Never Alone {Epilogue}
~~ Oh wow, i finally updated. It's been SUCH a long time. Okay, so here it is folks, the epilogue hopefully you've been waiting for. And omg i have to stop the sequels lmao..ENJOY!! :)~~

***********************EPILOGUE*****************************************


2 Years later…


“ Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!”

Mike looked around the kitchen and frowned as he turned on the stove slowly. He had heard Xander’s tiny voice coming out of somewhere, but couldn’t seem to see him anywhere. Could his voice have been coming from Laura’s room? His room? He couldn’t tell but it was definitely echoed and distant.

“ Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!”

Mike frowned as he suddenly heard tiny footsteps against the hardwood becoming quicker and quicker. His little voice was nearing and his breath was becoming faster and heavy as he ran into the kitchen. Hmm, must have been in the laundry room.

“ Daddy!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, causing Mike to flinch, then look down at the tiny toddler attempting to pull his shirt on.

Unfortunately it had become stuck around the top of his head and he couldn’t pull it down. “ Daddy, help!” he shouted with panic.

Mike couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of a small three year old boy attempting to pull on his fresh laundry. “ Alright, alright, calm down, I got it.” He laughed and bent down in front of his son, stretching the neck of the shirt around his head, and then pulled it down, sticking his little arms through the arm holes.

Xander shook his head roughly, making his fluffy black hair stand up with static. Mike smiled as his son gave a deep frown and breathed out heavily with rosy cheeks of frustration. He still hadn’t gotten the hang of dressing himself in the morning and that much was obvious.

“ Are you okay now?” Mike asked and suppressed a laugh at the cute sight of a frustrated three year old.

Xander looked up at Mike through his dark lashes and shook his head slowly with a small pout upon his full lips. “ Aw…it’s okay Xander. I understand…getting dressed isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world, but don’t worry, you’ll get it.” He explained calmly.

The toddler frowned and lowered his head, obviously not believing what his father was telling him. Getting dressed was just too stressful for such a small body. “ What can I do to make it all better?” Mike asked quietly with a sad voice.

Xander lowered his head into his father’s chest and wrapped his tiny arms around him, gripping his shirt tightly. Mike stroked his son’s hair gently, feeling the down like softness and gave a small smile.

He picked him up gently in his arms and frowned a little as he saw Laura coming downstairs from Xander’s room with her hair in a mess and obviously out of breath. She gave a deep glare and stared at her little brother while crossing her arms angrily.

“ That boy is a demon.” She growled.

Mike stared at her in question while feeling Xander’s head burying deeper into his neck. It was evident that he wasn’t just upset about his clothing disaster.

“ Okay, what did you do to him?” he demanded quietly.

“ I didn’t do anything! He wouldn’t keep still when I tried to help him with his shirt!”

“ Well Laura, he’s three years old…he’s hyperactive, of course he won’t be able to keep still.” Mike explained in a low tone.

“ That little monster drove me nuts. I had to chase him around the room for twenty minutes and when I finally got his shirt on, he ripped it off and ran downstairs.” She explained desperately with frustration.

Mike sighed heavily as Xander lifted his head a little and glanced at his older sister, then quickly buried his head back into Mike’s neck. “ Laura, he probably wanted to wear something else. Why didn’t you follow him? He nearly suffocated himself trying to get his shirt on.”

“ That’s not my problem.” She muttered angrily.

“ It is so your problem. Your mom went out this morning to deposit some checks so guess what? You are the one who is responsible for getting him dressed this morning.”

“ What about you?” She demanded in disbelief.

Mike rolled his eyes and growled under his breath. “ Its called making breakfast for everyone. Without me you wouldn’t have anything to eat. Now I don’t know what the hell you did to him, but now he’s upset.” He explained.

Laura sighed out heavily and lowered her eyes with guilt. “ Okay, maybe I was a little impatient with him…maybe I yelled a little…and swore…and threw another shirt at him-.”

“ –You did what?” Mike demanded angrily in disbelief.

Laura stared at him silently for a few moments before finding a way to respond without getting herself into major trouble. “ I was impatient and acted before thinking…I’m sorry.” She muttered slowly.

“ Well don’t apologize to me. Your brother is scared now…you should be apologizing to him.” He explained.

Laura sighed uneasily and turned to her little brother who glanced up briefly from Mike’s neck to look at her, and then hid his face again. She rolled her eyes and frowned before answering. “ Xander.” She called, using her softest voice.

He lifted his head slowly and stared at her through those deep brown eyes, so full of fear and guilt that he had gotten his sister angry. “ I’m sorry I was angry with you. It wasn’t your fault.” She explained gently.

He stared at her silently as he tried to apologize without becoming even more frustrated.

“ You’re a good boy…I’m a bad girl…I’m sorry.” She stated while trying to explain things that were more at his level of comprehension.

“ Me good boy?” he asked quietly with innocence that only a small child could possess.

Laura nodded and gave a small smile. “ You are a good boy…a little irritating maybe-.”

“ –Laura.” Mike warned quietly.

“ Fine…”

“ Laura bad girl…BAD!” Xander squealed with an evil grin and balled his hands into tight fists against Mike’s shoulder.

She frowned and watched Mike’s smile growing with each passing second. “ Yeah, you tell her Xander. She’s a bad girl…she should be punished.” He explained with a fake frown.

“ What? Wait, no dad!”

“ BAD, BAD!” Xander giggled loudly and smacked the air in front of his sister, nearly hitting her in the face with his tiny little fingers.

“ WHY, WHY HIM WHY? Out of all the sperm!” Laura growled.

Mike raised a brow and then lowered Xander onto the kitchen floor where he suddenly darted away from them and ran into the living room, jumping onto the couch and grabbing the remote.

“ Laura, he’s three…try to be more patient.” Mike whispered and then cringed when the volume on the television exceeded 60.

He sighed heavily and gave a deep frown. “ Xander!” He shouted as loud as he could. His little head popped up from behind the couch and he stared at his father with a wide grin.

Mike walked towards him slowly and winced as the sound of the television boomed through his ears. He grabbed the remote gently from his son and lowered the volume, sighing with relief as it returned to the normal volume of 13. Xander giggled ecstatically as he watched his father rubbing his ears with pain.

“ Xander…TV does not get louder than this. Understand?” he demanded in a stern authoritative voice.

The toddler grabbed the remote from Mike’s hands and pointed it at the TV, pressing his little fingers down, flipping between each channel. He suddenly pounded his legs which didn’t reach the end of the couch, up and down quickly with excitement when he found the station he wanted.

“ Daddy!” He cried joyously when he happened to fall on the station for MTV where one of the Linkin Park videos was playing.

Mike gave a small chuckle and shook his head as he watched his son staring at the screen in awe, watching his father walking through a dried up lakebed rapping on the screen. “ Yeah, yeah alright, watch daddy on TV but don’t turn it up okay?” He asked calmly.

Xander nodded with a large grin and sat back against the couch comfortably. “ Oh hey, that was the good video. You guys all got soaked.” Laura explained as she sat down at the centre island.

Mike frowned and turned around staring at her in question. “ Excuse me? You thought that was good?”

“ Well…soaked guys…come on dad, it just screams-.”

“ –Don’t ever finish that sentence please.” He interrupted and returned to his breakfast making.

“ Excuse me if I’m part of the female race.” She muttered as she watched him crack an egg into the frying pan.

Mike side glanced her and growled under his breath. “ Laura…I really hope you’re not suggesting that the band was hot in that video.”

“ Hell yes I am…besides, I’m not including you so be happy.” She explained with a furrowed brow.
“ Thank God…you scared me for a second there.”

“ Well I’m not THAT demented.” She chuckled and shook her head at his stupidity. Mike lowered his eyes and concentrated back on the eggs he was making. He reached into the cupboard and grabbed a plate, setting it down in front of Laura, handing her a fork as well.

“ Eggs?” he asked.

“ Scrambled.” She stated.

“ I love how you specified which kind…” Mike muttered and rolled his eyes.

“ Hey, I have preferences. I wont eat them unless they’re scrambled.” She explained.

“ Picky, picky.” He replied in disbelief and began scrambling the eggs at a moderate and constant pace. After a while of making breakfast and listening to MTV drone on about some band, Mike turned around and placed the frying pan on the centre island with another plate.

“ Xander, breakfast.” Mike announced casually.

“ No!” he shouted back.

“ Yes, now.” Mike ordered and watched as he slowly slid off the couch with reluctance and frowned, crossing his arms.

“ NO!”

Mike glared and ran a hand through his hair with frustration.

“ Careful dad, you wouldn’t want to get impatient now would you?” Laura asked quietly, causing his glare to deepen.

“ Xander…come here, NOW.” He ordered calmly.

“ NO!” He shouted and darted away from the couch towards the stairs. Mike ran after him and caught him in his arms just as he was about to run onto the first step.

“ Gotcha!” Mike yelled and held him tightly, feeling his little legs kicking and thrashing, demanding to be let down.

“ No!”

“ You are coming into the kitchen whether you like it or not.” Mike warned.

“ NO!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Laura laughed under her breath and began to munch on her eggs while watching her father struggle with a disobedient little three year old. Mike sighed with irritation and frustration as he continued to hold the toddler tightly.

“ Come have some eggs.”

“ NO! Yucky!” he shouted, visibly upset.

“ Then what do you want to eat then?” Mike asked.

“ COOKIES!” Xander screamed with excitement and clapped his hands.

“ Cookies?”

“ Yeah!”

Mike frowned and looked at Laura who was snickering into her food. “ Laura, have you been giving him cookies for breakfast again?”

“ It was one cookie…everyday for the past three weeks.”

“ What!”

“ Relax dad, he’ll grow out of his cookie faze…hopefully.” She replied lightly in thought.

“ Okay fine…Xander, I’ll make you a deal. If you eat your eggs, I’ll let you have a cookie. But ONLY after you finish your eggs.” Mike stated slowly so that he could understand more easily.

Xander breathed out heavily in thought and struggled within his father’s arms, signaling that he’d comply.

“ Alright…” Mike nodded and carried him over to one of the chairs at the centre island and sat him down.

Laura plopped two spoonfuls of scrambled eggs onto Xander’s plate and handed him a plastic fork. He grabbed it clumsily and clutched it tightly within his fists and jabbed at the plate hard, obviously still upset that he wasn’t getting his cookie just yet.

“ Xander eat.” Mike ordered with a furrowed brow.

He stared up at his father with a deep glare and stuffed a mouthful of eggs into his mouth. Unfortunately he had stuffed so much in, it was all falling out the sides and onto his shirt. Mike lowered his eyes and grabbed some paper towel, then began cleaning the gooey mess off of his son’s cheek and shirt.

“ Hey dad, he eats just like you.” Laura muttered suddenly with a sideways smile, eyeing the bits of egg on her little brother’s shirt.

Mike looked up from Xander and lowered his eyes at her giving that ‘I resent that’ look.

“ Good morning all…ooo I smell eggs.” Anna announced as she walked into the kitchen and took off her coat.

“ Anna your son is a pig.” Mike stated clearly.

“ I always knew he’d be just like his father.” She replied quickly and smiled down at little Xander with bright eyes, ignoring Mike’s insulted look.

“ Hi baby!” she exclaimed and kissed Xander on his soft little head so full of the down like fluff some people refer to as hair.

“ Mommy, I want cookie.” He muttered in a low tone with sad eyes.

Anna brushed through his black hair softly and raised a brow. “ You want a cookie? But you have eggs right here.”

“ I want COOKIE.” He stated and pounded his little fists against the centre island.

“ Hell, just give him the fucking cookie.” Mike breathed quietly.

“ No Mike, he has to learn to be patient. Xander, finish your breakfast and then you’ll get a cookie.”

“ Anna, I already tried that and it didn’t work.” Mike explained stressfully.

“ Fine…finish your breakfast and you’ll get TWO cookies.” Anna smiled and held up two fingers for Xander to see.

“ Cookie…two cookie…TWO COOKIE!” Xander shouted with excitement.

Anna laughed and placed the fork back into his hand. “ Eat.” She ordered bluntly and so they all watched as he downed an entire plate of eggs in less than a minute, so keen on getting his new prize…TWO cookies. Xander dropped his fork against the plate with a small ping and reached out with both hands, grasping the air, staring beyond towards the cookie jar.

“ COOKIE! COOKIE! COOKIE!”

“ Anna…he is seriously going to be sick the rest of the afternoon.” Mike muttered.

“ He’ll be fine, just give him the damn cookies.”

“ Me wantee!” He shouted with annoyance and grunted as he tried to lean forward towards the cookie jar, which was quite a few feet away on top of the counters. Of course Xander had no sense of depth perception at all…he was only focusing on the cookie jar and not the distance between him and his desired sugar high.

“ Patience my little rock star, your cookies are coming.” Mike chuckled and grabbed two from the jar, handing them to the hyper toddler.

“ So he’s going to be a rock star?” Anna asked quietly as she grabbed a few pieces of egg from Mike’s plate.

“ Hell yes he is. There is no way he is getting past these doors to college without learning how to play the guitar.” He explained with a frown.

“ And what if he turns out to be some science fiction watching, pop music listening pansy?” she asked with an arched brow.

“ Anna that is IMPOSSIBLE. He’s related to me…he’s automatically a heavy metal, head bashing, ear bleeding rocker…isn’t that right little Xander?” he asked with a smile.

He looked up from his cookies, which were crumbling around him and falling out of his mouth. He had managed to somehow stuff both into his mouth at the same time…this just screamed upset stomach later on.

“ Come on, do that hand thing.” Mike whispered with an eager smile.

Xander swallowed his cookies and lifted his fist high into the air, extending his thumb and pinkie out.

“ Michael, why did you teach him that?” Anna demanded with lowered eyes of annoyance.

“ Hey, he got it from TV…I didn’t teach anything to him.”

“ It shows.” She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“ Okay well I gotta go guys, be back later.” Laura announced and hopped off of her chair.

“ Whoa, whoa, whoa, where the hell do you think you’re going?” Mike demanded with a furrowed brow.

Laura turned to him and growled loudly. “ None of your business.”

“ Josh is taking her to a movie this afternoon.” Anna stated casually and cleaned up her son’s plate.

Mike’s eyes widened and he breathed out in disbelief. “ Who the hell is Josh?”

“ No one.” Laura muttered angrily, not wanting her father prying into her personal life.

“ Her boyfriend…really Mike, you should pay more attention.” Anna muttered and threw the rest of the dirty plates into the dishwasher.

“ BOYFRIEND? No, Nuhuh, absolutely not. You’re staying home.” He replied sternly.

“ Dad, I HAVE TO GO!” Laura whined loudly.

“ Not with some guy I didn’t even know about.”

“ The reason why you didn’t know about him is because I don’t really feel I should have to tell you ANYTHING about my personal life.”

“ Then why does your mom know?” he demanded with confusion.

“ Argh, Mom, make him let me go!” Anna shook her head and leaned against the centre island.

“ Mike, it’s a girl thing…just let her go.”

“ But what if this guy is some pot smoking, stuffy headed pimply freak who only wants to get his hands on her?”

“ She’s smart enough to stay away from those kinds of people.” Anna explained calmly.

“ Too bad, she’s staying home.” He replied.

Laura glared and crossed her arms angrily. Why did he have to be such a prick? “ Father, let me go!

” “ No way DAUGHTER.” He replied with a deep frown.

Anna rolled her eyes and glanced at Xander who had suddenly become confused by their anger. “ Don’t you hate it when they fight?” she asked quietly. Xander turned his vision towards his mother and giggled softly.

“ Bad.”

“ Oh yeah, sure is.” She smiled.

Suddenly the door bell rang and Laura’s glare deepened. “ I’m going.”

“ No you’re NOT.”

“ Mike, stop being so fucking protective and let her out of the her cage once and a while.” Anna breathed with frustration.

“ Fine…but I’m meeting this kid.” He muttered.

Laura’s eyes widened as she backed away towards the door, eyeing Mike cautiously. “ You are NOT meeting him.”

“ Am so.” He smiled and opened the door.

He eyed the young boy like he was fresh meat and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms. This ‘Josh’ was quite tall, tanned skin, dark hair and deep green eyes. He stared at Mike with confusion and glanced at Laura who lowered her head with embarrassment.

“ You have exactly ten seconds to convince me that I should let my daughter go out with you…10…9…”

“ Dad…” Laura hissed angrily.

“ 8…7…”

Josh frowned and stuffed his hands in his pockets, searching for something to say. “ Uh…”

“ 6…5…4…”

“ I uh…I-I…I’m…”

“ 3…2…-.”

“ –I’m in a band.” He stated suddenly.

Mike stopped his countdown and eyed the young teen suspiciously for several seconds. Laura stared at Mike helplessly and growled under her breath.

“ Bring her home before ten.” Mike stated and pushed Laura through the door towards Josh.

“ Will do…” He replied nervously, still confused.

“ Wait…what kind of band?” Mike asked before they started to walk away. Laura lowered her eyes impatiently and gave her father a cold stare.

Josh cleared his throat and eyed Mike nervously. “ Strictly heavy metal.”

Mike reached into his pocket and handed him fifty dollars. “ Get her something nice to eat.” He whispered with a sideways smile. Laura raised her eyes with surprise and glanced at the fifty dollars in shock.

“ Are you serious?” she asked.

“ Hey, he’s a good kid…you two have fun now.” He stated cheerfully and closed the door in front of the two shocked teens.

Anna chuckled lightly and shook her head as Mike entered the kitchen with a large smile. “ Ah kids these days.”

“ Mike, you’re still a kid.” She muttered and rolled her eyes.

“ Am not…I’m almost…uh…”

“ Thirty.” Anna finished for him.

“ Holy shit I’m old.” He breathed in realization.

“ The problem is, you’re not old enough. Don’t you have work today or something?” she asked.

“ Possibly…”

“ What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“ It means I don’t have to if I don’t want to. I’m the head of this band-.”

“ –Uh, Chester is the head of this band.” Anna corrected.

“ Excuse me? How the hell is he the head of the band?”

“ He’s the singer.”

“ So? I sing too…and I rap…I do more than him.” Mike argued.

Anna sighed heavily and sat down beside her son who was eyeing the cookie jar once again. “ Go to work.” She ordered.

“ Hey, I deserve a break.”

“ Michael, you have been putting off this new album for a year. Go to work NOW.” She replied heavily.

“ It’s not my fault I’ve been busy with you and kids and Chester…I have too many responsibilities.” He explained.

“ Well I can easily get rid of you and then you’ll only have one responsibility.”

“ Are you threatening me?” he demanded with a frown.

“ More like warning you. If you don’t finish that album, the fans will murder you.” She answered with a small smile.

“ You know what Anna? Everything you say to me…takes me one step closer to the edge and I’m about to break because in the end it doesn’t even matter.” He stated quickly.

She stared at him blankly for several seconds before finally replying. “ Well good, since you are already in LP mode…go to work and leave me alone so I can relax and watch some TV.”

“ Fine, I’m leaving.” He replied with lowered eyes and walked towards the front hall to retrieve his jacket from the closet. Suddenly, Xander slid off of the chair and ran towards him at high speed and stopped with a jump in front of him.

“ Daddy, I wanna come!”

Mike stared down at him and adjusted the collar on his jacket. “ You wanna come? You’ll be bored sitting in the studio all day. Why don’t you stay here with mommy and watch some TV…play with your toys…”

“ But I wanna come with you!” He whined with a small pout.

Anna walked into the front hall and crossed her arms, giving a smile while watching Mike sigh heavily. “ Come on Mike, let him go with you. He’ll be just as bored here.” She explained quietly.

“ Alright…you can come. Put on your shoes.” He ordered softly.

Xander squealed with excitement and grabbed his shoes from the closet, sitting down and slipping them on clumsily. Mike eyed Anna’s crooked smile and walked towards her slowly.

“ Is there a reason why he can’t stay here?”

“ I want to be alone without a little boy running around the house and God knows Xander’s going to do it too.” She laughed.

“ Gee, thanks, I feel so loved.” He chuckled.

“ Daddy!” He screamed from the floor.

Mike closed his eyes through the sheer pain of the scream and turned around slowly. “ Yes Xander?”

“ I can’t do it!” he whined and pointed to his laces.

Mike kneeled down in front of his son and clutched his laces weakly. “ Pay close attention.” He warned softly.

Xander watched him as he slowly tied the two ends together, then made two loops and tied those together. “ There…think you can do it for the other shoe?” he asked.

Xander eyed his other shoe with interest and grabbed the laces tightly, trying so hard to remember what his father had just taught to him. He tied both ends together tightly and then clumsily made the two loops. A few seconds later, he had managed to tie the shoe all by himself which caused him to gasp out happily with a smile.

“ I did it!’ he cried.

Mike smiled and rubbed his head roughly, causing his hair to stand up all over. “ Good job Xander. Ready to go?”

“ Yeah!”

Mike picked him up quickly and held him in his arms while turning around to face Anna. “ Mommy look, I tied em!” Xander shouted with excitement.

“ Yes I see that, aren’t you a smart boy?” She chuckled and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

She then leaned up and kissed Mike softly on the lips and smiled.

“ Yucky!” Xander shouted with a frown of disgust.

“ Yeah, yeah, I know…yucky now, fun when you’re sixteen.” Mike muttered and rolled his eyes.

“ Bye babies.” Anna laughed softly.

“ Bye.” Mike replied and then looked at Xander.

“ Say bye to mommy.”

“ Bye mommy!”

“ Bye sweetie.” She replied and watched as Mike opened the door.

He carried Xander out towards the Escalade and opened the back door, sticking him in his car seat and strapped him in tightly. He then closed the door and then entered the driver’s side and pulled on his seatbelt. He glanced up through the window and saw Anna standing in the doorway smiling with happy eyes. Mike turned around and looked at Xander with a smile.

“ Now doesn’t mommy look pretty?”

“ Pretty, pretty!” he shouted and clapped.

Mike turned back to the front and shook his head with a large smile, then started the ignition. He then sat back and pulled out of the drive way, then stopped the truck on the road, glancing back through the rear view mirror towards his son who had now found a pair of sunglasses and was wearing them.

“ Alright, let’s do this.” Mike breathed and turned on the radio, filling the truck with loud guitars and booming drums which were vibrating the windows.

He pressed on the gas hard and squinted with a smile through the bright sun ahead.

Today…was a good day.

True love exists yes I know this
My heart was waiting for you
And when we met I felt my chest
pound fast, racing for the chance
to know you, to hold you
To open up and show you
The way it feels when you know...

You are not alone
Know that I would fight the tides to
Be together
When you feel alone
Listen to this song to make your heart
feel better

Two hearts entwined, yes, you are mine
And I'll be your's forever
I've done the math, I'm less than half
We're better off together
And I want you here by my side
As much as you are on my mind
When I'm gone you should know

Rainy Mondays feel like Fridays
When you're smiling at me I can feel
The space
Between us collapsing
Our love is everlasting

Listen to this song
Let it make your heart feel better


{Song: Alone}
{Artist: Sanctus Real}

~~ ITS OVER!! NOOOOO THE END!!!! Aww it was fun writing it...hope y'all enjoyed it!! wootness *throws confetti* *has party* I am SOO sorry for taking forever on this chapter but i had mid-terms at school and such. Anywhoo, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING!! YOU GUYS ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE LIKE CRAZY, ITS AWESOME!!! Will there be more fics to come from me?? Hmm, i dunno...its probable. Kay so its over, finished, finito, fin...and this is a very long good bye so im just gonna stop and say : BYE!!! Peace out!! :)~~ PS: Don't forget to review lmao thankees !! :)~~

Here I Am
~~ WOOOOOOOOOOOOT...k,there were some people that had a few concerns over how fast she became pregnant. Well, i'm trying not to drag this fic on for a million years so i sped some things up. And besides, this is a world of fiction and anything can happen. So anyways, here is the next chapter...kind of short and full of Chester because he's so funny..hehe...enjoy!!:)~~



9 months later…



“ Jesus, I’m so nervous!”

Laura flipped through the magazine casually and glanced up to see Chester pacing around the living room like a mad man. It had been a very long nine months…and probably seemed even longer for Mike because everyday his nerves would grow.

They had kept the gender of the baby a secret…well Anna wanted it a secret. Mike wasn’t exactly too happy about that because he really hated surprises. Of course during the pregnancy, Anna’s hormones would fluctuate, sending pots and pans towards Mike’s head for some unknown reason.

The one thing Laura noticed about Mike during the last nine months was how cautious and uncertain he was about everything. He was very quiet and when asked a question or spoken to, he would just give a small smile and say a few words in response.

It was clear that he was trying to hide his anxiety about this baby…obviously lacking self-confidence about being a father. On many occasions, Laura would have to sit him down and tell him not to worry about it…that he was a great dad, yet looking into those brown eyes, you could see that he didn’t believe a word she said to him. Maybe when the baby was born, he would regain some confidence.

“ Chester, do you want a drink or something?” Laura muttered with an arched brow.

He frowned at her and glanced at the magazine with a cocked head. “ How can you read at a time like this? Your mom is having a baby RIGHT NOW. Aren’t you nervous?”

“ Why are YOU nervous?” she asked back.

Chester sat down on the couch beside her and twitched his hands nervously, causing the bracelets to shake. “ I don’t know…you guys are like family. What if everything goes wrong? What if the baby dies?” he asked with a worried look on his face that only made Laura’s smile grow.

“ Chester…relax. If everything went wrong, I’m sure dad would have phoned by now.” She explained calmly.

“ Do you think it’s born yet?” he asked quickly.

Laura sighed heavily and went back to reading her magazine. “ I don’t know…does it look like I’m there right now?”

“ How long have they been there?” He demanded and glanced at his watch.

“ Since eight this morning…why don’t you go make yourself some lunch…well, late lunch?” she replied with irritation.

“ How long does it take to deliver a baby?”

“ As long as it takes…” Laura sighed and flipped the page.

Chester sat back against the couch and breathed out heavily, annoying Laura even further. The last thing she needed was Chester making her even more anxious than she already was.

Not anxious because of the baby but anxious because she didn’t know how Mike would handle it.

“ What do you think they’ll name it?”

Laura dropped her magazine heavily against her lap and stared at Chester with a cold glare. “ Chester…could you PLEASE shut your mouth for five seconds?” she hissed.

“ What did I do?” he asked with a hand on his chest in disbelief.

“ You won’t fucking shut up. If you want to know what’s going on at the hospital then why don’t you just go down there and find out?”

“ Yeah and wait another seven hours with a frightened Mike and a cranky, pain filled Anna? I don’t think so.” He breathed and shook his head.

“ Then shut up.” She muttered and went back to her magazine, making it clear that she didn’t want to hear another word out of Chester.

The silence lasted a good five minutes…until the phone suddenly rang, causing Chester to nearly jump ten feet in the air. Laura grabbed the receiver and blinked slowly.

“ Yeah…” she muttered.

Chester watched Laura intently as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone. It seemed like the person had been talking forever because Laura suddenly felt Chester tugging at her sleeve.

“ Psst, Laura…who is it?” he whispered loudly.

