Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 22:13:29
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go 54

Disclaimer:

   Here is chapter 54, the next chapter in an ongoing story about
Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the
Act.  I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell
me what you think.

    For the obligatory disclaimer, I must say I have no contact with
either gentleman or group, so these chapters exist within the
imagination of the author's mind, combined with public events that
happened during this time.

   Cheers,

   Musicfan


###



    The group of friends found that they were really enjoying
themselves in Florida.  They encouraged Stephen to ring his friend
Chris, who was all too happy to break away from his studies and act as
a tour guide for them.  Alex looked askance at their plans to be
tourists and left them to their own devices.  None of them were very
put out about it, and they had a good time together without him.

     Eventually though, they felt that the time had come to go home.
While they really didn't want to leave, there were commitments looming
on the horizon and increasing calls from Louis wondering when they were
coming home pressured them to come back to Ireland.  They decided to
have one last night out, and Keith rang up Chris to ask him to join
them.  Chris agreed and decided to meet them at the hotel.  The rest of
them made plans to meet in the hotel bar and when they showed up, they
found Stephen already sitting in a corner booth with Chris.

     "Hey there," Stephen greeted the two couples as they sat down. "No
Alex again?"  He rolled his eyes and grinned at Chris.  Alex, for some
strange reason, had taken an aversion to the other man.

     "No, he's on his way down," Ronan said.  "After all, this is our
last night here.  It would be good to have everyone together." He
nodded to Chris, who obligingly scooted closer to Stephen to give them
room to sit down.  Ronan had to hold back a grin as he watched Chris'
obvious attempt to stay close to Stephen, even knowing there wasn't any
hope of a relationship there.  Stephen had told him that he wasn't free
and that they were going to be friends, but Ronan could see that Chris
was going to take advantage of as much as he could while Stephen was
still there.

     "So, where are we going for dinner," Keith asked.  Chris grinned
up at him as he leaned back and casually draped his arm on the back of
the booth behind Stephen.

     "Well, since this is your last night in town, I think you should
have a good ol' American send off.  How do you all feel about
barbeque?" He asked, letting his fingers trail down onto Stephen's
shoulder.  Stephen didn't seem to notice at all, though.  The others
were fine with the idea of eating barbeque and said so as Alex finally
arrived at a leisurely pace, taking his seat with a nod towards Stephen
and Chris.  "Alright then, we can go to Bubbaloo's Bodacious BBQ."

     "Bubbaloos?" Stephen said with a laugh. "Is it run by someone
named Bubba?" The rest of them laughed at his jest and Chris grinned at
him.

     "Probably.  This is a southern state, after all.  But it's
inexpensive, it's great fun, and I think y'all like it. So, sound
good?"  He looked around the group who all nodded in agreement. Alex
looked away when their eyes met and he again wondered at Stephen's
friend's reticence about him.  He didn't let it bother him though as he
turned to look back at the others.  "Okay then, sounds like a plan."

     They finished their drinks before heading out. Chris had borrowed
a friend's van so they could all fit inside. He apologized for the
garbage in the form of abandoned candy wrappers in the back that his
friend's nephew had made.  Chris had been meaning to take the van to
the car wash on the way over, but had been running late and had
forgotten to stop off.  Lisa assured him that they were all used to
children and weren't bothered with it at all.

     Bubbaloos was a lot of fun, and everyone had a great time while
trying not to make too much of a mess.  Even Alex relaxed in his
attitude towards Chris, finding him willing to be friendly and to
ignore his earlier rebuffing of overtures.  Stephen had sat next to
Chris at the table.  He had found over the course of the few days they
had been together that the more time they spent talking, the more they
had in common.  During a later point in the night when Ronan had
dragged Yvonne out to do some of the line dancing and Keith was playing
pool with Lisa and Alex, the two men found themselves alone at the
table.  Stephen smiled as Chris slipped his hand into Stephen's under
the tablecloth and squeezed it lightly.

    "I'm so glad we met at the club.  I also hope we can keep in touch,
once you get back home," he said, looking at Stephen.

