Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 13:03:30 -0500
From: joey miller <pandora0071@lycos.com>
Subject: "Learning how to Fly"     Chapter 10

LEARNING HOW TO FLY

Chapter 10
~ Aftermath ~

And the Saga continues. Special thanks to Drow and everyone else who gave
me helpful input. As always, comments, praise and criticism should be sent
to Pandora0071@lycos.com.

Disclaimer: This is all fictional and in no way represents the true
beliefs/opinions/sexualities of any of the celebrities mentioned.  If you
are underage or reading this kind of stuff is illegal in your neck of the
woods, please leave. Or lock the door. Whatever.


***

	Nick opened his eyes carefully, squinting in the bright
early-morning sun. It took him a moment to realize where he was, but then
it all came back to him. Flashes of skin on skin, an eager mouth, pure
ecstasy. With a smile he looked at Colin, curled up next to him, wrapped in
twisted sheets. Nick settled back on his pillow, snuggled closer to his
lover and closed his eyes. The room enclosed him like a cocoon and he
wished he'd never have to leave, never have to face the rampant chaos that
was waiting for him outside these walls.


	 "You know, you *could* just call one of them Dragonfly people. I'm
sure Nick is with them. More specifically, with Colin." Howie suggested for
the millionth time. But Kevin just shook his head. He had not slept all
night and he looked worn out. But lack of sleep was the least of his
problems. He wrapped his hands around his coffee mug and stared into the
rising steam as if it would reveal the secrets of the universe to him.
	"The truth is, I don't know what to do." Kevin finally
confessed. Howie sighed. The recent developments were leaving their mark on
him, too, but at least he had been prepared for it. If anything, he was
impressed that Nick had been able to deal with Brian for as long as he
had. But Kevin had been taken completely by surprise and his mind was still
reeling from all that he had found out yesterday.
	"Nick is gay, Alex is bi and Brian hates both of them for it and oh
yeah, he left the band." Kevin said, ticking off each item on his fingers,
then shaking his head.
	"What I fail to see is how I could have gone a whole year without
noticing that Nick is gay and obviously suffering under Brians ignorance."
Leaning back into the couch he closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing
temples.
	"Don't beat yourself up over that." Howie offered. "Nick didn't
tell me until a few months ago and I hadn't noticed either. He really
wanted to brave this out, to keep the band together."
	"And then things fell apart anyway." Kevin stated. And he was
fighting to keep tears at bay.


	"Would you stop pacing like a fucking caged tiger? You are driving
me nuts." AJ complained. Brian whirled around.
	"I have no idea what you are even doing in my room. If I am getting
on your nerves you could leave." He spat.
	"What I am doing here is trying to talk some sense into you!" AJ
flung back. He'd known from the beginning that it would be a lost cause,
but somehow he had been unable to just watch things happen. There had to be
something he could do! And now the anger it had taken him all night to
fight down was flaring up again. He'd been trying to contain it yesterday,
but now he saw no more reason to hold back.
	"I don't understand how you can do this! How you can just stand
there like some self-righteous bastard and pass your judgment on us as if
you'd been spoon-fed wisdom and morality. Don't you see what you are doing
to us? Nick is hurting, Kevin is torn between his friend and his cousin,
and you just destroyed our whole fucking band! Who the hell do you think
you are?" Though he had started out with a quiet fury, AJ was almost
screaming when he reached the last sentence and Brian looked at him with a
mixture of disgust and pity.
	"I wouldn't expect you to know the first thing about morality. I
held my tongue when you started drinking. I even over-looked your drug
habit. Heck, I never said anything about your frequent adventures with male
groupies. But you don't really expect me to remain silent now that you are
trying to pull Nick down ..."
	"What?" AJ almost laughed. "Run that last part by me again because
I don't think I'm catching what you're trying to say."
	"Alex, I deeply care for Nick. He is almost like a brother to me
and I simply will not stand by idly as he is letting you lure him into
sinful behaviour like this." Brian had taken on an almost condescending
tone, standing before AJ and lecturing, no, admonishing him like some
half-wit. AJ let the silence settle for a while, staring into his friends
eyes, searching for something that would promise some last fiber of hope,
finding nothing but coldness, hardness. Finally he took a deep breath and
pushed himself out of the chair as if it required a large physical effort.
	"Brian, you are full of shit." AJ said as they were face to
face. Then he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.


	Dave was not quite sure what the next step should be. Yesterday
morning he had woken up full of energy and with the certainty that his
career was finally taking off, that they were finally getting
somewhere. This morning all hope and optimism had left him and he was left
with an empty feeling and the bitter taste of disappointment. The band he
had admired for years had gone to pieces and it had taken him down with it.
	When Kevin had called him the previous afternoon to explain the
situation, Dave had had to resist the urge of storming into Brian's room
and yelling at him. But it was not his place to meddle. They would simply
have to deal with this blow. They would reorganize, regroup and start
again. For Dragonfly, this was just another setback, one of many on the
long, hard road to success.
        With a sigh he hoisted himself up out of bed. It was time for
breakfast, he decided. He'd take a shower, then order some food. Call Jamie
and Nicky, asking them to come over. He'd wake up Colin. And probably Nick,
too, Dave mused with a smile.
	Things were not so bad, after all. They would simply have to adjust
to the new situation.

***

Here we go. Yet another chapter.

Hope you like it. And I know that I am giving Brian a bad rep. I swear,
this was not entirely my intention. But he sort of took it and ran with
it. Fellow writers will know what I mean ... sometimes these stories write
themselves. We shall see.

joey