She glared and him and flicked him away with her hand before replying to the voice on the phone. “ Yeah, that’s Chester…he’s bugging the hell out of me. Can we lock him up in the basement?” she asked.

Chester frowned as he heard a small laugh on the other end of the phone, then more talking. Laura gave a heavy sigh and nodded, not that the person could see anyway.

“ Will do…please come home before Chester starts gnawing my head off.”

Chester rolled his eyes and growled under his breath.

“ Bye…”

He watched as she hung up the phone and returned to her magazine. He stared at her for a long moment and then gave a short gasp in disbelief.

“ Hello!”

“ What is it now?” she asked and looked at him with a frown.

“ Was that Mike?”

Laura rolled her eyes and closed the magazine, knowing that she wasn’t going to get it finished today. “ Yes…are you finished harassing me now?”

“ What did he say?”

“ The baby was born about fifteen minutes ago.” She replied quickly and turned on the TV.

Chester gave a large smile and gasped happily. “ Really?”

“ No, I lied…” she muttered sarcastically.

He lowered his eyes and grabbed the remote from her hand, turning off the television. “ Hey, I was watching that.” She growled angrily.

“ And now you’re finished. Would you please let me in on this info? What else did he say?”

“ He said if you don’t quit harassing me, he’ll kick your ass out of the band.” She replied with a glare.

“ Honestly Laura, this is why you don’t have a boyfriend.”

“ Excuse me?” she demanded.

“ You are very…very…MEAN.” He stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

She growled under her breath and grabbed the remote from him…then threw it at his head. He groaned in pain and rubbed the red spot on his skull while giving her a cold stare.

“ So how did Mike sound on the phone?”

Laura stared up in thought and raised a brow. “ He sounded like Mike…”

“ No, I mean, was he angry? Sad? Disappointed? Scared? What, just tell me!”

She bit her bottom lip and squinted while trying to remember exactly how her father sounded. “ Well…to be honest he sounded a little stuffed…and his voice was kind of scratchy…”

“ Oh my God, was he crying?” Chester demanded.

“ I don’t know…probably. Well, I think he was happy…even though he was crying, he seemed kind of bubbly.” She explained.

“ Bubbly? What the hell does that mean?” he asked with confusion.

“ Never mind…the point is, if you want to get something out of him, now’s the time because he’s in a really good mood.” She explained casually.

“ Then everything must have gone well! When are they coming home?” He asked excitedly.

“ In a few hours…Jesus, calm down, it’s not even your kid.” She muttered.

“ I’m sorry…I’m just excited for you guys. Jeeze, try to show a little bit of compassion.” He replied with a frown.

Laura stood up and proceeded to the kitchen while shaking her head. “ Where are you going?” Chester demanded.

“ Kitchen…food…me eat…me hungry.” She explained and opened the fridge, grabbing a cinnamon bun.

“ Hey are there any more of those?” he asked and jumped off the couch towards her.

“ No, this is the last one. Mooch off of someone else.” She answered lightly.

“ You are EXACTLY like your father, do you know that?” he asked with a hurt expression on his face.

“ Proud of it.” She smiled back.

“ Can I have a piece?” he asked quietly with a pout.

Laura stared at him and rolled her eyes, finally ripping off a small piece and handing it to him. “ That’s all you get.”

“ Gee…a whole piece…thanks…” he muttered with lowered eyes.

“ You asked for a piece…and that’s what you got. Be happy.” She replied.

“ Fine…” he muttered and munched on his tiny morsel. “ So...have they named the baby yet?” he asked after he had swallowed his ‘whole piece’.

Laura shrugged and licked her fingers. “ I don’t know…maybe-.”

“ –Wait, is it a boy or a girl?’ he interrupted.

She blinked slowly at him, deciding weather or not to answer that question since she was so rudely interrupted. “ Stop interrupting me and maybe I’ll answer.”

“ God you are SO your father’s daughter…” he breathed in disbelief.

“ If I tell you, will you get all excited and freak out?” she asked cautiously.

“ No…I promise.” He smiled.

Laura raised a brow, knowing he of course would break that promise, but decided to tell him anyway. “ It’s a…”

She watched his eyes brighten with anticipation as she stalled, causing him further torture. “ An itty bitty, cute little, dark haired, brown eyed-.”

“ –Dammit tell me woman!” he shouted.

“ Baby boy.” She finished with a chuckle of amusement.

Chester’s eyes widened with excitement and he grabbed her, tossing her around in the air in fits of happy. “ C-Chester…let me go…” she breathed as he held her tightly in her arms, shaking the life out of her.

“ I can’t believe it! A little boy! This is so GREAT!” he shouted.

“ Chester, seriously…l-let me go.” She coughed.

“ Oh…sorry…” he muttered and released her from his grip. Laura wiped her dark hair out of her eyes and frowned at him while regaining her breath.

“ Aren’t you happy?” He asked with confusion.

“ Yeah I’m happy but I’m gonna go ballistic over it.” She coughed.

“ Laura…you have a little baby brother. Think about that for a while.”

“ Why?” she asked.

“ Because the little guy’s gonna look up to you. Who do you think is going to teach him how to belch, throw his peas and hide his dirty clothes under the bed and in the closet?”

“ Uh, easy…Mike.” She replied simply.

“ Okay, good point…but what about all the other stuff? Good music, bad music, the dangers of getting a shitty CD and having to return it but forgetting the receipt?” he demanded.

Laura stared at him in thought and then frowned. “ That would be Mike again…”

“ Damn, he’s going to be busy…” Chester muttered.

“ Chester…I’m happy…I’m excited…I just don’t really feel comfortable grabbing you and tossing you in the air…” she explained with a small smile.

“ Ah fine…be like your dad…hide your feelings.”

“ I’m not hiding my feelings…I’m conserving them for when they get home so just sit down and relax.” She laughed.

Chester gave a small nod and then a smile grew on his face once more. “ Aw, you’re gonna be a big sister!”

Laura chuckled softly and shook her head at him. “ Yes I am…and you are going to be the proverbial uncle Chester.”

His eyes widened suddenly to the size of grapefruits and he covered his mouth with a small gasp.

“ Wow…”

Laura lowered her eyes but kept her smile.

That’ll shut him up until they get home…

~~ Okay so, the homecoming will be coming soon for the next chapter so stay tuned for that. That will probably be the last chapter and then there will be an epilogue. Anywhoosies, thankees for the reviews and thankees for reading!!:)~~
Brand New Life
~~ WOOT I FINALLY UPDATED!!! HOPE YOU ENJOY THE FINAL CHAPTER!! *PS...Name of the baby was chosen by robbourdon/mike* THANKEES!! :)~~





A few hours had managed to turn into late evening by the time Mike and Anna had returned to their humble abode. Anna gripped the carrier tightly and stared around the living room with an arched brow.

It seemed that Chester and Laura had left the TV on blaring but no one was in the room. And to make matters worse, it was going to wake up the baby.

“ Michael…where are they?” she demanded quietly and looked into his dark eyes.

“ Just a sec.” he sighed and grabbed his cell phone, then dialed Chester’s number.After a few rings, finally he picked up with a scratchy voice.

“ Yeah what?”

“ Chester…where the hell are you and where is my daughter?” he demanded.

“ Everything’s fine…she’s with me. Hey are you guys home?” he asked with excitement.

“ Uh yeah…and please answer my previous question.”

“ Relax man. We’re in the backyard.”

Mike frowned and looked towards the sliding glass doors, seeing the outside world as pitch black. “ What the hell are you doing in the backyard? Get in here.” He ordered with a hushed tone.

Anna stared at Mike with confusion but then suddenly heard a small gurgle from the baby and placed the carrier down on the floor, bending down to tend to him. Mike shut off his cell phone and stuffed it back into his pocket as Laura and Chester walked into the house, closing the doors behind them.

“ Laura could you please turn off that TV?” Mike whispered.

She raised a brow and gave him an odd look, causing him to frown.

“ What?” he asked.

“ Nothing…you’re just getting all…Dad on me.”

“ TV, off, now.” He ordered and pointed to it with raised eyes.

She lowered her eyes and grabbed the remote, switching off the television. Chester stared down at the little baby with a wide grin and bright eyes. He was so adorable with his eyes shut peacefully in a quiet slumber.

His full red lips puckered a little which caused a small dribble of drool to roll onto his tiny little blue shirt. Of course, his head was filled with jet black hair, straight and fluffy. His tiny little hands balled into fists on his chest and his chest rose and fell gently with each tiny breath.

“ Aw, he’s so itty bitty!” Chester exclaimed softly.

Anna looked up at him and gave a small grin, stroking her son’s hair gently as he slept. “ What did you expect? He’s a baby.”

“ Yeah but I didn’t think he’d be so small and so…cute.” Chester explained with a chuckle.

“ What did you guys name him?” Laura asked eagerly with interest.

Anna sighed lightly and stared at her son’s rosy cheeks. “ Xander.”

“ Xander? Really?” Chester asked with an arched brow.

Mike frowned and stepped towards him slightly with crossed arms. “ Yeah, you got a problem with that?”

“ Uh…to avoid being injured…no…no problem…” he replied shakily.

Laura bent down and sat beside her mother and watched as the baby slept peacefully under the blankets. “ I think his name is wicked. And if he ever has trouble spelling his name…he can just sign all his homework with an X.” she giggled, eliciting a small laugh from Anna.

Chester sighed uneasily and backed away a little as Mike advanced on him with dark eyes. “ Anna…your husband looks very, very angry.” He warned quietly.

Anna looked up and couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the sight before her. “ Don’t worry Chester, its nothing personal. He’s just very protective right now…besides, he’s the dominant male…and you are getting awfully close to his newborn. I’d take a few more steps back if I were you.” She explained calmly.

“ Is he going to kill me?” he asked and swallowed hard, eyeing Mike cautiously.

“ Not yet.” Anna replied with an evil smile.

“ Great, just great. Mike is having the instinct to kill me.”

“ Actually, he has the instinct to protect his baby…followed by an urge to kill.” Anna replied quickly.

“ Well would you please call him off? He’s getting awfully close.” Chester warned uneasily.

Anna stood up slowly and walked towards Mike, grabbing his arm gently. “ Mikey…Chester’s a friend.”

He squinted his eyes slowly and kept a shivering gaze upon Chester. “ Well this ‘friend’ is going to have to back off.” He stated through his teeth.

“ Hey, I didn’t do anything wrong…I’m keeping my distance. And have you forgotten that I have a kid too and I would never do anything to hurt the little guy?” he asked desperately.

“ Careful Chester, you should have seen what he did to my principal when he grabbed my arm.” Laura explained with a laugh.

“ You beat up her principal?” He demanded in shock.

Mike blinked quickly and frowned a little. “ Beat up is such a…strong…two words. I roughed him up a little, that’s all.” He replied with a little more calm to his voice.

“ Man, I wish I had you as a dad when I was younger.” Chester muttered quietly.

“ Alright well I am officially exhausted and require sleep. Mike, take care of him?” Anna asked and kissed him.

“ Who, Xander or Chester?” he asked.

“ Good night.” She laughed and proceeded upstairs slowly.

“ I resent that.” Chester muttered as Mike looked back at him.

“ Don’t worry man, I was just joking. Besides, who’s going to be the baby sitter?” he asked lightly.

“ Laura.” Chester answered with a smile, looking down at her. She stared at him with lowered eyes and growled under her breath

. “ Thanks Chaz.”

“ Okay, look it’s almost ten…everyone who isn’t related to me…get out.” Mike ordered with a small sigh.

“ Gee, I wonder who that must be.” Chester stated sarcastically and walked towards the door, under the keen watch of Mike.

“ Thanks for staying with the brat while we were at the hospital by the way.” Mike added before Chester opened the door.

“ Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome. And Laura, don’t forget…you owe me a cinnamon bun.” Chester stated and shook his index finger at her.

“ Sure man…see ya.” She replied quietly, careful not to wake her sleeping brother. Chester gave a small nod and then disappeared behind the door, closing it gently.

Mike bent down beside Laura and adjusted the blankets around Xander cautiously. Laura stared at her father in awe and gave a short laugh, causing him to raise a brow of interest.

“ What?”

“ I’ve never seen you care so much about something.” She replied with almost a whisper.

“ Hey, I care about you…besides, his feet might be cold.” He stated with a furrowed brow.

Laura continued to smile and looked down at the tiny little life wrapped gently inside the blankets. He murmured softly as he slept, causing her to marvel at how cute he was.

“ So…is he going to be one of these loud, whiny, wake you up at one in the morning babies?” she asked.

Mike shook his head and stroked his son’s cheeks softly. “ Nah…he’s actually pretty quiet. I’ve only actually heard him cry once today and that was when he came out.” He explained.

Suddenly, little Xander frowned and opened his big brown eyes, whining softly while extending his fingers into the air. Mike lowered his eyes and gave a soft sigh.

“ I spoke to soon…”

The baby cried softly and squinted his little eyes shut while grabbing the air aimlessly, searching for something warm. Mike gave a small smile and pushed his hands gently beneath him, lifting him out of the carrier and standing up with him in his arms.

Laura stood up as well and watched Mike hold the baby against his shoulder while hearing his cries muffle within his dark shirt, becoming small murmurs of comfort. Mike frowned and rubbed his back gently while rocking slowly from side to side.

“ Great…he’s GOTTA drool all over my shirt.”

“ Aw, it’s like you know what you’re doing.” Laura giggled with amazement.

“ I DO know what I’m doing…I think…” he muttered quietly with a small frown.

“ I thought you were going to like…freak out or something. You know, leave mom at the hospital and run home then hide under your bed.” She explained.

Mike gave a short laugh and shook his head at her. “ Why did everyone assume I would freak out? It’s just a baby.”

“ It’s also a big responsibility. And seeing how you acted when you found out about me…well lets just say no one really thought you could handle this.” She muttered.

“ Well I can handle you so I guess that’s a pretty good sign.” He replied.

Laura walked around back behind him and stared into those big brown eyes of her little brother, peering at her with curiosity. He blinked slowly with large black lashes and gripped Mike’s shirt tightly with his little pink fingers.

“ He’s a curious little thing ain’t he?” Laura asked with a small smile.

Mike’s eyes lowered happily while feeling Xander sucking on the fabric of his shirt. “ Of course he’s curious. He’s a baby…and since you will be baby sitting him while I’m at the studio and your mother’s asleep…you’d better behave or he’ll pick up something he shouldn’t be learning.” He explained with a hint of warning.

“ Like what?’ she demanded in disbelief.

“ Like bad language and MTV.”

“ Dad, you guys play on MTV all the time…” she muttered with an arched brow.

“ Exactly, keep him away from the TV.” He laughed.

Laura walked around to the front of Mike and shook her head with a small grin. “ Great, you are going to get all fatherly on my ass and then I’ll have to vacuum the house.”

Mike raised a brow and looked around the room in thought. “ Who says I’ll be treating you different than I’ve always treated you?”

“ And how have you always treated me?”

“ Like a fourteen year old annoying brat.” He smiled.

“ Does this mean you’ll still let me slack off?” she asked with hope.

“ I let you slack off? Jesus, I’m a horrible father!” He exclaimed quietly.

“ Nah, you’re perfect.” She giggled.

“ Apparently I’m a good pillow too.” He pointed out and looked towards his son who had managed to fall asleep on his shoulder. He then looked back at Laura and softened his eyes.

“ You want to hold him?” he asked in a hushed tone.

Her eyes instantly widened and she backed away a little, raising her hands in defense. “ No…no way. Me and babies…not a good match.” She warned shakily.

“ Actually, I said the same thing about you when your mom told me about you. Besides, all you have to do is hold him…he’s really not that heavy…seven pounds or so.” He explained calmly.

“ B-but what if he hates me? What if he starts crying or something?” she asked with worry.

Mike gave a soft chuckle and lowered Xander away from his shoulder slowly, then placed his hand under his soft head for support. “ Its okay Laura, he’s asleep.” He whispered and held him out.

Laura sighed uneasily and stepped forward a little as Mike placed the baby into her arms with as much gentleness as possible. “ Lean his head against your arm.” Mike explained softly and adjusted her arms into the right positions.

She stared down at the little form and watched as he involuntarily gripped her shirt as he slept. Mike stepped behind her and smiled as he watched over both of his children with care. Laura’s frown slowly faded as did her discomfort as she felt Xander’s soft breathing against her shirt, warming her skin beneath.

“ See? It’s not so bad.” Mike explained softly with a quiet voice.

Laura stared into her little brother’s soft features and couldn’t help but give a small smile. He looked so peaceful and so comfortable, almost making her feel like she was going to fall asleep.

“ He’s going to be a brat when he’s older isn’t he?” she asked.

Mike chuckled softly under his breath and nodded. “ Well if he’s anything like me, he’ll be annoying as hell.”

Laura lowered her eyes happily and looked up into Mike’s soft brown eyes. “ Well I should head off to bed…take him please…” she muttered quietly.

Mike nodded and grabbed the baby from her arms, resting him gently within his own. “ Good night dad, love you.” She sighed and kissed him on the cheek.

“ Love you too, night.” He replied quietly with a smile. He watched her closely as she disappeared downstairs into her bedroom and then finally decided to go upstairs and put Xander to bed, hoping his night wouldn’t be filled with too much crying.

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

Anna rolled over and pushed her head comfortably into her pillow, readying herself to fall back asleep into a dreamy land full of peace and quiet. She gave a small frown as she heard the familiar cry of a baby echoing through her ears from the next room. She rubbed her eyes wearily and lifted her head, noticing that the bed beside her was empty.

She raised a brow of curiosity and confusion, wondering where he husband was, and then sat up and pulled on her robe. Anna padded quietly down the hall and into the nursery, flipping on a small lamp and adjusted her eyes to the sight before her. Mike was holding little Xander in his arms, rocking him gently from side to side, hearing his cries fade and become small gurgles of comfort.

Anna smiled weakly and walked towards them slowly while crossing her arms. “ You sure got up fast.” She explained quietly.

Mike nodded and stared down at the little life in his arms, which was staring right back up at him with big brown eyes. “ I figured you could probably use a little rest…well a lot of rest, considering what you had to do this morning.” He explained in a hushed tone.

“ Aw, that’s sweet Mike.” Anna giggled softly while admiring how he held his son gently with grace.

Mike smiled a little as Xander reached up with his tiny little fingers in an attempt to touch his face. “ Is he hungry?” Anna asked as she leaned against the crib.

“ Nah, I fed him that bottled whatever the hell you call it before I put him in his crib.” He explained.

“ Its breast milk.” She stated with clarification, eliciting a disgusted frown from Mike.

“ Okay…I don’t even want to know.” He muttered.

Anna chuckled softly and shook her head at him. It was amazing how he could be such a loving father and be so immature at the same time. “ And he doesn’t need a diaper change?” She asked curiously.

“ Nope, did that too.” He replied casually.

Anna raised her eyes with surprised and breathed out sharply in disbelief. “ Really?”

“ Yes…why do you look so shocked?” he asked with an arched brow.

“ Well…I just didn’t think you’d be all…into all of this. This maternal instinct you have is hitting you faster than I thought…and yes I am shocked.” She explained with a smile.

Mike laughed a little and felt Xander pulling at the chain around his neck. He stared at the small child in thought and then gave a small frown. “ You know…sometimes I wish you would have told me about Laura when she was born.” He explained quietly.

“ Mike…you know I couldn’t do that. It would have ruined your life. You wouldn’t have formed your band…gone on to higher things…and I just couldn’t have forgiven myself if that happened.” She replied.

Mike stared at her with soft eyes and nodded with understanding. “ Maybe…but you could have at leased contacted me when I was a little older…”

“ Yeah I could have…but then you would have been an emotionally wrecked twenty one year old with a new band and a new responsibility.” She explained.

“ I meant when I was twenty eight.” He answered, causing her to laugh a little.

“ Alright…yeah I could have told you then…but I didn’t even know if you had your own family yet.”

“ This is why you watch MTV and catch up on all the websites.” He smiled.

“ That’s called being a stalker.” She giggled.

“ Only if you hide in trees attempting to get a picture of me.”

Anna kept her smile as she approached him even closer and peered down into her comfortable son’s eyes. He turned his vision towards her slowly and a small smile appeared on his face, indenting the dimples on his cheeks.

“ Aw, how’s my little man?” she asked softly with a laugh and poked him gently in the belly, causing him to giggle.

“ Here Mike, I’ll take him off of your hands for a while and let you rest.” She stated.

“ Alright…” he sighed wearily and handed Xander to her gently, watching her cradle him within her arms in a way only a mother could. Mike slowly collapsed into the large rocking chair beside the crib and rubbed his eyes weakly.

“ You should get some sleep.” Anna suggested, eyeing him with concern.

“ I’m fine…I’ll survive.” He replied with exhaustion.

“ The last thing this baby needs is a cranky and very exhausted father. Get some sleep.”

Mike smiled a little and sat further back against the wooden rocking chair, eyeing his wife and son carefully. “ I’m not really that tired.” He sighed.

“ Mike what is with you today?”

“ What do you mean?” he asked with confusion.

“ You almost kicked Chester’s ass and now you are refusing to sleep. Is something wrong?” she asked quietly.

Mike stared at the small child within Anna’s arms and sighed softly to himself, watching him reach up, attempting to tug on his mother’s hair. As he watched the small life wiggling and murmuring softly, he couldn’t help but feel an immense peace flood its way through his body like warm water over his skin.

Just one tiny life…and it meant more to him than anything in the world, more than his band, more than his music, more than his own life. In this moment, he realized how much he loved and appreciated his life.

He loved Anna so much…he loved Laura with all his heart and soul…and he loved this little baby conditionally with no end.

“ I love him…” he replied with distant eyes and a quiet voice.

Anna stared at Mike silently for a few moments, taking in what she had just heard him say. A small smile appeared on her lips as she walked towards him slowly, lowering Xander into his arms. Mike gripped him gently and placed him on his chest, allowing the small child to lie against his soft shirt.

Xander gripped his shirt tightly and gave a soft sigh, causing Mike to smile as he rubbed his back gently.

“ I love him so much…” Mike whispered as he stared down at the baby in awe.

Anna lowered her eyes happily as she watched a small tear roll down Mike’s cheek. She wiped it away gently and kissed him on the head. “ I know you do…we all do…he’s so perfect.” She replied softly.

“ Hey guys?”

They both looked up to see Laura walking slowly into the room while rubbing her eyes wearily. “ Hey Laura…you awake?” Anna asked with an arched brow.

“ Yeah, I heard you guys walking around…”

“ Well, I find it odd that we are all awake yet the baby barely made a sound.” Mike explained wearily.

Laura gave a short chuckle and nodded a little. “ Besides, I couldn’t really sleep anyway.” She explained.

“ Well then come have a seat.” Anna muttered and placed a chair down beside her daughter, then sat down in another one.

Mike watched them intently, slowly feeling his eyes becoming heavy with fatigue. Laura sat back against her chair and turned to her mother who was running a hand through her hair casually.

“ I find this so weird that dad isn’t freaking out.”

“ Same here…I guess he’s just grown up.” Anna replied softly.

Laura chuckled under her breath and shook her head in disbelief. “ Trust me mom…he’s never going to grow up.”

Anna looked back at Mike and nearly had a heart attack at the sight before her. It was so adorable, her heart almost burst in two. Xander had fallen asleep on his father’s chest, breathing softly and comfortably, listening to Mike’s steady heart. Mike had also fallen asleep holding his child closely with his head down almost on his own chest.

“ I guess he was more tired than he thought.” Anna whispered happily.

Laura giggled as she watched them both sleeping peacefully.

Here I am - this is me
There's no where else on earth I'd rather be
Here I am - it's just me and you
And tonight we make our dreams come true

It's a new world - it's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
It's a new day - it's a new plan
I've been waiting for you
Here I am

Here we are - we've just begun
And after all this time - our time has come
Ya here we are - still goin' strong
Right here in the place where we belong

Here I am - this is me
There's no where else on earth I'd rather be
Here I am - it's just me and you
And tonight we make our dreams come true

Here I am - next to you
And suddenly the world is all brand new
Here I am - where I'm gonna stay
Now there's nothin standin in our way
Here I am - this is me

{Song: Here I Am}
{Artist: Bryan Adams}

~~ I hope you all liked this chapter. BUT, i am not quite finished with this fic yet. There will be an epilogue coming soon so watch out for that!! WOOTNESS!!!...ok so if you liked it, or, hated it, please review, give me your thoughts and such and i will update as fast as i can. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL MY READERS AND REVIEWERS!! U GUYS MAKE THE FIC!! *hugs for all*~~
Baby Steps
~~ Okay...so...uh, i lied. The last chapter wasn't the last...well it kinda is...anyways, here's a small one in between before the epilogue. ENJOY! :)~~


1 year later…

Anna smiled as she peered into her son’s deep chocolate brown eyes, watching him giggle and laugh as she tickled him gently. She bent down and lowered him to the floor, standing him up on his feet, holding him up so he didn’t fall over. Mike treaded down the stairs heavily and bounced into the kitchen like a five year old, causing Anna to frown.

“ Michael, honestly, how old are you?”

He grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge and began to open it but not before Anna growled at him from the living room.

“ CUP!”

Mike sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, then placed the carton down on the counter while grabbing a cup from the cupboard.

“ What, have you turned six years old today or something?” she demanded.

He turned around slowly and took a large swig of his milk, and then gave a loud belch, causing Xander to giggle loudly. Anna lowered her eyes and shook her head, not knowing where this sudden immaturity came from.

“ And I just love how you’re not answering me.” She stated.

He gave a smug smile and crossed his arms, leaning back against the counter. “ Actions speak louder than words.” He muttered.

“ So let me guess…you are acting like you don’t really care that the whole cup thing is important because you don’t want to actually say it to my face, is that it?” she asked.

“ You’re a really quick one Anna.” He smiled and shook a finger at her.

“ Mike…”

“ I don’t know how you do it.”

“ Mike?”

“ Its like you just know!”

“ Michael!” she shouted, annoyed that she couldn’t get his attention the first two times.

Maybe it was better if he had kept his mouth shut.

“ What?” he asked with a frown.

“ Xander is standing.”

“ So?”

“ Standing on his own.” She finished as she stared at her son, holding himself up with his own two legs.

Mike walked over towards them quickly and raised a brow of surprise. She was right, he was standing up on his own…while giving a very quizzical look, wondering why his parents were staring at him.

“ Wow…hey you think he might be able to walk?” Mike breathed in question.

“ I don’t know…hold on, go sit over there.” Anna ordered quietly.

Mike backed up a few feet and kneeled down against the hardwood floor. Anna smiled and turned Xander around, facing his father. “ Okay sweetie…see daddy?” she asked.

Xander placed a finger in his mouth and stared at Mike with big eyes.

“ Go see daddy…” she encouraged softly in his ear.

Mike smiled and outstretched his arms slowly. “ Come on Xander…come here.” He stated lightly.

Xander eyed him curiously and grabbed Anna’s shirt tightly with one hand. “ Its okay sweetie…go see daddy.” She chuckled.

