Welcome Home
~~ OKAY, yay I'm back...hehe i can never stay away from this place for too long. Anyways, I thought i'd write a sequel for NEVER ALONE because quite frankly i decided that there should be one. Sorry if you are all fed up with my sequels LOL. Anyways, i hope you'll stick around and enjoy this fic!! ENJOY!!:)~~
A light breeze ruffled the silk white curtains, causing the sunlight to dance across the deep hardwood floor and into the living room. The house was quiet that morning, silent actually as the young teen flipped through endless channels on the television, silently hoping that something interesting would come on.
She furrowed her brow and rested the remote on the arm of the couch, staring at a newscaster from MTV talking about something along the lines of some band and its member.
Her ears perked at the mention of a Mike Shinoda and she raised a brow as the newscaster went on to talk about his ‘newly formed family’.
Great, thanks a lot Mike, I made MTV news…and I’m only fourteen.
She frowned deeply, instantly knowing that all her friends and teachers at school were hearing this and now she would be bombarded with students asking her stupid questions about the band…answers she didn’t exactly have because her father liked to keep secrets about new demos and such.
Five hundred channels and this was the only thing remotely interesting on TV. Laura sighed heavily and turned off the program, knowing she’d have to detach the phone from its cord soon to avoid her friends calling.
“ What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The dark haired teen looked up from the phone and pulled the cord out of the wall, easily ending any communication coming to the house. “ What’s it look like I’m doing?” she demanded harshly at the brown eyed man.
Chester frowned and stared at the phone with a visible look of confusion on his face. It was bad enough he had to watch the little monster while her parents were away on their ‘honeymoon’ and now he couldn’t phone any of his buddies to arrange their little ‘drinking night’.
“ Are you TRYING to isolate me in this god forsaken place?” he asked.
“ Chester, let me explain something. On MTV, they just finished a story on your dumbass band and how your Emcee has a new family. Now, since my name was somehow mentioned in there, my friends will now be calling the house to harass me about all of this. Do you really think I’m going to want to talk to them, especially since the lead singer of that band is standing right in front of me, making them want to come over even MORE?” she demanded.
Chester put a finger to his chin in thought and blinked slowly, letting her words sink into his brain. “ So…that’s a bad thing?” he asked.
Laura frowned and smacked him upside the head, walked into the kitchen, then disconnected the other phone. “ You know, you are exactly like Mike…” he muttered.
“ Noted…” she replied lightly, grabbing the carton of milk from the fridge and gulping it down. Chester grabbed a beer and sat down at the center island, opening the newspaper.
Laura belched and stuck the empty container back into the fridge while looking over his shoulder. “ Jeeze Chaz, I never knew you liked reading the news.”
Chester gave a small smile and nodded defiantly. “ I just love hearing about the turmoil of the world now a days.”
The young girl leaned over his shoulder and raised a brow with a small smile. “ So…I assume the world of the comics are just having a terrible year, what with all their terrorist attacks, global warming and harsh nourishment issues.” She giggled.
He lowered his eyes and stared at her with a hurt look that made her giggle even more. “ I happen to like the funnies.”
“ Aw, that’s so cute Chazzy. I love how you tried to convince me that you were actually reading something important. You didn’t think I would look over here to see what you were ACTUALLY reading?”
“ You know, you may have Mike’s irritating arrogance but you definitely have your mother’s eyesight.” He explained quietly.
Laura gave a large smile and heard the front door swing open. She heard her mother’s voice and then the sound of a deeper tone, obviously her father. Chester looked up from the comics as Laura rushed over to them and gave her mother a tight hug.
“ Hi mom!”
“ Hey baby, how were things with Chester?” she laughed.
The girl pulled away from her and glanced at him with a small smile. “ Things were okay…except for all the beer drinking and loud parties he had…”
Anna frowned and looked over at Chester who now had a sheepish look on his face. “ Um…that’s an exaggeration…” he laughed nervously.
Mike furrowed his brow and glanced at his daughter who was now looking at him with a deep frown. “ Hello Michael…” she muttered.
“ Excuse me?” he demanded in shock.
Laura didn’t reply and simply walked back into the kitchen. He glanced at Anna and raised a brow of confusion, watching her eyes darken with worry.
“ Okay, what did you do?” she asked slowly.
“ I didn’t do anything! I was with you for seven days.” He argued as they walked into the kitchen.
“ Well obviously you did something…she hasn’t called you that for months.” She whispered.
“ Hey you guys have fun in the Bahamas?” Chester asked with a devilish grin.
Anna gave a small giggle and wrapped her arms around Mike, kissing him gently on the lips. “ Yeah, tons.”