    "I'd love that, but I'll give you the same warning I give all my
friends, which is I'm not the best at keeping in touch, especially when
things get busy.  But if you don't mind not hearing from me for months
on end sometimes, I'm willing to give it a go." Stephen grinned at the
other man companionably.  "The best way is to call my mobile, since I
never know where I'm staying when I'm on the road.  But I'll also give
you another number you can reach me at, if I'm ever in Ireland long
enough to hang my hat."  After a few days in Chris' company, he had
explained what he did for a living. He grabbed the pen that Chris had
used for the bill and jotted down a number for his house in Wicklow
onto a clean napkin.  "Thank you for being such a great host, and
taking time to show us around.  I enjoyed it a lot."

    "I enjoyed spending time with you and your friends," Chris said,
pocketing Stephen's number.  He took another napkin and jotted his own
number down.  "Here's my number at home in Stowe when I'm not at
school. Don't worry if you get busy -  I know what that's like! Likely
once I get closer to finishing my studies and get my internship, I'll
have no time whatsoever.  But I certainly would like to keep in touch."
Chris paused as he tried to think of a way to articulate what he really
wanted to say before Stephen and his friends left.

    "Stephen," he said, looking at the clear blue eyes that regarded
him as he talked.  "I think you're a very special person.  Given
another place and time, who knows? Maybe we could find ourselves
together.  But even without that, I still want to be your friend,"
Chris finished with a glance down to their clasped hands.  He
definitely found a link between them, and didn't want to lose that with
Stephen's parting.

    "You're very special yourself, Chris. I would like to keep our
friendship, too.  You're easy to be with, and it's refreshing to be
with you. You feel so real to me, and I really want to keep in touch."
Stephen smiled at his friend.  Sometimes he felt like some of the
people he met on the road were just trying to curry favour just to say
that they knew him, and use that for their own advantage.  He had been
burned enough in the past that it made him cautious in new
relationships.  But he found himself quite relaxed with Chris.  He
found Chris' habit of openness and touching refreshing, and he reveled
in the freedom of being able to do the same while here in the America,
where no one knew him.

    "Okay, it's a plan then." Chris said with a grin, happy with their
resolution.  They stopped talking when Stephen's friends came back from
their dancing.  Alex had wandered over to the bar, checking out the
cowboys posing there.  Stephen had shaken his head over Alex's actions,
but knew better than to chide him.  He had asked his friend what he had
against Chris, but Alex couldn't really give him an answer.  In the
end, he had admitted that Chris seemed much too wholesome to him, and
he just didn't like that.  Stephen hadn't minded, finding that was what
drew his attention to the other man.

    Once everyone was together, they planned on heading back to the
hotel, as they had an early morning flight the next day.  Alex declined
a ride back, saying if he was only going to be there one more night, he
was going to make it worth the trip.  The rest of them laughed at his
declaration and went back to the hotel without him.

    They had spent a lot of time at the restaurant dancing after the
meal, so Keith, Ronan and their wives opted to head to their rooms for
the evening, leaving Stephen alone with his friend.

    "Would you like to come up for a bit, or do you have to go?"
Stephen asked, feeling a bit reckless as this was his last night. "I
have a mini bar in the room."

     Chris thought about it for a moment, knowing that it probably
wouldn't be wise, but throwing caution to the winds. "Why not?"  He
followed Stephen into the lift and up to his floor, waiting while
Stephen opened the door to the room he shared with Alex.

     "Come on in," Stephen said, pushing the door open and allowing
Chris to precede him.  He followed the taller man in, closing the door
behind him.  There were bags packed off to the side, Alex having
already gone through his stuff for the flight the next morning.
Stephen was still in the process of packing, with all the gifts he had
bought for his family in bags about the room.  He pushed those off the
sofa and motioned for Chris to sit down, moving towards the bar in the
armoire. Opening the door, he put the key in the fridge and pulled out
some bottles to make them some drinks. He found himself interested in
having something more than a glass of wine this evening, and was
feeling rebellious for some reason.  Making them both a couple of
glasses of scotch, he brought them back to the sofa, handing one to
Chris before sitting down next to him.

    "I don't want to go back home," he said, a bit petulantly.  Chris
knew it was probably the alcohol speaking, but he also knew how hard it
must be to give up the freedom that his friend had been enjoying in the
time he was out here.  He put his arm around Stephen and hugged him
companionably, taking a sip from his glass with the other hand.