After a small moment, he let go of his mother’s shirt and kept his finger in his mouth, watching his father’s hands with interest.

“ Come here.” Mike whispered with encouragement.

Xander’s smile widened and he gave a loud giggle, shaking his head roughly. Mike lowered his eyes and his arms, then stared at Anna hopelessly.

“ What was that?” he asked.

“ I think he thinks you’re funny…I don’t know why.” Anna laughed and hugged her son tightly, making him laugh louder.

“ Gee…I’m glad he thinks I’m so funny looking.” Mike muttered.

Anna smiled at him and shook her head. “ Aw Mike, he loves you…maybe it’s just the spikey hair…”

“ What about the spikey hair?” he demanded with a furrowed brow.

“ I don’t know…he finds it amusing…besides, he’s just a baby…he doesn’t know what he’s doing anyway.” She explained with a chuckle.

Anna sat Xander down on the floor and then stood up slowly. “ I’ll make some lunch.” She sighed and wiped the dust off of her jeans.

Xander’s eyes instantly squinted with tears as he watched his mother disappear behind the centre island. He looked to his father and whined helplessly, not understanding why no one was holding him.

Mike grabbed a magazine from the coffee table and opened it, still on the floor by the way. His eyes widened when he saw a picture of his band on the cover…then a story about his new ‘arrival’.

“ Jesus Christ…” he muttered with a frown.

“ What?” Anna asked as she pulled a frying pan out of the cabinet.

“ I’m so hot…wow, I love how this lighting brings out my eyes.” He smiled, causing Anna to roll her eyes.

With all the ‘distracting’ photos in the magazine and with Anna busy with lunch, no one had noticed how upset Xander had suddenly become. His face became red and he whimpered quietly to himself, staring at his father. Suddenly, he placed both of his hands on the shiny floor and with a small grunt, got to his knees and then shakily wobbled upward onto his feet.

He gripped the edge of the couch tightly and then moved one of his legs forward, attempting to reach his father. Of course Mike hadn’t noticed his son’s attempt and continued to stare at his own pictures in the magazine, marveling at his own ‘delicious looks’.

Xander took another step forward and slowly let go of the couch, extending his arms. Mike glanced up briefly and saw him standing there with outstretched arms and grasping fingers, then looked back down at the magazine…then quickly looked back up, dropping the magazine.

“ Oh my God, Anna come here!” he exclaimed softly.

She frowned and walked around from behind the island and peered into the living room. She raised her eyes as she watched Xander taking a few steps towards Mike and then stopping to regain his balance.

“ Come here Xander.” Mike stated gently and extended his hand towards his son.

Anna walked around behind Xander and kneeled onto the floor, making sure he didn’t fall backwards and smack his head against the floor. He took a few more shaky steps and then quickly gained speed, whimpering endlessly for human contact.

“ Aw its okay little guy, come here.” Mike smiled with soft encouragement.

Xander gripped at the air and moved his legs quicker until finally he fell into his father’s arms. Anna gasped out with excitement and watched Mike’s eyes widen with joy.

“ Did he just walk?” he demanded.

“ Yeah, he did! Oh my God!’ Anna exclaimed happily and crawled towards them. When Xander noticed his parent’s cheerful voices, his fear slowly diminished and a dimpled smile grew across his face.

“ Wow, you walked!” Mike sighed happily and lifted him up into the air, leaning back against the edge of the couch.

Xander giggle and screamed happily as Mike lifted him and lowered him quickly into the air and then back down again.

“ What the hell is going on?” Laura demanded as she walked upstairs from her room.

“ Xander just took his first steps!” Anna explained cheerfully.

Laura stared at her and frowned. “ That’s what all that screaming is about? My God people, calm down. It’s only a few measly steps.” She explained.

“ Laura…they’re his FIRST steps. This is a pivotal moment in his life. Now he can walk.” Mike stated happily and lifted his son back into the air, lowering him down only to kiss him gently on the nose, causing him to giggle softly.

“ And now he’s going to be able to run and then you’re really going to have to watch him.” Laura explained with warning.

Mike frowned a little and then glanced at Anna who now sported the same frown. “ Great…now we’ll never be able to catch him.” She muttered.

Mike chuckled and shook his head, staring into Xander’s happy eyes, so full of life. “ Can’t wait.”

~~ WOOT SHORT...EPILOGUE COMING SOON!!!

Night Owl Pt.1
~~ WOOT SHORTEST CHAPTER IN HISTORY...SECOND PART COMING SOON...ENJOY!!:)~~



“ Hey man, you look a little low…”

Mike turned his head towards his best friend and lowered his eyes as the bartender passed him another drink. “ Low? I’m in fucking hell.” He muttered wearily while gulping down the mug of beer.

Chester sat down beside him and ordered a drink while the plasma screens all around the bar played music from MTV. “ Trouble at home?” he asked with concern.

“ More or less.” Mike replied and cleared his throat as the bartender passed him another drink.

Chester took a long chug of his beer and eyed Mike curiously. “ Trouble with Laura?”

Mike frowned and stared down at the mahogany bar, watching the fizz from his beer drip onto the surface. “ Nah, she’s cool. Doctors say she’s going to be fine…”

“ Then what’s the problem?” Chester asked with confusion, wondering why Mike looked so glum all of a sudden.

“ I’m being forced to have another kid.”

Chester raised his eyes in surprise and coughed out a short laugh…of course Mike found absolutely nothing funny about this situation and gave him a cold glare. Sensing Mike’s frustration and anger, Chester choked back his laugh and cleared his throat loudly.

“ Hmm…that’s interesting…” he muttered with a nod.

Mike rolled his eyes and stared at one of the plasma screens…watching yet another news caster talking…but this time the news she was giving was all to familiar to his ears. She spoke about his own family…about his sick daughter and how she had made a complete recovery then went on to talk about Linkin Park’s new album coming out.

Mike growled inwardly and shook his head. “ Fucking MTV and their fucking stories about private fucking lives. I wish they’d all just get lost and leave me the fuck alone…”

Chester furrowed his brow and leaned forward against the bar, watching Mike’s dark eyes become angry…and red. “ You know…you swear a lot more when you’re drunk…”

“ I’m not drunk.” Mike protested sternly while taking another swig of beer. Chester gave a soft chuckle and nodded a little, not sure if he wanted to argue with Mike while he was drunk.

Last time he did that, he ended up being thrown in the dumpster behind the Shore Club in Miami. Mike wasn’t exactly a happy drunk at times…but then there were times when he was giggly and far too tipsy for any man’s own good and would stumble around laughing like crazy until he passed out.

Chester silently prayed that Mike would turn into his ‘good’ drunk mood. “ So…you don’t want a baby?” he asked.

Mike’s jaw tightened and he looked up through his lashes in anger. “ What the fuck do you think? Do you really think that I’m going to actually go through with this? I don’t want a fucking baby…I’m happy with Laura. And besides, knowing about her the first time scared the hell out of me and she was even old enough to wipe her own ass.” He muttered while flailing his arms in a drunken rage.

Chester grinned wildly while trying not to laugh his head off at his best friend flailing his arms. He kind of reminded him of a duck. “ Mike calm down…it’s not that bad-.”

“ –Who the fuck do you think you are? Einstein?” he interrupted.

Chester watched as Mike downed the remaining mug of beer and ordered another one. So that’s…three and counting…of course he didn’t know how many he had actually had before he arrived. So…he could have already had five beers.

“ Mike, I am telling you from a father’s point of view. I had to go through all that baby shit with Draven and I survived. Trust me man…you’ll be okay. Besides, you have Anna and you have Laura. It’s not like you’ll be doing this alone.”

Mike stared at him wearily while considering what he was telling him. In a way, he was right…but there was still the whole problem of being away on tour…leaving them along with the little demon.

“ I just…I-I can’t Chaz…what about the band?” he asked with worry.

Chester gave him a warm smile and patted him on the back for encouragement. “ The band can wait. The fans however…they might bite your head off if they found out that we might be holding off the new album for a year.”

Mike lowered his eyes and gulped down more alcohol all the while eyeing Chester intently. “ Why don’t you do it?” he muttered into his mug.

Chester raised a brow and breathed out in shock. “ What, like get Anna pregnant?”

“ Yeah, t-then I won’t have to do it…” Mike replied weakly.

Obviously he had had too much alcohol for tonight and it was screwing up his brain. “ Uh…Mike…she’s YOUR wife…not mine.” He explained calmly.

“ So what? I’m pretty sure she won’t care if you do this for me…”

“ Mike…trust me…she’ll care.” Chester chuckled and shook his head.

Mike growled to himself and dropped the mug onto the bar while leaning forward, putting his hand against his forehead. “ I can’t d-do this…” Mike slurred.

“ Is Laura home tonight?”

“ No…she’s at T-Tiffany’s fucking house…something about a w-welcome back from the hospital sleepover thing…” he replied.

Chester nodded with acknowledgment and moved his face closer to Mike’s…then whispered in his ear. “ It’s you…and Anna…alone…all night. Think of the amazing possibilities.”

Mike’s ears perked at this tiny little message and he sat up. He blinked quickly and thought about what Chester had said. The good thing about Mike being drunk was that he was easily manipulated…and of course Chester was going to do everything in his power to get Mike and Anna in bed before the end of the night.

“ A-all night?” he stuttered.

Chester smiled and nodded slowly, encouraging Mike ever so discreetly. “ Would you REALLY pass up an entire night of amazing pleasure?”

Mike’s eyes seemed to flutter ever so softly at the mention of the last word. “ N-no…” he replied quietly while shaking his head.

“ Then what are you waiting for man? Go!” Chester laughed with more encouragement.

“ B-but…how the fuck am I supposed to g-get home? I’m fucking wasted…” he stated with worry.

Chester stood up and pulled his keys from his pocket, jingling them in front of Mike’s reddening face. “ I’m not drunk…guess who can drive?”

“ Fucking genius.” Mike breathed, following Chester out the door.

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



Anna looked up from her book and frowned as she heard the front door slam. She looked at the clock and it flashed: 11:30.

Mike’s a little early…he said he’d be home by one.

She put the book on the night stand and pull off the sheets, then stood up and walked towards the door. Just as she opened it, she felt something push her back against the wall and she was suddenly attacked with heated kisses. The panic she had felt only moments ago was replaced with confusion and shock.

Mike took his face away from her lips and breathed heavily against her skin. She stared at him with an arched brow and felt his hands roaming her body slowly. “ M-Mike…what the hell-.”

“ –Shh…” he whispered while stroking his finger across her red lips. Anna frowned as she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Great…he’s drunk…perfect…not.

“ Mike…get off-.”

“ –I am…” he breathed.

Anna stared at him with interest and gave a small nod. “ I’m sure you are…don’t you think that maybe you should like…go to sleep or something. I mean…you’re kind of drunk and you probably don’t know what the hell you’re doing and if you find out what you have been doing in the morning, you’re going to be pissed.” She explained.

He gave a small chuckle and began kissing her neck continuously…never once letting her go. Anna swallowed hard as she felt him press up against her…and he was pretty stiff…well…his body wasn’t.

“ Um…Mike? Are you okay?” she asked nervously.

He breathed into her ear and kissed it lightly before replying.

“ Bed…now…”

Anna’s eyes lowered at his husky voice…and now she couldn’t help but obey…


~~SECOND PART COMING SOON...SORRY FOR THE SHORTNESS...:)~~
Night Owl Pt.2
~~ Okay...I know this is going to suck big time...so...hopefully you won't try to track me down and kick my ass...enjoy! :)~~


Anna felt Mike push her down onto the bed, feeling the white comforter bubble around her. He stared down at her with a drunken gaze and pulled off his shirt. She eyed him intently as he lowered himself onto the bed and gripped her night gown tightly...and of course she knew exactly what he was going to do with it. He leaned his head down and placed a few heated kisses upon her lips and then suddenly a rip echoed throughout the room, sending the tattered gown fluttering to the floor.

Anna stared up at him with surprise, wondering where he had suddenly gotten the urge to rip off her clothes from...well its not like she was complaining or anything. Before she could even react, he ran his hands down her stomach and began kissing her hard and passionately...so much it was causing her cheeks to feel heated and red. She had no idea whether it was just Mike or the alcohol that was making him so hungry for this...but she didn't really care at the moment. She was slowly being taken in by his drunken kisses and roaming hands, causing her to give a small moan.

This only encouraged him further, leaning his body deeper onto her until all she could feel was his heated body and throbbing impatience below. With all the indulging passion between them, they hadn't even realized that they were now unclothed and rolling around the comforter...two bodies mingled as one, filling the room with moans and groans. Anna dug her fingers through Mike's hair as he deepened the kiss, roaming her mouth rapidly yet fondly with each moment, causing them both to blush profusely.

Anna gripped Mike's back tightly, pushing him downwards so that they were even closer, making him groan out at the sudden contact below. Anna pulled away from the kiss and stared into his dark eyes full of lust mixed with an incomprehensible daze in which he felt dizzy and aroused all at the same time. As he watched her eyes intently, he didn't notice her hand slowly moving its way around his golden abs and down towards his heated arousal. She watched his eyes flutter heavily as she began to rub the throbbing member, enticing him further into a hypnotic and instinctual need for pleasure.

Mike moaned out heavily and deeply, feeling the sound vibrating through his chest and escaping his dry throat. Anna's breathing began to become heavier and faster as Mike's eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head, feeling an intense tingling of pleasure throughout his body. Not only did his heart rate quicken but so did his breathing as Anna continued to pleasure him slowly and agonizingly...almost taunting him to continue. She watched the perspiration dotting his brow, making his tanned skin shine deliciously under the moonlight. It wasn't long before she gave into her own human instincts and let go of his member, forcing him to do to her what she so desperately needed in this moment. Mike groaned out at the loss but soon felt his lips taken by hers once again, feeling her massaging his tongue hungrily, silently pleading for him to make his move. And so, he grabbed her wrists and pushed her deeper into the bed, attacking her neck with light nips and bites all the while growling heavily into her slick skin.

Through all the kisses, nips and bites, Anna hadn't even noticed the growing pleasure within her until it suddenly caused a shiver to run up her spine. Mike thrusted into her gently yet forcefully, eliciting a deep moan to escape her throat, followed by a sharp gasp of pleasure. Mike swallowed hard and shuddered while feeling her clench around his length tightly then slowly relaxed as he thrusted out. Each thrust in was caught by her tightness, almost pulling him deeper within her and causing him to grunt feverishly for more of the same feeling. Anna dug her nails into his back and dragged them up and down as he road her faster and faster. She opened her eyes briefly and stared at his tightly clenched eyes, that deep frown and slightly parted lips. Anyone looking at his face in this moment would probably assume that he was experiencing a vast amount of pain considering how deeply contorted his frown was becoming but this was in fact the exact opposite. He was experiencing so much pleasure, his face could only express one image to show what he was feeling.

Anna suddenly arched her head back and let her eyes close as her mouth hung open in awe. " Jesus..." She breathed, feeling an intense pleasure suddenly ripple it's way throughout her system. Her heart rate sped up as well as her breathing...and all because Mike had finally struck the spot that drove her wild. More and more, harder and harder he struck that spot deep within her, eliciting long and deep moans...followed by short gasps and heavy groans. He felt her nails digging into him harder as he sped up the pace, feeling his own pleasure increasing with each thrust. But, he wouldn't allow her to be sent over the egde just yet...he had another card up his sleeve. Just as Anna began to feel the trembling and tightening of her muscles, Mike slowed to a more steady pace while missing her spot completely on purpose, thrusting around it softly. Anna arched her back instinctively while Mike forced himself to keep the slow pace going, making this all extremely enjoyable yet agonizing at the same time.

Anna's eyes rolled into the back of her head as Mike slowly began thrusting back towards her spot, hitting it at a different angle each time...then sped up gradually, hearing her breaths become fast and heavy. He gripped the sheets around her tightly and lowered his head, moaning out various obscenities while speeding up faster and faster, harder and harder until their heavy panting quickly melded into short gasps and cries. Anna scratched at Mike's skin, pulling him closer and closer so that he pounded into her heavily and as hard as he could. Mike could no longer steady himself at one pace and was forced by nature to ride her as hard and as fast as possible until he could barely breathe...which of course was hightening the experience even further.

The room was now filled with muffled cries of pleasure and the heavy banging of the headboard against the wall. The sweat rolled down Mike's throbbing neck as he cried out heavily with a sharp gasp, feeling Anna's muscles's beginning to tighten around his hard member. He knew she was coming close...hell he knew HE was coming close, feeling the familiar feeling tugging at the pit of his stomach, making him grunt louder and louder.

" Fuck..."

" M-Mike...God..."

Their incoherent mutterings were cut short as an intense feeling of pleasure hit them both at the same time, causing them both to cry out loudly. Anna could no longer hold back the tightening feeling within her and felt her body jolt upwards, followed by a loud scream as Mike hit her spot the same time she was sent over the edge. Mike's eyes clenched tightly as did the muscles in his body, feeling Anna pulling the pleasure out of him. With a long and very loud cry, Mike came hard and violently, shuddering through the intensity the orgasm and falling onto her heated, sweat soaked body.

Mike rolled off of Anna gently and fell onto the damp sheets, feeling her roll onto her side beside him. For countless minutes, they just lay there together, panting heavily while trying to get rid of the trembling feeling of what had just happened. Anna stroked Mike's heated cheeks softly and leaned her forehead against his, feeling his perspiration cooling her brow. Mike swallowed hard and wrapped his arms around her, snuggling his body closer to hers while breathing rather shakily against her reddening cheeks. Anna soon felt sleepiness coursing throughout her system while finally regaining her breath...and was surprised when she heard Mike's soft voice echoing through her coming dreams.
" I love you..."
~~ *ducks for flying tomatoes*...Hehe...yeah i didn't think it was very good...sooooo surprise coming soon...obviously....thankees for reading, and please review and tell me if u think this sucked lmao...peace :)~~
Surprise Surprise
~~ And so i have promised a surprise...even though its not really a surprise...anyways, enjoy!!:)~~



Mike gave a great yawn and stretched painfully while entering the kitchen. He barely remembered what had happened last night but somehow he felt strangely refreshed…refreshed and hung over.

His last memories were of Chester talking to him at the bar about something then running upstairs to the bedroom. Man, I must have been so wasted.

He poured himself a cup of steaming coffee and checked his watch, noticing it flashing: 10:30. Anna’s not out of bed yet?

Just as he took a sip of his coffee, he couldn’t help but grin at the young girl walking up the stairs from her bedroom. She rubbed her eyes wearily and yawned, padding into the kitchen to sit down at the centre island.

“ Hey sleepy head, when did you get back from Tiffany’s?” he asked and gulped down a bit of the streaming drink.

She blinked away her fatigue and peered into his glowing eyes. “ 9:00…” She stopped with an arched brow and couldn’t help but notice how red Mike’s eyes were…which was weird because he looked totally awake and cheerful.

“ Are you okay?” she asked curiously.

Mike raised a brow of interest and looked around, searching for his answer. “ Uh…yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“ Your eyes look really red.” She muttered deciding suddenly to grab a bowl of cereal. Mike watched her as she carefully reached into the cupboard for a bowl.

“ It’s called a HANG OVER…what the hell do you kids learn in school?” he asked with a frown.

“ That would explain why when I came home this morning you were still in bed…but it doesn’t explain why you look so awake and cheerful. Did you take Prozac instead of Advil?” she asked while handing him her bowl full of cereal then grabbed the milk from the fridge.

“ I had a good sleep…is that a crime?” he asked and watched her pour the milk into the bowl.

“ That all?” she asked quietly and grabbed her bowl away from him, sitting herself down at the centre island again.

Mike swirled the coffee around in his mug and stared at her with suspicious eyes. What the hell did she mean by that? “ Yeah that’s all.”

“ So you just got drunk last night…for no reason, came home and fell asleep.” She explained with squinted eyes in thought.

“ Actually I had a reason for getting drunk…and you know what? I didn’t even realize that I was getting drunk.”

“ So what’s the reason?” she asked and took a bite of cereal.

Mike set his coffee cup down on the island and crossed his arms. “ I was upset…about having a baby.” He explained simply.

“ Did you get drunk when you found out about me?” she laughed.

Mike lowered his eyes and leaned his palms against the island. “ No but I almost left. I was actually beyond upset when I found about you and I didn’t intend to stay in the state.” He muttered with reluctant admittance.

Laura raised her eyes and nodded slowly while swallowing the cereal. “ Ouch…hate me that much huh?”

Mike frowned and walked towards her slowly. “ Come here.” He ordered.

Laura stared at him with confusion and slowly stood up. Mike wrapped his arms around her and stared into her deep eyes with a small smile. “ I’ve never hated you…I was just scared because I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But even though I haven’t known you that long, I still consider you my little girl and I love you with all my heart.” he explained in a warm tone.

Laura blinked slowly, letting his words sink into her mind. She then gave a small nod and sighed inwardly. “ Smooth dad…real smooth.”

“ I thought so.” He laughed and squeezed her tightly in a hug.

Laura smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before letting go of him and returning to her cereal. Mike looked up as he heard the toilet flushing from upstairs.

“ Your mom is finally awake…” he muttered.

Laura chewed down her cereal and swallowed with a nod. “ Did she have a good sleep too?”

“ I don’t know…maybe.” He replied.

Laura rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sometimes he was so oblivious…because she knew that something must have happened between them last night. First, you have Mike drunk…and Anna wanting a baby…and therefore manipulation ensues. Mike grabbed his coffee and drank it down thankfully as Laura munched on her cereal in silence.

Flush…that’s the second time that morning. Laura squinted her eyes in thought as she wondered why her mother had flushed the toilet again…perhaps she was sick. Her cheeks paled at that sudden thought. Oh yeah…she was sick…just not THAT kind of sick.

Mike placed his mug in the sink and glanced at Laura who had suddenly stopped eating. “ Something wrong?”

Laura looked up from her bowl slowly and stared at him for a long moment. Just as she was about to answer…the toilet flushed again. She gave a heavy sigh and watched Mike’s gaze darken.

“ What?” he asked with confusion.

“ Never mind…”

“ Good morning all…” Anna entered the kitchen slowly with a small smile and walked over to the coffee pot, filling a mug with the steaming substance.

“ Hey Anna…sleep in long enough?” Mike asked with an arched brow.

She took a sip of the coffee and nodded a little. “ Yeah I think so.”

Laura smiled and shook her head, holding back a laugh. “ Mom, you look absolutely glowing today.” She exclaimed happily.

Anna lowered her eyes and glanced at Mike nervously…taking a deep breath when he didn’t acknowledge the comment. “ Thanks…I think…” she replied shakily.

Mike looked at her and frowned a little, thinking she sounded a little nervous. “ You okay?” he asked with sudden concern.

Anna stared at him with wide eyes and cleared her throat giving a slow nod. “ Couldn’t be better.”

“ Then why do you look so nervous? Wait…are you feeling okay because I heard the toilet flushing like three times this morning.” He explained.

Anna stared at him silently for several moments, then swallowed hard. “ Uh…I feel fine…really…no need for concern.” She laughed shakily and walked towards Laura so that she didn’t have to be near Mike.

He raised a brow and crossed his arms…then his eyes slowly darkened in thought. Anna for sure thought she was a goner… that perhaps he had figured everything out.

“ Did I throw up on you last night or something?” he asked.

She sighed inwardly with relief and lowered her head. So he remembered being drunk…what else did he remember? “ N-no…no Mike you didn’t throw up on me…” she replied.

“ Thank God, I thought I did something completely stupid last night and now we’re all awkward about it.” He explained with a soft chuckle.

Laura glanced at her mother with a small smirk and Anna frowned at her. “ No Michael, everything is fine.”

“ Wait…” He stated in a low tone and walked towards her.

“ What?” she asked, watching a frown grow across his brow.

“ Something is very wrong here…”

“ W-what do you mean?” she asked nervously.

Mike eyed her intently and crossed his arms. “ You called me Michael. You only call me Michael when something is wrong…so what is it Anna? What did I do?” he demanded.

Her heart dropped in her chest and she lowered her eyes with worry. She really did NOT want to tell him what happened last night. “ Uh…actually it’s more of what WE did…”

Laura smiled and shook her head while finishing her cereal.

“ We? What do you mean? What did we do?” he asked with sudden confusion.

Anna let out the breath she had been holding and ran a hand through her hair. “ Last night…you were drunk…you came home at around 11:30 and let me tell you, you were pretty wasted.” She chuckled shakily.

“ Okay, I know THAT. Now what did we-.” He stopped suddenly and looked down in thought. Laura turned around to face them, knowing instantly that this was gonna get good. Suddenly, a smile twitched against his lips and he laughed softly under his breath.

Anna raised a brow and glanced at Laura with confusion, receiving the same look from her daughter.

“ Wow…” he muttered in awe.

They both waited for him to jump back into reality but obviously that wasn’t going to happen soon. “ Mike…finish your sentence.” Anna ordered sternly.

“ Last night was…wow…” he chuckled.

Laura cringed and cleared her throat, not sure if she wanted to hear the end of this story. “ Fuck…that was so fucking amazing-.”

“ –Child in the room. Child in the ROOM!” Laura shouted before he could finish his sentence.

He glanced at her and lowered his eyes apologetically. “ Sorry…”

“ Do you remember now?” Anna asked intently.

“ Yeah…Jesus…wow-.”

“ –Don’t start.” Laura warned shakily.

“ Oh grow up, its human nature.” He retorted.

“ And I don’t want to hear about it…can we move past this please?” she demanded, staring at her mother with pleading eyes.

“ I don’t see why you find this so disgusting. You’re going to end up doing it sometime in your life anyway.” Mike explained with a frown.

Laura moved her eyes slowly towards him and glared. “ I don’t want to hear about it coming from you thank you very much.”

“ Yeah tell that to me when you get your next boyfriend.”

“ You are going to be regretting you ever said any of this to me once I get pregnant at the age of sixteen.” She explained with crossed arms.

Mike’s eyes grew wider and he gasped out sharply. “ Okay, no dates for you…ever.”

“ You can’t do that!”

“ Guess you spoke too soon huh?”

“ I’m pregnant.”

Mike’s heart froze as did his voice. Those two words echoed in his brain like a chainsaw. He felt himself grow pale as he turned his head slowly towards the quiet voice beside him. Anna stared at him with a permanent blush and bit her bottom lip nervously.

“ Say again?”

“ I’m pregnant.” She breathed quickly.

Laura watched Mike’s eyes darken and his hands ball up into shaky fists. He closed his eyes and cocked his head a little, attempting to convince himself that he didn’t just hear what he heard.

“ Y-you’re…you’re what?” he demanded and opened his eyes.

“ Are we honestly going to have this conversation again? Yes, I’m pregnant, yes you’re the father, and yes you were drunk and caused this.” Anna explained with a small frown.

“ You’re kidding right?”

She gave a heavy sigh and shook her head before replying. “ I’m not kidding Michael. This time I’m telling you the truth.”

“ B-but maybe it’s just a mistake…”

“ Its not. Morning sickness never lies…” she replied quietly.