“ I can tell you right now, I will NEVER forget these seven days…” he muttered with a smile.
Laura rolled her eyes and sat down beside Chester.
“ Really…which part will you remember the most?’ Anna asked quietly.
Mike pulled her closer and stared fondly into her eyes. “ You know which part…”
“ Refresh my memory…”
“ I think you’ve been refreshed enough.”
“ Ew!” Laura squealed and covered her ears. The parents laughed and let go of each other, watching their daughter’s face contort with disgust.
“ Okay, WAY too much information there guys…” she warned.
Chester winked at them and gave a small chuckle. “ She pregnant yet?”
“ Oh my God…” Laura muttered into her lap.
Anna raised her eyes with surprise and glanced at Mike who was now sporting a very nervous look. “ “Okay, no one’s answering…” Laura muttered with worry and looked up from her lap.
Anna swallowed hard and cleared her throat, staring down at the floor. Mike frowned and stared at her with shaky eyes. “ Um…Anna?” he asked.
“ Yes Mike?”
“ Are you-.”
“ –I haven’t checked.” She replied quickly.
Chester gave a loud laugh and shook his head. “ You haven’t CHECKED? This is just too good.”
“ Chester, shut your fucking face please…” Mike snapped.
“ Mom if you’re pregnant I swear to God I will disown him as a father.” Laura warned.
Anna stared around the room at all the nervous and very amused ( a.k.a Chester) faces. “ Relax, I’ll check.” She breathed and began to walk upstairs.
“ Hey Anna…if you ARE pregnant, you ARE going to tell Mike this time right?” Chester smiled, causing Mike to glare and smack him upside the head.
“ No, I thought I’d keep it a secret until it pops out of me.” She muttered sarcastically and disappeared into her room.
Mike sighed shakily and felt his eyes trailing towards the phone…then he frowned. “ Why is the phone not connected to the wall?” he asked and plugged it back in.
“ No don’t!” Laura yelled as the phone began ringing. Mike raised a brow at her and picked it up.
“ Hello?”
The only sound he heard was that of a young girl, breathing into the phone and suddenly yelled: IT’S TRUE! Laura grabbed the phone from his hand and growled, smashing it back onto the wall, hanging up on whoever it was.
“ What the hell was that all about?” Mike asked.
Suddenly, the phone began ringing again…as well as Laura’s cell phone. She turned off her cell and disconnected the phone again, eyeing her father angrily.
“ This is all your fault.”
“ My fault? How is this my fault? And who the hell is phoning?” he asked.
“ Well let’s see…all of my friends…and their friends…and THEIR friends. You see, they saw MTV this morning and the damn newscaster mentioned something about you and your ‘family’…meaning ME!” she shouted.
Mike raised a brow of confusion, instantly knowing that this was why she had called him Michael this morning in such a snotty tone. “ Wait, no I didn’t tell anyone about anyth-.” He suddenly stopped and lowered his eyes, turning his vision slowly towards Chester.
He gave a nervous smile and lowered his eyes shakily. “ Chester…” Mike warned.
“ It might have slipped…” he admitted.
“ You’d better pray that my fist doesn’t slip into the side of your skull.”
Laura gave a small laugh and crossed her arms. “ Go for it Dad.” She pressured with a hiss.
“ Hey this isn’t fair. I can’t control what my mouth does.” Chester argued with a whine.
“ Well yeah obviously.” Mike replied.
“ Are you going to kill me?” he asked as Mike approached him slowly.
“ I was thinking about it but then I thought, ‘ where would I hide the body?’. Plus, I’m kind of busy…you know, waiting to find out if my wife is pregnant and I wouldn’t want to spend those wonderful nine months in prison, now would I?” he explained through his teeth.
The two men stared at each other for a good couple of minutes, silently until Anna came downstairs with a small smile. “ Got the results.” She announced.
Mike whipped himself around quickly and Laura bit her lip. Anna stared at them and gave a small frown.
“ I’m pregnant.”
“ What!” They both shouted at the same time.
She laughed a little and shook her head, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “ Anna, what the hell! How did this happen?” Mike demanded as she chugged down the alcohol.
She swished the drink around in her hand and gave him a blank stare. “ Well…it takes two.”
“ But…but…I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t do this anymore. Remember what happened with her?” he asked and pointed to Laura who was growing pale.
“ Want a beer?” Anna asked casually.
He stared down at her can and glared. “ No, I don’t want a beer…how can you drink at a time like thi-.” He stopped suddenly and lowered his eyes, watching Anna’s smile grow.
“ You bitch…” he breathed.
She laughed and kissed him on the forehead, hearing the relived sigh escaping his lips. “ Okay, what just happened?” Laura demanded.
