Chapter 17

Disclaimer- I own nothing!

"You want me to move in with you?"
"I do."
"Why?"
Well this wasn't the direction he expected the conversation to take. He thought "yes" or "no" not "why."
"Because I've been thinking about it and it would probably be better if we lived together."
"Okay but why? Don't we practically live together anyway?"
"You know, I never saw this being so difficult with you."
"I just don't see the point"
"Married couples live together, what's the difference?"
"We aren't married for one and two we split houses what's the big deal?"
"I want you to move in with me. No more splitting houses, and who cooks and figuring out where clothes are. My place is big enough for this stuff."
"But I,"
"Look, today made me realize something. I don't want you to be alone when an attack hits. And if you're not crazy about moving in then let's get a place together. We'll sell both of our houses and buy our own. We're together most nights, I want to make it all. I don't want you to have an attack and be alone because it's the one night we sleep a part."
Alan wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't against the idea of them living together officially but he was opposed to buying a house together. It seemed stupid when he could die at any time and may not even get the chance to enjoy it. If he sold this place though he wouldn't have to worry about what to do one he was dead. Hearing that Eric was concerned about him and wanted to be there for him as much as possible made it hard not to smile and say yes. And then to learn he stopped seeing the other woman months ago, his smile only grew.
"You know what, sure, I'll move in with you. If you think it's a good idea and that you're place can hold my stuff, mainly my books, then I'll do it."
"Thank you. You know I love you right?"
"I love you too. And that's the only reason I am agreeing."
It seemed to conversation worked to replace how he felt before when he was rejected for sex. He didn't bring it back up for the rest of the night. They both slept soundly, one wrapped in the other's arms.

Eric stood in Alan's bedroom trying to make him help pack it up. Alan being Alan was being stubborn about it though. As much as he was in love with how independent he was it was also a pain to deal with it at times.
"I'm packing up your living room."
"Fine. Do as you please." Tired of trying to get him to not worry about it he gave in to him.
Grabbing a box he dragged it the living room to start with the first bookshelf. He told Alan his place could easily hold everything he had but it hadn't dawned on him how many books he had here. Starting simple he went to the coffee table, maybe if he took the ones Alan read the most and was currently reading he wouldn't notice the others were in the basement.
Picking up the one he noticed it was from the society. Flipping through it he saw it covered so much on diseases and its history with the society. Not seeing anything useful he threw it on the couch so it wouldn't become lost or destroyed.
"Holy…" Picking up the giant reference book that was under the thinner one Eric noticed it was volume five…Alan read the first four? Thumbing through it he noticed it was based on cures and diseases. Alan must have been looking for a cure as well. It made sense but they could have looked together, they were after the same goal after all. Still for Alan not to tell him about it he must not have found anything. Flipping through it he saw something that caught his eye and made him go back a few pages. There was something on the Thorns of Death in this book. Skimming it, it didn't look like it held the same old information that was found practically everywhere. Going into the kitchen where his jacket was he wrapped the book inside it. Alan would probably tell him he didn't want the help and didn't want to bother him with the tedious research. If only Alan understood just how much he truly meant to him. How much he meant to him for all these years. He always said he treated him like a child but Alan never learned, never understood. Going back into the living room he finally started packing it up.

Alan dropped a box of his Eric's bedroom. This was now his bedroom, this was now his house, how strange, how exciting.
"Eric, where can my clothes go?"
"Right side of the closet and that drawer over there is all yours. I emptied it just for you."
"Oh okay, thanks, Eric. Are you sure about this? About me living with you?
"I have never been more sure about anything. Now stop worrying." Placing his hands on Alan's waist he pulled him closer and tried to take his worries away with a kiss. He was glad he didn't have to deal with unpacking this stuff though. He was glad Alan hadn't chosen to buy a house together. He was glad Alan hadn't chosen to buy a house together. And that he chose to move in on a day he had work. Not that he wouldn't have helped him just thought it was easier this way.
"You sure you'll be alright? Don't forget I'll be an extra few minutes since I'm helping Ronald with your couch."
"Great! That works for me."
"Don't be depressed now, jeez."
"Oh no, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that, well, it works out. It gives me time to unpack and make dinner. Since I'm living here now you can't complain anymore about it. And I want to do something that says thanks."
"You just did." Watching Alan smile and shake his head he let him go before he ran late. He was excited to leave so he could come back and see Alan here. This really was the start of something great.