Mike swallowed hard and blinked at her with helpless eyes, beginning to feel his legs buckling beneath him. “ P-pregnant…”

“ Laura, could you get your father a chair please?” Anna asked quickly.

Laura stood up and grabbed a chair, placing it behind Mike just in time for him to collapse into it. Anna bent down in front of him and grabbed his shaking hands within her own, watching his eyes staring blankly into the floor. Obviously, he was in a state of shock.

“ Mike, its okay…just breathe.” Anna stated with a soothing voice.

“ P-pregnant…”

She watched him swallow hard and could feel his hands becoming shakier as he kept thinking about what all this meant. “ Look, I know it’s quite a shock and you’re probably pissed-.”

“ –Pissed? No. Scared? Hell yes.” He replied, slowly finding his way back to forming sentences.

“ You’re not pissed?” Laura asked with surprise.

He stared down at the floor and took a deep and shaky breath. “ Anybody else feel like they’re about to throw up?” he muttered.

Anna rubbed his hands gently and lowered her eyes. “ Mike, you were drunk-.”

“ –I was drunk the last time too…wait…were you drunk last night?” he asked.

“ No…”

“ So you manipulated me into getting in bed with you?” he demanded with disgust.

“ Mike, its not like it sounds-.”

“ –How could it not be? I was under the influence. You could have said no.”

Anna lowered her eyes apologetically and gave a heavy sigh. “ I’m sorry Mike…but I didn’t want to say no. Besides, you made it extremely difficult to say no. I’ve never seen you so…so…so vigorous.”

Laura frowned and growled under her breath. “ Thanks mom…like I really needed to know that.”

“ Could everybody please shut the fuck up and let me think?” Mike demanded angrily.

The room fell silent as Mike was left alone with his own thoughts and feelings.

A baby…just perfect. My band is on the verge of releasing a new album and she has to get fucking pregnant. Why can’t I just shoot myself in the head? What the hell was wrong with me last night? How could I have done such a thing? Wait…I spoke to Chester when I got drunk…that bastard! He talked me into it…I swear to God I’ll kill him for this.

Mike looked up from the floor and stared into Anna’s dark blue eyes, wishing she wasn’t giving him that ‘I’m sorry but I really wanted this’ look.

I could leave…yeah, right out the front door, no questions asked. Except the problem with that would be Anna begging me to stay, pleading for my presence. Oh, and then there’s Laura…perfect little Laura…always wanting and needing me to be here. Wait, why am I mad at her? She didn’t do anything. Okay, anyway, I’m pissed…I know I said I wasn’t, but now that I’ve put some thought into this…I am so pissed! Ah, Chester is so going to be dead! I’ll fire his ass so fast he won’t be able to say ‘I’ve become so numb’.

A low glare began to form on his brow, which worried Anna even further because she knew he was going to do something stupid like dart out the door like a bat out of hell.

I can’t have a baby…its impossible. There’s diapers and feeding and burping and cleaning and oh my God why am I rhyming? Okay, well it’s pretty obvious since I’m an Emcee but honestly...I feel so fucked up. Why is this happening! What if I can’t be here for the little thing? What if I accidentally drop it on its head or put it into the oven instead of the turkey? Okay, now I am freaking out big time. I’m going to end up fucking this up! I’m a terrible father and it’s not even born yet.

Mike looked away from Anna and stared up at Laura who was sitting on the high stool.

Look at those big brown eyes…so innocent and so full of life and to believe I almost lost her. I can’t believe this…I love her unconditionally yet I wasn’t there when she was born or when she was growing up. How did that happen? Is the love a parent has for their child stronger than anything?

Laura raised a brow and stared at him while he was deep in thought. She began to wonder why he was staring at her…why he was STILL staring at her. “ Dad, stop it, you’re scaring me.” She muttered quietly.

“ Sorry…I’m just…God, I don’t know about this. Something tells me I’m going to fuck this up so bad…” he whimpered helplessly and lowered his head.

Anna sighed heavily and lifted his chin up with her fingers. “ Michael, look at me…”

He raised his eyes to meet hers and frowned uneasily.

“ What makes you think you are going to fuck this up? You are a good person and an even better father…just ask Laura.”

Mike looked up at her and she rolled her eyes.

“ Thanks again Mom, put me on the spot. Okay look, dad you are the…uh…um…the…ugh, I’ll just come out and say it. You’re the best dad I could have ever possibly had and I don’t regret being your daughter for a minute because I love you so much and if you don’t accept this child I will kick your ass into next week.” She explained quickly.

Mike raised his eyes and nodded a little. “ Well said…”

“ The point is, this baby needs a father and you are so perfect for that. Trust me, once the baby wraps its hand around your finger for the first time…you will know how right it is. Mike…your maternal instinct will kick in so fast and so much that the fear you had before will just melt away and all you will be left with his love and happiness. I promise…just don’t turn your back on this because I know you will love this baby with all your heart.” Anna explained with a small smile.

Mike lowered his eyes and stared down in thought one more time before replying.

Okay so maybe having a little baby around wouldn’t be so bad? I mean, its small…I can handle small…I used to be a baby…it shouldn’t be so hard to take care of one. Besides, I have Anna and I have Laura and God forbid I need any more help I have Chester. I was so scared about losing one life…now I’ve managed to create another one. Great…my eyes are starting to sting…leave it to you Mike to start welling up over something like this.

Anna gave a small smile and watched Mike blinked out a small tear. “ Are you okay?” she asked softly.

He looked up from the floor and gave a weak smile, letting out a small breath. “ Yeah I’m fine…”

“ Are you crying?” Laura demanded and bent down beside her mother, staring into his eyes curiously.

He gave a short chuckle and wiped the tear away from his cheek. “ What can I say? I’m soft…”

“ Aw, Mikey’s crying! This is so adorable!” Anna squealed and wrapped her arms around him.

“ These are tears of happiness right?” she asked quickly just to make sure.

“ Yeah…” he laughed and felt her squeeze him even tighter.

“ I can’t wait to see you change a diaper.” Laura snickered and shook her head.

Mike lowered his eyes and ruffled his hand through her hair, messing it up, causing her to glare. “ Gee guess what? You’re helping.”

“ Am not.”

“ Are too.”

“ Am NOT!’

“ Are TOO!”

Anna rolled her eyes and stood up, watching them fight over something completely ridiculous. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Mike grab Laura in a suffocating hug and hearing her squeal with giggles.

He may be immature…but he’s so perfect…


~~wootness...anyways, two more chapters coming soon and then it will be the end...noooooo...hehe...hope you enjoyed this chappie and thanx again guys for the awesome reviews!! I love coming on this site and seeing so many positive words. They really encourage me to write more. THANKS AGAIN!!!!:)~~

Awaken Me
~~ Alright...*rubs hands together*...i hope you enjoy this chappie. HMMM does Laura die???????? ENJOY!!:)~~



The walk up the long staircase seemed to have been taking forever. Mike sighed uneasily, feeling a growing nervousness within his stomach as he took each step heavily. He prayed silently to himself that Laura was still alive. He wouldn’t allow her to die in pain.

Finally, he reached her bedroom door and turned the knob with a shaky hand. As he entered the room, he could already feel the heavy air surrounding the walls. Anna looked up from the chair with watery eyes while gripping her daughter’s hand tightly.

Mike’s eyes slowly trailed down to Laura’s pale face, growing grayer and grayer with each passing second. She was still alive, breathing erratically and attempting to keep her dark eyes open.

He walked towards the side of the bed and sat down in another chair that Anna had placed there for him when he returned. He watched Laura’s eyes close briefly then open again, signaling her weakening state. Mike opened the black case and pulled out the syringe, popping the clear cap off.

Anna watched him intently as he flicked at the shaft, popping the air bubbles. Laura stared up at him helplessly and watched him lower the needle slowly towards her outstretched arm.

“ D-dad…”

“ It’s okay…this will help you feel better…just relax.” He breathed softly, and then inserted the needle within her blue vein.

Laura sighed heavily, feeling the medication lowering her heart rate even further and forcing her muscles to relax. The doctor was right, this was a very fast working drug and the results were immediate.

Mike pulled the syringe out of her arm and placed it gently on the night stand beside the bed. Anna swallowed hard and grabbed Mike’s hand, watching his dark eyes soften.

The next few minutes were about to get a lot more difficult for the mourning parents. Laura blinked slowly and stared into space, feeling herself becoming lightheaded.

She found that she was having trouble keeping her eyes open and didn’t know if it was because of the drugs or her coming fate. She swallowed weakly, wetting her dry throat and let out a small sigh.

“ It’s getting darker…” she mumbled wearily.

Mike placed his hand upon hers and gave a grim smile, attempting to hold back his tears. “ Its okay.”

“ I-I’m scared…” she whispered through soft breaths.

Anna bit her bottom lip shakily and choked down her sadness. “ Don’t be scared…we’re here Laura…we’re here…” she replied quietly, reassuring her daughter.

Laura began to feel intense peace flowing through her body and calming her senses. It felt as if a warm light had wrapped itself around her, causing her to feel extremely comfortable.

The fear that she had felt moments ago was now quickly fading away, along with her strength. Mike lowered his head as he watched Laura’s eyes flutter weakly. Obviously she was trying so hard to stay awake and didn’t realize that she wasn’t falling asleep at all…her body was failing.

“ I-I’m tired…” she breathed.

Mike stroked her hair gently and smiled, lowering his eyes with deep compassion and sadness.

“ Its alright sweetie…go to sleep…” he whispered, no longer able to keep his voice at full volume.

Laura stared into his dark brown eyes, a reflection of her own. He began to stroke her cheek lightly, making her feel a hypnotic sleepiness. No matter how much she wanted to be in his arms right now, she couldn’t be.

She was too weak to even lift her hand and felt like she was being pushed downward into the bed by some unseen force. Her eyes felt heavy as she continued to stare into his eyes, watching them shine and become blurry as a small tear streaked its way down his cheek.

Anna gave a weak smile and rubbed her daughter’s hand with encouragement. She knew how stubborn her daughter was when she didn’t want to fall asleep.

“ Laura…its okay, we’re not going to leave you…” she explained gently, pushing down the large lump in her throat.

“ Promise?” she whispered to her parents.

“ We promise.” Anna replied, feeling hot tears falling from her eyes.

Laura blinked heavily and swallowed hard, staring at them with a distant gaze. “ Good night” she muttered sleepily.

Those two words nearly sent Mike over the edge in a frenzy of sobs, but he managed to hold them back…to his own surprise. He blinked a few tears from his eyes and kept his smile strong. It was important to let her feel like she was going to sleep, otherwise she would die in fear and anxiety.

“ Sweet dreams…” he whispered gently.

Laura gave a small smile, beginning to feel the sickness within her disappearing. She couldn’t stop the fatigue now and was letting her own breathing slow to a point where she was barely breathing at all. The smile around her lips faded gradually and her eyes darkened, becoming even more distant than before.

Everything around her became blurry and she felt like her body was as light as a feather. Mike and Anna watched as her eyes slowly fluttered closed and she let out a heavy sigh of comfort, giving the air around her warmth. Mike stared blankly at the child and felt Anna’s head leaned against his shoulder…followed quickly by a cry of sobs.

He wrapped his arms around his sobbing wife while continuing to stare down at the lifeless child. Silent tears warmed his lashes and soaked his reddening cheeks.

“ My poor baby…” Anna’s voice became cracked with each painful sob.

“ Shh, it’s okay…” Mike replied softly, feeling his own voice wavering with sadness.

“ Our baby…”

She kept sobbing those same words over and over again, causing more tears to fall from Mike’s eyes. His heart stung with each mention of the innocent child and he didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to hold it together.

Anna lifted her head and gazed into Mike’s red swollen eyes, sniffing lightly. “ She’s gone…”

“ Anna, its okay…she’s at peace…” he replied weakly.

She nodded a little and sighed heavily. She had gone over this moment a million times in her head and it still hurt, no matter how much she had tried to prepare herself.

The stinging sensation in her heart would never go away…not even until the day SHE died. No child should have to die before their parents…NEVER.

“ M-Mike…I need to be alone…” She muttered quietly, standing up.

He understood the need for her to be alone at the moment. After all, she needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings. Anna had never been one to want someone with her while she was upset and it seemed that it only made things worse for her.

He watched her leave the room silently and gazed at the door for quite a while before slowly turning his vision back to the lifeless child.

I can fly
but I want his wings
I can shine even in the darkness
but I crave the light that he brings
revel in the songs that he sings
my angel Gabriel

I can love
but I need his heart
I am strong even on my own
but from him I never want to part
he's been there since the very start
my angel Gabriel
my angel Gabriel

bless the day he came to be
angel's wings carried him to me
heavenly
I can fly
but I want his wings
I can shine even in the darkness
but I crave the light that he brings
revel in the songs that he sings
my angel Gabriel
my angel Gabriel
my angel Gabriel

my angel Gabriel
my angel Gabriel
my angel Gabriel
my angel my angel
my angel Gabriel




As Mike stared at the unmoving girl, memories began flooding back to him like a tidal wave. Instead of keeping the memories locked up inside his own mind, his voice seemed to have a mind of its own.

Before he even realized it, he was addressing his daughter as if she were still alive. Perhaps it was his own way of grieving.

“ God, you used to hate me…” he smiled, gripping her still warm hand.

He stared at her china like face and noticed how gray her skin had become. She looked like a doll preserved in time. He lowered his eyes sadly, watching a tear drip onto the white comforter.

“ Well to be honest, I wasn’t exactly dad material. And to be fair, you made my life a living hell.” He paused briefly and composed himself, wiping away a few tears.

“ When your mom first told me about you…first told me that I was your dad…I flipped out. I was so pissed…well, pissed and scared to death. I had no idea what to do and I wasn’t exactly keen on having the responsibility of taking care of you. I thought my life was ruined…but I was wrong. It only got better and better with each moment I spent with you.”

He stopped and choked back a small sob, staring up at the wall in front of him. “ And now you’re gone and…I-I don’t know what to do again. I’m s-scared…” His lips twitched dangerously as the tears flowed on their own without control.

“ I’m sorry…I’m sorry I was never there for you when you were growing up. I’m sorry I acted like I hated you when we met. I’m sorry I made you upset so many times. I-I’m sorry I was such an ass…I love you so much Laura…” Mike lowered his head and his eyes squinted as he sobbed lightly.

“ I’m sorry if I-I ever disappointed you…” he whispered and lowered his head to the bed.

His sobs began getting heavier and heavier as did his heart. The impact of Laura’s death had quickly entered into his reality and stabbed at his heart violently. And so, he let out all of his sobs while gripping the sheets tightly. He felt lightheaded as his sobs overcame his body, causing him to tremble with sadness and shock.

“ No…you never did…”

The room fell silent as Mike’s sobs halted abruptly. His chest tightened along with his heart dropping into the depths of his chest. His entire body burned and buzzed as he raised his head…a frown growing upon his brow.

He stared into the glistening brown orbs staring back at him with tears. He felt a soft warm sensation against his soaked cheek and blinked with confusion and even more shock. He literally felt like he was about to pass out.

“ Don’t cry daddy…”

He choked out the breath he had been unconsciously holding and furrowed his brow. She stroked his cheek gently while watching the tears escape his red eyes.

“ H-holy Jesus…” he muttered shakily.

The young girl stared at him wearily as his face reddened. Mike stood up quickly and walked to the edge of the bed, holding his forehead. He felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest.

Did she just fucking touch me? Did she just fucking talk to me? Is she fucking alive? Am I imagining things?

He averted his eyes from the bed and stared down at the floor, attempting to comprehend this logically.

You can’t come back from the dead, its impossible. But…what if the medication did something? It was experimental…it could have been stronger than what we were giving her before. It could have reduced the swelling in her brain and destroyed the blood cells that were attacking her body. Mike you are so full of bullshit. She’s dead and you are hallucinating.

Slowly, he looked back at the bed and swallowed hard, eyeing the young girl…who was staring back at him with confusion.

Tell me this is some sort of hallucination. There is no way in hell she is looking at me right now.

“ What?”

Her voice was cracked and weak…but it was clear in Mike’s ears. It was pretty evident that they were both kind of confused at the moment.

“ J-just…just stay there…” he breathed quietly and left the room in a hurry, running down the stairs.

As he entered the kitchen, he spotted Anna pacing around with tears streaming down her cheeks. She was distraught and upset…but perhaps not for long. “ A-Anna…”

“ We have to make funeral arrangements…a memorial service…w-we have to call everyone.”

“ Anna stop-.”

“ –We have to get a plot…a-and…and Jesus, I can’t go to a funeral…” she breathed sadly.

Mike glared and approached her quickly. “ Anna, can you stop for a second-.”

“ –God…why the hell does this have to be so fucking difficult? I can’t plan this…I can’t plan this-.”

“ –Anna for the love of God, shut up!”

She stopped cold and eyed Mike with shock. Why the hell is he yelling at me? “ I beg your pardon?” she demanded with a weak voice.

Great, upset her even more Mike…good job.

“ Sorry…you just kept talking and talking and I really needed to get your attention.” He explained apologetically.

Anna glared and crossed her arms…then her glare conformed to a concerned frown. “ Are you alright? You look really pale.” She explained.

Mike swallowed hard and then suddenly realized how weak his legs felt. Its amazing what shock can do to you. “ I-I…L-Laura…s-she…”

Great, now my words won’t come out.

He reached out and grabbed the centre island tightly, trying to hold himself up so his legs wouldn’t buckle.

“ Mike are you going to pass out?” she asked quickly and cupped her hands around his damp cheeks.

“ I-I don’t know…Jesus…” he breathed and blinked away his dizziness.

“ Mike what’s wrong?” she asked, assuming that he was taking Laura’s death rather hard.

“ She’s alive…” he muttered weakly.

Anna blinked quickly and stared into his dark eyes silently for a long moment, taking in what he had just told her.

“ Say again?”

Mike sighed shakily and slowly began to feel a little stronger.

“ Laura…is…alive…”

Anna’s eyes widened in disbelief and her heart skipped a beat. “ Are you serious?” she demanded.

“ No, I thought I’d joke about it.” He muttered sarcastically with a frown.

“ Mike, she can’t be alive. She JUST died.”

“ Uhuh…see that’s where I got confused.” He replied frantically.

Anna let go of him and pulled away slowly. “ If this is some sort of sick joke-.”

“ –Its not a fucking joke. Go up there and see for yourself!”

“ This isn’t funny Michael.” She warned angrily.

He ran a hand through his hair and laughed out in disbelief. “ Anna…I am telling you she’s ALIVE. She touched my cheek and spoke to me.”

“ And said what exactly?” she asked, obviously humoring him.

Mike growled under his breath and rolled his eyes. She wasn’t getting it. “ She said… ‘Don’t cry daddy’.”

“ That’s one hell of an overactive imagination Mike.” She muttered shakily.

Mike glared and grabbed her hand, pulling her upstairs as quickly as he could. “ Mike, what the hell are you doing?”

“ I’m showing you that I’m telling the truth.” He muttered angrily and opened the bedroom door.

Anna sighed heavily and followed him in with reluctance. She stopped beside the bed and stared down at Laura’s weak form. Everything looked the same…her eyes were closed, her face was pale and she wasn’t moving. Anna sighed heavily and looked back at Mike with a dark look.

“ Michael…I think you should go sit down for a while and calm down.”

“ –But…she was just-.”

“ –No…I know you want her to be alive but I’m sorry…she’s gone and you have to accept it.” She explained, almost on the verge of tears.

Mike stared down at Laura and lowered his eyes with confusion…touching his cheek softly, still feeling her touch against his skin.

“ But…she touched my cheek…I felt it…it was real…” he explained with a cracked voice.

“ Only because you want it to be.”

“ She spoke to me.” He stated clearly, feeling his tears beginning to blur his vision.

Anna grabbed his hands gently and lowered her head. “ No Mike…she didn’t…” Mike fell down into the chair beside the bed and choked out a few heavy sobs.

“ Laura…please wake up…”

Anna sighed heavily and sat down beside him, shaking her head. Deep down inside, she knew this would happen to him. Mike had never taken emotional pain easily and now he was breaking down…again.

“ I heard her…I saw her…she was alive…she spoke to me…” His sobs echoed around the small room as Anna put her arms around him, holding him as he rocked back and forth slowly.

Anna could already tell that it wasn’t going to be easy for Mike to let her go.

“ Jesus…why do I have to be related to such a drama queen?”

Mike lifted his head quickly and coughed back his sobs as Anna looked towards the bed with a jumping heart.

“ Laura?” she breathed in shock.

The young girl opened her eyes a little wider and rubbed her face weakly with a shaky hand. “ No shit…” she muttered.

Mike stared at Laura with wide eyes and wiped away his tears. He was right…she had been alive. She sat up a little and moaned wearily, trying to get rid of her throbbing headache.

“ Fucking hell…how is this possible? How c-can you be…oh my God…” Anna breathed shakily.

Mike lowered his eyes and stared at her for a long moment. Anna turned her head slowly and watched his expression darken.

“ I hate to say I told you so…” he muttered.

“ Michael, she wasn’t alive when I came up here.”

“ She probably fell back into unconsciousness or something.” He argued back.

“ W-wait a minute…I was dead?” Laura asked fearfully.

“ Yeah you were…but for some reason you’re not anymore.” Anna replied with confusion.

“ Look, why don’t we get her to the hospital to get checked out. I have a feeling it was all because of those experimental drugs…and thanks for not believing me by the way…that helps a lot.” Mike explained.

Anna lowered her eyes and stared at him silently. Laura leaned her head back against the pillow and groaned with annoyance. Her parents were fighting…why were they ALWAYS fighting?

“ Can we go?” she demanded wearily.

“ Oh right…sorry…” Mike muttered.

Anna sighed heavily and stood up as Mike picked up Laura and carried her downstairs. She turned around suddenly and frowned at Laura, eyeing her curiously.

“ What?” Mike asked, attempting to get her out the door faster.

“ She swore…”

“ When?”

“ She said ‘no shit’.”

Mike turned his head slightly and looked at Laura who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She was still pretty weak from the looks of things. He gave a small smile and wrapped his jacket around her.

Hopefully, her brain was returning to normal…and he silently prayed that she didn’t have any kind of permanent brain damage. For all he knew…she could have been paralyzed.

The only way they would know anything definitive was if they brought her to the hospital to figure all of this out. All of this had been extremely shocking and fearful…and Mike couldn’t exactly help but feel even more anxiety as he lowered Laura into the truck.

She was alive…but was she better?

{Song: Gabriel}
{Artist: Lamb}

~~ Okay so she's alive...*throws confetti* i couldn't kill her, come on lol. Anywhoosies, what happens next??? Is he REALLY better? Or is she paralyzed?????? Or brain damaged??? OOOOO..anywhoosies, the end is nearing and there will be a tiny little surprise at the end...hehe...thankees for reading this far and dont forget to review!! :)~~
Breathe No More
~~ K, i updated...are you guys happy???? OH MAN YOU SHOULD BE CUZ THIS CHAPTER IS SO...UH...I DUNNO...FIC-ISH...i don't know what the hell that means but please, sit down relax and ENJOY!! WOOT!! :)~~




When Mike and Anna had brought Laura to the hospital, it had amazed all the doctors there that she was still hanging on. They had performed numerous tests, including injecting her with more of the experimental drugs, which seemed to have been helping incredibly.

You see, Laura had in fact died that morning. Her body had shut down completely and her heart had stopped but…she wasn’t officially brain dead. When Mike had injected her with the new drug, her body reacted by relaxing her already dying body which had helped shut everything down.

But, the medication began destroying the blood cells that were attacking her body, making room for new white blood cells so that any newly produced infections would be destroyed.

In turn, her heart began pumping the filtered blood, thus awakening her system once again. She had only been dead for a minute and a half…then everything began reacting to the awakening body and sent electric currents through the dying brain…and woke her up.

And so, the doctors continued treating Laura with the new experimental medication and managed to get her Vasculitis under control. It wouldn’t be long until all traces of the disease were destroyed…and she would begin living a healthy life once again.

Being the stubborn girl that Laura was, she didn’t want her parents hanging around her at the hospital 24/7 so Mike had agreed to go home and take care of things there while Anna stayed to make sure Laura was alright.

The doctors said that even though Laura would make a full recovery, she would still be somewhat weak during the first few weeks of her treatment and would probably have to take it easy for a while. The good thing was, she had her appetite back and was now gaining weight, allowing her naturally golden cheeks to return full and healthy.

The first week at the hospital was rather easy for Laura because all she had to do was sit there and receive medication and eat. The second week however, she was becoming more and more impatient to return home. Just like her father, she despised hospitals and it irritated her to have to sit in a bed for two weeks and stare at the wall in front of her.

She hated that disinfectant smell that always produced in the hallways when someone threw up or went to the bathroom accidentally. She hated hearing coughing and hacking from other room and hated the sound of latex gloves being pulled on even more. Nothing good ever came from a nurse snapping on latex gloves. Of course, those two weeks were even more difficult for Mike. He was home…alone…all day and all night with only the silence of the house and his own worried thoughts for his daughter.

He hated waiting…especially since he hadn’t seen his daughter for fourteen days. He would pace around the living room in deep thought for a while then sit on the couch and stare at the TV blankly as some news reporter talked about the current events in the city.

What’s worse was every time he picked up his guitar to play something and get his mind off of Laura, not one good sound would come out. It seemed like his guitar was starting to hate him. He began to wonder how much longer her treatments were going to take because if it kept up like this, he was going to lose his musical abilities for sure.

Finally, the second week of treatment had ended and the doctors sent Laura home with a clean bill of health…as well as a long bill to pay for the pills she had received so that the Vasculitis wouldn’t come back. The good thing was, she only needed one prescription and only needed to take the pills for a week.

There was only one bad thing though: the prescription costs one thousand dollars.

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



The house was silent as Laura and Anna walked inside. Laura welcomed the fresh scent of her home happily and gave a great sigh, signaling that she was finally home.

Anna pulled off her jacket and peered around the living room and kitchen. They were both empty. She raised a brow of interest and looked up the stairs, seeing no one above.

“ Mom, what are you doing?” Laura asked quietly, shaking off her shoes.

“ I’m looking for your father…he was supposed to be here…” she muttered curiously.

“ Maybe he had to go to the studio…or maybe he’s out with the band at the bar…” Laura explained.

“ It’s two in the afternoon, he wouldn’t drink this early.” Anna replied with a frown and opened the closet door, stuffing her purse in.

“ Mike!” she yelled.

Laura raised a brow as the only response to her shout was silence. Anna growled under her breath and closed the closet door.

“ Michael!”

Suddenly, they heard a loud thump and then footsteps coming from upstairs. The footsteps neared the stairs quickly and then banged loudly, sending a black form tumbling down the stairs and crashing hard against the floor below. Anna gasped and put her hands over her mouth in shock as she stared down at Mike in fear.

Laura smiled and came up beside her mother, also staring down at Mike but with more of an amused look.

“ Fuck…” he breathed and rubbed the back of his head.

“ Michael, what the hell are you doing?” Anna demanded in panic.