“ I was joking…jeeze, do you really think I’d be drinking beer if I was pregnant?” Anna asked quickly.
“ Can I go now?” Chester whined.
“ Yes, go, be free.” Mike muttered and flailed his hands in the direction of the door. Chester left the house quickly, but not before he flipped Mike off.
Anna’s smile faded as she stared at her daughter’s still pale face. “ Honey, are you okay?” she asked with concern.
Laura swallowed hard and gave a small nod. “ Yeah, I’m fine…”
“ You don’t look so good…”
“ I just have an upset stomach, it’s nothing.” She answered back.
Mike watched her dark eyes droop as she stared at her two parents. “ You look really pale.” He stated.
“ Thanks for pointing that out, I think I know.” She snapped at him.
“ Do you want something to eat?” Anna asked warmly.
“ No, I’m not very hungry…I think I’m…” he voice trailed off as she blinked slowly, watching the room spin.
“ Mike…” Anna warned.
Quickly, he grabbed Laura’s arm and held her up as the wave of dizziness swept through her. She lowered her head onto his chest and closed her eyes, feeling the blood draining from her cheeks.
“ Laura…Laura…” he called, attempting to get her attention. Anna approached them slowly as Mike put a hand on his daughter’s forehead.
“ She’s burning up.” He said quietly with concerned eyes.
Being the concerned mother that Anna was, she put her hand on her daughter’s cheek and of course, began to panic. “ Mike, this isn’t good…” she stated shakily.
“ Relax, it’s probably just the flu.” He answered calmly, bringing Laura to the couch and laying her down.
“ But what if it’s not?” she asked quickly.
Mike stared up at her and gave a small frown. “ Were you like this when she got her first cold?”
“ Yes.”
“ Well stop it.”
Laura opened her eyes slightly, vaguely hearing her parent’s bickering. Anna grabbed a cool damp cloth and handed it to Mike, watching him place it on his daughter’s burning forehead. She gave a small moan at the sudden cold and frowned.
She suddenly felt confused because a few minutes ago she was talking to her parents and now she was lying on the couch, barely able to keep her eyes open.
“ I think we should call a doctor.” Anna stated as she paced around the room.
Mike stared at her and blinked slowly, wondering why she was so panicked. “ She doesn’t need a doctor.”
“ What the hell would you know? She can barely open her eyes!”
“ What she needs is her parents to remain calm.” He muttered quietly.
Anna gave a heavy sigh and sat down on the other couch, watching her daughter closely.
“ What’s going on…” Laura moaned weakly.
“ You’re just a little dizzy, everything’s fine…just relax.” Mike explained quietly.
Laura closed her eyes once again as the two parents stared at each other with silent concern. Somehow, they knew that this was more than a cold.

~~Ooooness...soooo i guess by now you've probably guess that this isn't just the flu. Review to find out what happens next!! Does her illness get even worse? Will Mike and Anna be able to handle things if it does? HEHE....Thankees for reading so far!! *hugs for all* :)~~
Desperately Breathless
~~HEY ALL...remember when i said, chapter 2 coming very shortly? Well see the problem with that was my computer was being a dumbass last night and i couldn't post it. ANYWAYS...thanks soooo much for the reviews, you guys are always so sweet!! ENJOY!!:)~~

The next morning was relatively calm for the most part, aside from Mike spilling the coffee beans all over the place. Anna came down the stairs and gave a small grin as she watched her husband picking up the black beans.
“ Best part of waking up huh?” she asked.
Mike gave a small growl and threw the beans into the garbage, slowly standing up. “ What can I say, I’m clumsy.”
“ Aw, don’t worry…I’m sure you’ll live. Speaking of which, did you check up on Laura yet?” she asked.
Mike sighed heavily and wiped his hands on a dishcloth. “ Yeah, her fever has seemed to have gone down considerably. I think she’s going to be fine.”
“ Oh and look, she has enough strength to come upstairs.” Anna smiled as she watched Laura walk slowly into the kitchen.
She glanced at her mother’s sickening smile and glared, sitting down at the centre island. “ Want some coffee?” Mike asked.
“ Stick it up your ass.” She hissed back.
Anna raised her eyes and Mike frowned, both shocked at their daughter’s sudden angry outburst. “ I beg your pardon?” he demanded in a low tone.
“ You heard me…” she growled.
“ Laura that is no way to speak to your father.” Anna warned, crossing her arms. The young girl’s glare deepened as she leaned on the island, trying to block out the ringing in her ears. Her heart was pounding heavily against her chest and she felt extremely sick to her stomach.
“ Fuck him…” she moaned.
