Silence filled the room, broken only by a heavy sigh. Howard wasn't sure who'd produced it but he didn't like it either way. Howard stared at the back of Vince's head as the younger man rubbed the back of his neck slowly.

"You okay?" Howard asked, getting up from the sofa. It seemed strange to be asking a man who was about to put a bullet in his skull whether they were okay but Vince looked pale, paler than normal and he was trembling furiously.

"Don't" Vince whispered.

"Don't, what?" Howard asked, moving closer to the younger man and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't…" Vince shook him off sharply. "be so nice to me."

"I'm not nice. I'm confused but I'm not nice." He said, replacing his hand on the shoulder.

Vince smacked his hand away and suddenly span around, holding the gun in Howard's face.

"Okay." the older man whispered, taking a few silent paces backwards. "Okay. Calm down."

"How are you so calm? I betrayed you." he spat angrily. His words so quiet Howard daren't breath in case he missed them. "Why don't you hate me?"

"I could never hate you." Howard whispered truthfully. They stared at each other for a moment. Without conscious control, their feet moved them closer together, they were like two ends of a magnet being pulled together by a strong, invisible force, communicating only with the gaze from their eyes. So close. Howard wanted to lean forward and kiss the younger man (like in reverse of their first kiss all those years ago) but he wasn't as brave (or crazy) as Vince and he was still staring down the barrel of a gun, so he did nothing and allowed the weird unvoiced exchange to continue.

Then, Vince whispered; "Hit me." A look on his face which suggested he was surprised to hear himself say it.

"What?" Howard replied in the same stunned tone.

"Hit me!" he suddenly screamed.

"I…I ca-"

"Please Howard. I need you to hate me. I need to hate you."

"Why?"

"Because I have to kill you!" He pressed the gun into Howard's chest hard and determinedly.

"Fine." Howard answered steadily.

"How are you so calm?!" Vince screamed again. Howard didn't know what was happening, Vince was acting crazy, crazier than he'd ever seen him before. He was still trembling, his eyes were blazing, hot tears creating a thin film over his iris'.

"Look Vince." Howard said, his voice low, quiet and much steadier than he'd ever believed it could be. "I've never given two shits about anyone before you. It was all about me, everyone out to please me, everyone terrified of me and then… then there was you." he almost chuckled at the memory. "A cocky little shit, who actually tried to mug me! And then when you found out who I was, nothing changed. You just continued to try and infuriate me but instead of being infuriated I just fell in hopelessly in love." Vince just stared ahead, his face contorted in a way that suggested he was trying to remain emotionless. "I've never been in love before Vince. I've never needed anyone but I need you and I guess that if you don't need me then, you might as well pull that trigger."

Vince swallowed heavily and nodded softly, a solitary tear escaping and running down his cheek. His finger went to the trigger. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as a few more tears were forced from his eyes rolling silently towards his chin. This is it. he thought.

Howard watched Vince, his movements were cold and calculated. Vince was trembling furiously and Howard could tell he was terrified but he looked determined. Just like Howard had been just before his first kill, except for one massive, tiny difference; the tears. Howard closed his eyes tight and waited. This is it. he thought.

Suddenly, Howard heard the clattering of metal on floor, he opened an eye. Vince was stood, head in hands, gun by his feet, sobbing silently.

"Hey." Howard said alarmed, "Wha-" but he was cut off as Vince leant forward and buried his head in his chest, weeping a wet patch of tears into the older man's shirt. Howard wrapped his arm's around Vince's thin shoulders and held him close. He didn't have a clue what was going on but at this moment, it didn't matter. Vince needed him, so he was there.

"Howard." Vince whispered, breaths coming in sobbed gasps. "I…I…I can't do it."

"So don't." Howard suggested. This didn't make any sense Vince was never unsure of what he wanted.

"But if I don't," Vince wept, "Hitcher said he'd kill both of us."

Ah. Hitcher. "Why? I don't understand. Why is it so bad that I love you?"

"Oh for fuck's sake Howard!" Vince yelled, shoving him away hard, "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"Hitcher doesn't want you dead coz you're weak or in love or any other bullshit reason he gave. I mean Bollo's married."

"He is?! How do you know that?"

