn't quite on the money.

"Jack" Bunny said when he turned back, "my visa's got a time limit too. It's only good for the time I'm working with West Penn"

Jack was silent for a moment as he let that sink in. Surely he couldn't mean what it sounded like he meant.

"…Huh?" was all he eventually managed to say.

"Jack…I have to go back to Australia"

Time became fluid as those words sunk into his mind. He had to go back to Australia? Did he actually mean what those words signified? There must have been a mistake, after all he couldn't lose Bunny. Not his Aster. The man he loved could not be telling him he was going to leave him!

After a little stuttering and a huge attempt at stilling his now liquid thoughts, he eventually managed to squeeze out a garbled, "What are you…What does this mean?"

With a hard gulp, Bunny confirmed his worst fears.

"It means I can't stay, Jack. I'm leaving at Christmas"

Jack could hardly breathe. It was as if someone had slammed their fist into his chest and then ripped out his heart a moment later. He loved Bunny. How could it possibly be that he was hearing those terrible words from him?

This just wasn't fair.

They belonged to each other.

He needed Bunny.

He loved him.

I think this may take an extra chapter in addition the original number I had planned in order to make things pan out properly. Ideally there should be a breaking point here to make it flow better but really I wanted to extend this into the next section of the story. Oh well, whatever feels right I guess.

Thank you all for your reviews and follows. Sorry to leave you on a twist and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can so as not to leave you hanging for too long.