Anna glared at her daughter’s disrespectful behavior and glanced at Mike. “ What, and you’re going to let her get away with this?”
“ Anna-.”
“ –No, don’t Anna me. She’s being extremely rude for no reason.”
“ She always swears at me.” He argued with an arched brow.
Laura lowered her head, suddenly sensitive to the noise floating around her. “ Well you have to stop being so soft around her. She needs to learn to have respect for her parents.”
“ She’s fourteen. No teenager has respect for their parents.” He replied lightly.
The girl swallowed hard, closing her eyes tightly as the sound of the coffee maker bubbled and popped in her ears. “ Well Michael, that’s not how I’m raising her.”
“ Not how YOU’RE raising her? Excuse me but I think I get a say in how WE raise her.” He explained.
Laura tried to suppress her tears as the sounds became louder and louder. The sickness within her stomach was bubbling and becoming tight and she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to hold back her vomit. Even though she felt extremely frigid, her face felt hot and sweaty like half her body was stuck in a broiler.
She leaned her trembling hand on her head and began to breathe in and out heavily, attempting to stop this awful feeling inside her. As her parents continued their argument, she couldn’t help but breathe out with a barely audible whimper.
The dizziness from yesterday had already begun to set in once again so she was holding onto the island for dear life…so hard that her knuckles were turning white. The lightheadedness was becoming so bad now that she couldn’t help but cry out to her father who stopped talking immediately. He and Anna turned their heads towards their daughter, eyeing her white complexion and shaking body. “ Laura?” Mike asked slowly and walked towards her.
She grabbed his shirt with one hand and dug her head into his chest. “ I-I think I’m gonna p-pass out…” she cried.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her off of the stool, sitting her down on the cold floor. Anna knelt down beside them and checked Laura’s forehead. “ Jesus Christ…” she muttered with worry.
As Mike stroked her hair, he could feel the perspiration dotting her brow. “ Anna…this fever is bad.” He warned with a quiet voice.
She looked into his dark eyes and sighed uneasily, gripping her daughter’s wrist in an attempt to check her pulse. As she had suspected, it was dangerously fast. “ Mike, I think we should take her to the hospital.”
“ No.” Laura stated loudly.
Mike looked down and glared with concern. “ Laura, your temperature is too high-.”
“ –I don’t c-care…I’m not going to a hospital.” She interrupted angrily.
“ I wonder where she gets it from…” Anna muttered.
Mike lowered his eyes and felt his daughter digging her head into him even harder.
“ There is another way to lower a fever…how many bags of ice do we have?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anna watched nervously as Mike lowered Laura slowly and carefully onto the many towels on top of her bed. Beneath those towels were many bags of ice, turning the bed into a sort of well, bed of ice.
Laura winced and grimaced as the cold pounded through the towels and almost burned her skin. It was uncomfortable but sort of relieving at the same time. Mike pulled the covers over her body and stroked her hair out of her face, staring at her pale visage.
She stared up at him through weary eyes and gave a heavy yet very shaky sigh. “ So does this mean I’m not going to school today?” she asked quietly.
He smiled, despite the current situation and gave a light chuckle. “ Um…not until that fever goes down.”
“ Yeah because apparently Mike is the medical expert in this family.” Anna muttered.
“ My dad was a doctor so excuse me if I happened to have absorbed a few things.” He replied.
“ Fine, so what now?” she asked.
“ We wait for the fever to go down…then if things are good, she should probably eat something.” He explained.
“ Ugh, please don’t talk about food.” Laura whined and buried her head into the pillow.
“ Alright, well when you’re feeling better, come upstairs and eat something. Besides, you’ll probably sleep until super anyway.” He stated.
“ Alright…” she sighed and closed her eyes.
Mike walked with Anna up the stairs but not before giving one last glance at Laura. When they reached the living room, Anna glared and crossed her arms. “ Michael, this isn’t just the flu is it?”
“ Honestly, I don’t know. She has a fever of probably a hundred and two, she feels light headed and dizzy and she can barely walk. Some of it screams flu and some of it is just a mystery. I mean, how can someone become so weak in a days time?” he asked.
“ You’re the doctor, you tell me.” She muttered.
“Anna, we should bring her to the hospital.” He warned.
“ Well yeah I agree with you but she doesn’t want to go. Besides, you know how she gets when she’s made up her mind…she’ll fight you until you give up and especially when she bats those big brown eyes at you.”
“ You calling me soft?” he asked with an arched brow.

Anna gave a short laugh and shook her head. “ Mike, she could just smile at you and you’d fall for it. She’s daddy’s little girl…you give her everything she wants.” She explained.