    "Well, we always have things we don't want to do.  But sometimes,
despite that, duty prevails," Chris said solemnly.  He could feel the
effects of the alcohol and knew that if they weren't careful, they
could push things farther than they wanted to go.  But he found that
the enticement of Stephen snuggled up against him was too much of a
temptation.  He turned Stephen towards him and kissed him, holding the
other man against him.  Stephen closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling
of Chris' lips against his own.  It had been so long since he had been
with Eloy that he found himself starved for this kind of intimate
touching.  He knew that they shouldn't go past this point, but there
was a certain part of him who wanted Chris to continue.  To take
advantage of his insobriety and take the decision away from him.  Chris
pulled away after a moment, surprised with both his own action as well
as Stephen's willing reaction.  "I'm sorry, we shouldn't be doing
this."

    "I know," Stephen agreed softly, opening his eyes to stare up at
Chris.  "But kissing you is so nice." He smiled crookedly and Chris
matched his smile.  Over the past week that they had spent time
together, he had told Chris some of the problems with his current
relationship.  Chris had pushed him to work it out, seeing how much
Stephen cared for his lover by the way he talked about him. He had
already told Stephen to talk to his friends and not hold back the
information from them.  He had seen how close they were to Stephen, and
how protective of him they were.  Both Keith and Ronan had pulled him
aside, warning him to be careful with Stephen.  He had appreciated it,
knowing that his friend was well cared for.  The fact that they didn't
know the story behind his current heartache was troubling, because he
had a feeling they would help him work it out, if only Stephen would
let them.

    "Chris, thank you for being so lovely," Stephen said, reaching up
to stroke his face. "You've been quite gracious throughout all this,
and I think that given time, you'll find someone much better than me."

    "Don't put yourself down, Stephen," Chris said, looking down at his
friend. "If you were free, I'd follow you anywhere you wanted." He was
serious in his comment, knowing he'd be willing to find a way to do
that, just to be with Stephen.

    "No," Stephen said, shaking his head. "Don't say that. Chris, you
have a gift to help others and you have too much to share to abandon
that all for someone else."

    "I guess, but really, I can practice medicine anywhere," Chris
said, staring into Stephen's eyes, wishing that the circumstances were
different. "And sometimes, I just want to think about something like
being with you, instead of spending all my time studying.  Can't I wish
differently for once?"  He leaned his cheek against Stephen's,
breathing in his cologne.  He had never felt this way about anyone
before, and to finally find someone that he thought he could have a
serious relationship and to find that other person wasn't free tore his
heart apart.

    Stephen instinctively responded to the tone in Chris' voice and
pulled him close into an embrace.  Chris rested his head against
Stephen's shoulder.  He knew at that point that neither of them would
go any further than they already had, but for one brief moment as
Stephen held him, he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like.

    Stephen felt Chris' tears against his neck and closed his own eyes,
stroking the other man's hair. Softly, he murmured words of
encouragement, not knowing of another way to help his friend.  When
Chris finally got control of himself and pulled back, Stephen met him
with a small smile as he reached over and wiped the wetness from Chris'
cheek.

    "Chris, you know I'd never want to see you hurt, right?" He watched
until Chris nodded, acknowledging his words. "I'm sorry that this is
hurting you like this.  Maybe it's better if we don't keep in touch..."
Stephen trailed off.

    "No, please don't say that," Chris interjected. "I want to keep in
touch. I'm sorry I'm acting like this.  I don't know what came over me
just now. I know this would have been impossible. It's just that... well,
I don't know when we'll see each other again.  And I'm going to miss
you."

     Stephen pulled Chris back onto his shoulder again and wrapped his
arms around the other man's shoulders. "I'm going to miss you, too.
It's so easy to talk to you, and I really value that in a friendship.
Who knows, maybe you'll get over to Dublin, or London, and we can meet
up at some point, yeah?  Or maybe I'll get back here, God willing. It's
not forever, you know."  Stephen looked down at Chris who smiled
wearily.

   "Yeah, I guess." Chris said softly to what his friend said. "Damn,
but I wish things could be different."