It had been decided that they weren't telling William about their new living arrangements. He didn't know they were together and they planned to keep it that way. Relationships inside the same department were frowned upon though happened quite often. Maybe nothing long term but hook-ups were common. He figured Will had hooked up with Grell at least once though he refused to ever believe a word that the red head said.
"So is Alan at your place now?"
"Yea, we got the last of his stuff over a little earlier this morning. He told me to tell you that if you want anything else when we go there it's yours."
"Did he pack a frying pan?"
"No, he took little from the kitchen I think"
"Tell him I said thanks."
Laughing they headed to their desks to get to work.

While Ronald went through Alan's house seeing if there was anything he needed Eric sat on the couch and opened the massive book he carried to work with him. He thought it would be easier to read it without Alan near. Turning to the index he found the section on the Thorns. Focusing his attention on the information he didn't realize he zoned out and didn't hear Ronald tell him he would be right back. He was going to run to his house and drop these things off so he had both hands for the couch. While he hadn't found anything on a cure yet he was learning a lot about the disease itself. What it actually did to its victims, the pain it caused, how it spread. The more he learned about it the more he needed to find Alan a cure and not just a cure but something to make sure Alan never faced this again. He didn't deserve to have to deal with this. He wanted to go back in time and destroy that girl for doing this to Alan. If he ever got his hands around her he would make her pay. But, he couldn't, he blew his only chance to kill her, that was how she got to Alan in the first place. If only he had stayed but his side as he promised, fought her instead of him, Alan wouldn't have to go through this. And to make matters worse Alan refused to blame him, refused to hold a grudge towards him. He kept saying it wasn't his fault, that this happened due to his own fault. God he wanted to Alan to be mad at him, blame for him for the trouble he caused him. That was why he had to find a cure; he had to find something no matter what. He got Alan into this mess and he would get him out. That was his promise to him.

Reading the information covered on the disease itself he flipped the page to see what else, if anything the book had on it. "A thousand Souls." It had had the mark next to the name as being a legend but if someone wrote it then it had to have been tried before. He would try anything, no matter what he had to do, no matter if it was considered a legend or not. Perhaps that last person that tried it only failed because they ran out of time. A thousand souls was a lot to collect and they couldn't be just any souls, they had to be pure, and that of woman. He would pull it off though, he had no other option. He would do it for Alan, for his light, for their future together. They would get the forever they both dreamed of, the one they deserved.

"Eric, hey Eric, ready to do this?"
Hearing Ronald he pulled his nose from the book.
"Ready to do what?"
"Woah, never thought I'd see this. You reading and forgetting what we came here to do. And what are you reading, one of Alan's?"
"This? Sort of, I'm learning what I can to help Alan the best I can."
"Oh." Shoving his hands in his pockets he couldn't forget the truth. Alan, someone he looked up to, respected, one of his closest friends, was dying. "It's got to be hard on you both I wish I could help somehow."
"Thanks but no you don't."
"Alan is my friend too you know, so yes I do!"
"You get to watch from the sidelines Ron, you're lucky. You don't have to worry about fearing he is pushing himself too hard or that he'll have an attack while he is out on the field because he told Will he wants to go alone. Having him move in with me is the only thing I could do to preserve what little sanity I have left. And to make it worse he wants to act like it's nothing. He won't talk about it, even though I can tell he is always thinking about it, thinking about how much time he has left. I love him and I won't abandon him but you are the lucky one I'll tell you that."
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the only reason he is pushing so hard, that he wants to act like nothing is going on is because he can't forget? Maybe he is losing his mind as well. Maybe holding on to what he has always known is helping him to not curl up and cry or just plainly die. Think about it, none of us know what death is like. None of us have to worry about it, we were told we wouldn't have to. But he isn't like that. He is dying and to make it worse it will be slow and painful, he'll see it coming but he won't know when exactly it will happen. And, he won't know what is lying ahead of him. I would lose my mind like that too. I would do anything I could to forget. I think him having you in his life right now has turned out to be a blessing for him, for both of you. He can use you to escape the horrible thoughts swirling around in his mind, if only for a little while at a time. But you'll both be alright I can feel it."
Eric just sat there pinned by Ronald's words, not only for what he said but who said them. Ron was crazy, focused a lot on himself and woman he wanted, but he said something that held so much worth, something that really got to him.
"Come on let's move this. I want to get home, Alan is cooking for us tonight."
"Nice. His cooking is the best, no offense. You are so lucky that he cooks for you."
Putting the book back on the floor by his stuff from work he got off the couch so they could carry it to Ronald's place.