Mike lowered his eyes, feeling rather insulted that he was being picked apart so easily. “ So what, I love her.”
“ Yeah so do I but you don’t see me buying her an entire entertainment system for her room.” She replied with bright eyes.
“ You think I’m trying to buy her love?” he asked with a grin.
“ Maybe…”
“ That’s bullshit Anna. I buy her things BECAUSE I love her…and she loves me, despite what I buy for her.” He chuckled.
“ Mhm…well you just remember that next time she begs you for that damn HUMMER and you give in.”
They both stopped as that familiar choking, burping sound echoed from downstairs. “ Mike, she’s throwing up.” Anna warned quickly.
He rushed downstairs just in time to see the brown liquid splashing all over the bed and floor. “ Oh Jesus…” he breathed as Anna came downstairs behind him; her eyes instantly widening.
It was like a river was sloshing from her mouth…a constant river. “ Mike…do something…” Anna cried desperately while holding onto his arm. In reality, there really was nothing he could do.
The two parents just stood there, watching their daughter heaving the liquid out violently everywhere and she couldn’t stop. Laura gripped the side of the bed tightly and stared up at Mike with pleading eyes as the vomit splashed all over the carpet below. Tears rolled down her white cheeks as she tried to hold down the vomit but failed.
It erupted from her mouth once again and hit the nearby desk and chair. “ Oh my God, it won’t stop…” Anna whimpered into Mike’s shoulder.
It was almost like a nightmare. As she threw up, she became weaker and weaker, barely able to lift her head. Finally after about ten minutes, there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up and she just lay there limply on the edge of the bed.
Mike lowered his eyes sadly and stepped around the large puddle which was already soaking into the carpet and reached his daughter’s weak body. He knelt down and grabbed her cold hand, feeling it shake within his own. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to take away her pain and give her his strength so that she didn’t have to go through whatever it was that was happening to her.
He stroked her hair gently and watched her tears drip to the floor. “ Its okay…” he whispered as she sniffed.
Anna covered her mouth and choked back her own tears. She had never seen her daughter so sick before and it pained her immensely. Laura began to cry softly as she gripped Mike’s hand, feeling his warmth. She had no idea why she was feeling so bad…she was fine a few days ago and just suddenly out of nowhere she was terribly sick.
“ Anna…you should take her upstairs, put her in the guest bedroom…I’ll clean all of this up.” He explained quietly.
“ Okay…” she replied just as quietly and walked around to the other side of the bed. Mike leaned Laura up and she whimpered painfully, feeling her ribs jabbing at her skin.
Anna wrapped her arms around her and picked her up gently, making sure she didn’t upset her stomach again. Mike watched as she disappeared upstairs with Laura, whispering that she would be okay.
He stared down at the brown mess…everywhere. He silently prayed that this was just food poisoning or something. Watching her being sick was making his heart sick and he wished he was the one who was sick, not her. Something about this whole situation didn’t feel right to him.
No one gets that sick unless there is something seriously wrong…

~~Sorry if it was a little short...anyways, SO, there will be more to come soon, some more symptomes and then finally a diagnosis, with drama and angst to follow...hope you are enjoying it so far and THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, YOU GUYS ROCK!!:)~~
Revealing Times
~~WOOOOOTNESS....okay....this chappie has some Chester in it cuz i felt like he wasn't in my fics enough...ENJOY!!:)~~

Of course as they had expected, Laura didn’t come down for dinner. She was resting comfortably in the guest bedroom, sleeping peacefully. Mike and Anna sat down at the table together and barely touched the food…well who could after all of what happened earlier?
Anna leaned her head against her hand and poked at her plate with the fork while trying to keep her mind on something other than her daughter at the moment, which wasn’t exactly easy considering she had never been so sick before.
When she glanced up from the table, she noticed Mike’s shaded face and dark eyes, staring into an unknown world. She wondered briefly what he was thinking about but figured it was probably about Laura.
“ Michael…” she spoke with a soft voice which seemed to have woken him from his thoughts. He looked up from the table and blinked slowly, staring into the eyes of his wife.
“ She should drink something.” He muttered.
Anna raised a brow at the sudden comment and sat back against her chair. “ Mike, why don’t you just take a break from her for a while?”
“ She’s dehydrated…she needs something to drink.” He stated.
“ Let her sleep.”
“ She needs something to DRINK.” He replied in a tone of warning.
It was obvious that he was far to concerned about Laura and it was making him uneasy. Anna stared at him silently for several moments before reacting to his low voice. “ She’ll be fine.”
“ With her electrolytes down, she could pass out…her heart might stop…she might have trouble breathing-.”
“ –Stop, before you get ahead of yourself.” She warned quietly.