   "Trust me, Chris, you really wouldn't want to get involved with me.
It can be really lonely, and you know most of the story that can make
even my head spin. I really believe that everyone has a path to follow
in this life.  And while yours is in a different direction from mine,
there's a reason why we are in this place in time," Stephen said softly
with conviction.  "So we're meant to be friends, yeah?"

   "Yeah," Chris said, nodding slowly. He pulled out of Stephen's
embrace and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thanks. I think that a
certain amount of this is the alcohol talking, but I do mean it.
Stephen, promise me something?"

   "What's that?" Stephen asked.

   "Think about the things we've talked about this week.  Talk to your
friends.  Let them help you."  Stephen looked down at Chris' comment
and smiled wryly as Chris forced him to look up again. "And don't wait
too long to get in touch with your lover.  I have a feeling that he's
feeling the same kinds of things right now.  Being apart is probably
the worst thing for you two. I also think that there is no one else who
knows exactly what each of you are going through.  If you love him, you
have to be prepared to go all the way, because the way you two are
going at the moment doesn't seem to be the solution. But just think
about it. And talk to Ronan and Keith.  They really care about you, and
I think they can help you, if only you'd let them."

    Stephen nodded, knowing Chris was right.  "It's hard though. But...
but I'll try."

    "Good." Chris gave Stephen a tight hug before pulling back for the
last time. "I better get out of here before I get stupid again. When is
your flight?"

    Stephen sighed, brought back to the reality of his departure again.
"Nine o'clock."

    "Then you'll get a good night's sleep before it, then. And no
staying up tonight! Doctor's orders!" Chris said, shaking his finger at
Stephen, who laughed ruefully.

    "Well, if it's a doctor's orders, then I'll have to behave, yeah?"
He stood up with Chris and linking arms, walked with him to the door.
"Thank you, Chris.  You really are a breath of fresh air. And I do want
to keep in touch with you." He stopped just inside the door and wrapped
his arms around the younger man in a hug. "You take care of yourself
and I'll talk to you soon, I'm sure."

    "Yeah, you take care, too," Chris said, hugging Stephen tightly
before pulling back and smiling down at him.  "Thank you, for being
understanding.  And I'm looking forward to hearing from you, so don't
lose that number of mine!"

   "I won't.  You have a safe drive home," Stephen said, smiling
slightly.  Chris stepped towards the door and looked back, not wanting
to leave. They stared at each other for a long moment before he stepped
back in and gave Stephen a lingering farewell kiss.

   "Goodnight," Chris said softly, pulling back from the kiss and
moving back towards the door.

    "Goodnight." Stephen said.  He closed the door behind Chris and
leaned against it wearily.  He knew that what Chris said was right, but
he didn't know how to change what he had put into motion.  If his
friends ever found out what he did without consulting them, he knew
they'd be angry.  Even though he knew that it was the only choice that
he could make.

    He made his way back to the sofa, looking at their abandoned
glasses before taking his own and downing it in one gulp.  Coughing
slightly, he packed his bags for something to do, his thoughts whirling
about in his head.  He wondered how he could react to Chris the way he
did if he was supposed to be with Eloy.  He had had a traditional
upbringing, believing that once you fell in love with someone, that was
it. There was no one else that could take your attention away from that
other person.  He knew he was feeling guilty for kissing Chris, and
felt like he had cheated on Eloy, even though they hadn't done anything
other than kiss one another.

     He knew he was spiraling down and made a concerted effort to stop
himself from doing so.  It wasn't going to get him anywhere, and so he
made a promise to himself that once he got a chance, he would tell Eloy
what happened.  He felt he had to be honest, and though it scared him
that it would drive the other man away, he knew that he would never
forgive himself if he held back.

     Feeling slightly better about his decision, he turned off the
lights and went to bed.  He wasn't expecting Alex back anytime soon,
and he really wasn't interesting in talking to him once he did come in.
Sleep was a long time coming that night.

# # #

     A few days after they flew back to Dublin, they were planning on
heading right off to Sweden to record for Cheiron.  Stephen's mother
despaired of him ever coming home for any length of time.  She didn't
really understand that they had a big holiday in the States and so it
was right back to work.  They held a few meetings at the local Polydor
office downtown, listening to tracks that had been remixed in their
absence and trying to decide what ones they wanted on the album.

