HELLO. Here is the second installment of The Muse. Some stuff may not make sense with chapter one because I didn't really know where I wanted to go with the story but now I do. So, if there is some stuff that doesn't make sense, I apologize. But I hope you enjoy and the third chapter is already in the mist.

May 9, 2007

Julia was sitting at her desk writing a term paper for one of her classes when she heard a knock on the door. "Lauren," she called. "I swear if you left you key again I'm going to—" she stopped once she opened the door. In front of her stood a mess of unruly curls, beautiful hazel eyes and a boyish grin.

"I'm sorry I'm not Lauren." The boy said with a smile.

"You know," Julia started. "My roommate should be home soon, I don't think she's going to be happy that someone isn't in his room writing music for a web series he's going to be in." Julia smirked.

The boy laughed. "That's actually why I'm here. I'm stuck! I need a little inspiration. And we both know how great you are with words. So…Can you help a brother out?"

"Darren I have a final tomorrow. I can't help you right now."

"Please Jules! Give me like ten minutes! I'll be super quiet. Maybe I just need like a new space to write. The walls of my room haven't spoken to me today."

"You're insane. Sit. And be quiet." Julia went back to her desk and Darren followed as he sat at Lauren's.

He began to tap his pencil on the desk and Julia quickly turned herself around. "How far are you?" she asked rolling her eyes and scooting herself closer to Darren

He flashed her the 'I knew you'd break' smile as he replied "I've got a few verses for each song, but I can't seem to finish these two." He pushes over two untitled pieces of work. "this one," he said pointing to one on top. "Is for Sami, I figured it'd make sense if I called it Sami cause like it's about Sami…" he laughed and she shook her head. He's a goon.

"Okay." She said fixing her glasses and reading the few lines he had for "Sami"

I've seen her face

I've heard her name

I've lost my place and she's to blame

And I can't stand it

When I'm staring in her eyes

And she's not looking back

It ain't a big surprise

Julia took the paper from Darren's hands and bit the end of her pen. She was silent for a few moments and Darren started to play with the strings of his guitar feeling out the melody for the song.

After about ten minutes she spoke. "Well the character Sami is supposed to be adored by Kevin right? And then Toby falls in love with her too?"

"Yeah..Your point?" Darren looked up and pushed a curl out of his eyes.

"What if you add something about him always thinking about her, like that he always hears her when he's falling asleep. Like oh! I've got it!" she took the pen and scribbled a few lines onto the paper. Darren smiled as he read them over her shoulder.

"I think I know exactly where to go from here."

About a half hour later Darren had the rough cut of 'Sami' finished and Julia's term paper was still in the process of being written. She realized she wrote a lot quicker with Darren's soothing voice in the background. He calmed her and helped her focus.

"Hey Jules." Darren said after dropping his pencil on her bed.

"What's up Dare?" she asked turning around and facing him.

"I think I got it…"

She smiled and crossed her legs. "Well let's hear it."

Darren started strumming and softly started to sing the first verse of Sami. He focused on his inspiration, his muse, his best friend. The girl he was falling in love with. His Sami.

October 12, 2012

"What do you mean he's single…" Julia's voice cracked.

"He's single. Which means you need to tell him. Like now."

"I can't tell him Lauren, you know I can't. I'm going to continue letting him believe what he wants. If he thinks Matthew's father is some random guy who's got a container of his sperm chilling in a sperm bank I'm okay with that. Matthew and I are perfectly fine."

"I didn't condone you lying then and I don't condone you lying now. Don't you think maybe Darren would want to know about his own son?"

"Lauren, Matthew was a mistake. A blessing, but still a mistake. You and the girls are the ONLY ones who know that Darren's actually the father. Thank god he hasn't started to look like him. And I pray that he grows up to look like an Albain, and not a Criss."