He opened his eyes and groaned painfully before replying. “ Well I was actually trying to do a back flip but instead I tumbled.” He muttered sarcastically.

Anna lowered her eyes and crossed her arms. “ Is there a reason why you decided to fly down the stairs like that?”

“ Yeah, I like to make an entrance.” He replied and sat up slowly, feeling his back cracking painfully.

Laura tried to hold back a laugh as she pictured that hilarious moment again…just remembering her own father falling down the stairs.

“ Actually, I was coming downstairs and I tripped…happy?” he demanded while carefully standing up.

“ Well next time try not to scare the hell out of me. I thought you broke your neck.” Anna breathed and hugged him tightly.

Mike gave a boyish grin as she pulled away from him, then slowly began to walk into the kitchen.

“ I’ll make some lunch…anyone want some?” she asked.

Laura slowly glanced at Mike and frowned at his grin. He looked oddly strange this afternoon…something about him was definitely different.

“ Count me in…” she muttered back to her mother.

“ Mike?” Anna asked, setting a few pots on the stove.

“ Yeah…same.” He replied quietly.

Laura continued to stare at him, hoping that grin would disappear but of course it didn’t. His dark brown eyes shone into her like fire and it caused her to shiver a little.

“ What?” she demanded with impatience.

“ I can’t believe you are actually standing here…all alive and such.” He breathed.

Laura raised a brow and gave a small nod, stepping away from him slowly. “ Uhuh…well I’m here…and please stop staring at me like that.” She replied in a low tone.

“ Staring at you like what?” he asked.

“ Like…I don’t know…you’re creeping me out.” She answered frantically.

“ But I love you…” he stated with a deep voice while widening his eyes. Laura frowned and tried to avert her eyes from his…which looked increasingly creepy as the seconds flew by.

“ Mom, Dad’s being creepy!’ she shouted with warning.

Anna smiled and continued to stir the pot of soup while Laura tried to get away from Mike’s intense gaze. Just as Laura thought Mike was going to reach out and grab her neck like a crazy man, he lowered his eyes happily and gave a bright smile, then grabbed her hand gently, placing a soft kiss upon it.

She furrowed her brow with confusion and watched his eyes soften, causing her to blush. Before she even realized it, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a comfortable hug.

At first, Laura panicked, wondering what the hell just happened but then she instantly calmed when she smelled the familiar aftershave and cologne. She instinctively melted her head into his chest and gripped his black hoodie tightly. Mike smiled down at her and stroked her hair gently while feeling her hot breath through his shirt.

It had been such a long time since they had held each other like this. Laura closed her eyes and listened to Mike’s steady heart, realizing how much she had missed his warm hugs. Even though she didn’t want anyone with her during her stay at the hospital, she still longed for the moment when she would return home and melt into her father’s warmth as if nothing could hurt her while within his arms.

She lifted her head slowly after a while and stared into his warm eyes, watching a small rim of tears shake within them. Despite the tears, his smile remained as he gazed deep within her dark orbs. Mike blinked slowly, and then lowered his head, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead while stroking her cheek softly. Laura swallowed the large lump in her throat and tried not to let her own tears well up.

Of course, Mike was making it increasingly difficult for her to hold back her emotions as he lowered his eyes, letting a small tear trail down his cheek. He just felt like falling to his knees and sobbing tears of joy while watching her eyes shine with coming tears.

Fifteen or so months ago, he never thought he’d be at this point…the point where he would rather kill himself than not have his daughter with him. He loved her so much…so deeply than anything he had ever felt before. There were no words to describe the love he felt for his daughter…he just knew he loved her.

“ L-Laura…”

He stopped suddenly as his whisper cracked within his throat. She nodded a little, understanding what he was trying to say even though the words wouldn’t come out.

So seeing as though he couldn’t exactly say what he was feeling, a small tune escaped his throat, forming into heartfelt words. Laura closed her eyes and listened to the soft melody while feeling his warm arms around her.

I've been looking in the mirror for so long.
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.
All the little pieces falling, shatter.
Shards of me,
Too sharp to put back together.
Too small to matter,
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.
If I try to touch her,
And I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no more.

Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.
Lie to me,
Convince me that I've been sick forever.
And all of this,
Will make sense when I get better.
But I know the difference,
Between myself and my reflection.
I just can't help but to wonder,
Which of us do you love.
So I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no...
Bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe,
I breathe-
I breathe no more.


“ I love you Dad…”

Mike stared down at Laura, watching a small stream of tears streak their way down her reddening cheeks. He smiled while wiping away the tears that stained her face and lowered his eyes happily.

“ Now stop making me fucking cry…” she muttered while hearing a small chuckle escape his chest.

“ I’m sorry.” He laughed while wiping away his own tears this time.

“ Aw, look at you two all hugs and tears. This is so adorable!” Anna squealed as she ran over to them.

Laura frowned at her mother’s overexcitement and sighed with annoyance. Anna gave a small gasp and looked at Mike with bright eyes, almost begging him for something.

“ Mike…can we have another one?” she asked.

He furrowed his brow and cocked his head with confusion. “ Another what?”

“ Child.”

He stared at Anna with blank eyes, letting that one word sink in…then it hit him. “ Uh…what?”

“ Can we have a baby? Oh it would be so wonderful! Aw, you would make such a great dad!”

Mike lowered his eyes with worry and pulled away from Laura. “ I’m already a dad.”

“ Yes but wouldn’t you like to see a little one running around the house…OH! What if we had a little baby boy?” she asked with excitement.

Mike sighed out sharply and frowned with even more worry because he knew Anna was going to try to seduce him into doing it no matter how hard he tried to get away from it.

“ A-Anna…lets not jump ship here without even knowing what the hell is going to happen. I have a very demanding job…places to go…people to see…music to perform. How the hell am I supposed to perform out there if I’m thinking about a baby?”

She reached out suddenly and gripped his hands tightly within her own while giving him the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her. “ This is going to be so perfect!”

“ N-no, Anna…I never agreed to any of this.” He warned.

“ Shut up, you don’t have a say in this anyway.” She muttered.

“ Excuse me? If I’m going to be taking care of a baby I’m going to have to have a say in this. What if I don’t want this?” he asked.

“ You wanted Laura.” She replied with a small smile.

He glanced at Laura and watched a smile grow across her face. “ Don’t tell me you’re agreeing with your mother…” he muttered.

She patted him on the back and gave a short chuckle. “ Hey man, it’s not up to me. Good luck winning this argument by the way.” She laughed and disappeared into the kitchen.

He lowered his eyes and looked back towards Anna…her smile never disappeared much to his dismay. “ Could we at leased talk about this first?” he asked hopefully.

“ Of course…when did you want to talk about it?”

“ How about…never.”

Anna lowered her eyes and crossed her arms, eyeing him intently. “ Michael…we are going to talk about this whether you like it or not.”

He growled angrily and stormed into the kitchen, hearing Anna’s loud footsteps following him. “ Laura, tell her mom that you don’t want a sibling.” He ordered calmly.

Laura stared at him for a few moments, then took a small sip of soup. “ Who says I don’t?”

Mike raised his eyes with surprise and flailed his hands in the air as he spoke. “ What the hell is wrong with this fucking family? Have you all gone baby mad?” he demanded.

“ Dad calm down, it’s just a baby…” she muttered.

“ No, you don’t understand. It’s a baby with dirty diapers, disgusting spittle and hours of crying. I will not willingly do this.” He explained frantically.

“ Not only that…your mom is going to be pregnant…pregnant and CRANKY. For all I know, she might throw all the pots from the kitchen at my head for no reason whatsoever! This is dangerous.” He finished.

Both women stared at Mike blankly as his reddening face slowly turned back to its natural bronze color.

“ The end…” he breathed and lowered his head, attempting to regain his composure.

Laura squinted in thought and raised her spoon, pointing at him. “ Wasn’t it you that said : But in the end, it doesn’t even matter?”

“ No, that was Chester.” He replied quickly.

“ No Laura, he said: I don’t know why, it doesn’t even matter how hard you try. Therefore, trying to get away from this isn’t going to work.” Anna smiled defiantly.

Mike frowned at both of them and walked towards the stairs angrily. “ Ha, ha, very funny.” He muttered and ran upstairs, slamming the door to his room.

Laura swallowed her soup and stared at the stairs blankly. “ He’s going to fit in well with a one year old.” She muttered.

Anna laughed and shook her head while watching her daughter’s smile grow.


{Song: Breathe No More}
{Artist: Evanescence}

~~ HAHA hope you enjoyed this chappie..hehe...guess what the surprise is...hmmmmmmmmm....so anywhoosies, thankees for the reviews guys, you ppl make me smile...hehe yay!! WOOT GO YOUS!! *hugs for all*...stay tuned for more!! :)~~

Surrender
~~ Okay, this chapter is kinda happy and kinda cute so i hope you enjoy before the big bomshell of fate comes in the next chappie..hehe..ENJOY!!:)~~
“ How’s the neck?”
Mike looked up from his steaming cup of coffee and lowered his eyes at his chuckling wife. “ It’s fine.”
“ Bullshit…I can see how stiff you are.” She smiled and walked around behind him.
“ I said I’m fine.” He muttered and took a small sip of the bubbling drink.
Anna continued staring at him for several seconds until he finally snapped.
“ Okay fine, it hurts like hell but then again you wanted me to strain my neck against that God awful couch.” He explained.
Anna grabbed his coffee mug and took a large gulp, still staring at him. “ Ouch.” She hissed sarcastically.
“ And thank you for stealing my coffee…” he replied with a fake smile.
“ It’s a love hate relationship…get used to it.” She muttered and put the empty mug in the sink.
“ So are you going to attach a collar around my neck and drag my around the house too?” he asked bitterly.
Obviously the fighting hadn’t stopped since yesterday but at leased they weren’t physically abusing each other this time. Anna stared at him in thought and crossed her arms.

“ I must say that’s extremely tempting but unfortunately Laura needs her medication and gee guess what? It’s your turn to wrestle with her over the needle.” She explained with a large smile…her tone becoming even bitterer with each word.
Mike lowered his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, proceeding towards the stairs. “ Did I mention how sorry I am for what I did to you both?”
“ You’re not getting out of it Michael…and no as a matter of fact, you didn’t say you were sorry at all.”
“ I didn’t?” he asked with surprise and watched Anna nod slowly.
“ You didn’t even beg for forgiveness. Where the hell’s my groveling?” she demanded with insult.
“ So what, you want me to get down on my knees right now?” he asked.
“ Well, if you did…you might get a few weeks shaved off of that ‘sleeping on the couch’ thing.”
“ How long were you going to make me sleep there?” he demanded with an arched brow.
Anna looked up in thought and squinted a little. “ Six months…BUT if you beg for forgiveness now, I’ll cut it down to five.”
“ Five is still too long!” He argued in disbelief.
“ I can make it longer.” She snapped with a hiss.
Mike eyed her with a look of ‘ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?’.” He couldn’t believe that she’d force the person she loved to sleep on the couch for five months, all the while threatening to make it longer.
“ What the hell kind of wife are you anyway?” he spat.
Anna glared at him and leaned against the centre island. “ You know what? I guess on my way home from picking up the groceries, I could pick up some divorce papers while I’m at it…would that make you happier?” she demanded.
Mike growled under his breath and watched Anna’s eyes move away from him and suddenly look up the stairs. Mike turned around, wondering what she was looking at and spotted Laura wobbling weakly down the steps. Each step was careful and slow, planned meticulously so that she wouldn’t fall over.
She gripped the banister so tightly, he knuckles became white and she stared down at her parents with a pale face and a weary expression.
“ Laura, what are you doing out of bed?” Anna asked with worry.
“ C-couldn’t sleep…” was all that came out of her mouth. Mike reached for her arm and gently guided her down the last few steps. She gripped him tightly and blinked away the dizzying world around her.
“ You want to sit down?” Mike asked, then heard a sudden snort from Anna.
Of course she wanted to sit down. Laura leaned into him heavily and gave a small nod as he pulled her towards the couch and sat her down.
“ You know, I really miss her sarcasm.” He breathed and turned back to Anna.
“ Yeah I’ll bet…” she muttered.
Mike frowned and approached her slowly, crossing his arms. “ What the hell was THAT supposed to mean?”
“ Well you two always fought with each other over the stupidest things and now that she has barely got any brain power left, you are fighting with me and making MY life a living hell.” She explained angrily.
“ So now it’s a competition? Seeing who can fight with whom the longest?” he demanded.
Laura watched them from the couch and gave a small worried frown.
“ You certainly seem to enjoy it.” Anna scoffed under her breath.
Mike gave a loud growl and approached her quickly.
“ What are you going to do? Slap me? Hit me over the head with a frying pan?” she demanded.
Mike stared at her with an intense stare for several seconds before slowly closing his eyes. Anna furrowed her brow as she watched Mike slowly drop to his knees and lower his head.
Laura lifted her head a little more to see over the top of the couch. She watched as her father gave a heavy sigh and then grabbed Anna’s hands within his own. He didn’t say anything for a while and just left a very confused Anna standing there, wondering why her husband was suddenly on his knees, and holding her hand.
Then finally he spoke with a soft and gentle voice, raising his eyes to meet hers.
“ I’m sorry…”
Anna blinked quickly, not believing her own ears. They were just fighting ten seconds ago…why the sudden peace? “ Say again?” she asked with an arched brow.
“ Please forgive me…I’ll do anything…I just don’t want to sleep on that damn couch for the rest of my life and it really hurts.” He whined.
Anna almost smiled but forced herself to keep the bubbling happiness from rising. He just looked so damn cute with the pouty lip and big brown eyes. He shuffled forward a little more and let his bottom lip pout even more, making his eyes grow wider so that he could look as adorable as possible.
Anna could barely hold back a giggle as he gripped her hands softly.
“ I can’t live without waking up next to you in the morning…and I must say, sleeping on that couch hurts me emotionally…if I have to sleep on that for one more night, I may cry…and its not going to be pretty…” he warned with a gentle voice.
Anna tried to stop her cheeks from burning but couldn’t and could already feel a smile twitching its way around the corner of her lips.
“ Please forgive me…pwetty pwetty pwease?”
She couldn’t hold the giggle back for much longer and lowered her head, letting out the small laugh. Mike gave a large smile that caused his dimples to grow. Anna pulled him up slowly and gave him a small kiss on the lips.
“ Dammit…I really thought I could control myself that time.” She growled.
“ Too bad you married the cutest guy on the planet…now you’re doomed to laugh and giggle for the rest of your life.” He explained with a chuckle.
Anna smiled and wrapped her arms around him while staring into his sparkling eyes.
“ So what’s the verdict? Will I have to sleep on that rock forever or will you let me come back to the feathery white comforter and pillows?” he asked.
Anna sighed with thought and gave a crooked smile. “ I don’t know…Laura what do you think?”
Mike frowned and stared at his daughter who suddenly perked up from the slouching couch.
“ Huh?”
“ Do you think your dad should keep sleeping on the couch or should he get to sleep in his own bed?” Anna asked cheerfully.
Mike rolled his eyes and gave a short gasp. “ Anna, she’s a child. She can’t make this kind of decision by herself…she needs help…specifically from me.” He smiled and jumped onto the couch, staring at his daughter with expectation.
“ Tell your mom you want me to go back to the bed.” He stated slowly.
Laura gave a small smile and glanced at her mother who was shaking her head with a fake frown.
“ Anna, I can see that.” Mike warned.
“ I was just shaking out my hair…and not in any way trying to influence her decision.” She explained and then mouthed the words NO to Laura who giggled softly.
Mike lowered his eyes and got right back on track. “ Laura…you wouldn’t want your poor and not to mention handsome father to sleep on the couch now would you?” he asked with a small pout.
Laura hummed in thought and smiled evilly. “ Maybe…”
“ Come on…I’m your dad…you are supposed to be daddy’s little girl. Tell your mom I’m sleeping in the bed.” He pressured softly with a growing smile.
“ Mmmm…no!” she exclaimed cheerfully as Mike let out a gasp in disbelief, hearing Anna laughing hysterically.
“ No? You’re supposed to take my side.” He muttered in defeat.
Laura patted him on the head and smiled with bright eyes. “ No.”
Mike growled playfully and attacked her with tickles, sending her falling backwards softly full of giggle and small screeches of happiness.
“ You little brat.” He laughed and slowly sat back up.
Anna sat down on the couch next to them and put a small duffle bag on the coffee table. She watched Laura sit up and hug her father tightly.
“ Don’t worry daddy, I still love you.” She giggled.
“ Oh…thanks…now I feel all better. But you know thanks to you, my neck is going to be killing me.” He explained.
“ You’ll survive.” Laura muttered and kissed him on the cheek.
“ Good girl.” Anna smiled and watched Mike’s eyes darken.
“ What is this, pick on Mike day?”
“ No, this is give your daughter her injection day.” Anna replied and handed him a syringe from the duffle bag.
Mike took it gently and felt Laura scoot away from him rapidly, eyeing the needle with nervous eyes and shaking lips.
“ No.” she stated and shook her head as Mike furrowed his brow.
“ Laura, don’t be scared, it won’t hurt.”
“ Yesterday you said it would hurt a lot…” she pouted.
Anna sat back and crossed her arms, giving a smug smile. “ Yeah Mike, you did say that…how will she ever trust you?”
“ Quiet and let the expert handle this.” He muttered and raised a hand, silencing Anna.
She gave a small laugh and shook her head as he tried to ignore her snorts and giggles.
“ Laura…I was trying to scare your mom. She hates needles…she doesn’t even want to inject you. I however don’t mind and I promise you it won’t hurt a bit.” He explained calmly.
Laura shuffled closer to him slowly while staring profoundly into his trustworthy eyes. “ You’re not lying?” she asked cautiously.
“ I would never lie to you…I love you…” he replied softly and dabbed her arm a little with a swab filled with alcohol.
“ Besides, the worse things about needles are the alcohol swabs. Its cold and its wet and the air makes it burn.”
Laura kept her eyes on his as he carefully pushed the needle inside her arm.
“ And while you wait for someone to take the cap of the syringe, the cold air makes it worse and then you just become numb…and then as you’re waiting for this massive pain from the needle, it turns out it was already pushed in and taken out before you even realized it.” He smiled as he pulled out the needle.
Laura blinked slowly and stared down at the needle nervously. “ But I’ll still feel the sting…” she whined.
“ Sweetie, you’re not going to feel the sting because I already injected you and you didn’t even feel it.” He explained with a chuckle.
She frowned and looked down at her arm which had a small swollen circle with a red dot in the middle. She then looked back up at Mike and raised her eyes in realization.
“ You tricked me…”
“ You’re too smart for that.” He smiled and put the empty syringe on the table.
Anna stared at Mike in awe and amazement, then slowly let out a heavy breath in disbelief. “ She cries and shouts with me and when you do it, she’s completely silent and calm!”
He turned to her and raised a brow. “ The key here is distraction. Kids fall for it every time. It’s as good as bribing them with money.” He explained.
“ You’re a terrible father!”
“ I hope for your sake that was sarcasm because I believe I did a hell of a job with this.” He muttered with a furrowed brow.
“ Daddy?”
“ Yes Laura?” he asked as he turned to her.
“ What time is it?”
He looked down at his watch, slightly confused as to why she even wanted to know the time. “ 5:30 in the morning…why? Are you tired?” he asked.
She shook her head and stared at the patio doors, slowly standing up. Anna raised a brow and watched as she gripped the couch tightly, eyeing the sky and it’s brightening horizon.
Mike stood up and walked behind her, following her closely towards the doors. Everyone in the room was silent as Laura slowly opened the sliding doors and shuffled onto the patio.
Mike followed her towards the railings and stopped when she did. Anna stayed in the doorway, watching the two glowing under the growing sunrise. Mike watched Laura’s dark eyes brighten with the sun and she gave a soft smile, despite how shitty she was feeling.
Her pale face became a soft hazy orange as the sun poked its way over the horizon, revealing the sparkling dew filled grass. Mike’s heart warmed as he watched his daughter peering into the sky in a state of complete awe and peace.
Deep down inside, he felt the growing sadness filling his heart, knowing that this could very well be the last time he would get to spend with his daughter while she was still able to stand up. But the happiness and calm he felt at this moment by just being with her was more dominant in his heart and his eyes nearly swelled with tears.
He never wanted to see the light fade from her eyes…but he slowly accepted the fact that these moments were going to end…that her eyes would darken and she would give a soft sigh…relaxing her body from the pain.
Mike stared out into the sunrise and blinked away a few tears, then slowly smiled, gripping his daughter’s warm hand.

My hands hold safly to my dreams
Clutching tightly not one has fallen
So many years I've shaped each one
Reflecting my heart showing who I am
Now you're asking me to show
What I'm holding oh so tightly
Can't open my hands can't let go
Does it matter?
Should I show you?
Can't you let me go?

Surrender, surrender you whisper gently
You say I will be free
I know but can't you see?
My dreams are me. My dreams are me

You say you have a plan for me
And that you want the best for my life
Told me the world had yet to see
What you can do with one
That's committed to Your calling
I know of course what I should do
That I can't hold these dreams forever
If I give them now to You
Will You take them away forever?
Or can I dream again?

{Song: Surrender}
{Artist: Barlow Girl}

~~ Okay the sad/depressing chapter is coming next so be patient while i write it...so it won't be up until maybe tomorrow...anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!! YAY!!...thankees for reading!!:)~~
Am I That Unimportant?
~~ Sorry for the long-ish wait but stuff came up. So here is the next chapter for your reading pleasure. I know i said that this would be the sad chapter but it's only half of it because again, if i had posted all of it, it would have taken you five million years to get through it so this part will be two chapters. Enjoy!:)~~

Two Weeks…

The pace at which Laura had weakened was unimaginable. In a matter of fourteen days, she had become bed ridden and couldn’t keep any food or drink down. She had lost a vast amount of weight and was now coming in at around seventy pounds or so.

There were many nights that she wouldn’t be able to sleep and would stay awake crying for companionship…either that or she was under an immense amount of pain. The days were not as tough though, she would sleep and sleep and sleep all day and would awaken only during the night, forcing her parents to change their sleeping habits.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Anna to control her emotions while watching her daughter reject food and lose weight drastically and there were many nights that Mike would have to calm her down and hold her in an attempt to keep her sane enough to get through a few more days.

Mike was the complete opposite of what he had been a few weeks before. He was no longer depressed or angry about the current situation because he was only concentrating on Laura’s remaining time and not her coming death.

However, this was not the case for Anna.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Laura’s death and just kept imagining the look upon her daughter’s face as she died…feeling her fingers run cold and her face become gray.

She didn’t think she’d even be able to attend the funeral let alone sit in her daughter’s room and watch her die. She admired Mike’s will to remain patient and calm during all of this and knew that he was probably just hiding behind a façade.

Deep down, he was terrified and sobbing…though he would not allow himself to show those emotions on the outside. He had promised himself that he would be strong for his family and breaking down would only cause more problems, especially for his emotionally distraught wife.

The two parents had no idea when Laura would finally escape this life, but the one thing they knew for sure was that it was nearing quickly. The hours in which she slept were becoming longer and longer with each day and it sickened the parent’s deeply within their hearts.

It was as if they were awaiting the coming of the end of the world…although losing a child really did feel that way. Anna walked into Laura’s room stiffly and shivered because of the slight draft coming from the open window. She gripped the cracked window lightly and pulled it closed, sucking the draft out and feeling the warm air circle around her.

She turned slowly towards the bed and eyed her daughter carefully, making sure her chest was still rising and falling softly. Well it was rising and falling…but it was anything but softly. She looked like she was having trouble breathing and her face contorted with strain that Anna could only guess was from some kind of unknown pain.

“ Laura…” she called softly, sitting on the bedside.

The young girl opened her eyes a slit and began trembling feverishly. She could barely hear her mother’s voice over the throbbing head and winced, feeling a wave of weakness take over.

“ Where does it hurt sweetie?” Anna asked quietly, stroking her damp hair lightly.

Laura swallowed hard and tried to get her voice to work, but all that came out was a cracked whimper.

“ E-everywhere…”

This was the first sign that her body was completely failing…intense joint pain. See, her body was interpreting the failing brain as pain and was executing it throughout her system, causing her immense discomfort and agony. Anna raised her head as she felt the familiar presence enter the room and shuffle towards her slowly.

He stared down at his shaking daughter and lowered his eyes sadly. She did not look well at all. A few tears rolled down her graying cheeks and through her eyes, Mike could tell that she knew what was happening despite her confusion. Anna looked up at him with sadness and her eyes darkened with hopelessness.

“ It’s happening…” she whispered under her breath.

Mike blinked slowly and watched his daughter’s dark eyes turn to him with fatigue. She was under more pain than she was letting everyone know and he watched her silently wince.

“ Mike, we’re out of needles…she’s going to have to do this in pain.” Anna explained quietly to him with almost a whisper.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed uneasily, staring into Anna’s eyes. “ Anna, we can’t let her-.”

“ –I know.” She muttered softly, sensing his apprehension.

Seeing her dying was one thing, but seeing her in pain WHILE dying was too much to bear. Mike bit his bottom lip nervously and suddenly got a thought. It probably wouldn’t be much use but at leased it was something to hold on to.

“ Anna…the experimental drugs-.”

“ –No…no more medication…no more treatments. I want her to die in peace.”

“ Anna she’s not going to die in peace if she’s in pain. Those drugs could help her rest more easily. At leased she’ll be comfortable.” He explained softly.

Anna stared at him in worry and gave a slow and very deep sigh. “ Those drugs may not cover the pain. They could make it worse…after all, they are experimental and we don’t know what the hell they are going to do to her.” She explained.

Mike nodded a little and kneeled down beside the bed, gripping Laura’s hand gently. She squeezed back unconsciously and blinked through her fatigue. She could already fell her heart slowing.

“ Anna…look at her…look how much pain she’s in. Even if we don’t know what the drugs will do to her, at leased its worth a shot right?”

Anna stared down at Laura with dark eyes and noticed how slick her face had become with sweat. Her brain was heating her body and causing burning sensations through her skin. It couldn’t hurt right? After taking a few more moments to contemplate her decision, Anna finally nodded.

“ Alright…” she replied quietly.

Mike sighed with relief and looked back down at Laura, giving a grim smile. “ Just hang on a little longer Laura…I’m going to get you something for the pain.” He whispered in her ear, feeling her relaxing.

He then kissed her softly on the forehead and lowered his eyes.

“ I love you…”

His whisper lingered in her ear as he stood up straight and eyed the door, running a hand through his hair nervously. What if he didn’t make it back in time? What if she died while he was out? He glanced at Anna and watched her somber face glisten under the morning sunrise.

She had the same thoughts coursing through her mind as well and gave a small sigh. “ Hurry Mike.” She warned softly. He gave a short nod and headed out the door towards his truck, hopping into the driver’s seat. He pulled out of the driveway quickly and glanced back at the house before slowly heading down the road towards the hospital.