     Mikey seemed moody, and the others left him alone, knowing that
whatever was wrong, he needed to work things out for himself.  So it
was with some surprise that he asked Ronan out for a drink as they were
leaving the office.  Ronan agreed, knowing that if Mikey wanted to talk
that he would be willing to listen to him.  They drove out towards
Ronan's home without talking before finding a pub that they could stop
in.  Ronan lead the way to the back of the pub after getting them a
couple of pints, not wanting to be bothered.  Mikey was definitely
looking serious, and he wanted some privacy for the two of them.

   "How's this?" Ro asked, nodding to a table in the back.  This was a
local place where he went to from time to time with his friends, so he
was known to the barman and the other patrons.

   "Yeah, that's fine," Mikey said, putting his pint down and pulling
up a chair.  Ronan sat down opposite and waited for him to speak.  "Ro,
we have a problem."

    "Yeah?" Ronan asked, taking a pull from his glass before saying
anything else.  "And what's the problem?"

     Mikey looked down for a long moment before looking up again.
"It's Stephen."  Ronan stared at Mikey, perplexed for a moment.  They
had just spent the last few days with Stephen and he had seemed fine.

    "Steo?" Ronan asked in surprise. "What's the problem with Steo?"

    "Damn, this is complicated," Mikey said with a sigh, raking a hand
through his hair.  "When I came back home, I sat with Mark in the
plane, yeah?"

    "Yeah, I remember," Ronan nodded, remembering their departure from
New York. "What about it?"

    "Well, we had a few drinks. You know how Mark hates flying.  He got
himself pissed.  And he also talked a lot," Mikey said, looking up to
watch Ronan's face.  Ro nodded, following him in the story.  "Well, he
told me something he didn't mean to.  Apparently Louis was after
Stephen when we were in Dublin last, and threatened to out him to the
studio if he continued seeing Eloy."

    "What?" Ronan exclaimed.  Several heads turned in their direction
at his shout and he ducked his head back down. "What the feck are you
talking about?"

    "That Louis knew he was seeing someone and told him that if the
studio found out, we'd lose the contract.  Apparently he was crowing
about it to Mark, saying how he was so good at what he did.  Mark was
pretty disgusted by it, but didn't question him about it at all," Mikey
said quietly.  Ronan looked at him in anguish, thinking of Stephen
being put in that kind of a position where he had to choose between his
private life and his friends.  He knew exactly which way Stephen would
jump, too.

    "How did Louis find out about Eloy," Ronan asked, feeling awful for
Stephen, and thinking about how long this had been going on without a
peep from Stephen about it.

    "I don't think he knew who Stephen was seeing, just that he was.
And he used it as only Louis could.  The more I think about what
Stephen's done over the past few months... Ro, you know what it's like to
fall in love.  Imagine if Louis told you that you couldn't see Yvonne
anymore because it would hurt the band. That's basically what he's done
to Stephen.  And with that one already having problems of a long
distance relationship, he probably went off the deep end when Louis
said something," Mikey said.

    Ronan dropped his head into his hands. "It was exactly for that
reason that we eloped, you know.  I figured if it was a done deal, he
couldn't do anything about it.  Announce it to the press before he
could stifle it. I knew that he wouldn't be able to stop that. Shite,
Mikey, poor Steo. He's been soldiering on through all this without a
word.

    "And he was so good to Keith and Lisa in America. Went out of his
way to make sure that everything was right for them, real sweet of him.
Christ, Mick, how do we help him?" Ronan asked.

    "I don't know.  This has been eating at me for a while, waiting for
you all to get back," Mikey admitted tiredly.  "I think we need to help
him if we can."

    "How though?  Every time you ask him how things are going, he says
its fine.  None of us knew what was really going on, and he was
carrying it all by himself.  Shite, Mick, he really had us snookered.
He just told me that Eloy was really busy and didn't have time to come
to the States.  How was I to know that he'd called things off?"

    "Has he called it off, though?" Mikey asked. "I know they haven't
had a chance to get together, but he has been talking to Eloy, hasn't
he?"