Mike swallowed hard and rubbed a hand through his ruffled hair then leaned his head down into his hands. He breathed out heavily and slowly began to calm down. “ Sorry…”
“ I know you’re scared Mike…but don’t jump to conclusions yet…this still might be the flu.” She explained calmly.
He lifted his head and breathed out in disbelief. “ Yeah right…and when did the flu ever make your organs almost drop out of your body?”
“ Michael, she’s sick…not dying.”
“ She needs a drink.” He muttered and stood up, walking towards the fridge. Anna frowned and watched as he grabbed a water bottle filled with juice out of the fridge.
“ Fine, you know what? Disregard everything I have to say all you want.”
“ Thanks but I don’t need permission.” He spat and disappeared upstairs. Anna’s eyes narrowed at his sudden behavior.
She hated it when he was like this because she knew he was scared…and when he was scared, she was as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Mike entered the dark room, he listened intently to Laura’s soft breathing. He sat down on the bed beside her and put his hand to her forehead. It was surprisingly cool and he gave a small smile knowing that she had no fever.
“ Not to insult you or anything but your hands are fucking cold.” She muttered sleepily.
He raised his eyes and opened the water bottle. “ Good morning to you too…or actually, good evening…”
“ What’s that?” she asked, eyeing the bottle curiously.
“ Juice…you threw up a lot and this should hydrate you.”
“ But what if it comes back up?” she asked with worry.
He stroked her cheek gently and gave a soft smile. “ Then I’ll clean it up…drink.” He ordered, handing it to her.
As she poured the liquid into her mouth, she suddenly realized how thirty she was. Mike pulled it back away from her and put it on the night stand. “ If you’re going to drink anymore, you should take it slow and let your stomach adjust.” He suggested.
“ Where’s mom?”
Mike sighed uneasily and cleared his throat. “ Uh…she’s downstairs sulking…”
“ Sulking…why?”
“ I pissed her off.” He replied quietly.
Laura sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “ Of course…what did you say this time?”
“ You know, none of that really matters right now. I just came here to check up on you, not to discuss what happened between your mother and I.”
“ Alright doc, how am I?” she asked.
Mike stroked her hair out of her face and tried to establish the color of her cheeks…which was considerably difficult since the room was dark and the pale moon was shining on her face, compromising the actual color.
“ Well…you don’t have a fever and you’re speaking with a pretty strong voice…you could be fine or you could just be feeling better for the moment…how are you feeling?”
She stared at him in thought and rubbed her forehead. “ Okay I guess…kind of sleepy…my stomach hurts but other than that, no more throwing up…for now.” She explained.
“ Well that’s good. You wanna come downstairs and maybe watch some TV?” he asked.
“ No, I think I’ll just get some sleep.” She muttered and rolled onto her side. Mike nodded a little and kissed her forehead, making sure that fever wasn’t coming back for another run. When he was sure that her skin was still cool, he pulled away from her and stroked her hair, unaware that someone was standing in the doorway.
“ Is she okay?”
Mike turned his head with a start and watched as Anna leaned on the doorframe. “ She’s feeling a little better.”
Laura watched her parents during this uneasy time and noticed the rising tension between them. Was it because of her? She didn’t know, and she wasn’t exactly keen on knowing.
Anna lowered her eyes with a slight nod, trying not to show her anger in front of her daughter. She knew Mike didn’t really mean what he said; after all he always had a tendency to speak before he used his brain.
“ That’s good…”
Mike sighed uneasily as Laura frowned. She had never seen them to distant before…so quiet. “ You two going to apologize to each other or what?” she demanded.
Anna raised her eyes and approached the girl’s bed slowly. “ Apologize for what?” she asked innocently.
Laura glanced at both of them and snorted a laugh in disbelief. “ Are you serious? Like you guys ACTUALLY believe that I don’t know you two are mad at each other? Yeah I’m sick…get over it…I know I will.”
Mike lowered his eyes at his daughter’s words knowing she was right in every way. “ Go on.” She pressured, staring at the couple. Anna sighed heavily as Mike grabbed her hand, holding it softly within his own.
“ I was a jackass, I’m sorry.”
She smiled a little and stroked through his spiked hair, kissing him on the forehead. “ I know…”
“ Wait, aren’t you supposed to forgive me? It seems kind of harsh to just agree that I’m a jackass.” He explained.
“ You’re right…it was harsh…you’re still a jackass.”
Laura chuckled as she dug her face into the pillow, receiving a kiss from her mother. “ Good night.” She whispered.
“ Night mom.” She smiled.
Mike lowered his eyes as Anna disappeared from the room. Laura stared at her father with an evil grin and grabbed his hand. “ She forgives you dad.”