"Hitcher threatened to kill her if he didn't go along with this plan."

"What?"

"Yeah bu-"

"Sorry, who the hell married Bollo?" Howard interrupted, suddenly distracted by the thought that anyone would want to spend anytime let alone their life with that humourless, revolting man.

"That's what I said. Earned myself a nice little broken nose for that."

"You said they didn't hurt you." Howard growled, eyes flicking over Vince's face quickly.

"It's really not important now Howard. The point is, Hitcher doesn't want you back because he's had ten years of getting used to being number one and doesn't want to go back to being second best just coz you're out of prison. Now he wants you dead."

"But why have you got to kill me? Why doesn't he just do it himself?"

"And he said you'd be broken if I did it and he hates me. He'll do anything to make my life miserable."

"So why did you stick around?"

"He wouldn't let me go. He said he was looking out for me, reckoned you'd asked him too."

"Shit." Howard breathed, flopping back onto the sofa, head in hands. Hitcher had used his own words against him. "So…" he said eventually, thinking allowed as much as anything. "If you don't kill me, Hitcher kills us both?"

Vince nodded, sitting down heavily next to Howard. They sat in silent thought for a second.

"You know I love you, don't you?" Vince suddenly asked quietly. When Howard looked at the younger man, there was a distinct look of uncertainty in those famous blue eyes.

"I know." Howard nodded, pulling the younger man in close to him and kissing the top of his head.

"So… what do we do?"

There was no answer, just eerie quiet, whilst Howard considered all his options and then he said;

"You kill me."

"What?" Vince asked, jumping away and looking Howard as though he was mad and perhaps he was.

"Well, you kill me… one of us dies. You don't kill me, we both die and… you can't die Vince. You're too young."

"I ain't that young and you ain't that old! You're talking crazy."

"I'm not. It's the only option."

"No way, I ain't playing along with Hitcher's games. I did up 'til now, coz I figured when I told you at this point you'd have a plan… a better plan than 'shoot me'."

"I'm tired Vince. I doubt I could keep this life up anymore."

"So, we'll move to your house in Scotland and we'll go straight. I don't care just don't give up on me now."

"Vince, we're not gonna get out of this. They're at the bottom of the steps waiting for you."

"Don't you dare go all defeatist on me."

"Vince I ju-"

"Howard! Shut up! I can't kill you! I won't do it."

"So, I'll do it."

"What?"

"I'll shoot myself and you can take credit."

"No."

But Howard had already taken Vince's gun from the floor and was pressing it to his temple.

"Stop it Howard." Vince leapt to his feet, "I'm not going to watch you die."

"So look away."

"Look, who the fuck do you think you are Howard? Some star in some shitty black and white romance film? You ain't gonna win any Oscars for blowing you own brains out. No ones gonna talk about your legacy. You ain't gonna be remembered as some hero. If you pull that trigger, it's all over. No more life, no more you, no more me. Coz I swear to God Howard you pull that trigger and I'm gonna shoot myself too."

"Now, you're talking crazy."

"Yeah, crazy enough to do it. I barely coped without you for ten years. The only thing that kept me alive was knowing I'd see you again. If you're going to hell, I'm coming with you."

Vince decided to exaggerate his point taking Howard's own gun off the coffee table, cocking it and holding it to his own head. He knew that the younger man wasn't joking. Vince was right, he was crazy enough to do it. He would shoot himself if he thought it would make a point and Howard suspected, he was a bit of a romantic. The thought of going out in a Romeo and Juliette double suicide would probably have been the way Vince wanted to go. Howard almost thought about laughing at him for being so over dramatic but the truth was, he was being dramatic too. The whole 'shoot me' thing; what was that if not self-made drama? It was obvious that love really did make you do stupid things. He felt like laughing at how ridiculous they were both being but nothing was really funny and the wild stare in Vince's eyes, the loaded gun in his trembling hand made him think better of it.

"Put it down." Howard said steadily, though his insides were twisting up nervously. Vince glared at him for a second before lowering the gun and began to pace ferociously. Howard watched him intently as he marched around the room, eyes blazing with furious tears.

"So what do we do?" Howard asked calmly, when Vince's pacing had slowed to a halt.

"We escape. D'you recon we could get out of the window?"