    "Yeah, I think so.  He's told me some things about what Eloy was up
to on the road, so probably.  But if Louis threatened him, you know
damn well he'd clam up about it. Damn Louis!" Ronan hit the table with
his fist, causing it to shudder. "Mick, we've got to help him."

     "Yeah, I agree.  But how?" Mikey asked, looking miserable. He was
just coming out of a relationship himself, and though he tended to keep
things tight to his chest, they all knew how much he had been hurting.

     "We're going to be in Sweden next week, right?" Ronan asked,
thinking their future plans through.  Mikey nodded, waiting to see
where he was going to go with his thoughts.  "Well, Holland isn't that
far from there.  Maybe we can get Eloy to come over for a visit.
Surprise Steo."

     Mikey gave him a speculative look. "You know, that's not a bad
idea. Especially since we won't have anyone from the company with us
over there.  But how do we get in touch with Eloy? It's not like we can
ask Stephen for his number, after all."

     Ronan leaned on one hand, idly chewing a nail as he thought about
it.  After a pull from his pint he snapped his fingers, having come up
with an idea.  "I know!  We nick his mobile.  He has to have the number
programmed in there, doesn't he?"

     A slow smile crept across Mikey's face at the idea.  "That would
do it, wouldn't it?  And if it went missing, he would just think he
lost it again.  That would work fine.  Now for the next question – do
we tell Shane and Keith?"

     Ronan let out a soft sigh as he thought about their band mates.
"We'd have to, wouldn't we? Though Keith is going to kick himself once
he knows what's been going on."

     "None of us knew, Ro. Shane's probably going to feel the same way,
too," Mikey said with a sigh of his own. "The best we can do is to show
him that we want to support him, and be damned with what Louis says.
It's none of his business who Stephen sees, really."

     "That's what I've been telling Steo for ages now.  But Louis
played off of the thing that would scare the shite out of him, which is
being outed." Ronan said, keeping his voice low.

     "How'd Louis find out, though? Someone must have told him," Mikey
said, thinking over the last few months.

     "I don't know." Ronan stared down at his drink thinking. "But you
know what, it doesn't matter. I know he's only concerned with the
group, but it's not like Steo flaunts it all over the place. Mikey,
it's the first time I've seen him happy in a long time, and to see him
break it off because of what might or might not happen to us just isn't
fair."

     "I know," Mikey agreed. "Alright then, let's do it. You talk to
the other lads, and we'll see what we can do."  Ronan nodded and
finished off his drink.  They left the pub together, Ronan driving off
for home and Mikey getting into his car and headed for his own house.

# # #

     It took several days for them to get the other lads together
without Stephen, who was off doing some promotional work for Disney.
Ronan called everyone around to his house.  Shane was the first one to
show up, and he lead his friend down to his rec room, waiting for the
others before telling him why he wanted a meeting.  Keith and Mikey
showed up a few moments later, and they all sat down.  Quietly, Ronan
and Mikey told what they knew.  Keith looked stricken, knowing how long
it had probably been going on for without a word from Stephen.  Shane
was quite vocal about Louis' actions, swearing a blue streak before
settling down.

     "So, what do we do about it?" He asked, having paced around the
room during his rant.  He wasn't sure who he was more ticked off at,
Louis for his little games, or Stephen for not telling them about what
had happened. Out of all of them, he knew that Stephen had been having
problems, but just thought they were the ones with his brother. He
swore again as he thought of it and the others looked at him.

     "What?" Keith asked.  He was upset, knowing how badly they had
teased Stephen in the States, and how good he had been about taking it
from them.

     "I should have known," Shane said.  "I knew he was having
problems, but I thought it was just more of the shite with his
brother."  At their blank looks he realised that Stephen hadn't said
anything to the rest of them.  He explained the few times he had helped
Stephen out after the fights with his brother.

    "Poor Steo," Ronan said softly, thinking about how he must have
been getting it from all sides.  No wonder he had kept it all to
himself, rather than get them involved.  "Well, we're going to see what
we can do."  He explained his idea to the rest of them, and they
quickly agreed that getting Stephen and Eloy together was the best
thing they could do.  Shane offered to nick Stephen's phone so he could
get the number.  Ronan insisted on being the one to ring him up.