Lauren groaned and placed her hand on her abdomen. "I think you're being ridiculous. You know how much Matthew loves Darren. I'm pretty sure at four he knows that Darren is he father. Did you see the way he interacted with him at Meredith and Brian's wedding? I think for Matthews sake he deserves to have his father in his life, and he wont because his mother is too insecure to admit to herself that maybe Darren would have been okay with the fact that his best friend and ex-girlfriend was having his baby. "

"Lauren. You know I was going to tell him…but then—"

"But then he announced that he was going to marry Mia. And that broke your heart. But he's almost 35 years old Julia. He's single, and childless. And I'm pretty sure he planned on settling down. If you haven't noticed Jules, our friends don't really do things the way everyone else does. We're not ordinary by any means. I think you should tell him after the party Joey and I are throwing next week for the guys. We're going to announce the pregnancy, and you're going to tell Darren."

"But Lauren it's not that—"

"End of discussion."

Later that Day

Julia pulled into the driveway of her parent's house and sighed. She'd lied about Matthew's father's identity to the two people who raised her and it always haunted her. Five years ago when Julia found out she was pregnant her parents packed up everything they had in Cincinnati and moved to LA so they could help their daughter. They thought she was crazy for going at this alone, but after time they accepted that their daughter was living the way people could in the 21st century. She was a strong woman and didn't need a man in her life.

Matthew spent a lot of time at the Albain's house due to Julia's s usual hectic schedule, but the moments she got to spend with her son were her favorite, she just always wished she could share them with Matthew's father.

"Hi hon." Julia's mother said as her daughter walked through the door.

"Hey ma." Julia replied as she went over the playpen and picked up her beautiful bundle of joy. "And hello to you handsome." She said as she kissed her son's forehead.

"Hi mama." The little boy answered and buried his head deep into his mother's shoulder. Julia loved nothing else in this world more than she loved her son.

"How's the book coming along?" Julia's mother asked as she walked into the living room as she dried her hands on a dish towel.

"It's going alright. I haven't written in awhile. I've been super busy, and I kind of don't know where I want to go."

'It's an autobiography isn't it Jules? It shouldn't be that hard to write about your experiences."

"I know. I'm stuck on when Matthew was born. I don't know how I should present it. It's a lot to take in at once…" The real reason Julia was stuck on the chapter was because she didn't really want to lie in her own autobiography. She wanted to write about Matthew being an accident, and write the true story behind it all. But she knew she couldn't do that was 99% of the people involved in her life knew otherwise.

Julia's mother nodded. "I see. Well, that should be a very special chapter."

Julia smiled and pushed a curl out of Matthew's eye and sighed. The more she looked at her beautiful four year old boy the more she saw Darren, and it scared her. Because she didn't think she could keep up with this lie much longer.

Julia walked into the kitchen and sat down with Matthew on her lap. She cut up a banana and let her son snack on it while she spoke to her mother.

'How's Lauren?" Mrs. Albain asked as she sat across from her daughter and grandson.

"She's great. She's expecting a baby. And she asked me to be the godmother." Julia kissed the top of Matthew's head as he ate.

"Oh!" Mrs. Albain exclaimed. "I'll have to call her and congratulate her and Joey. Have they picked the godfather as well? I'd only assume it would be Mark. Lauren's so close to her brother."

Julia didn't know how to answer this. It surprised her as well that it wasn't Mark, I guess she let Joey pick, and his best man was Darren, so I guess it would only fit.

"It's actually not Mark…" Julia said as she gripped Matthew tighter subconsciously.

"Oh?"

"It's uh. —its actually Darren."

Mrs. Albain didn't say much at first. She knew Darren was almost a sore subject around Julia. She somewhat knew why but she felt like there was more, something Julia wasn't telling her.

"How is Darren doing?" She asked trying to make the conversation a little less awkward.

Julia didn't make eye contact with her mother. She looked at her son and thought about the man she loved, the man whose child she gave birth to and kept from him. And with her mother asking that simple question she knew what she had to do. She had to come clean, and her mother was the first one she was going to confess to.

How is Julia's mom going to take the news? But more importantly how is Darren? Please review and let me know what you think! The next chapter is going to start off with another flashback, as most probably will and then go into present time. Please click the review button and share with your friends! Thanks a bunch! Xoxo until next time!