"Yeah, but the fall would kill us."

Vince seemed to think for a second and then his face lit up and he smirked at Howard.

"What?"

"I think I know how we can get out."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Help me move the bed."

Seconds later, Vince had ripped up the carpet and a few of the floorboards and was proudly showing Howard a small hole.

"Where does it go?"

"Kitchen downstairs." Howard was relieved to find Vince grinning again now. "I used to use it to steal prawn crackers when I was 11."

"You know there is no way in hell I'm going to fit in there don't you."

"Yeah you will." Vince encouraged. "You'll have to. It's our only way out. So, who's going first?"

Howard closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"And you're sure there's no other way?"

Vince nodded. "I'm sure."

"Fine. I'll go first."

Vince nodded enthusiastically and as Howard lowered himself into the very small passageway, Vince said;

"Howard."

The older man looked up. "What?"

"I love you." he grinned, and leant down, crushing his lips against Howard's desperately. Howard deepened the kiss as his hands roamed under Vince's shirt and pushing it up exposing the soft skin beneath.

"OI VINCE! YOU DONE IT YET." Hitcher screamed, accompanying it with a frantic hammering the door. They jumped apart. Suddenly, Vince pinched Howard on the back of the arm, causing him to cry out loudly with pain.

"I'm torturing him." Vince shouted.

"Ahhh! Nice work kid." Hitcher seemed satisfied.

Vince giggled silently, and whispered "Better get moving."

As Howard disappeared into the hole, Vince whistled sharply and Naboo suddenly appeared wrapping himself around Vince's neck; "Let's go Naboo." he grinned.

--

The climb downwards seemed to take ages, mainly because Howard kept getting stuck but eventually he was stood on the old kitchen worktop, helping Vince (and Naboo) down.

"Where now?" he whispered.

"Backdoor." Vince mouthed, pointing in the right direction. Howard nodded and they crept silently towards it. Neither were breathing for fear of the noise it would make. Naboo seemed to understand too. He was resolutely silent as he clung on to Vince's shoulders. Howard was just wondering how the cat managed to stay sat like a pirate's parrot on the shoulder of his master when shadows fell across the kitchen and voices from outside the door they were walking towards stopped him in his tracks. He stuck out his hand to stop Vince and the voices came again, louder and clearer.

"What's taking him so fucking long?" Hitcher was complaining.

"Maybe he's giving Moon one last pity fuck." suggested Bollo.

"Or maybe he's having second thoughts."

"Doubt it. He looked really scared when you said you were gonna kill him."

"I should've threatened him with something more."

"Like what? You threatened him with his life."

"Maybe I should have killed that fucking cat of his."

Vince's jaw dropped open and his eyes filled with fury as he pulled Naboo close to his chest, kissing the top of his head lovingly. Howard just shook his head, he'd never understand Vince's love for his cat, so he just pointed towards the other door.

"We're going to have to go through the restaurant and out the front door." he whispered.

Vince nodded, still clutching Naboo close to him. Howard got to the door and put his hand on the doorknob.

"Wait." Vince hissed as Hitcher spoke again. "Wait until they're upstairs."

"Right, that's it. Come on. I'm breaking that fucking door down. I wanna see what's going on."

"They'll be shagging."

"Well, if they are… we'll shoot 'em both." Hitcher concluded, "Come on."

Vince gave Howard his go-ahead as two sets of heavy footsteps stomped upstairs.

As they escaped on to the street, they heard a loud scream from above them. They looked up and then at each other. Vince grinned.

"Come on." laughed Howard. "Let's get out of here."

As they ran to steal Hitcher's car, Naboo sprinting ahead of them, Howard dropped his gun that had served him so well in the past and Vince dropped the knife that had served him all his life. And, with that, they left their pasts behind and grabbing each other's hand, they clung feverishly to their uncertain futures.

OMG! It's finished! *sobs into keyboard* I'm gonna miss this story, i've enjoyed writting it sooooooooo much. lol. (maybe I'll write a lil epilogue or something).

Maybe you could leave me a lil review today... Go on, I'm not very well either so i'm sure they'll make me feel better. Reviews are like medication. =]

Seriously though, thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed! Love to you all!
Sisi...xx