I woke up today in London
As the plane was touching down
And all I could think about was Monday
And maybe ill be back around

If this keeps me away much longer
I don’t know what I will do
You’ve got to understand its a hard life
That im going through

And when the night falls in around me
I don’t think ill make it through
Ill use your light to guide the way
Cause all I think about is you

Well L.A is getting kinda crazy
And New York is getting kinda cold
I keep my head from getting lazy
I just cant wait to get back home

And all these days I spend away
Ill make up for this I swear
I need your love to hold me up
When its all too much to bear

And when the night falls in around me
I don’t think ill make it through
Ill use your light to guide the way
Cause all I think about is you

And all these days I spend away
Ill make up for this I swear
I need your love to hold me up
When its all too much to bear

When the night falls in around me
I don’t think ill make it through
Ill use your light to guide the way
Cause all I think about is you


Mike walked into the main lobby of the hospital with a quickened pace and swallowed hard. He looked around at all the people and made his way towards the front desk. He stopped short and placed his hands against the counter, eyeing a young attending intently.

“ Excuse me…”

The woman continued to type on the computer, obviously keeping her attention to whatever she was working on. Patients and doctors bumped into Mike and pushed around, trying to make their way around the busy hospital.

“ Excuse me.” Mike stated louder.

The woman looked up from the screen and eyed him with disinterest. “ Take a seat by the wall and a doctor will see you soon.”

“ No, I have to see a doctor…uh…Carlyle, right away.” He explained with impatience.

That was the name of the doctor that had performed the many tests on Laura…and who had given her prognosis. The attending sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, grabbing a file.

“ Doctor Carlyle is busy at the moment, so please…take a seat…”

“ You don’t understand, I have to see him NOW.” Mike explained shakily.

“ Sir, I don’t think YOU understand. You can’t just see a doctor right when you come in here. There are other patients waiting.” She explained with irritation.

Mike frowned and gave a low growl under his breath. Was it customary to be rude these days?

“ Look lady, I don’t have time to argue with you about this now please…I need to see him.”

“ And I’m sorry sir but you have to WAIT.” She spat back.

“ Mary, what seems to be the problem?”

Mike looked up from the woman and concentrated his eyes on a tall doctor…Doctor Carlyle.

“ This gentleman says he needs to see you right away…and he made a point about it being RIGHT THIS MOMENT.”

Doctor Carlyle eyed Mike curiously and then suddenly remembered who he was. “ Ah yes…Laura is your daughter right?”

Mike nodded a little and sighed uneasily. “ Could I speak with you for a moment?” he asked.

The doctor nodded and escorted him towards a quieter corner of the hospital while Mike shot the young attending a dirty look. “ What did you need?” The doctor asked.

“ Its not for me…it’s for Laura-.”

“ –I’m sorry but there is nothing more I can do for her. She’s dying.”

“ I’m aware of that but she’s in pain and a lot of it. We ran out of medication a while ago…Doctor, please, she’s dying in pain…” he explained, obviously upset and distraught and under a time limit.

Doctor Carlyle stared at Mike in thought while adjusting his glasses. “ And like I said…there is nothing more I can do for her. I am deeply sorry that she is in the moment of death.”

Mike swallowed the growing lump in his throat and crossed his arms. “ You said there were experimental treatments…”

“ Yes, plasmapheresis, intravenous gammaglobulin, and cyclosporin if I recall correctly.” The doctor replied with a nod.

“ Could those help with the pain?” Mike asked hopefully.

“ It could…but if she’s dying-.”

“ –Would it matter? They’ll still work right?” he demanded.

The doctor sighed heavily and placed his hands in his lab coat pockets. He knew how desperate Mike was…but not to save her life, just to let his daughter feel comfortable and relaxed during this time. It was all that mattered to him right now. “ They will…but your wife didn’t want-.”

“ –She’s agreeing to it. She doesn’t want to see Laura like this anymore than I do. Please, just tell me you can give this to me.”

“ You have to understand that I can’t just prescribe you an experimental medication. These things take time, and even if I were to prescribe it to your daughter, she would have to undergo more tests before anything could be written down on paper. And I have a feeling she’s not going to last through the next hour.”

“ Which is exactly why I need you to make this happen fast. I can’t watch my little girl die in pain.” Mike explained with a distraught look upon his heated face.

The doctor shook his head slowly and watched Mike’s eyes darken. “ I’m sorry…I can’t make this happen legally.”

“ What if I give you a blank check or something…pay it off?”

“ You can’t fix this with any amount of money. Its hospital rules and I am very sorry…the answer is no.”

Mike paced around the floor stressfully with a hand to his forehead, not believing what he was hearing. He didn’t have time for this and the doctor knew it.

“ Jesus Christ, I can’t fucking believe this. She doesn’t have to die in pain…why should she have to die in pain?” he breathed more to himself than the doctor standing before him.

“ Am I just supposed to watch her thrash and squirm in pain as her body shuts down? Is she supposed to live her last minutes on Earth in terrible agony?”

The doctor stared at him silently as he stopped pacing. Obviously he wasn’t reaching the good doctor this way. Mike sighed helplessly and dropped his hands to his sides, slapping his legs with irritation and impatience.

“ Rules or no rules…don’t you have the least bit of sympathy for a dying child?” he asked with a quiet tone.

“ It doesn’t matter how I feel…I cannot legally authorize this kind of medication for a dying patient. It’s useless. Yes, she won’t be in pain but she will also be dead minutes from the injection. It is a giant waste of the hospital’s money.”

“ Fuck the goddamn hospital!” Mike shouted furiously, stopping a few doctors and patients in the hall.

Doctor Carlyle looked around nervously and nodded a little, signaling to the stopped people that everything was under control. Mike swallowed hard, feeling his jaw clenching from the sudden attention. Quickly, the halls resumed back to normal and he looked back at the doctor.

A helpless shine glinted within his eyes as he lowered his head. “ Doctor I am BEGGING you…authorize this medication. Please…” Mike’s voice fell with his eyes and he became silent.

“ Come with me…”

Mike’s ears perked at the sound of the doctor’s voice which had become quiet and soft. Silently, he followed the doctor through a few winding corridors and then into a small room, illuminated by only a small blue light behind an x-ray slab against the wall.

Mike watched as the doctor unlocked a drawer, then peered around the room, making sure no one was watching. Then he grasped a small black case and pulled it out of the drawer. Mike eyed the small case curiously and frowned, wondering what in the hell it was.

“ This…this is intravenous gammaglobulin. You inject it into the vein in either one of her arms. It should take effect almost immediately and she will begin to feel sleepy and light headed. The pain will be gone.”

Mike stared at the doctor with confusion, wondering why he was giving him this. “ I thought it was against hospital rules to prescribe this medication to a dying patient.”

“ I’m not prescribing it…it has simply been misplaced somewhere…I’m going to try to find a replacement…” he explained with a small grin, handing the case to Mike.

He took it gently and opened it, eyeing the full syringe inside. “ This will allow her some peace?” he asked, just to make sure.

“ It will…” He replied softly.

Mike sighed with silent relief and nodded slowly, closing the case. “ Thank you…thank you so much…” he breathed.

The doctor gave a weak smile and opened the door, leading Mike out into the hall. “ Hurry home to your daughter…she will start feeling peaceful soon.” He explained.

Mike swallowed hard and stared down at the floor, trying to keep his tears within his own eyes.

“ I hope so…”

With that, Mike disappeared down the hall and out into the growing morning. He entered his truck quickly and pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the road towards home.

Hopefully, Laura would find her peace when he arrived…

{Song: Landing In London}
{Artist: 3 Doors Down}

~~ More to come very soon...:)~~

Away From Reality
~~WOOT CHAPTERNESS!!! ENJOY!!:)~~
After signing the right forms, Mike and Anna had taken Laura home to rest in a more comfortable environment. The nurses had showed them how to inject her with the right medication and informed them on when to inject her. Other than that they were on their own from now on, waiting and hoping that somehow this was all just some bad nightmare.
Anna had slowly calmed down a few days after they had brought Laura home and was now taking responsibility for her daughter’s medication and other needs. Mike however, was a different story.
He had grown increasingly bitter and sarcastic and his patience for his sick daughter was dropping to a new low. To make matters worse, her brain was swelling so much that she could barely stand up straight due to the dizziness and was forced to either remain in bed or sit on the couch all day.
It was difficult for the parents to watch their daughter’s personality drastically change with each day. By the time the first week passed, her mind was brought down to the level of a four year old with constant need for care and attention.
She would cry most of the day because she was in so much pain and the medication didn’t seem to help that much, although it calmed her considerably during the evening and she would just fall asleep.
Not only were Mike and Laura distant from each other but he and Anna were also growing apart. He would barely say two words to her each day and would hide out at the studio until it was time for Laura to get injected, making her drowsy…that way he wouldn’t have to deal with her.
Anna’s stress level was beginning to rise, especially when Mike came home late on purpose just so that he wouldn’t have to talk to anyone and just go to sleep. It was getting to a point where Anna had to beg Mike to help out, to clean her sheets, to feed her, to inject her.
All he would do was either blowing her off for work or silently walk away, ignoring her completely. Even Laura was becoming increasingly upset by her father’s disappearances during the day and she would cry even more when she didn’t get to see him.
It was paining Anna to see her daughter so distraught because she really needed her father and he was never there. You’d think he would be since his daughter was dying, but the reality was he just couldn’t handle it.
He couldn’t even look at her anymore because every time he did, it reminded him of her condition and what would happen to her in a matter of months…perhaps weeks. He was watching his daughter deteriorate and it was killing him. It was only a matter of time before he snapped.
“ Mike!”
Anna rummaged around the house trying to find that infamous purse that always seemed to lose itself so easily. She had a very important meeting to attend and needed Mike to watch Laura incase she became violently ill.
She knew Mike was probably hiding downstairs with his guitar or outside in the backyard with his guitar…he really liked his guitar, especially when he was trying to avoid his family.
“ Michael!” she yelled as loud as she could and grumbled when she didn’t hear him coming.
“ Why are you shouting?” Laura asked painfully and sunk further into the couch.
Anna sighed uneasily and rubbed her forehead with frustration. “ I’m sorry sweetie, I’m trying to find your father.” She apologized calmly.
“ Why?” she asked weakly.
“ Because I have to go to work for a while…MIKE!”
“ What the hell are you screaming for?” he demanded as he walked into the kitchen.
“ Where were you?” she hissed.
“ Putting away my guitar…what do you want?” he growled.
“ I have a meeting to go to so you need to stay home with Laura.” She explained quickly and bent down to look under the couch for her purse.
“ Anna I’m not staying here, I have-.”
“ –Work, yes I’ve heard it a million times. You know what? Take a break from that fucking job for a while and take care of your DAUGHTER. Incase you didn’t know she’s sick.”
Her eyes brightened slightly as she spotted her purse and grabbed it out from under the couch, standing up straight.
“ How could I forget?” he muttered bitterly with dark eyes.
Anna stared into those black orbs and sighed heavily. He looked really tired…even more tired than usual. It was either the late night working at the studio or it was the worrying about his daughter. Somehow she figured it was both.
“ Michael, she needs you weather you like it or not.”
“ She needs you too and besides, I’ve only been her dad for like fourteen months. She doesn’t care if I’m here or not.” He argued angrily.
“ She has been crying non-stop for the past four days because you have been locking yourself up at work. She misses you Mike and you can’t even see that. At least be here for your dying daughter.” She muttered quietly, trying not to let Laura hear.
“ Why can’t Chester be here?” he demanded.
“ Chester isn’t her father and you need to take responsibility for her.”
“ I have other responsibilities.”
Anna shook her head and began walking towards the door. He was being extremely self centered and selfish. He was only thinking about himself when he should have been thinking about Laura.
“ Take care of your fucking daughter.”
And with that, the front door slammed shut. Mike stared at the wooden paneling around the door and gave a deep glare, hearing Laura sniffing through quiet cries. She was in pain…again…it was like it never stopped and he never got to rest because of her. He wished he could just drive a screwdriver through his skull so he didn’t have to hear her heart breaking cries of agony.
Mike slowly walked towards the couch and stared down at the weeping girl with an emotionless face.
“ Dad…” she whimpered quietly as he watched the tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
He never moved, never twitched a finger to her sorrowful sobs. Instead of sitting down beside her and holding her, he just stood there with dark eyes, watching her intently with a sickening curiosity. So this is what it’s like to see someone you love die.
All that crying and screaming; it’s disgusting. Why couldn’t she have just died in the hospital so I don’t have to watch this. Why must I watch my own flesh and blood deteriorate from this Earth?
Laura raised her arms in an attempt to grab him but he backed away slowly before she could reach him. “ Dad.” She cried while clutching the air desperately.
He was getting closer and closer to that fragile edge within his own mind, trying hard not to listen to her cries.
“ Daddy please.” She sobbed in agony.
Mike walked slowly into the kitchen and turned his back to the small child, feeling his cheeks burning with agitation. He had to get out of this situation…he couldn’t watch her die. With each sob, he ran his fingers through his ruffled spikey hair and closed his eyes, trying to close himself off from the stressful sounds his daughter was making.
With each passing second, her cries became louder and louder as the pain in her body intensified. All her muscles and joints were having acute spasm as well as her head was pounding and throbbing terribly.
“ Dad it hurts.” She cried out loudly.
Mike swallowed hard and stared around the kitchen almost with dizziness. For an entire week, that was all he had been hearing from her. It hurts, I can’t feel this, I can’t feel that, I can’t see, why does it hurt? Please help me, hold me, hug me, be here for me, feed me, clothe me, wash me, make the pain stop!
His breathing became rapid and uneasy as she screamed for his attention. The screaming and crying was so loud that he was sure the entire neighborhood could hear her. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the windows in the kitchen shattered.
“ Laura stop.” He muttered breathlessly over her screams.
“ I don’t feel good…I don’t feel good!” she cried loudly, causing his ears to throb.
Mike paced around the kitchen as she kept repeating those same words over and over again and there was no way he could make her stop.
I could hit her over the head with a frying pan…yeah that would do it…she’d be quiet for once. Maybe I could end her suffering earlier than planned.
He gave a small chuckle at the thought and blinked tears from his eyes as his daughter continued to scream. He had no idea what had just come over him but somehow he felt that killing her would end both their suffering.
Then silence echoed throughout the room.
Mike blinked slowly with curiosity as Laura sat up carefully, sniffing lightly through her evident tears. Why had she suddenly stopped screaming? He watched her dark eyes squint into a heavy wince and she grabbed her stomach, leaning forward somewhat.
“ Please…I-I don’t feel good.”
Mike’s eyes widened with deep frustration and anger at her words. He had heard them enough. “ You don’t feel good? You don’t FEEL GOOD? WELL FUCKING HELL!” Laura ducked as Mike suddenly grabbed a few plates off of the counter and began throwing them in her direction, each one hitting the wall.
“ I KNOW YOU DON’T FUCKING FEEL GOOD SO WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FUCKING DO ABOUT IT? WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I FUCKING AM YOU SACK OF SHIT!”
Laura sobbed into the couch as the plates shattered and cracked around the living room, falling to the floor in a pile of broken china. Mike grabbed all the plates and cups he could find and just started throwing them at her in fits of rage, all the while screaming at her to shut up.
“ I HATE YOU, YOU LITTLE BITCH! WHY WON’T YOU JUST SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
“ Stop!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Mike grabbed the frying pan from the stove and quickly hauled it over to her and raised it above his head, staring down at her with wide empty eyes. “ I’ll make it fucking stop!” he screamed.
Laura closed her eyes as tight as she could, preparing her head for the skull shattering blow. Just as he was about to smash her head open with the frying pan…his wrists tensed and he stopped cold, staring down at the shaking, crying child.
She was innocent…brought down by a disease that no one could control. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t walk…couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep…and couldn’t even think like a normal fourteen year old.
Mike blinked through stinging tears and watched her lower herself down onto the cushions and press her face into them. Her sobs were muffled within the cushions and he slowly lowered his arms, dropping the frying pan onto the floor with a loud clang.
Laura jumped with a start and attempted to calm her hyperventilated cries. He had lost all control of himself and was about to kill his own daughter. What kind of sick person does that?
Mike stumbled back into the kitchen while slipping over broken plates and cups. He grabbed the centre island and choked out a heavy sob, then fell to the floor and wrapped his arms around his knees, bringing them to his chest. He rocked back and forth slowly while sobbing into his knees.
His spiked hair shook against his forehead as he continued to cry. His world had really come crashing down around him in this moment. For one, his daughter was still crying heavily into the couch and was too afraid to move, and also he had tried to smash her over the head with a frying pan.
What’s wrong with me?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Anna walked into the house, her heart immediately stopped and her blood ran cold. Broken china and glass was spewed out everywhere. It looked like there had been a bar fight in her own house…but how the hell did this happen?
“ Mom.”
Anna looked over at the couch and dropped her purse, rushing over to her trembling daughter. She bent down in front of the couch and ran her fingers through her dark hair, eyeing the long tears streaks down her cheeks.
“ Laura sweetie, are you alright?” she breathed with deep concern.
The small girl nodded a little and sniffed quietly, finally receiving the much needed compassion from her parent. Anna looked around the room and quickly spotted the frying pan on the floor.
He didn’t…
“ Laura…where’s your father?” she asked quietly.
She raised her eyes to her mother’s and squinted with fear. “ Kitchen…” she whispered.
“ Did he hurt you?” Anna asked softly.
Laura choked back her sobs and grabbed her mother’s arm. Anna stroked her hair gently and kissed her on the head, trying her best to comfort the frightened child.
“ Its okay…you’re alright…I’m here.” She breathed soothingly.
God…if he hurt her…
Slowly, she released herself from her daughter’s grasp, all the while telling her to remain calm…that’d she’d be right back. She silently made her way into the kitchen while stepping on broken glass.
She spotted Mike on the other side of the centre island, sitting and shaking with his arms around his knees. She bent down slowly and eyed him with a deep frown, watching his spikes shake as he cried.
This was definitely going to be an interesting conversation…
~~Sorry to cut it so short but if i kept writing the next part, you'd have like an hour long chapter. anywhoo...sorry for the cliffhanger and more to come soon...review and thank you!!:)~~
Sleeping Awake
~~I'm back...woot...so anyways, this chapter is kind of short and i had writer's block for like a week so...enjoy!!:)~~
“ Michael.”
He kept his head buried in his knees as Anna attempted to get his attention. It was obvious that he was having some sort of nervous breakdown and she didn’t know if it was even safe to go near him.
“ Mike…” she touched his knee lightly and he pulled away from her in panic. She was surprised by his actions because usually he would want someone near him when he was upset…now he was acting like he was frightened to be near anyone.
“ Mike its okay…calm down…it’s me.” She explained softly.
He lifted his head slowly and sniffed, feeling the tears still burning down his red cheeks. Anna watched his black eyes closely, searching for any sign of what his mental state was like.
He looked freakishly disturbed and frightened…like he had done something he shouldn’t have done…something terribly wrong. She had never seen him like this before and to be honest, it was scaring the shit out of her…so much she was even shaking now.
“ Mike what happened?’ she breathed.
He looked around the kitchen slowly and swallowed hard, trying to find his voice…which was now cracked and weak. “ G-get her away from me.” He pleaded desperately.
“ Mike what are you talking about?”
His face contorted with pain and sorrow as he stared into his wife’s eyes. “ I-I did something v-very bad…”
Just those five words sent chills running up and down her spine…and caused her heart to skip a beat. Anna was getting to the point where she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know what had happened while she was gone.
She stared at him intently and gazed at her own reflection in his watery eyes. “ Mike tell me what happened.” She stated slowly.
He lowered his head and peered around the floor, eyeing each broken plate and shattered mug. If he told her…she might leave him. There was no way to explain what he had almost done…well in no way that was positive. He was mentally unstable and she knew that…even HE knew that.
He gave a small sniff and lowered his eyes, watching his own tears hit the broken glass. He took a deep breath and slowly began.
“ S-she was crying and screaming…”
“ Okay.” Anna replied quietly, trying to figure out what he was getting at.
“ I-I was so mad…I threw plates at her…t-then I grabbed the frying pan.”
Anna’s eyes widened as he turned to her with a crazy look in his eyes. Something about him seemed wrong at the moment. He didn’t look like himself…didn’t even sound like himself.
His black eyes contrasted against his pale face and his voice came out shaky and coarse.
“ I was going to kill her…”
Anna’s heart stopped as she stared into his devilish features. A small smile curled around his lips, followed by a light chuckle.
“ Her head would have popped open like a tomato.”
Anna backed away from him slowly as his laughter became louder and louder. She stood up quickly and grabbed the phone, dialing the familiar number. She waited and waited for someone to pick up and cringed at Mike’s disturbing laughter. She shuddered slightly as someone picked up the phone.
“ Hello?”
“ Chester…we have a problem.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“ Where is he?”
Anna led Chester into the kitchen and he stopped cold, watching Mike crying on the floor. He was now on his stomach, pawing at the broken glass and cutting his hands terribly.
Blood ran around his tears and created a pinkish mix on the cold floor. Chester turned to Anna slowly and glared in horror.
“ What the hell happened?”
“ I don’t know…he said he almost killed Laura.”
He looked back down at the crying man and covered his mouth with one hand. “ Where’s Laura?”
“ She’s upstairs sleeping…Chester I don’t know what to do. Mike won’t stop crying…he won’t get off the floor…something is seriously wrong.” She warned shakily.
“ And you called me because…”
“ You’re his best friend. I thought maybe you could talk to him and calm him down a little.” She explained.
Chester sighed heavily and bent down beside Mike, careful not to lower his body onto the blood. Mike sobbed into the floor and clutched a large piece of glass, digging it into his skin.
Red liquid oozed between his fingers and poured onto the floor, matting into his damp hair. “ Mike…can you hear me?” Chester asked quietly.
Mike coughed heavily through his sobs and looked up slowly through his darkened eyes. Chester stared down at him with nothing but compassion and touched his shoulder lightly. Unexpectedly, Mike moved away from him and hit his back against the bottom of the counters.
He stared at Chester with a red face covered with tears and sweat. “ Its okay man, it’s me…just calm down.”
“ I almost killed her.” He cried, staring at him with shaky eyes.
“ I know…it’s not your fault…you’re just scared.” Chester explained.
“ S-scared?” Mike stuttered with confusion.
Chester approached him slowly and gave a small nod. “ Laura is very sick…I know you can’t handle it but you have to be strong now. She needs you to be strong. We need you to be strong.” His voice was soft and caring and it seemed to have calmed Mike down a bit, although he was still crying.
“ I was going to k-kill her.” He whispered.
“ But the important thing is you didn’t. Mike you don’t want her to die…no one here wants her to die but you have to start accepting the fact that she will. Becoming violent isn’t going to help anyone.” He explained softly.
Mike’s eyes squinted in sadness as he lowered his head to the floor. “ What’s wrong with me?” he whimpered.
“ I’d be lying if I said nothing. This fear that you have of her dying is hurting you Mike and it’s making you unstable. What you really need to do right now is calm down and stop worrying about Laura. No one blames you for what has happened to her and no one is angry that you tried to kill her.”
Mike stared up at him as the tears slowly stopped flowing. Chester extended his hand and gave a weak smile. Mike swallowed hard and grabbed it, feeling Chester pulling him up.
Anna watched intently as Mike lowered his head and wiped his tears with a bloody hand. “ Mike…you’re going to be okay.” Chester whispered gently.
Mike blinked slowly and deep down inside he was thinking: Not a chance. He gave a small nod despite what he was feeling and saw Anna giving a small smile out of the corner of his eye.
Chester looked down at Mike’s hand and winced. “ Ouch…here I’ll fix that for you.” He muttered and grabbed a few bandages from the kitchen cupboard as Mike sat down at the centre island.
Anna turned her head as she heard a small shuffling sound behind her. Laura braced herself against the wall and stared at Mike curiously, watching his red cheeks shine under the light of the kitchen.
Anna grabbed her gently and held her so that she didn’t fall over. “ Laura, you should be in bed.” She suggested quietly.
She never took her eyes off of her father as she held onto her mother tightly. “ He’s hurt.” She stated quietly.
Anna sighed uneasily and watched Mike’s dark eyes slowly turn towards his daughter. Laura and Mike stared at each other silently as Chester wrapped a bandage around Mike’s hand.
Suddenly, Laura detached herself from her mother’s arms and wobbled over towards Mike before Anna had a chance to grab her. Laura grasped the centre island tightly and stared into her father’s eyes, watching them darken with each passing second. He looked very angry and very upset. Would he hurt her again?
“ Chester…” Anna warned with a hiss.
“ Yeah, I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” He whispered back.
They both watched as Laura approached Mike slowly and cautiously, stopping briefly to regain her balance. She shuffled herself forward a little and stopped in front of Mike, eyeing his tears. He stared into her pale face and felt his eyes softening with her gaze.
Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her head into his warm neck. He swallowed hard as he felt her hands stroking his hair gently.
“ I love you daddy…”
Mike stared at the wall in front of him and blinked slowly at those four words absorbing into his mind. He was unable to speak as a small tear slowly trailed its way down his crimson cheeks.
Chester jumped forward as Mike raised his hand but then relaxed as he watched it slowly lower onto Laura’s back. Mike wasn’t even sure he wanted to put his arm around his daughter but fortunately maternal instinct took over and he grasped her tightly.
He would have told her he loved her too but unfortunately it was too painful. How can you love something that’s dying and not expect it to hurt? Even this hug was painful for him and he just felt like running away from it all…leaving everyone behind and never turning back.
Laura raised her head and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before slowly pulling herself away from him. Somehow, in all her innocence she could sense that he was hurting more than her.
Anna wrapped her arms around her daughter and slowly brought her upstairs, leaving Mike and Chester alone together in the kitchen. After a long while of silence, Chester decided to pipe up and say something to end the tension of what just happened.
“ That was nice…”
Mike stared up at him with a glare and wiped his eyes. “ Why are you still here?”
“ I’m her uncle Chester.” He replied with a defiant smile.
Mike rolled his eyes and rubbed his throbbing hand. “ You’re not even related to her.”
“ What makes you so sure that Anna didn’t sleep with me after she slept with you? She could be my daughter for all you know.” He explained with a frown.
“ Chester, Laura was born right after Anna got out of high school…you met Anna fourteen months ago. I don’t think you are her father and besides, you never slept with Anna.” Mike explained with a slight grumble.
“ That you know of.” He smiled.
“ She’s my fucking wife!” Mike replied with wide eyes.
“ I was joking, Holy Christ…are you off your meds or something?’ Chester asked with an arched brow.
Mike stood up quickly and approached him, cornering him against the counters. “ If you don’t leave, I’m going to have to be put on medication.” He warned quietly.
“ What’s with all the hostility? Can’t a guy joke around without getting his ass kicked by his best friend?”
“ Not when the best friend is having a particularly bad week.”
Chester lowered his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. “ You know, I’m no expert and forgive me for saying this but…since your daughter is dying, shouldn’t you be spending time with her instead of throwing pots and pans and kicking your best friend’s ass?”
Mike stared at him for a long moment and slowly backed away, giving Chester some room to breathe. “ You’re right, I’m sorry.” Mike muttered through his teeth.
“ You don’t sound very sorry.”
“ What do you want me to do? Drop onto my knees and beg you for forgiveness?” he demanded.
Chester eyed him curiously and put a finger to his chin. “ That would help.”
“ Out.” Mike ordered calmly.
“ You know, you should start being nicer to me.” Chester explained as Mike walked him to the front door.
“ Yeah why’s that?”
“ I’m the singer in the band and if you piss me off…I’ll leave. Imagine how many Chester-craving fans there are out there. They’ll kick your ass into the ground and eat you alive.”
“ Hey, I replaced the first singer and I can do it again.” Mike replied with a small smile.
“ You wouldn’t!” Chester gasped.
“ I’m the captain of this band. I can do whatever the hell I want. Besides, it was my band to begin with.” Mike explained.
“ I’d like to see you scream Crawling.” Chester muttered and opened the door.
“ And you will…as soon as you can rap both verses in In The End.”
“ It’s not that hard Mike, trust me.” Chester snorted with a laugh.
Mike crossed his arms and gave a small nod. “ Go for it man…”
Chester stared at him with narrowed eyes and cleared his throat. “ Sing Crawling and then maybe I’ll do it.”
“ Nice try.” He smiled back.
“ Bastard…” Chester muttered and walked out of the house.
Mike shook his head and closed the front door, hearing Anna behind him. He turned around slowly and lowered his eyes with guilt. Anna approached him slowly and ran a hand through her hair.
“ I need you to stop pushing yourself away from her.”
“ Why?” he asked quickly.
“ Because she only has a few weeks left. She’s getting weaker Michael.”
“ Then you can take care of her because I will not watch my daughter die.” He muttered and entered the living room.
Anna glared at him as he sat down on the couch and slowly began staring into nothingness. He was pushing himself away from his entire family.
Laura’s slow death was killing him.
Reveal to me the mysteries
Can you tell me what it means?
Explain these motions and metaphors
Unlock these secrets in me
Describe the vision, the meaning is missing
Won't anybody listen?