    With a plan in hand, they decided to implement it once they got to
Sweden.  They flew into Stockholm a couple of days later and went north
to the studio in Kungsholmen. They did a reasonable job of keeping
Stephen distracted and Shane was able to get his mobile off of him
while they were in the hotel bar that night.  They were only in town
for a short time, so they wanted to get moving as soon as possible.

    After Shane slipped the mobile to him, Ronan decided to call it an
early night and headed off to his room.  The rest of them stayed up,
happy to be off on their own without any minders.

     Ronan reached his room and after locking the door, pulled Steo's
mobile out of his pocket and turned it on.  It chimed softly as it
powered up and he waited impatiently for it to connect to the service.
Once it did, he pulled up the directory, looking for a number.  He
smiled as he went through the list. It seemed like Stephen kept
everyone's number in there so he wouldn't have to look them up.
Finally, he got to two that had possibilities.  One said E-home and the
other just said E and he paused.  Taking a chance that it was the right
number, he punched the speed dial and put the mobile to his ear.  He
paced impatiently for a connection.

     "Hullo?" A deep voice answered, sounding tired.  Ronan grinned,
knowing he had picked the right number.

     "Hi, is this Eloy," he asked.  Upon getting a confirmation, he
introduced himself to Eloy.

     "Ja, hullo Ronan. Is everything okay?" Eloy asked, a bit concerned
that one of Stephen's band mates would be calling him out of the blue.
Immediately he thought that something was wrong with Stephen and his
heart leapt at the thought that something serious was wrong.

     "Yeah, everything is fine.  Listen, the lads and I were thinking.
Stephen doesn't know I'm ringing you, by the way.  And he's been such a
good egg about working on the album, and I know that you two haven't
had a lot of time together, that, well, we wondered if you'd be willing
to help us with a surprise for him." Ronan said, trying to marshal his
thoughts together.

     Eloy sat back in his chair, curious about what Ronan had for an
idea.  "What kind of surprise?" he asked.

     "Well, we just flew into Stockholm where we're going to be doing
some recording with the people at Cheiron.  And I know you're busy
working on your own stuff, but it being so close, I was hoping that
maybe you would be able to come over for a day or two and be able to
spend some time with him."  Ronan held his breath as he listened to the
silence on the other end of the phone.

     "Ronan, that's a sweet idea," Eloy said after a few moments. "But,
I'm not sure that..."

     "Look, Eloy, we know what Louis said to Stephen," Ronan
interrupted, afraid that Eloy wasn't going to agree if Stephen and he
had made an agreement to break it off. "Frankly, we don't like it. It's
not right, what Louis did.

     "Eloy, you mean the world to him.  You wouldn't believe how happy
he looked when he was telling me about you. He's dotty over you, Eloy,
and he needs you," Ronan said, feeling the need to convince the other
man.  "He's been so good about doing what is good for the group that
he's neglected what's good for him.  We want him to be happy. We want
you both to be happy.  And the only way we can see a way to tell him is
to get you over here.  Please say you'll come."

      "I'll see what I can do," Eloy said softly, moved by Ronan's
plea.  The thought of seeing Stephen again sent a thrill through him,
and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to refuse the request.  He
didn't want to, even if he made Stephen angry at his actions.  "Give me
your mobile number where I can reach you and I'll ring you once I've
made some plans.  How does that sound?"

      "That would be grand, Eloy." Ronan said, quickly telling him the
number. "Let me know and I'll plan the rest on this side."

      "Okay," Eloy said, writing down the number.  "Hey, Ronan?"

      "Yeah?" Ro said, staring out the window.

      "How'd you get my number, by the way?" Eloy asked, curious.

      "Erm, well, Shane nicked Steo's mobile in the pub downstairs and
handed it to me so I could call you," Ronan admitted.  Eloy howled with
laughter at his admission.

      "Great idea.  Okay, I'll call you in the morning," Eloy promised,
still chuckling.  "But if this backfires and he gets mad, I'll point
the finger at you."

       Ronan grinned at the threat. "You do that.  Don't worry, it will
be fine."  He rung off and stared at the window for a moment, thinking
about their plans, and Stephen's possible reactions.  "Please God."