“ Uhuh…” he muttered.
“ She does…you know what, fine don’t believe me.”
He stared at her for a long moment, just watching her dark eyes shift from one side to the other. He watched her furrow her brow, obviously trying to figure out what he was thinking. “ What?”
“ Nothing…I was just remembering…”
“ Remembering what?” she asked with confusion.
Mike blinked slowly and pulled the covers up to her chin, stroking her dark hair softly. “ Remembering when we first met…and that sounds kind of strange considering not many parents get to ‘meet’ their children for the first time.”
“ And you’re remembering this ‘cause…”
“ Because when I met you I never knew I would love you this much.” He explained quietly.
Laura rolled her eyes and gave a heavy sigh. “ Great, here we go…”
“ What?” he asked with a smile.
“ You’re gonna get all mushy on me and then I’ll have to say it too…”
“ Well you don’t have to.” He replied lightly.
“ Yeah but if I don’t, you’ll get all emotional and talk about what a shitty daughter you have and then I’ll feel guilty and then I’ll end up saying it anyway.” She explained.
Mike kissed her on the forehead and smiled. “ Good night brat.” He chuckled and stood up.
As Laura watched him moving towards the door, her mouth opened before her brain could register what she was saying. “ I love you dad.”
He turned his head slowly towards her and gave a weak smile. “ There I said it…happy now?”
“ Yeah, now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
Laura frowned and closed her eyes. “ Jesus…”
Mike gave a short laugh and shook his head while he closed her door behind him.

**********************************************************************
“ So…” Chester muttered as he swirled around in the black chair. He had been waiting…and waiting…and waiting for Mike to finish editing…but of course being the perfectionist that he was, still had his hands full of work. There came no response to Chester’s cries of boredom and all he heard was the soft sound of clicking from the mouse and a few keys that were typed on the keyboard.

He stopped swirling around in the chair and squirmed restlessly to find a comfortable position. He frowned as he watched Mike still busily working.
Look at him…hunched over the computer like some science nerd. His mouth open and his eyes staring into the endless stream of editing software. He doesn’t even know I’m in the room. Dammit, why can’t we at leased have a conversation instead of me listening to his breathing for five hours? I don’t even know what he’s fucking editing. It all sounds good to me but no, I’m not experienced enough to handle the mixing. I’m just the fucking singer…I’m not that important. Oh you heard it right…everyone loves the fucking Emcee…just because he likes to talk to the crowd…me, guess what I do? I sing…what does Mike do? Bounces around like he lost his head and then adds a few whispers.
Chester glanced over Mike’s shoulder to get a better look at what he was doing. It didn’t even look like he was doing ANYTHING. Sure, there were colored tabs on the side of music bars but nothing was even moving.
He’s not even moving. Is he waiting for the tabs to change color? There are no music notes streaming…no sound coming from the computer. He’s staring into nothingness…and yet he won’t let me do anything. Why the hell am I even here? Oh yeah, to re-do the vocals incase he screws them up on the computer. Oh but wait, he’s infallible remember? He won’t screw up…I’m the only one who screws up around here…note the sarcasm.
Chester sighed with frustration and slumped back down into his chair waiting for Mike to at leased looked up from the screen for five seconds. But of course he didn’t. He was stuck in his world of digital escape, not caring that his best friend was extremely bored out of his mind and on the verge of tears because of that boredom.
“ Hey Shinoda…” he called.
Silence…well what did you expect?
Chester leaned forward a little and glared. “ Mike.”
And…you guessed it…silence…not even a peep! What the fuck, is he deaf?
“ Michael.”
Mike cleared his throat a little and clicked on the mouse, bringing up another editing program. It was obvious that he was lost in thought.
Fuck, he didn’t even respond to his whole name. I wonder if Anna has this problem. How the hell could she have married someone who was so self absorbed?
“ Calling Mike Shinoda.” He said a little louder.
He waited for a response but instead was greeted by a few clicks on the keyboard…then silence again.
That bastard…wake up! Chester is right here! Me needs entertainment. Me is bored. Me has been sitting her for five hours staring at your back! Well…desperate times call for desperate measures.
“ Kenji.”
Mike frowned and turned around slowly, eyeing Chester with interest. “ What?”
Oh, he’ll respond to Japanese and not English…man, this guy needs an instruction manual.
“ What do you mean what?” he demanded.
Mike stared at him for a long moment before responding. “ What do you need?”
“ What do you mean what do I need? I’ve been calling your name for the past five hours and you’ve said nothing but as soon as I say Kenji, you’re all ears.” He explained with frustration.