Define the riddles of my mind
Nothing is really what it seems

Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Sleeping Awake
Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel what I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake
Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel like I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping...

Can you see it? The writing,
Can you tell me what it means?
Translate the symbols, Enigma
Expressions keep questioning me
The message is written, the meaning is missing
Won't anybody Listen?

Prophesy, interpretate the signs
Nothing is really what it seems

Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Sleeping Awake
Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel what I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake
Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel like I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
Can you hear what I hear?
And do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
And do you feel like I feel?
And can you dream like I dream?

Do you see what I see?
Can you hear what I hear?
Or do you feel like I feel?
Or do you dream like I dream?
Anybody see me?
Anybody hear me?
Anybody feel me?
Anybody out there?!?

Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Sleeping Awake
Dreaming of Zion, Awake
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel what I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake
Do you see what I see?
And can you hear what I hear?
Do you feel like I feel?
Can't stop Sleeping Awake

Anybody see me?
Anybody hear me?
Anybody feel me?
Anybody out there?!?

{Song: Sleeping Awake}
{Artist: P.O.D}
{{Dedicated to Robbourdon/mike hehe}}

~~More to come soon...hope everyone hasn't quit this fic just yet...and the fate of Laura is coming very soon so keep watching for it...thankees for the reviews and thankees so much for reading!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!:)~~

Cut And Bruised By The Fall Again
~~WOOT FAST UPDATE...ENJOY!!:)~~

Night came quickly over the household and it was time for Laura’s medication. Anna sat down on the couch beside her and opened the cap to the syringe, tapping it lightly to get rid of the air bubbles.
Mike had been silent during most of the evening and had remained in the kitchen, just sitting at the centre island with his own thoughts. As soon as Anna lowered the needle to her daughter’s arm, she back away quickly, almost catching her arm against it.
Anna sighed with frustration and stared into her daughter’s frightened eyes. “ Laura, it’s not going to hurt…I promise.”
“ Yes it will.” She whined back.
“ It never hurt the first six times.”
“ Yes it did.”
“ You never complained about it then.”
“ Well I’m complaining now” Laura replied and blinked away her tears.
Anna looked up from the couch and glanced over at Mike who was calmly reading the evening newspaper. “ Does she do this with you?”
He looked up slightly and licked his lips. “ No.”
“ Why the hell not?”
“ She trusts me…although I don’t know why.” He muttered and returned to his paper.
Anna looked back down at Laura who was already shaking because of the pain. “ Sweetie, the medication will help you feel better. If you don’t take it then you will be in pain.”
“ I’d rather be in pain than have a needle stuck in me for ten seconds.” She growled.
“ Ten seconds is really not that long.”
“ Anna, ten seconds is an eternity. I remember when I got my booster shot in grade one…holy hell it hurt like a bitch.” Mike explained.
Laura stared at him in fear and moved away from her mother slowly.
“ Michael, you are NOT helping.” Anna grumbled angrily with lowered eyes.
“ I’m only warning her. And at leased I’m not lying to her about the pain. Laura, it’s going to hurt…A LOT.”
“ Mike…stop being an ass and help me.”
“ I am helping…I’m telling Laura about the dangers of needles. They all hurt…and it doesn’t matter who injects you.” He explained with a furrowed brow.
Laura stared at him with wide eyes and her shivering increased. Somehow she knew she was going to have nightmares about this. Anna sighed heavily and eyed Mike with a deep glare.
“ Scaring her is not going to stop her from dying and it is certainly not going to make you feel better about it.”
“ I beg to differ.”
“ Michael why are you doing this? Do you want to make her final weeks on Earth a living hell?” she demanded.
“ Newsflash Anna…THEY’RE ALREADY A LIVING HELL!’ he yelled.
Laura sunk deeper into the couch and tried to tune out her father’s loud billowing voice. Anna stood up and dropped the needle onto the table, then walked towards Mike.
“ They are only a living hell because you are being a self-centered little prick.” She hissed.
He raised his eyes and stood up, gasping in disbelief. “ You are so full of shit.”
“ At leased I’m strong enough to accept the fact that she’s dying. At leased I’m not crying about it and telling myself that I’m a horrible parent. At leased I have enough courage to go near her and help her through this. She needs her parents Michael and you are abandoning her!”
“ Fuck you Anna, I’m not abandoning her. I’m right here!” he shouted.
She stared at him with icy blue eyes and raised her hands in defeat. “ Oh, you’re right here. So I guess everything is okay. You see the problem with that is…she’s over THERE. You are NOT here Mike, you are so far away you can’t even see how weak she is.”
Mike shook his head and paced around the kitchen with anger. “ I don’t give a shit about how weak she is. You know what, I’m not going to be here when she dies.”
“ Yeah, figures.” Anna breathed angrily.
“ Why can’t you just get it through your head that I don’t want to watch her die? Can’t you understand how hard that is going to be?” he demanded.
“ Have you ever even thought how hard it’s going to be for me to watch it happen? I’ve been her mother for fourteen years for Christ’s sake.”
Mike growled angrily and approached her. “ It’s different with her and me. I don’t care how long you’ve known her for…this is going to fucking kill me.”
Anna nodded a little and gave a small smile. “ Well then good...your money will pay for your funeral…and your dying daughter will even get a chance to see what her funeral will be like!’ she yelled.
Mike stared at Anna with pure hatred burning within his dark eyes. This fight was not going to end pretty. “ Why don’t you just stab me with a knife now and get it over with?” he asked.
“ Because I’m not really keen on cleaning up your fucking blood. I have a daughter to medicate incase you forgot.” She muttered back.
Mike grabbed the butcher knife from the counter and walked over to Anna, holding it up dangerously. She eyed the end and noticed it glinting under the dim lights of the living room.
“ Put that fucking thing down.” She warned.
“ No…since you want Laura to be at my funeral then go ahead and kill me.” He explained and handed her the knife.
“ I am not going to stab you Mike so forget it.”
“ You are such a fucking coward.” He hissed viciously.
Anna stared up at him through her dark lashes and watched him slowly walk towards the couch.
“ If you can’t kill me then…at leased have enough courage to end her suffering.” He muttered.
Laura stared up at the knife and blinked out burning tears. “ Dad?” she asked nervously.
Anna walked towards him slowly and eyed Laura shakily. “ Mike, you get away from her right now, you hear me?”
“ Well I’m assuming since you can’t end her suffering then I’m going to have to.” He explained calmly.
“ Michael, you are not going to kill her!” Anna shouted in panic.
“ Watch me.” He snarled.
“ What the fuck is wrong with you!” Anna screamed at him as her hands balled into shaking fists. She couldn’t believe he was actually going to stab his own daughter after freaking out about it that afternoon.
“ I’d rather kill the little bitch than watch her die slowly and painfully!” he yelled.
Anna slapped him so hard that tears formed in his eyes. He dropped the knife and heard it clang to the floor loudly. His cheek burned and stung terribly as he slowly turned his head towards her and stared at her with blank eyes.
Anna took a deep breath and mentally kicked herself for smacking Mike right in front of a very shaken Laura. She watched Mike for a reaction to the slap…any reaction at all, but found nothing but empty eyes and a red face.
But of course, Mike was extremely unpredictable and instead of walking away silently, he grabbed Anna by the collar of her shirt and slammed her up against the wall.
She stared into his angry eyes and wasn’t prepared for what happened next. Mike slapped her clear across the face, hearing the smack echo throughout the room. She opened her eyes slowly and stared at Mike with a red and very throbbing face. She couldn’t believe he had just slapped her.
All of this was his fault and he had the nerve to hurt her for it. Anger bubbled throughout her system and caused her face to burn horribly. Without even thinking, she clamped her hand into a tight fist and punched him as hard as she could, causing him to fall against the other wall.
He brought a hand to his eye and cursed under his breath, shaking from the sudden acute pain zapping it’s way around his eye. When he opened it, he flinched as another pain pulsated onto his cheek. She had punched him again…and was now punching him continuously in the face.
“ YOU FUCKING BASTARD, I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. She hadn’t even noticed that Laura was sobbing into the couch violently. Her parents had never fought but now…now it was all coming out and at a frightening pace. Mike could barely keep himself standing as she continued to pound on his face, and he could feel the blood trailing down from his nose.
“ DON’T YOU EVER FUCKING TOUCH ME EVER AGAIN YOU PRICK! WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM!”
Mike squinted his eyes as she knocked him right in the mouth, cutting open his lip with her wedding ring. “ I HATE YOU, YOU STUPID FUCKING BASTARD!” Her screams ripped through his ears like a piercing howl.
It took him a while to realize all the tears that were escaping her eyes. Then suddenly, he felt an intense and leg buckling pain in the lower half of his body…between the legs to be exact.
He fell to the floor and yelped with pain as she kicked him in the ribs. Anna opened the front door quickly and bent down, grabbing him by his spiked hair and pulled him towards the open door.
He tried desperately to push her hands out of his hair but that only caused him more pain. “ GET THE FUCK OUT!”
“ A-Anna-.”
“ –OUT!” she screamed, ignoring his coughs of pain.
She watched with a deep glare as he painfully crawled onto the front steps and spat blood onto the concrete. She gave him a hard kick on the back and watched as he stumbled onto the grass below, coughing out all his air. Mike flinched as he felt something skim his cheek and fall to the damp grass around his head.
“ DON’T EVER COME BACK!”
And with that, the door slammed shut and he was left alone in the silent darkness of night. In the distance, he could hear a single dog barking and the ruffling of leaves as a gentle breeze swayed through the trees. He opened his eyes slowly and licked the blood from his lips, then quickly sniffed away the blood from his nose.
Painful tears skimmed down his cheeks as he attempted to regain his breath. After a short while, he managed to bring himself to a sitting position and breathed in deeply to avoid suffocation. The cool night air entered his lungs and he shivered under the small breeze, watching the grass ruffle beneath him. His tears felt cold against his skin and he sniffed again, choking back a small cry of pain as his ribs throbbed.
He had been kicked out of his own house and was crying silently on the front lawn.
I can picture the headlines now : LINKIN PARK EMCEE CRYING LIKE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE GRASS. Has a nice ring to it.
Pitifully, he looked down into the grass and noticed something shiny within the green blades. He picked it up carefully and his eyes lowered sadly in pain. His felt his heart drop within his chest and a lump grew in his throat. Anna’s wedding ring.
Yeah, you really fucked up this time didn’t you Mike? You tried to kill your daughter twice and your wife threw you out on your ass…this whole situation just screams divorce.
Mike stood up carefully and held his stomach…then noticed the fiery pain between his legs and he winced terribly. While still gripping the wedding ring, he entered his Escalade and started the ignition then leaned back into the cold leather seat.
He swallowed his tears heavily and pulled out of the driveway and quickly sped down the street. He knew exactly where he was going because he always went there when he was upset…or just when he wanted to get away from his stressful life.
He pulled up to a red light and stopped, eyeing the light rain that had started only minutes ago. The windshield quickly became blurry with rain drops, sliding down the glass.
Mike looked into the rear view mirror and stared at his reflection, noticing how much he looked like that windshield right now. His tears flowed down his crimson cheeks and he blinked heavily, trying to rid his eyes of the stinging water. He then looked down at the wedding ring, still in his hands and bit his lip.
When am I going to stop putting myself before others?
The light suddenly turned green and he stared up at it with disinterest, pressing on the gas. He then decided to clear his head from all these terrible thoughts and turned on the radio, hoping to find something to cheer him up.
Of course…the radio always had to make things sad and dramatic, just as you needed something to lift you up. Mike slouched further into his seat and lowered his eyes as the song echoed throughout the truck.

Caught up against the wall again,
Tied my chain to the ball again,
It never seems to amaze my mind
So I just sleep, sleep, sleep,
Sleep, sleep, sleep!
Please don't...

Wake me 'til the morning after
Wake me 'til the morning after

Cut and bruised by the fall again
Lick my wounds like a dog again
Is that a light at the end of the tunnel that I see, I see
Please let it be but don't wake me 'til the morning after

Wake me 'til the morning after
Wake me 'til the morning after
I'm so tired, there has got to be an end
To the pain I feel when I'm awake and alive, alive, alive
Alive and I'm dreaming

Caught up against the wall again,
Tied my chain to the ball again,
It never seems to amaze my mind
So I just sleep, sleep, sleep,
Sleep, sleep, sleep!
Please don't...

Wake me 'til the morning after
Wake me 'til the morning after

Wake me 'til the morning after
I'm so tired, there has got to be an end
To the pain I feel when I'm awake and alive, alive, alive
Alive and I'm dreaming...

{Song: The Morning After}
{Artist: Chester Bennington} THAT'S RIGHT!!

~~Hope you enjoyed this chappie and more to come...do they get divorced??? GASP!!...and where is Mike going now that he's upset?? Will Laura die while Mike is gone?? SO MANY QUESTIONS...anywhoo...THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR READING AND PLEASE LEAVE
Never Given Up
~~ Yay, more updates...enjoy!!:)~~
“ Now I know I put that fucking laptop somewhere…”
Chester walked through the long corridors of the studio and searched various unused rooms. It seemed he had forgotten his laptop here this afternoon but for the life of him he couldn’t remember where he had put it.
Slowly, he opened the recording studio door and walked in but didn’t notice the looming shadow sitting in the chair in front of the controls. Chester stumbled over cords and wires, making his way through the dark studio before stopping suddenly as a voice echoed through his ears.
“ If you’re looking for your laptop, it’s locked up in those cabinets.”
Chester turned around slowly and flipped on a lamp, squinting through the sudden brightness at the familiar man.
“ What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were home resolving your little problem.” He muttered with surprise.
Mike sniffed a little and lowered his head, staring at the sparkling object between his fingers. “ My problem just got a whole lot worse.”
Chester shuffled towards him and sat down at the controls. He noticed Mike’s bruised eye and cut lip…and of course knowing Chester, he decided to dive into Mike’s mind.
“ Got into a bar fight?”
“ No but I can assure you it was worse than a bar fight.” Mike muttered sadly before giving a heavy sigh.
Chester raised a brow of confusion and slowly turned his vision to the small ring between his fingers. “ Uh Mike…who’s ring is that?” he asked quietly.
Mike glanced at him and placed the ring gently onto the control board, watching it glisten under the dim lights. “ I’ll give you one guess and it’s not mine.”
“ Anna’s?” he asked with shock.
Mike nodded and ran a hand through his hair, then rested his forehead against his palm.
“ What the hell happened when I left?” Chester demanded with a deep frown. He assumed that everything had been okay…but now he wasn’t so sure.
“ To make a long story short, I almost killed Laura again, Anna slapped me, I slapped her, she beat the shit out of me, then kicked me out onto the front lawn and threw the wedding ring at me.” He muttered into his chest.
“ She beat the shit out of you? Jesus Mike, gain some weight.” Chester replied lightly.
“ Chester my wife just left me and you’re telling me I’m weak? Thanks, that helps a lot…you are such a great friend.” Mike explained sarcastically while giving him a hurt look.
“ Mike I didn’t mean it that way…besides I was just joking…and you deserved it anyway. And if you think I’m going to be here to consolidate you then you’re wrong. You are being selfish and you are hurting people.”
Mike lowered his eyes and swallowed hard. Chester was absolutely right…he had to stop. “ Chester how do I…how do I undo what’s already been done?”
He could hear the shakiness within Mike’s voice and already knew how deeply sorry he was. Now all he was thinking about was righting the wrongs and undoing the damage he had caused among his family.
Chester stared down at the floor in thought while playing with the bracelets on his wrists. How do you help a mourning father who has lost all hope? Would Mike even listen to what he had to say or would he try to escape all hurtful emotions and hide away for the rest of his life?
“ Mike…I’d be lying to you if I said I knew exactly what it was like to lose a child. I can’t even begin to imagine what you are going through but just seeing what’s happened to you during all of this is making me realize how much you actually love Laura. Underneath all the violence and anger, there is a small, broken man desperately trying to keep his daughter with him for as long as possible. Again, I don’t know what it’s like to lose a child but I know YOU. I know why you are reacting this way…and I know how you will cope with this.” He explained calmly.
“ And how exactly am I going to cope with all of this? How am I supposed to get through this pain?” Mike demanded, feeling the tears warming his lashes.
Chester leaned forward a little and eyed his best friend carefully for a long moment before replying.
“ You’ve never given up.”
The answer was so was so simple yet it sent shivers up Mike’s spine and caused his eyes to swell with tears. Chester lowered his eyes as Mike leaned his head down, covering the back of his neck with his hands. Suddenly, he choked out a heavy sob and his entire body began shaking.
“ God why are you doing this?”
Chester remained silent as Mike continued to weep his heart felt words.
“ Don’t take her away from me…don’t take away my little girl…”
It nearly broke Chester’s heart to hear his best friend crying so hard…so emotionally. There was only so much pain a man could take and Mike was at that limit…actually he was beyond that limit.
Chester put one arm around Mike and rubbed his back gently, attempting to calm his sobs. “ Mike, you can get through this. Don’t give up on her…you have a few more weeks to spend with her. Don’t take that for granted…let her know how much you love her.” Chester whispered softly.
Mike slowly stopped crying and choked back his sobs as he listened to Chester’s soothing voice.
“ Don’t give up…” He whispered once more, letting his voice linger inside Mike’s mind.
Mike blinked slowly and took in his words, staring at the control board beneath him. He suddenly realized that maternal instinct had its ups and downs…it can protect, love…and destroy.
He sat up slowly and stared Chester in the eyes with a defiant glint on his face.
“ I have to go.”
Chester frowned a little and watched Mike quickly exit the room, after swiftly grabbing the wedding ring off of the control board. He stared around the empty room and let out a heavy sigh.
“ I was hoping for something a little more dramatic Mike…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The rain had slowly let up as Anna had just finished injecting Laura with her medication. It had taken some time to get the needle in but fortunately Laura was more afraid of the thunder than the medicine and so Anna injected her easily, while receiving a small complaint from the pin prick. As she prepared to put the empty syringe away, she heard a small knock on the front door.
Thinking it was some salesman or possibly Chester, she reluctantly opened the large door…feeling her heart drop. Mike eyed her intently with a guilty look upon his face.
He looked like he had been crying on account of the large streaks running down his red cheeks…but they were old and long since wiped away. His black eye made him look slightly dangerous and angry…but the other eye was soft and uneasy. It was hard to figure out exactly what was going through his mind but in Anna’s case she didn’t care.
She hated him for what he had almost done to Laura…and for what he had done to his wife. “ Careful Mike, I have a needle and I know how to use it.” She muttered quietly.
He gave a small smirk despite the uncomfortable tension between them and leaned against the door frame. “ Was she cooperative?”
Anna frowned, noticing how calm he was and wondered why he wasn’t more agitated and nervous. She was even surprise that he wasn’t crying or falling to his knees, begging for mercy.
“ No…but she took it bravely.” She replied suspiciously.
Mike nodded a little and stared into Anna’s eyes with confidence. He no longer looked frightened during this situation and it took her by shock. It was as if he came across some kind of epiphany while he was gone.
While he was gone…why is he back?
“ I thought I told you to never come back.” She breathed sharply.
“ You did…but I never listen to you.”
“ Michael, I want you to leave immediately.” She ordered quietly.
Laura glanced over the top of the couch and watched her mother intently…hearing the familiar voice behind the door. “ Anna-.”
“ –This is not open for discussion.”
Mike’s jaw clenched nervously as he tried to remain as calm as possible. He sighed out softly and kept his eyes on her. “ I didn’t come here to discuss it.”
“ Then why are you here?”
“ I’m here because you need me to be here…and so does Laura.” He replied softly.
“ You almost killed her…and you slapped me. You don’t deserve to be here now leave.” She hissed and attempted to close the door but unfortunately, Mike stuck his foot inside.
“ Would you just listen to me?” he asked with almost a whisper.
Anna stared into his soft brown eyes and hesitantly decided to leave the door open a little. “ Fine, I’m listening…”
Mike swallowed hard before he began, gathering his strength. “ I’m not going to bother attempting to beg my way into forgiveness because I know it’s not going to work and I know you won’t forgive me for what I have done.”
She watched him move a little closer to the door and he lowered his head, staring up at her through his thick dark lashes.
“ But…I have a responsibility to this family and I am finished screwing around with all of this shit. I am finished hiding from my fears…and…I just want to be here for you and Laura…”
Anna crossed her arms and licked her lips. “ You finished?”
She didn’t exactly sound very impressed with his little speech and he could sense that right away. Obviously this wasn’t working. Mike sighed out sharply in disbelief and nodded.
“ Yeah…I’m finished.”
“ Good…now put some ice on that eye, you look like shit.” She muttered and opened the door wider.
Mike raised a brow of confusion and surprise, still not sure weather or not she was still mad at him. “ You’re letting me in?”
“ Well I was thinking about letting you live in your truck but then I thought about the smell…and then the neighbor complaints…and I realized that I would rather have you smell good and be pissed at you rather than having you smell terrible and be pissed at you.” She explained casually.
Mike stared at her for a long moment and blinked slowly. “ So…you’re still pissed at me?”
“ Oh hell yeah, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” She muttered and took a few steps back.
Mike breathed out sharply with a small smile and slowly stepped into the warm house, closing the door behind him.
“ Daddy…”
Mike turned his head towards the couch and eyed his daughter with curiosity. She had her arms extended into the air, expecting a hug from her father. He knew she didn’t quite understand what had happened earlier and must have blocked out all of that violence, forgetting that it even happened.
Anna watched Mike intently as he gave a small smile and walked over to the couch, sitting down beside his daughter. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and dug her face into his neck, accepting his warm comfort. He instinctively draped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead while stroking her hair.
“ Hey baby…”
“ Are you back?” she asked lightly.
Mike couldn’t help but smile at her innocence as he held her in his arms. “ Yeah…I’m back…”
“ Uh Mike…why don’t you um…take her upstairs.” Anna whispered suggestively.
He glanced at her briefly, then nodded, picking Laura up into his arms. She gripped his neck tightly as he walked her upstairs to her temporary room and laid her down on the bed, wrapping her up in her covers.
He could already tell that by how fast she had already fallen asleep how weak she was. Everyday she was getting weaker…and it wasn’t long until that dreadful day when she would fall asleep and never awaken.
Mike gave her a small kiss on the cheek and smiled, stroking her hair. “ I love you sweetie…sweet dreams…” he whispered.
He watched Laura peacefully sleep for several minutes, just taking in her innocent beauty…knowing that perhaps he’d never see it again. Reluctantly, he stood up and walked into the hall, closing her door softly, careful not to wake her.
He was surprised to find Anna standing in front of him with a neutral face…no glare, no smile. “ Are you going to start being a man?” she asked.
He sighed lightly and walked towards her cautiously, not sure how close she even wanted him near her right now after what had happened earlier.
“ I’m going to start being her father.” He replied.
And to his surprise, Anna gave a small smile and grabbed his hands staring into his soft eyes.
“ I believe you have something of mine…”
Mike gave a large smile and reached into his pocket then held out Anna’s ring.
“ I think you must have dropped this…you know because I found it outside on the grass…”
“ Yeah I think I have to get that thing resized…it keeps falling off.” She chuckled as he slipped it onto her finger.
He peered fondly into her eyes and swallowed hard, wondering if he was out of the doghouse yet. “ I love you Anna…”
“ I love you too…”
And so they left it at that…not wanting to talk about what had happened earlier. They had silently agreed to put it behind them and look towards the future. Anna walked into their room and grabbed something from the bed, then quickly walked towards the door, hiding it from Mike’s view.
“ What is that?” he asked with a smile.
Her smile faded quickly and she pressed his pillow into his chest.
“ Good night Michael.”
And with that, she closed the bedroom door. Mike stared at the wood for a long moment then his smile faded and he frowned. He gave a long sigh and proceeded downstairs to the couch. He ruffled the pillow for optimal comfort then lay down against it, frowning with insult and guilt.
Somehow he knew his neck was going to hurt tomorrow morning…

~~ HAHA..okay so the whole Laura situation thingy is coming in the next chapter so watch out for that as soon as i update...awwww tis gonna be sad...anywhoosies, thankees for all ur reviews, you guys always make me smile...and thankees for reading so far!! PEACE OUT!! :)~~

Waiting In Silence
~~Okay I know that most of you are confused and have no idea what the hell is going on with Laura but that will be explained in depth in the next chapter so be patient and please enjoy this chappie!!:)~~