Alan was proud of himself; he got most of his stuff unpacked. He would have finished it but he wanted to have dinner ready by the time Eric got home, listen to him. By the time Eric got home, got back to their place, got back to him, it sounded so amazing so perfect. Catching himself before he started daydreaming he focused on cooking. He wanted their first meal as…whatever you called this arrangement, to be perfect. Eric had been nice enough to give up living alone, giving up his own space so they could share it. The least he could do was cook him a nice meal. Hopefully the first of many. Looking at the clock he guessed he would be here soon, they were just moving his old couch to Ronald's place since he didn't need it anymore. He was also letting Ronald take whatever he didn't bring over here. He didn't care what he took; he planned to sell the rest off anyway. They had swapped a few things of Eric's that was slightly lower quality or falling apart but that was few. Surprisingly Eric had a lot of nice stuff, for never bringing people over here he sure splurged a lot. Hearing the door open he heard footsteps coming into the kitchen.
"There is someone in my house."
"Surprise!"
"All unpacked?"
"Just about, I stopped so I could start cooking for us. I made your favorite."
"You?"
"You are disgusting. God why do I like you?"
"I ask myself that question every day. You're too innocent to be with me."
Sitting at the table he watched as Alan finished up before joining him so they could eat, salmon in white wine and herbs. Tasted as good as it smelt, Ronald was right, Alan's cooking was the best.
"You have outdone yourself."
"That was my plan. Ronald get what he needed from my place?"
"Oh right, he says thanks for the frying pan."
Laughing they both felt it was an inside joke for some reason and only laughed harder.

Eric sat on his bed watching Alan getting ready to join him for the night, the first night of them officially living together. He still thought he wore too much to sleep in, long pants and long shirt. He would have thought he would show a little more skin by now. Pulling him towards him he wrapped his arms around his waist as they laid down together.
"Do you still doubt this decision?"
Moving the hair that fell in front of Eric's eyes he smiled unable to hide his happiness over being here. Of knowing every night could be as wonderful as today, that he would no longer spend any night alone, he would never be alone again.
"I'll take that as a no."
"Of course it's a no. I'm really glad I moved in here."
"Good."
"I love you."
With a half smile and a shift of his body to now hover over Alan he said,"I love you too," and lowered so they could kiss. Feeling Alan's hand on his waist he was pushed lower, closer to him, allowing their bodies to touch in as many places as possible. He wanted to celebrate tonight, not only to first of many days together but for finding a way to save Alan. To finding a way to cure him, in finding a way to create their forever, the one they both dreamed of even years before they knew each other. He couldn't tell him his plan yet, Alan would only argue against it but that didn't mean he couldn't tell him another way. Seeing the love Alan held for him in his eyes he wondered how they ever got by all that time without the other. How they never realized happiness before this had just been a fabrication and now it was real. Now that he had it he was never going to let it go.

Even with Eric over him, hands holding him, lips caressing his, he couldn't pull his minds from the fact that he was lose him, he would lose this. He couldn't help but worry about what Eric would do once he lost him. Would he take care of himself? Would he find happiness? He had been searching for it for years and after the past Eric had gone through he deserved it. He worked hard all these years to move on, his hard work should pay off. He should get to be free from the nightmares of his past because he was so much more than that.

Feeling their thoughts collide with the passion they had for each other they let it control them. They allowed the heat of the moment to wrap its arms around them. Yet as the fire inside of them stayed in check it grew rapidly, made them hungry for more, unleashed a wild side to them. A side Eric had never seen in Alan before and he wanted, needed to have.
"This is what you want Alan?" A low growl escaped his throat as he hungrily asked his love if this desire was okay.
"God yes. Take me away from here, I want to scream in agony yet want more. I want you." Wrapping his arms around his chest he forced him lower on him. He wanted Eric to push past the limits he had set for them before.
"Anything for you. I want you to scream my name."
"Just give me a reason to."
He was being teased, he didn't like being teased in bed, Alan would regret those words. With that Eric extinguished the only light in the room and let the darkness take over.

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Okay I am off to work, you can thank my teacher getting sick and canceling class for this chapter. Please review for I love them and I love all of you that are reading this story.
~Femalefighter~