Mike raised a brow and looked around the room, trying to figure out what he was talking about. “ What’s your point?”
“ Your first name just not cutting it anymore?”
“ Are you okay?” he asked with a smile.
“ Uh, no I’m not okay because my best friend is ignoring me and I’m convinced that it’s on purpose and to quote a certain brilliant someone : I won’t be ignored.”
Mike furrowed his brow and leaned forward. “ Chester…YOU said that.”
“ I’m aware of that.”
“ I’m not ignoring you.” He chuckled.
“ Then why aren’t you talking?”
“ I’m busy.”
Chester raised his eyes and gave a small nod. “ Oh yeah, I can totally see that computer giving off lots of funny sounds and the screen changing colors and doing funny little animations. You’re so full of shit Mike…you’re not doing anything.” He explained.
Mike breathed out in disbelief as he eyed his best friend intently.
“ I’m editing…”
“ No you’re not…you’re staring blankly into a screen and completely cutting off the world around you.”
Oo must have struck a nerve…now his jaw is tensing…he’s nervous about something.
“ I’m editing.” He stated slowly.
“ Editing what? Show me exactly what you’re editing and maybe I’ll believe you.” Chester replied hastily.
“ Okay fine…I’m not editing…” he admitted quietly.
“ So what are you doing? Looking at porn?”
“ Um no…and not with you in the room.” He defended.
Chester stared at him with an arched brow as Mike lowered his eyes. “ Why wouldn’t you want me to be in the room?”
“ You are such a pervert, do you know that?” Mike replied quickly.
Chester smiled crookedly and shook his head. “ Does Anna know what you do at the computer late at night?”
Mike’s eyes widened as he realized that his friend actually WAS a pervert. “ Um no…I-I mean…I don’t…I never…uh…”
“ Does Laura know?”
“ No!” he shouted with a frown.
Chester raised his eyes and resisted the urge to laugh. “ You just admitted that you look at porn.”
“ No I didn’t.” he answered shakily.
“ Yes you did.”
“ Chester…you are…”
“ What?” he asked, awaiting his answer.
Mike stared at him with shaky lips and cleared his throat. “ Look…I’m a guy…so are you…grow up.”
“ Relax man, it’s not like I disapprove…I’m not your father.” Chester chuckled lightly.
“ Well, as long as we’re clear on that.” He muttered with a slight nod. Silence rang through the room for a short moment before Chester gave an evil grin.
“ What kind of porn was it?”
“ Drop it.” Mike ordered firmly.
“ I’m just curious.”
“ No, you’re sick.”
“ Sick…curious…it’s all the same to me.” He replied with amusement.
“ Why do you even care?” Mike asked as he ran a hand through his hair.
“ Because a certain someone told me that you used to be gay-.”
“ –Bi.” He corrected quickly, before even thinking.
And just as he had expected, Chester’s face began to glow with a broad smile. “ Wow…I thought I was just bullshitting you to get you pissed…I didn’t know you were actually on the other side of the fence.”
“ More like ON the fence.” He muttered.
Chester stared at him with wide eyes and of course the smile remained. “ Wipe that smirk off your face.” Mike growled.
“ I’m sorry I’m just…wow, I never knew you were into guys.”
“ Uh excuse me, women too and I’m not like that anymore…I fell in love with Anna.”
Chester raised a brow and looked around with a short laugh. “ Just because you fell in love with a women doesn’t make you completely straight.”
Mike’s eyes darkened as he realized what he was getting at. “ I’m not Bi.”
“ You sure?”
“ Pretty damn.”
“ You know how I know you’re lying to me?” he asked.
Mike frowned a little and sat back. “ Your jaw is tightening and your pupils just got A LOT bigger. You’re still Bi.” Chester laughed.
Mike cleared his throat loudly and blinked. “ I’m married.” He muttered quietly.
“ Don’t worry…Anna never has to know.” Chester grinned with a wink.
Mike growled to himself and turned off the computer. “ But Laura…that’s a different story.”
“ NO! Don’t you DARE tell her I’m Bi.”
“ So you’re admitting it now.” He stated.
Mike stared at him and then lowered his head, not believing that he had just admitted it. “ Fuck…”
“ Don’t worry I won’t tell her either.” He laughed.
Just then, Mike’s cell phone rang and he had the gut feeling it was Laura’s school.
I should have never let her go this morning…she was still pale. But of course…daddy’s little girl insisted and I caved…damn Anna…damn she was right…dammit.
“ You gonna answer that?” Chester asked with an arched brow.
Mike shook himself from his thoughts and brought the phone to his ear.
“ Hello?”
And so his gut feeling was confirmed. The school phoned…something was wrong…

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