As Mike entered the school, the principal, Mr. Miller (the same jackass that he had tried to get fired but hadn’t gotten around to it) was waiting for him at the front entrance.
“ I know you must be busy but we tried to get a hold of her mother and she wasn’t available.” He explained shakily.
Well the only reason why you tried to get a hold of her was because you’re scared of me you asshole.
Mike gave him a concerned glare, watching his gray eyes darken. “ What happened?”
“ Actually sir, it’s still happening.” He admitted.
Mike lowered his head and deepened his glare. “ STILL happening? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“ Follow me.” Miller sighed as he directed him down the hall towards the classroom.
Mike’s apprehension grew as he heard echoing screams and sobs coming from down the hall.
“ We tried to calm her down but she won’t let anyone near her. We called the nurse but she has no idea what is happening and when one of our teachers tried to bring her to the nurse’s station, she bit him.” He explained.
“ You let some guy touch my daughter?” Mike demanded angrily.
“ Sir you have to understand that she is uncooperative and highly agitated and not to mention frightened.”
“ And so approaching her was the best solution…you people are real pieces of work.” He muttered under his breath.
Soon, they approached the classroom and Mr. Miller unlocked the door and opened it for Mike, allowing him space to come inside. The first thing he noticed were the students, staring fearfully towards the front of the class and no one was saying a word.
The next thing he noticed was five teachers and a nurse huddled around Laura who was screaming and crying on the floor. “ GET AWAY FROM ME!” Laura screamed through her fitful sobs.
Mike lowered his eyes as none of the teachers moved as if they were ignoring the poor girl on the floor. “ HELP ME! HELP…PLEASE!” she screamed at the top of her lungs while squirming around the floor, attempting to crawl away from the teachers.
Mike pushed through them and sighed uneasily. “ Everyone get the fuck away from her!” he ordered.
With fear and agitation, the teachers moved away from the young girl and rested near the desk at the side of the room while the students continued to watch in horror.
Mike bent down near Laura and brushed his hand near her back but was almost knocked over when she pushed him away with shaky hands. “ FUCK OFF!”
“ Laura, its me…calm down.” He stated nervously.
“ I CAN’T SEE! I CAN’T SEE! SOMEONE HELP ME!” she cried out desperately.
Mike swallowed hard, trying to make sense of what she was telling him. She couldn’t see? How could she not see? “ Laura, calm down…I’m trying to help you.”
“ WHERE AM I…PLEASE HELP!”
Mike winced as she began to scream so loud, everyone jumped with a start. She was obviously confused and probably a little delirious. When Mike tried again to put his hand on her back, she pulled away sharply and scratched his arm.
Mike sighed painfully as she continued to roll around the floor, screaming the same things over and over again, about how she couldn’t see and she didn’t know where she was all along crying for someone to help her yet she wouldn’t let anyone near her. “ Laura, I’m trying to help you.”
“ Get away…please…I need help…” she sobbed.
And yet again, she wasn’t making any sense…contradicting her own words. “ Okay, no one’s touching you…just breathe sweetie…calm down.” He explained softly.
Slowly, the screaming began to wind down and was replaced with heavy heartfelt sobs into the floor. “ Where am I…” she wept.
Mike carefully and cautiously put his hand on her back and felt her lungs heaving uncontrollably with panic. “ Go away…”
“ Laura, it’s me…Mike…” he stated gently.
With that, she instantly calmed and grabbed his lap, attempting to get closer to him…to the one person she trusted. “ I can’t see…”
“ I know, just relax…everything’s okay.” He whispered and pulled her closer. The entire class watched as Laura sobbed into her father’s lap, gripping his leg for dear life. He stroked her hair softly and listened to her cries of desperation.
“ Where am I, I can’t see…please help…”
“ Shh, it’s okay…”
“ Please…” she whimpered.
And then of course Mike began thinking about something he really shouldn’t have been thinking about right there. Twenty five students…all watching their classmate…crying into the lap of the Linkin Park Emcee. Oh great.
“ Should we call 911?” The nurse asked.
Mike looked up and shook his head. “ No, she’s fine…she’s just been sick lately, I’m sorry…” he apologized quietly while trying to comfort his daughter at the same time. With a few nods from the teachers, he looked down and grabbed Laura into his arms and stood up.
He looked into the crowd of fourteen year olds, all staring at him in disbelief. He cleared his throat as Laura sniffled into his shirt. “ Uh...hi…you never saw me…” he muttered nervously as each student eyed him with interest.
With that, he turned towards the door and rushed out into the hall, carrying his daughter all the way to his truck. Laura gripped his shirt tightly as he attempted to lower her onto the seat. “ Its okay…you’re safe.” He explained softly.
Slowly, she let go of him and laid back against the warm leather, glancing around quickly with blurred vision. When Mike let go of her hand, she immediately began to panic. “ D-don’t leave me…”
“ I’m not, it’s okay…I’m going to get into the other side of the truck okay?” he asked.
She gave a reluctant nod and he closed the door, walking quickly to the other side of the truck and hopped in. He decided to let her adjust to her surroundings before he started the vehicle.
He watched her intently, noticing a heavy stream of tears trailing down her pink cheeks. She looked very weary and totally out of it…probably not even aware of the world around her. “ Laura, do you know where you are?” he asked quietly.
She sniffed and glanced around frantically, feeling her lips twitching with the coming tears. “ No…” she cried.
“ Do you know who YOU are?” he asked softly.
She gave a short cough and leaned her head back against the neck rest, nodding quickly. “ Okay, that’s good…do you know who I am?”
She stared at the blurry dashboard in front of her and her face contorted with confusion and tears. He watched her shake her head hesitantly, briefly trying to remember who he was, but somehow couldn’t find his image in her brain. He pulled her towards him and she cried into his chest, extremely shaken by these events.
Why couldn’t she remember who he was? His voice just seemed so familiar…and so warm. She knew she trusted him but she had no idea why. “ Its okay Laura…it’s not your fault.” He whispered.
“ I’m scared…”
“ I know but I’m going to take you home okay?” She gave a slow nod and sniffed into his shirt, then carefully lay back against her seat.
Mike pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Anna’s number, hopefully trying to catch her after her meeting.
A click…success.
“ Hello?”
“ Hey Anna, its Mike.”
“ Oh hey, what’s up?”
“ Uh, not much…actually I wanted to know if you were on your way home.”
“ I’m home now…the meeting ended early…are you coming back from the studio?”
Mike sighed uneasily and glanced at Laura who was still crying…but very softly. “ I’m actually not at the studio, I’m at the school.”
“ Oh God, what happened?” her voice sounded nervous already and she didn’t even know what happened.
“ Laura had a little incident.”
“ What do you mean, ‘incident’?” she demanded.
“ Well, apparently she just started freaking out in class and was screaming and crying. I got called down and when I arrived, she was screaming that she couldn’t see and she didn’t know where she was. Actually, she still doesn’t know where she is…and she doesn’t know who I am…but she knows who she is.” He explained calmly.
“ Oh the poor thing…and I told you not to let her go to school this morning.”
“ I know, I’m sorry…I’m bringing her home now.”
“ Alright, see you then.”

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

As they walked through the front door, Anna rushed up to them but not before Mike stopped her. “ She’s scared, go a little easy on her.” He explained quietly.
“ Okay…” she whispered as he brought Laura over to the couch and sat her down. The two parents sat on either side of their daughter and eyed her intently as she struggled to look around the unfamiliar room.
“ W-where am I?” she asked quietly.
Anna sighed uneasily, instantly knowing that this was not a good sign. “ You’re at home…you’re safe here.” She explained calmly.
“ I-I can’t see…” she sniffed weakly.
Mike raised a brow and stared into her dark eyes which looked much unfocused at the moment. “ What do you mean you can’t see? Is everything dark?” he asked softly.
She shook her head a little and sighed shakily. “ B-blurry…”
He nodded a little and then glanced at Anna. “ Do you know who she is?”
Laura turned her eyes slightly towards the woman sitting beside her and blinked. After a short moment, she shook her head slowly and attempted to hide her rising panic.
“ And you still don’t know who I am?”
“ No.” she whined stressfully through tears.
“ Okay calm down…” Anna replied warmly.
“ I think I should take her upstairs, let her get some rest.” Mike whispered. Anna nodded with agreement and so Mike wrapped his arms around the frightened child, feeling her gripping his neck tightly as he picked her up. She didn’t make a sound as he carried her up the stairs because for some reason she undoubtedly trusted him.
Anna walked into the room behind them as Mike laid her down under the covers of the bed. She rested her head wearily on the pillow and stared up at her father as he sat down on the bed beside her. Anna frowned slightly, noticing something very odd within her daughter’s eyes.
“ Mike…what are those red dots?”
He frowned in thought and observed the small red splotches which were clearly evident within her eyes. “ Looks like petechiae.”
“ Which is?”
“ Small red dots in the white substance of the eye.” He muttered with an arched brow.
“ Okay but what does this mean?” Anna asked with more pressure.
“ Well usually it means that there have been popped blood vessels in the eyes…sometimes this can occur when someone is strangled or when there’s too much pressure build up behind the eye.” He explained slowly.
“ You think she was strangled?”
“ No, I think there is pressure in her head and its popping blood vessels in her eyes.”
“ Why?” she asked with confusion.
“ I don’t know, I’m not a doctor.”
“ Pretty damn close based on that little explanation.” She muttered back.
Mike sighed inwardly and stroked his daughter’s cheek. “ I just wish she’d let us take her to the hospital.”
“ Yeah she’s just as stubborn as you…anyway, I have to get back to the office…I only dropped by to pick up some papers. Stay with her?” Anna asked as she walked towards the door.
“ No, I thought that maybe I’d go clubbing with the guys.” He muttered sarcastically.
“ Sorry it was a stupid question. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“ Okay, bye.” He sighed, watching her disappear into the hall and down the stairs. Night came quickly as Mike relaxed his body into a nearby chair by the window, still keeping a constant watch on his daughter.
She had slept through most of the afternoon and evening, turning briefly to one side so that she was more comfortable. Mike rubbed his eyes wearily and slumped down further into the chair and attempted to remain awake for as long as possible. This sickness wasn’t only wearing her out, it was wearing him out as well.
“ Dad?”
Mike opened his eyes with a start, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He sat up quickly to see his daughter staring at him with calm eyes. “ You remember me?” he asked.
She raised a brow and blinked slowly. “ No, I thought I’d just call you dad for kicks…you know, to see if you’d respond.”
Good, she has her sarcasm back.
“ Do you remember what happened at school?” he asked quietly.
“ I remember...sitting at my desk…then everything went blurry and the next thing I knew I was on the floor crying…” she explained in thought.
“ Well you had quite the afternoon. You didn’t remember where you were or who anyone was…” he muttered weakly.
“ Did you freak out my class?”
“ I think you handled that all on your own.” He replied quickly.
She frowned and gave a heavy sigh. “ No, I meant by you being there. It’s not everyday someone from Linkin Park shows up and tries to calm down a screaming girl.”
He rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair, thinking about all their shocked little faces. “ Yeah well who can blame them for being freaked out? I’m a huge rock star.” He smiled.
“ You rap…that’s not a rock star.”
“ I play guitar…and sometimes sing…it counts.” He muttered.
The room fell silent again as they both stared at each other. Laura sighed uneasily and ran her hand along the blankets nervously. “ Dad?”
“ Mhm.”
“ What’s wrong with me?” she asked lightly with a quiet tone.
He blinked slowly, letting her words absorb into his brain and for the first time in his life, he didn’t have an answer. “ I don’t know.”
“ Comforting…”
“ Well if you’d let me take you to the hospital then maybe we could find out.”
“ I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“ Well gee guess what? Daddy’s worried.” He warned.
“ Daddy is not bringing me to a fucking hospital where I will get poked and prodded with needles.” She warned back.
“ The world is full of scary things so grow up and get over it.” He muttered into his lap.
“ What scare’s you?” she asked.
He looked up slowly and stared into her dark weary eyes. “ What scares me is how sick you’ve become in a matter of four days. I’m also scared that there is something seriously wrong with you and if we don’t get you to a hospital, it might be too late.” He explained.
“ Love me that much huh?”
“ You have absolutely no idea how much I love you…and if you did have any idea, you’d let me take you to a hospital.”
“ Well then it’s a good thing I don’t know how much you love me because I’m NOT going.”
Mike lowered his eyes and shook his head. He knew she was making a very bad decision…but the question now became, does she know she’s making a bad decision? “ Get some sleep.” He stated quietly.
She watched his dark eyes curiously, noticing something she had never seen before. Was it disappointment? Could it have been anger? No, it was something deeper…something much darker.
It was fear.
It was fear only a father could have for his daughter when he knew that something wasn’t right…that something terrible was going to happen soon. As his black eyes sparkled under the moonlight, she began to feel his fear in her heart and she shivered.
She hated it when he gave her that look because for some reason she felt guilty that all this shit was happening to her.
Laura closed her eyes and could still feel Mike’s dark gaze, watching over her…waiting…waiting in silence.

~~OKAY SHE WILL END UP GOING TO THE HOSPITAL IN THE NEXT CHAPPIE SO READ ON TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHY IT WAS SO SEVERE THIS TIME...anywhoosies, thankees for the reviews and stay tuned for more...:)~~
Hear Her Cry
~~WOW tis been a long time since i updated...so without further adieu...ENJOY!!:)~~

Once Anna had come home from work, she forced Mike to go get some sleep in his own room while she tended to the sleeping girl. Of course he went but with much reluctance, falling into an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares of his daughter dying and so many people staring at him with angry and sad faces. Deep down inside he thought that it was HIS fault that she was sick, even though there was no reason for this assumption.
As the early morning light began to creep its way across the window sill and throughout the dim room, he heard something muffled between the walls…something desperate, like a voice calling to him. He ignored it, figuring that it was probably Laura waking up with a massive upset stomach and knew that Anna would be there to take care of her.
“ Mike!”
He frowned, pushing his face into the pillow. Great, what does she need now? I’m trying to sleep…your fucking mom has control of the situation.
After a few more shouts of his name, he slowly began to realize that it was not his daughter at all and was in fact Anna who was trying desperately to wake him from the other room.
“ Michael!” she screamed.
Instinctively, he shot out of bed and sleepily walked down the hall with a quickened pace, entering the small guest bedroom. His heart literally stopped as he peered through the lowered spiked hair, poking at his eyes. Anna was standing in the corner of the room near the chair, staring at Mike in desperation, unable to look down at the little girl.
Laura stared up at her father with wide glassy eyes, full of red splotches. Her long black hair was literally soaked with sweat as well as her face and neck. Her shaky hands were grasping the blankets at the side of her body as she tried to make the intense pain go away.
The other thing he noticed was how much trouble she had breathing and each breath was a struggle for survival as she gasped and coughed. Her paling gray face was filled with deep dark veins running up her neck and around her face, ending at her hairline. Mike could do nothing but stare at this horrific image as his legs tensed making him unable to move.
What made this even more difficult to see was how skinny she had become over the past few days, making her ribs protrude through the skin and her eyes sink into the hollow eye sockets, causing the cheekbones to poke out in a sickly manner. She was literally turning into a skeleton.
“ Mike…what’s wrong with her? What do we do?” Anna demanded through fits of fright and sobs.
He blinked slowly and bent down beside the bed, grabbed his daughter’s wrist and checking for a pulse. It was weak and rapid…but at leased it was still there. Laura turned her head to the side slightly as a deep burping sound escaped her throat, causing a long line of vomit to ooze through her lips and down the side of her neck.
“ That’s it, we’re taking her to the hospital.” He muttered and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up.
“ But Mike-.”
“ –I don’t care if she’s too scared. I’m not going to let her die in this house.” He breathed, carrying her into the hallway.
“ Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?” Anna asked as they walked out towards the Escalade.
“ I’m not going to sit there and watch her throw up her stomach while I wait for an ambulance to fucking get here, now get into the fucking truck and hold her.” He growled, staring at her with intense and very fierce eyes.
“ But traffic-.”
“ –Isn’t going to matter, now get in.” he ordered.
Anna sighed uneasily and hopped into the backseat, taking Laura from his arms. He slammed the door and rushed into the driver’s side, starting the ignition. Anna stared down at her shaking daughter, watching her eyes roll into the back of her head…then the shaking increased into violent trembling. As the truck sped down the road, Anna looked up with fear.
“ Shit, Mike she’s having a seizure.”
He turned his head briefly to the backseat and lowered his eyes with worry as Anna held her head tightly.
“ This is exactly why we should have brought her to the hospital in the first place, but NO, you wanted to listen to her and keep her at home.” She muttered angrily.
“ ME? Excuse me but I was the one who let her go to school while YOU were the one who wanted her to stay home.” He argued back.
“ You gave into her Michael! SHE wanted to go to school against MY wishes. Jesus Christ, why do you always have to take her side? She’s SICK!”
“ I’m doing what I think is best for her!” he shouted.
Anna glared and gripped Laura tightly as she slowly stopped shaking. “ So I suppose what you’re doing right now is in her best interest.”
“ Yes it is…I’m bringing her to the hospital.” He replied angrily.
“ So in order for you to get off your fat ass and actually force her to go means she has to practically lose all lung capacity, weight and start having seizures, is that it?” she demanded as the engine began to blast against her voice.
“ Anna, we are NOT fighting about this now.” He warned.
“ No, we’re just going to fight about this tonight and then tomorrow morning and then the day after that and the day after that-.”
“ –Shut the fuck up!” he yelled.
Laura dug her face into her mother’s chest and began crying as the yelling and screaming finally stopped and silence once again overpowered the vehicle along with the revving engine.
“ Well I hope you’re happy Michael, she’s crying.” Anna muttered quietly after a while.
He glanced back through the rear view mirror and rubbed his head frantically, trying to get rid of the growing stress. Finally, they had arrived at the hospital and Mike parked the truck right outside the emergency doors. When he stepped outside, two doctors came rushing out with obvious frowns.
“ Sir, you can’t park here. This is for emergency vehicles only.” One of the doctors explained.
Mike glared at them and gripped the back door handle. “ Yeah…and this vehicle has an emergency situation inside of it.”
“ Sir, I have to insist that you park in the visitor zone and take whoever it is into the front-.” The doctor stopped short as Mike opened the door while blood flew out of the backseat and hit the doctor right in the chest.
The other doctor stared down at the shaking child with wide eyes as Anna cringed…her lap full of blood. It seems Laura had projectile vomited blood all over the place. Mike stared at the doctor and gave a small nod, glancing briefly at his shaking daughter.
“ So should I just bring her to the front or would the emergency room be a more adequate environment?” he asked lightly.
The doctor swallowed hard and hit the other doctor on the shoulder. “ Get this kid a gurney!”
“ Right.” He muttered and rushed back into the hospital.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For five hours, Laura was poked and prodded with needles, forced to undergo a CAT scan and many other painful and uncomfortable tests. Mike and Anna waited patiently in the room with her and watched as the IV in her arm pumped fluids throughout her body, hydrating her one again.
Finally, the doctor came into the room after making them wait three hours. He was holding a folder with Laura’s name written on it and as well as her test results. “ Good morning…or, afternoon rather.” He smiled and cleared his throat, rolling a stool towards the bed and sitting down.
Mike and Anna watched him intently as he opened the file and adjusted his glasses. Laura was barely aware of the world around her and would briefly open her eyes for a moment before she would close them again, falling into a dreamless sleep.
And so the doctor began by reading a few lines in the folder and glancing up at the two worried parents. “ Alright…I’m sorry for the long wait but tests take time.” He apologized softly.
“ That’s alright…just tell us what you found.” Mike muttered. The doctor gave a small nod and continued.
“ For the past few days…almost an entire week, your daughter has probably been feeling fatigued, weak, dizzy, lightheaded and queasy. She has also become quite confused and delirious while losing her vision, am I correct?”
“ Yes…y-yes…what does she have?” Anna demanded as patiently as she could.
He sat forward and eyed the two parents in thought with a grave expression on his face. “ It is in my understanding that the severity of a condition like this should be treated with the up most care and-.”
“ –W-would you just tell us?” Mike interrupted quietly.
The doctor sighed uneasily and closed the folder. “ Your daughter has a severe case of Vasculitis.”
Mike lowered his eyes and rubbed his forehead as Anna eyed the doctor with confusion.
“ V-Vasculitis…what is that?” she asked.
The doctor adjusted his glasses once again while watching her confused and terribly afraid eyes. “In laymen terms it is the inflammation of blood vessels. Inflammation is a condition in which tissue is damaged by blood cells entering the tissues. These are mostly white blood cells which circulate and serve as our major defense against infection. Ordinarily, white blood cells destroy bacteria and viruses. However, they can also damage normal tissue if they invade it.”
“ So what you’re saying is, her body is attacking itself?” Anna asked slowly.
“ More or less.”
“ How the HELL did she get this?” Mike demanded almost with an angry tone. The doctor sensed his fear and anxiety as he continued his explanation.
“ Well usually no one knows how or why this happens but believe it or not, it is not a rare disease. In most cases, people usually get a rash on the skin which is very treatable and has a 95% chance of being destroyed. But, unfortunately your daughter’s condition has not be confined to the skin but rather to the vital organs in her body, specifically the brain.” He explained carefully.
As Mike listened to all of this, all he could do was stare at his weak daughter, lying helplessly on the hospital bed with a tube stuck in her arm, pumping medication throughout her system.
“ My baby has inflamed blood vessels in her brain?” Anna asked shakily.
“ Mostly yes, but it is also in her organs as well…such as the lungs and liver. You see, when the blood vessels in the brain are inflamed, the brain swells, causing damage and ultimately shutting down the rest of the body. Now, brain damage has not been seen that often in patients with Vasculitis but it is not uncommon. It creates confusion, dementia, memory loss and even behavioral disturbances, all of which I’m assuming your daughter has had.”
Mike let out a heavy sigh and looked at Anna with worry, while holding his daughter’s lifeless hand. It was clear that this condition was quite severe and quite dangerous. He had known that something was wrong all along and maybe evading the hospital all this time was killing her.
“ So what’s the treatment?” he asked quietly.
The doctor glanced at the small girl and lowered his eyes, gripping the folder lightly. Both Mike and Anna knew that something was terribly wrong, just by the look on his face.
“ Please tell me there’s a treatment.” Mike muttered quietly in desperation.
“ I assure you there is. The treatment for Vasculitis usually consists of Prednisone and other types of creams but since the condition is isolated to the brain and organs, we will have to inject her with two drugs called Imuran and Cytoxan.”
“ So those will cure her, right?” Anna asked shakily.
The doctor blinked slowly and gave an inward sigh. Obviously this wasn’t the case. “ Your daughter’s Vasculitis is far more severe than anything we’ve ever seen. She’s having strokes and severe seizures as well as violently rapid weight loss and dementia. She is in the last stages of the disease and it isn’t long before her body will completely shut down due to severe swelling in the brain.”
He stopped as a few tears fell to Anna’s pink cheeks. This was all so much information to take in and it was extremely upsetting. Mike wrapped his arm around her shoulder and allowed her to rest her head on him.
“ So…she’s dying.” He muttered.
The doctor gave a small nod before standing up. “ I am terribly sorry for all of this. She is a good girl and shouldn’t have to suffer like this. We can make arrangements for you to take her home, manage her condition there if you’d like. After all, the hospital isn’t exactly the most welcoming environment.”
“ We can take her home?” Mike asked with surprise.
“ As long as she gets her medication-.”
“ –What’s the point? She’s dying anyway…the medication won’t help.” Anna interrupted suddenly with a pained expression on her face.
“ No, it won’t…but it will manage her symptoms and alleviate most of her pain.” The doctor explained softly.
“ I-Isn’t there anything else you can do? Isn’t there SOMETHING that might reduce the swelling in her brain o-or treat her organs?” She asked desperately with tears running down her face.
The doctor stared at her for a few moments in thought before replying. “ There are experimental procedures that may help in treating Vasculitis. They are called plasmapheresis, intravenous gammaglobulin, and cyclosporin, a medication used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. But without further testing, we can’t be sure if these drugs will help your daughter. She is already too far gone with this disease.”
“ You know what, just leave it alone…we’ll bring her home and we’ll take care of her…give her at least SOME comfort before she dies.” Anna sniffed quietly.
“ You sure?” Mike whispered.
She gave a small nod and rested her head on his shoulder once again before looking back up at the doctor.
“ Alright, I’ll have someone find the appropriate papers.” The doctor explained quietly before leaving the two parents alone in the room with their daughter.
Anna sat up and wiped her eyes, then stood up slowly. Mike eyed her with confusion and interest as she ran a hand through her dark hair. “ What are you doing?” he asked with a frown.
“ I-I have to leave…I have to get some fresh air…I can’t…I can’t look at her right now, it’s too hard.” She replied shakily and quickly left the room.
Mike sat by the bed and lowered his eyes with deep understanding. It’s hard for a parent to face the ultimate death of their child and Anna needed to grieve by herself in her own way. He sniffed a little and raised a brow as he felt a new pressure against his hand.
He looked down and watched as his daughter’s weak fingers gripped his hand tightly.
“ Dad…” she muttered sleepily.
“ I’m here.” He whispered and moved his chair closer to her.
She opened her eyes a little and squinted through the blinding white room. She noticed the sadness in her father’s eyes right away and her brow contorted into a deep frown.
“ What’s wrong?”
Her voice was so quiet and so innocent and it made him want to just burst into tears. How do you tell your child she’s dying?
“ Um…we had a little chat with the doctor about you.” He began shakily.
She stared at him with expectation as he tried to suppress the tears from welling within his dark eyes.
“ Am I okay?” she asked with a scratchy voice.
He looked down slightly and swallowed hard, trying so hard not to cry. Even pushing down the large lump in his throat was too much to handle.
“ Y-you’re very sick.” He managed while feeling slightly relieved that he didn’t breakdown and start crying right there.
Laura gripped his hand tighter, feeling his compassionate warmth against her cold skin. Then she asked the most chilling and eerie question a sick child could ever ask and it nearly brought Mike over the edge.
“ Am I going to die?”
He stared into her dark eyes for a long moment, feeling his tears stinging his eyes and watching her face become a blur through the swelling of sadness.
“ You’re too sick to get better.”
Laura’s heart dropped as she searched his eyes for something more definitive…for a more direct answer but deep down inside she knew what he was saying and that he was in fact answering her question with a yes.
After a short while of just watching his eyes redden with tears, she blinked and felt a soft tear trailing down her own cheek, only to be gently wiped away by her father’s caring touch.
The silence throughout the small room was deafening.

Watch her go, watch her go, watch her go
She'll have to cut it away to save her life
And she knows, see she knows
It's like a fatal disease
You'll hear her cry, Oh
Take this
Make it something beautiful again
Make this
Make this heaven cause you're beautiful to them

Got you anyway
I'm gonna say that I've been taken over
No, let's go again
You tell me when
And I'll be taking over

And you know that I'll never (I will do it again)
Do it again (I'll take it away from you)
And I'll tell you I love you (I'll take it again)
(Just give me the chance, I'll take it again)
(I'll take it away from you)
Say it again

Got you anyway
I'm gonna say that I've been taken over
No, let's go again
You tell me when
And I'll be taking over

And time stands still
It's at a picture
(I think of every word you say)
And time moves on to the next one
(I think of every word you said)
With every word you said

Got you anyway
I'm gonna say that I've been taken over
No, let's go again
You tell me when
And I'll be taking over

{Song: Breathless}
{Artist: Acceptance}

Info found at Google.ca

~~OH NOOOO SHE'S DYING!! IM GONNA LIKE BREAKDOWN AND CRY...wait, that's Mike's job in the next chapter...hehe....THANKEES FOR READING AND PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW ON YOUR WAY OUT!!...:)~~

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…

~~GASP OH NO!! WHAT'S WRONG??? review and find out..cuz there's more to come!!!! hehe Thankees:)~~